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Matty let out a small, happy sigh. “Good. Do you want to be my real brother? Because you could if you get married to Renzo.”
Emil laughed softly and glanced behind him, but Renzo was across the room, out of earshot, as he was pouring cider into three small, clear cups. He looked back down at Matty and saw another piece of his future. “I think I’d like that. Someday. But we have to keep it a secret for now.”
Matty nodded sagely. “Because proposals are secret. Renzo’s probably going to cry.”
“So will I, if he says yes,” Emil murmured.
Matty scoffed. “He’ll say yes. He’s obsessed with you.” His brows furrowed as he looked thoughtful, and then he reached over and took Emil’s hand in his, squeezing it. “We could be best friends for now. So we can keep each other’s secrets.”
Emil’s heart twisted in his chest—it was agony, but in the best way. “I could use a best friend.”
“Yeah. I can tell. You seem kind of sad, but I make people happy, so I’ll do my best for you.”
Emil closed his eyes to keep back the tears threatening to release. “Sounds perfect.”
“What are you two talking about?” Renzo asked. His frown was deep and concerned as he stared at Emil, and Emil could only imagine what he looked like right then.
Matty took his cup of cider and smiled, winking at Emil. “We’re best friends now.”
“It looks like you’re conspiring against me,” Renzo said.
Matty grinned wider. “We are!”
Emil groaned and nudged Matty with his elbow. “Come on, man.”
Matty made a gesture like he was zipping his lips, then stood up on his toes and kissed Emil on the cheek. “Love you.”
Renzo made a soft noise as he watched Emil pull Matty in for a hug. When it was over, Matty walked back to his chair and snatched his phone from the table. “Countdown gonna start, but I’m not kissing you guys.” He grimaced, then gasped. “Ten,” he said, his voice getting louder. “Nine, eight, seven, six…”
“Five,” Renzo whispered, turning his body toward Emil and cradling his cheek with his free hand.
“Four! Three! Two!” Matty shouted, jumping up and down.
Emil tugged Renzo close, their bodies touching from chest to thighs. “One,” he whispered back.
Their lips met as Matty screamed, “Happy New Year!” in the background.
The kiss felt like fireworks. It felt like a promise of forever, and then maybe even longer than that. They broke apart after a short forever when Matty crashed into them, and as Emil held them both close, and for the first time in his life, he felt whole.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
“There’s onlyone person in the world who would actually do this.”
Renzo’s mouth twitched in a smile as he tightened his arms around Emil’s waist. The music had softened, and he knew the countdown was coming. They swayed slower now, and Renzo’s heart was beating in time with the melody. “Have a wedding on New Year’s Eve?”
Emil hummed as he looked down at Renzo. “Okay, I probably would too. But leave it to Oliver to organize this whole shindig.”
Renzo burst into laughter, hiding the sound in his lover’s chest. “Shindig. You really are a new man.”
Emil scoffed, but Renzo could feel his grin when he pressed a kiss against his temple. He turned his cheek, looking out over the field where an old house once stood. It was land now—land that was theirs, together. It was a dark past giving way to a bright future. There was already a dog run going up and a room for Matty. He’d picked out an Australian shepherd, and he had a countdown calendar filled with the date they were going to break ground and the date the contractors said the house would be finished.
Renzo didn’t think he could ever be this happy. He didn’t think anyone could. And he knew they had a long way to go—a long road to walk—but that didn’t matter.
He looked up at Emil, who was smiling down at him, fond and charmed and so fucking lovely it made Renzo ache down to his core. Words tumbled onto the tip of his tongue, ones he’d wanted to say for a long while, but he’d been holding back.
Emil still struggled with self-worth, and Renzo still struggled with his own fear. But the stone walls he’d put up to protect himself now felt like they were made of the thinnest glass, begging to be shattered.
