Epilogue
Life had a funny way of working out.
Koa knew that firsthand.
He never would have guessed that walking into the club on one Monday would lead him to find his forever Daddy. He probably should have considered it given he was a Little and he would meet other people in the lifestyle at his job. It just wasn't in the plan, so to speak.
And then Manny showed up and he was everything that Koa had dreamed of and more.
They'd been together seven months, and it was pure bliss.
Every day was something new. They built a home together, moving in with one another at the two-month mark because being apart was exhausting for both of them.
Where Koa might have been considered needy by others, Manny saw him for what he was — a Little who wanted his Daddy around.
And it was easy. One would think having to combine households would cause problems for some people. Who gets to keep what? What furniture stays and goes? How do you blend completely different lives together seamlessly?
Koa felt like he could give a TED talk on the experience.
They'd set out with hopes of it going well and it exceeded all of it, because his Daddy was structured and organized in a way that Koa wasn't but often tried to be.
Manny had taken his laptop out one day while at Koa's place, opened up a fresh, clean spreadsheet, and told his boy to walk around describing everything he owned.
Koa had laughed at first, thinking this was some weird kinky game they were going to play.
When Manny had kept his gaze serious, Koa knew that there was more to it.
They spent hours cataloging everything, making an inventory that an insurance agent would have salivated over.
When they finished, Manny opened up his own spreadsheet of his place.
They cross-referenced the two, noting what each liked, and by the time they went to bed that night, it was a done deal.
They donated what wasn't going to be kept.
Of course, their friends had first pick. And then they packed it up.
Now with the seasons about to change again, Koa could feel something in the air. It was a shift, a slight difference. The last time he felt that way was when they did the move. But it had been weeks since then. Weeks where he should have been fine. Yet there was a nervousness under his skin.
Manny had asked him more than once if he needed anything, if maybe he wanted to regress a little more, or if he wasn't feeling well. They had tried everything, experimenting and exploring, yet nothing felt right.
It wasn't until he was sitting with Dill one day that it came to him. Well, really, it was more that Dill told him.
"You should just get married already," Dill groaned. "You're living together, you're in love. What is the point in waiting?"
Koa's mouth had dropped open. He didn't know what to make of the suggestion.
Yes, they had shared I love yous. The beautiful night after a particularly lengthy play session at the club, they'd returned home to cuddle, and the words had slipped out from Koa's lips in his foggy state.
Manny had been exuberant, kissing him and lavishing him with affection.
Those kisses turned into whimpers and groans as they made their way to the bedroom.
The next morning, Koa had woken up feeling lighter somehow.
He was no longer holding back his tongue, and they'd shared the words dozens of times since.
But marriage? They hadn't discussed it. It wasn't something at the forefront of his mind. But his gut told him that Dill was correct, that there was a next step, and Koa was nervous.
That night, Koa lay still in the dark long after Manny's breathing had deepened into sleep.
The room was quiet. Warm. Manny's arm was draped across his waist the way it always was, heavy and grounding, and Koa stared up at the ceiling and tried to figure out why his chest felt so full it almost hurt.
Married.
Dill had said it so easily. Like it was obvious. Like the answer had been sitting right there on the table and everyone had seen it but him.
He turned his head slowly to look at Manny.
In sleep, his Daddy looked softer somehow.
The quiet authority he carried through the day eased out of him, and what was left was just a man.
His man. The one who showed up at his office with pizza bagels and a blanket.
Who learned how he liked to be swaddled.
Who had crouched down on the floor of a munch on his very first night and decided, without hesitation, that Koa was worth his gentleness.
That was the thing that kept snagging in him.
Not doubt. He knew with a certainty that lived somewhere below his ribs that Manny was it for him.
The nervousness wasn't about whether. It was about the size of it.
How something this good had found its way to him.
How he hadn't ruined it yet by wanting too much.
He'd always wanted too much. His whole life, he'd been told so in one way or another. Too needy. Too much. Too little, even, in the way that made people uncomfortable.
But Manny never flinched. Not once.
Koa exhaled slowly and tucked himself a little closer, until his forehead was resting against Manny's shoulder. The arm around his waist tightened on instinct, even in sleep. Even without knowing.
Yeah, Koa thought. Okay.
By morning, he knew what he was going to do.
Manny arrived home to find Koa sitting cross-legged in their living room with a bag beside him, the same as he had been that day in the playroom so many months ago.
Manny smiled because he was an understanding Daddy who went along with his boy's whims. Koa loved him even more, and though he wanted to shout the words out, he couldn't. So instead, he pulled the bag in front of him and waited for his Daddy to see what was inside.
