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“Please, Simon,please!”
“Soon, Benny. Very soon now.”
The fireworks below went from being shot off in bursts of one or two at a time to a crazy kaleidoscope of colored light. Ben had never seen anything like it in his entire life. “Oh my god,” he moaned.
“It’s time to come, beautiful. Come for me. Right now.”
Simon’s strokes went from slow and far too light to firm and quick. It was all too much, too overwhelming, and Ben came, not knowing or even caring where it fell. All he cared about was the pleasure thrumming through him and the strong arms of the man behind him, holding him tight.
“I love you, Benny. More than anything in this world. I want everyone to know you’re mine. I want to introduce you to everyone as my husband, the most important person in my life. Please, Benny, please. Marry me.”
Ben panted for breath in Simon’s arms, still weak from coming so hard. He thought of all his arguments against marriage, and they were all valid, but maybe logic shouldn’t be the decider of everything. Ben wanted all the things Simon offered him. The fairy tale life, yes, but mostly Simon himself. Kind, sweet, generous Simon. Simon, who loved him. Simon, who had saved his life in more ways than one. It was a risk, but everything in life was a risk. Sometimes things didn’t work out. Sometimes people left you, but sometimes, they didn’t. Sometimes they stayed forever.
Ben, still a little woozy from his massive orgasm, his pants rucked down to almost his knees, probably looking like a complete hot mess, gave Simon the answer that came from his heart.
“Yes,” Ben said. “I will.”
38
Epilogue
Simon’s Happy Ending
Three months later
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Loop
Simon sat at the head table and watched his husband of just over an hour dance with his mother. Ben had insisted that he and Simon take dancing lessons before their wedding and Simon had been more than happy to indulge him. Dancing with Ben was never a hardship and watching his husband smoothly twirl his mother across the dance floor was something that made Simon’s heart ache in the very best way.
They’d picked the Art Institute for their wedding and reception because it was one of Ben’s favorite places. Before meeting Simon, in what Ben sometimes called his other life, Ben had gone to the museum only infrequently when there was a free day and he didn’t have to work. Those circumstances hadn’t lined up frequently, as far as Simon could tell. Now Ben was there frequently, as he’d started going there to complete his Fine Arts degree.
For Ben, Simon had the Prince Foundation start an art school scholarship and numerous programs that brought all types of art instruction back into schools that had dropped it due to a lack of funds. In addition to art classes, they supported music and drama programs for struggling schools.
He felt a presence sit beside him heavily and looked over to see Hudson. He still wore his tuxedo, but his shirt had the top unbuttoned and the ends of his tie lay draped over his neck.
“Sitting this one out?” Hudson asked. “Here, have a drink.” He pulled an open champagne bottle from somewhere and poured it into two flutes, handing one to Simon and downing the other quickly.
“You never told me what happened to your plus one,” Simon observed. “I thought you were still seeing Eva.”
Hudson’s face twisted in a way Simon couldn’t quite read. “She… uh… wasn’t available tonight.” He glared at the dance floor and the dancers on it. For some reason he seemed to stare the hardest at Simon’s mother dancing with Eugene. Ben and the tailor had struck up a fast friendship and Ben had ended up asking his tailor to be his best man. Hudson, of course, had been Simon’s.
“I’m sorry,” Simon said. “Do you have feelings for her? It’s not like you to pine.”
“I’m not pining,” Hudson snapped. Then he sighed and grumbled. “Okay, maybe a bit of pining. Eva is… special.” He straightened in his chair and shook his head. “Don’t mind me. Congratulations on snagging your man. He’s probably too good for you, so treat him right.”
The song ended and Ben offered Maggie his arm and waltzed with her as if she were made of glass. “He’s probably too good for this world,” Simon pointed out, “but I’m not giving him back.”
“That’s the spirit,” Hudson said, clapping Simon on the back. Hudson seemed to have gotten some of his cheer back.
After the waltz, Ben let Maggie be snagged by a group of friends then walked over to Simon. “Come on. You’ve rested long enough. Dance with me.”
“That’s my cue,” Hudson said. “I’ll see you two love birds later.” He tipped them a lazy salute then strolled away.
“Well?” Ben asked.
Simon stood up. “Okay, Benny, but only one.” He walked around the table to take Ben in his arms.
