Years Later​

“And then the man named Leo and the man named Dawson cleared their misunderstanding, and Leo climbed down the stairs of the plane and kissed Dawson.”

“And then what happened?” Marina asked, and I smiled at her.

“They proposed to each other, they got married, and Melody carried their child, Iris, so they could live happily ever after.”

“What about the rest?” Stefan asked on my other side.

Both children rested their heads on my chest as I turned the pages of the photo album we’d created of the entire family, filled with stories, candid memories, and keepsakes like a movie ticket from Leo’s premiere or Iris’s first drawing.

“Patience, baby,” I said, stroking his hair.

They both knew what happened next. They all knew the stories. But they still managed to get engrossed in them every single time.

Ginny, August’s sister, had carried for us a few years after we got married, and we were lucky to be graced with twins. Either one of them would one day become the rulers of this country. Elysia’s first biracial royals.

I turned the page, and Kyle and Andy’s picture was there on their wedding day a few years back. Neither wanted to get married for a long time, but after raising a son together, Bo, they finally did it and had little Bo as the ring bearer.

“Andy and Kyle built their business together from the ground up, creating a safe haven for all the LGBTQ people of Cedarwood Beach. The bar is the hub of the community. People are fighting to get a job there and become part of the big family they’ve created.”

“Uncle Kyle is so funny,” Marina said pointing at a row of pictures from a photobooth. He was making silly faces around Andy’s grumpy smiles, and Bo was laughing with a toothless smile.

“He is indeed,” I said.

The next page was dedicated to Charlie and Adam.

“Charlie and Adam were soulmates from the first moment they set eyes on each other. And they knew it. But no one else did. That’s why when they got together, and when the big, bad Justin got his comeuppance, they got married within the year. And they adopted two lovely little girls and had a family of their own.”

“Katie and Sophia,” Stefan said, rubbing his finger over the picture of his two cousins.

“That’s them,” I said.

“And are they still saving lives?” Marina asked.

“Yes, baby. They still save lives. They care for everyone in town and help them when they’re in pain.”

“Do they have magic powers?” Stefan asked.

He looked up at me with his beautiful brown eyes, and I sighed with content. I scratched his head, messing up his wild curls, and he grimaced but didn’t pull away from it.

“No, baby. They don’t. But they sure wish they did. Believe me.” I laughed.

They were such big nerds. They’d even managed to make their daughters big nerds.

Marina turned to the next page.

“Who’s that, Daddy?” she asked.

“That’s Nathan, your cousin, and Hudson, his husband,” I said. “They were best friends, but then Hudson made a mistake, and they weren’t friends anymore. And because of a bad guy called Derek, Hudson was punished. But when Nathan and Hudson met again after a few years, and despite everything that happened in the past, they fell in love. They moved in together, and when Hudson inherited his father’s farm, they built a home and a business together.

“Nathan brewed beers and Hudson helped with the work around the farm, and when Andy was ready to retire and travel the world with Kyle, they both took over the bar and continued the legacy they’d created.”

Another page was turned, this one dedicated to Melody and her crazier-than-fiction story of how she met her husband and how they had their beautiful family.

There were still more pages to go through. Dad and Mom’s. Maya’s. Summer’s. Yaya’s, but August walked in, and Stefan and Marina looked up.

“What are my three favorite people in the world doing?” he asked, kneeling on the floor.

The kids embraced their dad, and Marina sat in front of him while Stefan settled back against me.

“Reading real fairy tales, Daddy,” Marina said.

August laughed. “Of course you are.”

We did it every night. And we would every night after. It was our little family tradition the last three years.

“When are we going to meet our cousins, uncles, and aunts, Daddy?” Stefan asked.

I looked from my son to August and then to Marina. We had been so busy since August was crowned king that it had been impossible to get away, especially with two young kids in tow.

“How about we go this summer for the butterfly festival?” August said with a huge smile on his face.

“Isn’t that the festival when Uncle Dawson came out?”

“Yes. Yes, it is,” I told Marina.

Her pig tails bobbed as she shook her head with excitement.

“Come on, you two. It’s bedtime,” August said.

“One more story, Daddy,” Stefan said.

“Yes. Please, Daddy,” Marina added.

August sighed with exaggeration and relented.

“Fine. Whose story do you want?” he asked.

“Yours and Daddy’s,” she answered, and Stefan agreed.

So August sat down, a kid on each leg, and he told them the story of how we met, how we got together, how we got married. And by the time he was finished, they were both sleepy, so we carried them to bed.

“Will we ever get a happily ever after, Daddy?” Marina asked with a big yawn.

I caressed her hair and kissed her forehead, then glanced at August.

He smiled.

My heart was so full it could explode. My life had been everything I’d hoped for and so, so, much more.

“Yes, baby. Everyone gets a happily ever after. Even if they have to fight for it.”