When Manny unzipped it, he frowned. Usually the bag was filled to the brim with diapers, wipes, blankets and the like. It was fully stocked 24/7 in case one of them wanted to play. This time it only held a piece of paper inside.
Manny pulled it out and opened it up. Koa watched him, holding his breath, wondering if this was either going to be the greatest day of his life so far or if he was making a grave mistake.
Manny read the words. Then his head jerked up to look at Koa.
"Sweetheart," he said, his voice breaking on the single word.
Koa unclasped his hands to reveal two gold wedding bands.
He'd gone to pick them up after having to sneak his Daddy's ring finger size.
If there had been a hidden camera, someone somewhere would have submitted it to one of those funny video shows, because Koa not only had to untangle himself from his Daddy's grasp, but he had to get a string wrapped around Daddy's finger, then take that off, measure it, and then make himself climb back into bed and wrap Daddy around him again.
It was something one of those fancy British agents would do.
You know the one, with the suits and who always said his last name first.
Manny reached out his hand towards Koa, who remained very still. He took one of the rings, the larger of the two, and slid it on his ring finger. Koa's heart raced. Did that mean he was…
His thoughts stopped as Manny picked up the other ring, then turned Koa's hand over and slid it on.
"I would love nothing more than to be your husband. I am already your partner and your Daddy. Another title is perfect."
Koa's eyes filled with tears. There was no hiding the emotion. No belittling how happy he was.
Manny tackled him in a hug, his hands careful to brace Koa's head against the fall. Hovering over his boy, Manny kissed him all over his face and down his neck, peppering him until Koa was a giggling mess. When he pulled back, Manny's eyes were glossy too.
"I love you so much. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Me too, Daddy," he said.
There was something about Queer weddings that made people emotional.
Maybe it was because for so long couples weren't allowed to get married.
Maybe it was acknowledging people who never got the chance to truly live out their lives before the laws changed.
Maybe it was just because everyone was very in touch with their emotions in general.
You wouldn't find anyone who bottled themselves up in the ballroom Koa and Manny had rented.
Koa stood at the end of the aisle, Manny's hands in his. Koa's white suit gleamed against Manny's black one. Their fingers were laced together as Dill, their officiant, spoke.
"I'm so glad these two finally got their heads out of their asses," they announced.
The crowd, of course, laughed.
Their friends filled the seats, some family too. Some people from the club who they'd grown close to had come in a show of support. Koa ignored them all, his focus on the man who was about to become his husband.
Dill went through the vows, adjusting them to be less religious and more to the couple's liking.
There were clauses about being there for one another through Little and Big time, along with mentions of candy allowances.
Koa frowned at that one. His Daddy winked at him, squeezing his fingers.
He'd let it go for now, but maybe they needed to have a talk about what was the appropriate amount of candy. Daddy clearly didn't know.
When the words, "You may kiss your groom," left Dill's lips, Manny moved at lightning speed.
Koa only had a second to take a breath before lips crashed against his and he was tipped back.
He held on to his Daddy's shoulders for dear life.
He wasn't afraid that he would fall. His Daddy wouldn't let that happen.
It was more that he felt as if the world beneath him was unsteady, that everything had shifted and they were floating above the room like some type of magic act.
It was the only thing to describe what was happening.
And Koa loved it.
When his Daddy pulled away from the kiss, Koa was left a panting mess.
"I love you, husband," Manny said.
"And I love you, husband."
Koa rose up on his toes and kissed the tip of his Daddy's nose.
Dill groaned, snapping their notebook shut. "You two are so sappy."
Koa stared his friend down. "You act like you don't have anyone special in your life."
Dill smirked, their eyes cutting over to their partner, who was seated in the front row.
It amazed Koa how the two had come together. They were such opposites. Then again, he shouldn't have been surprised.
Ethan was next to Dill's partner, and beside him were his two Daddies.
Because yeah, that had happened in the time since Koa and Manny had become a couple.
It was a difficult journey; one filled with more than a few tears and some arguments.
But in the end, it all worked out. Club Delight had once again brought people together.
He was tempted to make a matchmaking service within the company, but Briar had shot him down. He wondered though if maybe she'd be coming around. He had a feeling there was more going on than what she had said. He'd get the truth out of her eventually. He always did.
But in the meantime, he would be happy with his husband. His loving, kind, caring Daddy.
Koa couldn't ask for anything more.
All of his dreams had come true.
Curious about Ethan? Turn the page for a bonus scene/preview from his story.