Epilogue
“FIFTEEN MINUTES,” Daniel said. “Are you ready?”
Aaron glanced up from the eucalyptus leaves he’d been arranging around a vase on his consultation desk just in time to see his fiancé’s giddy little shoulder shimmy while he blew up balloon number… sixteen? Seventeen? Whatever number he was on, it was too many. They didn’t need that many balloons, just like they didn’t need the chocolate “scones” Daniel had gotten up early to “bake.” The ones that resembled something one might find in a clogged drain.
“Are you ready for the big grand soft opening of Silva Interiors?” Daniel squealed as he tied off the balloon. “I just like saying it. Silva Interiors. So fucking licensed .”
“We’ve been over this.” Aaron smirked as he twisted the vase around to inspect it from all sides. “Saying ‘grand soft’ is contradictory. It’s just soft; the soft opening. It’s literally only people we know.”
“Aaron, I need you to look at me.” Daniel leaned his palms onto the desk. “Look into my eyeballs.”
He peered up, grinning as he met Daniel’s gaze. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“Just because something occasionally has to be soft does not mean it’s not still grand.”
“Ahh.” Aaron nodded. “Reference to my dick, then?”
“Grand.” Daniel inhaled, fanning himself, as embellished as ever. “God, so grand, Aaron-nuh. Even when it’s soft.”
Aaron chuckled as the front door cracked open and Olivia stepped through, cradling a magnum bottle of champagne in her arms and toting a huge balloon shaped like the same magnum bottle of champagne.
“Good golly, Miss Salvador Dali. Look at this!” She popped her sunglasses to her head, her wide eyes drifting around the little four-hundred-square-foot space in wonder. “I haven’t seen it since you finished it. You guys. This is incredible. ”
Aaron pursed his lips, but he couldn’t hide his smile, and he sure as hell couldn’t fake humility. With the walls draped in an Oxford blue Lincrusta, boldly veined houseplants poised on every surface, and the furniture just right , it did look incredible. It looked goddamn spectacular.
“Isn’t he brilliant?” Daniel skipped over and pushed up to his toes to peck Aaron’s cheek. “He’s been working nonstop for months. He deserves this.”
Aaron locked eyes with Daniel just in time to see the admiration in them, but the credit was hardly all his. They’d both worked nonstop for months. It’d been a journey to get here. Well, journey implied an arduous road. It was a road marked with a lot of changes—mostly simple budgeting but some major downsizing. They moved out of Aaron’s plush apartment and into a more affordable bungalow on the south side of the city, which had—deep breaths—carpeting in the bathroom. (Carpeting. In the fucking bathroom.) But none of it was painful like he expected. In fact, it was sort of… magical.
It was all the extra time he got to pour into his sweet little troublemaker, holed up but hopeful inside their teeny home, where they ate leftovers in bed, made love next to a wood-burning fireplace (because Daniel insisted, not because it functioned), and planned their wedding—now only two months away. Daniel had supported him in every possible way as he finished design school—both practically and emotionally, picking up last-minute posterboard and letting Aaron spiral about what-ifs. But shockingly, he’d also supported them financially.
It was mind-blowing watching his nervy little fiancé transform into such a boss. They both assumed he’d succeed, but nothing could’ve prepared them for how well. For how dramatically he was going to kill it.
Daniel was fucking killing it .
Not only had he increased his class sizes by 24 percent since he took over, but he’d upgraded the online booking system and hired four new instructors. He also extended his reach into two senior centers, which were both tickled pink that someone wanted to come teach sexy tap numbers set to cabaret songs. He even managed his team well, ruling with intuition, grace, and this empathetic yet firm hand that had people eager to learn from him, to be around him, to please him.
Aaron was no different. It was hot banging the boss .
He covertly smacked Daniel’s ass, making him yelp as he scurried back to his balloon station, twisting over his shoulder to offer a pretty little pout. Dazzling.
“Is your mom coming?” Olivia asked as she unwrapped the foil from the champagne.
Daniel snorted. “Silly, silly girl. You think my mother would miss Aaron’s big grand soft opening?”
