Epilogue
Ethan admired his best friend as he stood across from Manny, his partner and Daddy. Koa was in a white suit that had been custom made to fit his body.
It fit beautifully, and after knowing all of the difficulty that had come with the quest to find the perfect one, Ethan was happy to know Koa had gotten his dream.
Even more so, Ethan was happy to see the look of wonder on Manny's face. He stared at Koa as if the other man were crafted from gold. There was no convincing Ethan they weren't meant to be together. They were soulmates. That was the only way to explain it.
“They look good, don't they?” Jacob whispered from beside Ethan.
Ethan nodded, wiping a tear away.
“Oh, sweetheart, it's fine. You can feel big emotions,” Jacob murmured.
“You feel big feelings, and that's okay,” Ash agreed softly from Jacob's other side.
Ethan knew Ash was trying to make him feel better. It was working, but he needed to focus. This was his friend's big day. Koa was supposed to be the center of attention, not Ethan.
The rest of the ceremony went on, and through it all, Ethan wondered what it would be like to get married. He knew that he couldn't legally have both of his Daddies as his husbands, however, they could practice it in private. The world wasn't quite ready for that yet.
Once the vows were exchanged and everyone was told to head to the reception hall, Ethan felt his spirits lift. He'd been looking forward to the part where he got to dance with his Daddies, to be spun around on the dance floor and feel precious.
His suit, though it looked more like a dress than anything else, was olive green and fit him perfectly. His Daddies had insisted they shop together, so of course everything made sense and had its place.
Ethan loved the dramatic flair of it, the way it swirled when he turned and walked. He also loved that it didn't take anything away from Koa's big day. Even his men were more dressed up than usual.
Speaking of which, he caught a glimpse of Ash and Jacob standing near the dance floor. Ethan had strolled off to check on Koa, who wasn't technically the best man, since Koa hadn't wanted to claim anyone for the role, but Ethan took his responsibilities as best friend just as seriously.
“You doing okay?” Ethan asked Koa, who was beside him, nibbling on candy.
“Great!” Koa said, mouth full.
Ethan chuckled, then gasped.
“What's wrong?” Koa stopped eating long enough to look over, and when he saw what Ethan was staring at, he laughed. “Oh boy. They fell right into your trap, didn't they?”
Ethan nodded slowly. He didn't have words for what he was witnessing.
On the dance floor stood his two men: his Daddy and his Papa. They had their arms wrapped around one another and were swaying in a slow dance. That part was beautiful on its own, but it was the slow, tender kiss they were sharing as they moved that made Ethan tremble.
Over the last several months, his men had grown closer, giving each other a helping hand here and there, unafraid to be near one another. But they hadn't escalated anything beyond that.
The many times Ethan had hoped to watch them come apart together had been gently set aside as they turned their focus to him instead. Now, though…now he was getting what he'd been quietly wanting all along.
“You are going to be a menace after this,” Koa teased, shoving another treat into his mouth.
Ethan took one when it was offered, his gaze still fixed on the men and what was unfolding on the dance floor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away. He didn't really want to. Not with how beautiful they were, how happy he was.
“I'm happy for you too, friend,” Ethan said softly. “This feels like we've gotten everything we wanted and more.”
Koa smiled. “We did, didn't we? And to think I was hesitant before all of this. I thought I didn't need anyone to complete me, to make me whole.”
Ethan shook his head. “We don't need that, but having a Daddy doesn't mean that we're helpless. It doesn't mean that we can't fend for ourselves or that we don't want to. It just means we have the support. We have the care we longed for.”
Ethan smiled, then wrapped Koa in a hug. From his position, he could still see his Daddies. They had stopped kissing and were looking at each other with eyes he knew meant love. They loved each other, and they loved him. It was far better than anything he could have dreamed up on his own.
He got to wake up every day with the two men he loved, got to sleep beside them at night. They shared a home. One they had taken the time to make a perfect fit for all three of them.
Ash had never gone back to working the way he had before. He delegated far more than he took on.
And Jacob, with Noah's help, no longer spent entire days in the kitchen. He'd go in for a while and then clock out to be with his men.
Ethan was thankful for it all. He knew he was blessed. Most people didn't get this kind of life. They didn't have the level of trust and love and happiness that he did. He would forever be grateful for Club Delight and all it had brought him.
He'd found a place to be himself, and he'd found the family he'd been longing for.