Epilogue
Epilogue
A few months have passed since the date I went all out on. Lucas moved into my place a few weeks after that. It got harder and harder to send him home at the end of our time, and it was hard for him to go. I couldn’t be happier. In so many ways it’s like we’re back at the cabin. I rarely wake up in Lucas’s arms, he’s back to taking his morning run, but he’s never far, usually just in the kitchen making breakfast.
Dil is usually with him. What happened next depends on the day. Some days, we eat together, then he watches Dil while I go to a coffee shop to work for a few hours.
When I come back, Lucas will be finishing up dinner, while Dil plays around his feet.
On other days, and some nights, he still works at Alden Security, though he did cut his hours back when we moved in together. On those days, he went when he was needed and I worked from home.
I still don’t get as much finished as I do on the days when I go out, so I mostly focus on the administrative side of my job on those days, setting up meetings, replying to emails, that sort of thing. It’s a little easier since Lucas made a few changes to help me focus.
Mostly, he set up a speaker system that pumped soft music and the sound of background conversation into the room and he helped me pick out a very expensive espresso maker that linked up with my phone.
When he was working I’d order dinner and either have it delivered or have Lucas pick it up on his way home from work. After we ate and put Dil to bed, we’d curl up to watch a movie together before falling into bed.
Our bed.
The signs of our shared life together are proudly displayed on every surface. There are two toothbrushes in the master bathroom, mis-matched mugs in the cabinets. Lucas’s quite frankly excessive collection of blankets is spread over every surface like mold. So too is his candle collection.
My books have made room for his vinyl record collection.
It was an invasion I’m happy to be subjected to.
But some days are special. It had only been a week or two since Lucas moved in when one of those days came up.
I lean against the kitchen doorway while he struggles to put some balloons back up after they have fallen down. I bite back a smile at his clear frustration.
“Do you need any help with that?” I ask.
“Jesus Christ!” he gasps, jumping a foot off the ground, balloons falling from his hands to bounce on the tile floor.
I laugh, a smile splitting open my face. “Don’t get mad at me. You work in security. I shouldn’t be able to sneak up on you so easily.”
He gives an expression of exaggerated defense. “I’m in my own home. Why would I be on guard?”
I can’t help the warmth that blooms in my heart when he calls it our home. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that. “Because you never know when I could be lurking around the corner.”
He picks up the balloons and gets back to work. “What’re you even doing in here? Party’s outside.”
“I know,” I grumble, avoiding his eyes.
Lucas gives me a soft smile. Finally getting the balloons up, he comes over to me. “Was it getting to be a bit much?”
I shrug, eyes on the ground. “You know me. I never was one for big crowds. Didn’t even realize we knew this many people.”
He gives me a soft smile. “That’s alright. Do you need anything?”
I shake my head. “Just you.”
He smiles, taking my hand. “You have me. Always.”
I brush my lips against his. “I know, and you have me.”
He pulls me into a hug and we spend a few seconds just breathing each other in before he pulls away. “Why don’t you go take a few minutes to yourself? There’s still plenty of time before cake.”
Relief crashes over me. “Thanks. I won’t be long.”
He shakes his head. “Take all the time you need. How about this, you can just bring the cake out when you’re ready. How does that sound?”
I nod.
“Okay,” he presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’m going to head back out there. See you soon.”
Then I’m comfortably alone. I stand in the kitchen with a sigh of relief, watching him return to the backyard through the window. The small yard was packed with more people than seemed possible, but there they all were. All of them here to celebrate Dil’s birthday.
The thought brings a smile to my face.
To be fair, most of them are Lucas’s friends, but I have a few people I’ve met through work floating around too. Dil loves the attention. Currently, she’s in the arms of one of Lucas’s friends, Jason. He’s the first one Lucas introduced me to. Rio, the guard who had kept an eye on my house, was here with his partner, and Dil had given them each a turn to hold her too.
It still gives me butterflies to think of the way he called me his boyfriend. I know it’s silly. Everyone knows what we are, but it was the first time I heard him say it.
I give myself a few minutes to just breathe before I go over to the fridge. I pull out the two boxes from the good bakery half an hour away. One is a full-sized sheet cake for the guests to enjoy, and the smaller one is a mini cake with fondant barnyard animals for Dil to smash.
Lucas meets me at the door, holding it open while I step outside. “Do you need any help there?” he asks.
“If you can just-” he’s already taking the boxes from my hands. “Oh, thanks.”
He presses a kiss to my cheek, helping me to get everything set up on one of the waiting tables.
“I’m going to get Dil set up,” I say.
“Don’t give her the cake until I get my phone out!” he calls after me.
I smile to myself. “Hey there, pickle,” I whisper, picking Dil up from the grass where she and a few other little ones are playing together. I carry her over to the high chair, while she waves her chubby little hands at anyone who so much as glances at her.
Finally, she’s seated and handed her prize. Based on what I’d seen online, I expect her to smear it on herself, but she doesn’t. Dil is almost careful as she feeds herself with never-before-seen restraint.
Lucas takes countless photos from every imaginable angle. Watching him, a wave of peace washes over me.
Later on, while Lucas plays with the kids and some of the parents from a play group he found, Jason comes over to me.
“Nice party,” he says, offering me a water bottle.
“Thanks,” I say, taking it with mild suspicion.
“Just thought you looked thirsty, man. You don’t need to make that face.”
“Don’t see why you’d care. You’re Lucas’s friend, not mine.”
“Jesus Christ,” he runs a hand along his face. “First, it's a water bottle, not bail money. Second, things aren’t as clear cut as that, or at least it won’t be for long.”
I just frown at him.
“You’re building a life together. There’s a level of involvement friends are going to have in that process.”
“What’re you saying?”
He chuckles. “I’m saying I think you’re good for Lucas, and I think he’s good for you. The three of you make a cute family. I expect an invitation to the wedding.”
I choke.
He just chuckles and walks away.
Lucas is by my side out of nowhere, that bright smile on his face. “Are you doing okay?” he asks.
I shake my head. We’re only just starting to date. I don’t need to think that far ahead yet. “I’m fine. Just got a little dehydrated.” I hold up my water. “Thankfully Jason brought this over. I hadn’t noticed.”
He lights up. “I’m glad the two of you are getting along. I hope Jason ends up coming to LA permanently. He’s been talking about it.” He presses a kiss to my cheek.
Maybe it’s too early to think too much about the future, but no one needs to know if I look into rings here and there. I just want to be ready when the time comes. Nothing wrong with that.
We share a quick kiss and head back to the party.
The next thing I know, Dil is out cold and we’re cleaning up. Lucas comes over to me as I wipe off the same table a third time.
“Seems like something’s on your mind. Nickel for your thoughts?”
“I’ve got another pitch meeting in a couple of days,” I say.
“I know,” he waits for me to go on.
“I think- I think I need to go make a few edits.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I nod.
He takes the rag from my hands. “Then why don’t you get to work? I’ll take care of things from here.”
I smile. “Thanks, love.” I press a kiss to his lips before I head inside.
Making my way into my office, I walk over to my laptop and pull up my screenplay. Scrolling to the end I let out a long breath, reading over the last few pages.
There are a few edits I need to make, starting with adding a new character.