“You just need to say soft, baby,” Aaron said as he angled the settee a few inches to the left. “It doesn’t need the grand .”
“She wouldn’t miss it in a million years.” Daniel began blowing up a pearly pink balloon, which didn’t work with the aesthetic, but who had the heart to tell him? “She said she bought matching pantsuits for her and Butchie, which—not gonna lie—is a little concerning.” He puffed the balloon bigger. “And what’s worse is she mentioned a pantsuit theme .” Even bigger. “Like, what the hell does that mean? I’m a tad worried it’ll involve way too much blended polyester for one middle-aged couple.”
Aaron had crouched down to snag an errant rubber band from behind the sofa as Daniel trailed off. When he stood back up, Daniel and Olivia were both staring with their mouths hanging open at the young man poking his head through the front door.
“Hello,” the guy said, a wide smile splitting his face as he ripped off his sunglasses. “I need a new toilet-paper holder. Is this place open?”
Aaron’s heart thumped in his chest as he blinked a few times to ensure it was real. His little brother was here. Andrew. Was here .
“Andrew!” Aaron rushed to him, barreling into his body to grip him into a hug. “Holy shit— what ? What are you doing here?”
“That’s the thing about airplanes,” Andrew grunted as Aaron squeezed him tighter. “They can go anywhere.”
Aaron released the hug to hold his shoulders and study him. With Andrew’s flight schedule and Aaron’s schooling, it’d been over a year since they’d had a chance to see each other. Andrew had filled out a bit more—biceps for days—and his style had gotten snappier. He wore selvedge jeans, a crisp blue blazer, and tobacco leather boots. Long gone were the days of the skinny little boy with the unkempt hair and Jolly Ranchers stuffed into his pockets. He was all grown up .
“God, it’s good to see you,” Aaron said, scanning him to make sure he was indeed unmarred. “You doing okay? You need anything? What do you need?”
“I don’t need anything, man,” Andrew said, his smile so pure. “Life is good. Just came to see you.”
They both had their dad’s eyes, although Andrew’s had never gotten jaded. He had never gotten jaded. All Aaron had ever wanted was for him to be safe, but he was better than safe. With every year that passed, he was thriving more and more. Happy.
“I’ve been in cahoots with your fiancé to surprise you. Come on now.” Andrew slapped his arm. “I wouldn’t miss your big grand opening.”
“It’s the soft—” Aaron shook his head, too grateful to argue. “So glad you’re here.”
“Geez, look at this place.” Andrew drew a long inhale as he gazed around. “You’ve always been talented, but this. This is next-level.”
Yeah, there was a big chance Aaron’s entire career would be next-level. Who would’ve thought having all those connections with all those wealthy men would jumpstart his business the way it had? He and Daniel liked to call it the ultimate repurposing . Old clients got an updated kind of service.
“Dude, I’m just—” Andrew whirled around to grip him into another hug. He whispered, “I’m so proud of you.”
Aaron had to breathe as he folded his arms around his brother. In a lifetime spent trying to keep him safe, he’d never expected that one day he might also make him proud. Proud hit deeply enough for his eyes to prickle. “Thank you.”
“And this must be Daniel.” Andrew grinned as he stepped around Aaron to extend his arms toward Daniel. “I feel like I already know you, but it’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”
Daniel blinked, his whole body still as a long, lumbering silence ensued.
“Um.” Andrew flashed a glance back at Aaron, then outstretched his arms again. “Really, really nice. Bring it in.”
Aaron tilted his head at his frozen fiancé. “Ahh, so he probably needs a minute. Yep, give him a sec. This is how he was when I first met him.”
Daniel’s lips parted like he might finally say something when the balloon stole his glory. It slipped from his fingers and farted about the room in little loop-de-loops until it flumped onto the desk. Aaron snorted a chuckle while Daniel blinked double-time like he was orienting himself back to this earthly plane.
“Oh. S-sorry about that, everyone.” Daniel cleared his throat and smoothed the fabric of his shirt. “Apologies for my, uh… stuckness. I don’t think I was expecting the two of you to look so—what’s the word?—fraternal. Fraternal as fuck.”
