Page 165 of Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

EPILOGUE

MORGAN

“Stop fidgeting,” Morgan growled.

“I can’t help it,” Joe replied. “I just want to get this over with.”

Morgan laughed as he attempted—yet again—to make the loops even on Joe’s bow tie. After all the formal holiday parties and events he’d attended with Dmitri, he would have thought he had this down pat. But then, Dmitri didn’t move around so much.

“Delia will have a fit if the wedding doesn’t start on time because I can’t get your fucking tie done correctly because you can’t stand still.”

Eventually, the tie was tied, and Morgan and Joe took their places on the dais to wait for the ceremony to begin and the bridal party to make their entrance. Morgan scanned the crowd of family and friends looking for Dmitri. His heart beat a little faster when he saw the man in one of the back rows looking magnificent in a dove gray suit and rose-colored embroidered vest. Dmitri took his breath away every single time he saw him, and this was no different.

Their first two months together had been a whirlwind of holiday parties. Both Dmitri and Morgan had had to attend a number of work-related events, and juggling their schedules had sometimes been a challenge. As often as he could, Morgan was at Dmitri’s side, proudly wearing whatever jewelry his boyfriend needed him to show off. True to his word, Dmitri introduced him to everyone as his boyfriend. Morgan had caught a few raised eyebrows at their first few events, but by mid-December, it was clear he was someone special in Dmitri’s life by the way Dmitri never left his side.

Toward the end of December, Dmitri had started using the word “partner” in his introductions. The first time, it surprised both of them, and after the couple to whom Dmitri had used it moved away, he’d asked Morgan if he could continue using it.

“You’ve become so much more than just a boyfriend,” Dmitri said.

“It is very much okay,” Morgan had reassured him, having to bite back telling Dmitri he loved him. It wasn’t the time or place yet, but it was definitely coming. Things between them were moving quickly, and Morgan had no doubts this relationship was one that would endure.

After the new year, things had settled down. January was a quiet month for both of them, and they had taken a couple of weekends away from San Francisco, each time returning with a greater sense of connection and commitment to each other. They were talking about moving in together, and Morgan had started looking at listings. Their first showing was scheduled for the next day, and Morgan thought Dmitri was going to love the house he’d found in the Oakland hills.

But now, it was Valentine’s Day and his baby brother was getting married while his partner and lover sat in the audience. Morgan’s heart was so full of joy, he thought it might burst before Joe got to say, “I do.”

It didn’t. The minister said the words, Joe repeated them, and then Morgan handed him the ring. Delia trembled as Joe place it on her finger, and then it was her turn to say her vows and give Joe his ring.

“I now pronounce you married,” the minister said, and while the audience erupted in applause and cheers as the couple kissed, Morgan only had eyes for the man sitting in the back.

Later, there were more speeches—Morgan’s had had Joe threatening to hunt him down and do terrible things to him—then dinner and cake. Then, finally, it was time for dancing. Morgan could say goodbye to his best man’s duties and be where he’d wanted to be all evening long: with Dmitri. The only problem was, he couldn’t find the man anywhere.

Joe and Delia’s wedding and reception had taken place at the Officer’s Club in the Presidio, and the site had gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge as well as incredible gardens and a eucalyptus grove. It also boasted several works of art by Andy Goldsworthy, one of which was inside the Officer’s Club, and Morgan knew that was where he would find Dmitri.

Sure enough, Dmitri was standing in front of Earth Wall, a hand on one of the eucalyptus branches that Goldsworthy had embedded in the adobe wall and then excavated to recreate a sense of discovery. Dmitri was so enraptured with the sculpture that he didn’t turn as Morgan approached, and Morgan took a moment to admire the man who had completely captured his heart in such a short period of time. It wasn’t only his beauty that took Morgan’s breath away, it was his intelligence, his creativity, the fierceness of his emotions.

In the months they’d been together, Dmitri’s skills as a designer had surprised him over and over again. He’d watched Dmitri design jewelry that seemed enchanted, made of magic and light as much as precious stones and metals, and seen client after client light up with delight as though they had discovered a treasure. Morgan knew exactly how they felt. Dmitri had gifted him a few pieces—the necklace from the sketch Brody had shown him, a bracelet, and a set of cuff links and tie pins—and every time Morgan wore them, he felt cherished. But there was also his discovery of the man himself which was a far greater treasure than anything Dmitri could give him. They fit together perfectly, and Morgan was happier than he’d ever been.

“Getting inspired?” Morgan asked as he sidled up to Dmitri and slid his arms around his front.

Dmitri leaned back against him, humming as Morgan rocked slightly in time to the music filtering from the reception. “Always. Especially when I’m thinking about you.”

“Me?” Morgan asked in surprise. The Goldsworthy piece was evocative, and he had been sure that’s what had captured Dmitri’s attention.

“You.” Dmitri turned in Morgan’s arms and bent his head to place a slow and lingering kiss on Morgan’s lips. Smiling, he broke the kiss, then got down on one knee.

“Dimi,” Morgan said, a rush of breath choked by emotion as Dmitri put his hand in his pocket and drew out a small box. A ring box. Morgan had seen enough of them to know what it contained.

“The night we met, I knew I’d met someone special, but it wasn’t until I walked into my showroom and saw you standing there that I realized how much you already meant to me. You inspire me, Morgan. Even before I really knew you, you were changing me, making me better, opening up my heart, and then that night, holding you in my arms, I saw a ring on your finger.” He opened the box, and Morgan gasped at the gorgeous circle of platinum and black diamonds. “This ring. I know this is quick, but waiting until the right time to give it to you has been agony. But seeing you standing next to Joe today, I knew it was time to tell you how much I want that with you. I want that future. With you. Morgan, will you marry me?”

“Of course, I will,” Morgan said. “I don’t care that it’s quick because I love you so much.”

He held his hand out, and Dmitri took the ring from its box, sliding it on his finger. It was a perfect fit. Just like the two of them.

Morgan pulled Dmitri to his feet. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Do you have a ring for yourself?”

“You better believe it.”

Dmitri reached into his pocket and pulled out a matching ring that Morgan immediately slid onto his finger. He entwined their hands, then held them up side by side to admire the rings.

“Not bad for two wrong numbers,” Morgan said and they both laughed, but as their laughter died away, they embraced, murmuring words of love and devotion to each other until giving in to the need to kiss once more.

“I love you,” Morgan said as they parted. “And I will love spending the rest of my life with you.”