EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
Aiden
“Why doesthis say Aiden John Gregory?” Jonny asked with something between shock and delight stamping itself on his face as he stared at the piece of paper in his hand.
“Because that’s my name, dickhead,” I said, taking the letter off him and shoving it into the box on the table. I was at the stage of packing where I didn’t give a shit where things went, I just wanted them in a box. I’d sort it all later.
And by later, I meant in six months when I realised I actually needed something.
“John… You picked John as a middle name. Were you ever going to tell me?” Jonny was smiling now, and it was something akin to gleeful delight. Fucking Christ, he was never going to let me live this down.
“I dunno, maybe.”
“You’re such a twat,” he said affectionately, nudging me with his shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”
“I love you, and I’m proud of you. Seriously, Aiden, you’re moving in with your boyfriends, your business is going so well you’re looking at opening up a shop, and you’re just… you’re killing it, okay? I’m so bloody proud of you.”
I swallowed and nodded, looking up at him and trying to ignore the way the corners of my eyes were prickling. Weirdly, living in the same city had actually helped us to grow closer over the last year. I’d been convinced it would be the other way around, but maybe it also helped that we were older now, and more willing to put in the work to have a good relationship.
Although there were still some lines I never wanted my brother to cross again. It turned out letting Bailey use the XXL dragon dildo as a living room decoration had been asking for trouble. If I ever heard Devon casually suggesting to Jonny they should get one again, it would be too soon.
And yes, I had tried Googling ways to scrub memories from my brain or bleach my ears.
We still hadn’t removed the dildo though, because it made me chuckle every time I looked at it.
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” I nudged him gently and smiled, pushing away my tears before they could form. “I love you too.”
He grinned. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
I snorted and shook my head as I shoved more random things in the box in front of me. “Dickhead. When are you finally going to ask Devon to marry you? Then you can be his problem. Permanently.”
Jonny’s face flushed and he looked away. “I don’t know. Maybe one day.”
“Then I hope he asks you—either way works for me. Although I’m not sure I can cope with you two being even more sickening.”
“Excuse me? Have you met you? Mr ‘I have to kiss both my boyfriends every time so neither of them feels left out’.”
“That’s not sickening. That’s equality.” I shrugged, because it was obvious to me. I glanced down into the box and wondered if it was worth trying to find other random things to stick into it, or if I should leave it as is and potentially save myself some confusion later.
I grabbed the tape and began to seal it shut—it would be easier to label it Random Important Shit and leave it at that.
“You two doing okay in here?” Devon asked, sticking his head around the door to my tiny living room, which was overflowing with boxes to the point it was hard to move around.
This flat hadn’t been a bad place to live, although I hadn’t really been here much. Mostly, it had been there to give me an option to retreat to, if and when I needed it, so I didn’t feel trapped. But I’d loved spending time with Hunter and Bailey too much to spend more than one or two nights a week here. Half the time after work I’d gone straight to theirs, even when they were at training, letting myself in and having a nap on their sofa or in my bed until they got home.
“Yeah, we’re good,” Jonny said, the gleeful delight returning to his face as he turned to look at his partner. “Did you know Aiden’s middle name is John?”
“Is it?”
“Yes!”
“I love how you assume it’s after you,” I said wryly.
Jonny’s face fell. “Isn’t it? Who else would it be?”