Aaron chuckled harder as he smeared a hand over his face.
“And you’re both right in front of my face, aren’t you? Practically twins.” Daniel blew out his breath as he perched his hands on his hips. “Sure is a lot! S’a lot for me.”
“Hug the man, Daniel,” Aaron said, nodding gently. “He’s trying to give you a hug.”
“Right! Yes, of course. Here I go.” Daniel shuffled forward and lightly hugged Andrew, then swiftly pulled away. “Nice to meet you, Andrew. But I am happily engaged to your brother.”
Andrew opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, his face scrunching in confusion.
“And I’m Olivia,” Olivia announced in a voice about four octaves too low, suddenly wedged between Andrew and Daniel in the stealthiest, most hare-footed maneuvering possible. “Might I interest you in some champagne, Andrew?”
“Oh.” Andrew blinked at her. “Hi. Olivia, was it?”
“Indeed.” Still too low. And her eyes had this feral bird-of-prey look. “Champagne?”
Andrew’s brow line lifted as his gaze darted around between the three of them. He eventually shrugged. “Sure, I guess I could go for some.”
Olivia’s smile was saccharine as she slid her arm under Andrew’s elbow. “Right this way, then.”
Daniel coughed under his breath, “Please behave.”
She whipped around to hiss in a harsh whisper, “You shut your bitch-bag mouth, Daniel!”
Daniel flinched as she thrust a finger toward Aaron.
“You go home to that every night! So, a pilot, hmm?” she asked, twisting back to Andrew and adopting a syrupy tone as she guided him toward the booze. “So airy. Speaking of, how would you like to get some later? Air, that is? ”
“Oh dear,” Daniel whispered once they meandered away, wincing as he tapped his fingertips together. “He’ll be okay, right? My fear is that she’s in heat. It could get kind of dicey for him—”
“Come here.” Aaron nabbed Daniel’s wrist and led him toward the back room, a cross between an office and a storage closet, where he shut the curtain behind them and cupped Daniel’s face in his palms. “I needed a minute alone with you before everyone got here.”
One of Daniel’s eyebrows arched. “To…?”
“Tell you how much I love you.”
Daniel smiled as he tossed his gaze upward, his teeth scraping over his lower lip. “See, this is what no one sees. Everyone thinks I’m the squishy one, but you’re the squishy one.” He poked Aaron in the stomach. “Underneath all this muscley business, you’re just a big ol’ squish, Aaron Silva—”
He whirled Daniel around and wrapped him in a hug from behind. He’d gotten efficient at that move, and plus, with his face buried in the crook of Daniel’s neck, he could properly huff the orange sherbet. Like a weirdo. “It’s true,” he said, his words muffled as he inhaled Daniel’s skin. “I’m a closeted squish.”
Daniel giggled while they swayed side to side, while they beheld the view of Silva Interiors through a slit in the curtain. Yes, there were far too many balloons scattered and Olivia was currently hitting on Aaron’s brother, but it was also where their friends and family would soon gather to warmly honor him. To honor them .
The picture before him was a real-life vision board, and the creature in his arms had been responsible for gluing down all the pieces.
“Thank you, kid,” Aaron whispered, his lips grazing Daniel’s ear. “God, thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Daniel shook his head, amusement waxing in his tone. “Stop thanking me. You’ve done all the work.”
“But you’ve been the thing.” He rested his cheek against Daniel’s, clutching him tighter. “The precious thing that’s made all the work worth it.”
Daniel hummed, so low and satisfied it was almost a moan as he rubbed Aaron’s arm.
“I don’t deserve the most precious thing in the world.” Aaron rocked them in a sweet, anchoring rhythm as he smiled at his vision board of a life. “But here you are in my arms. ”
Side to side, they rocked. Back and forth. To and fro. Over and over. Daniel welded into his lead beautifully. Or maybe he’d been the leader all along. Either way, they swished and swayed until it was time to end the final dance to the last chapter.
“I love you too, mister.” To seal the last chapter with a kiss. “I love you too.”
Right before they started the next.