Page 19 of Charmed By You

Epilogue

“You think they know we snuck out here to fuck?” Elliot wagged his eyebrows as he buttoned his pants back up.

“Probably but I don’t care. I didn’t want to have this stupid, fancy party anyway.” Henry chuckled as he did the same.

“You’re Mayor of Knights Port now, babe. You won. We had to celebrate.”

“I only wanted to celebrate at home, with you, me and a bottle of champagne.” Henry stroked a hand down the skinny black tie Elliot was wearing and then used it to pull his boyfriend against him, “I wanted to celebrate by breaking our record for most orgasms in one night.”

Elliot hummed approvingly as Henry kissed a line up his neck. He circled his arms around his man’s neck and tilted his chin up giving Henry more room. He shivered as Henry nipped at his earlobe in that way he’d learned Elliot loved.

He loved everything about Henry. He loved the life they’d made together. He loved this man so much that it scared the hell out of him at least once a day. Just the thought of losing him made Elliot physically ache.

He would never go back to the way his life had been before he met Henry. He knew that. In their short time together, he’d changed so much. He wasn’t the same kid that had let Lorna steal the restaurant from him or taken the beatings and threats his stepbrothers dished out. He was stronger now. He’d grown up a lot. He wasn’t cocky to hide his own insecurities. He was secure in who he was. Who he was, was Henry’s boyfriend, his lover, his partner, and to hear the man that had changed his life tell it, the center of his universe.

Elliot felt exactly the same way about him.

“Let’s get out of here.” Henry grumbled against his throat.

“Hard to believe those are the same words you said to me in this exact spot on the night that we met.” Elliot smiled.

They were standing on the balcony of The Waverly. They’d snuck outside despite the frigid November cold, wanting to get away from the crowd of partygoers in the ballroom. Besides, the heat between them burned too strong to let them chill. They’d kept each other warm, kissing and stroking until Henry had spun him around and shoved him against the rough brick of the building, telling him to be quiet or he’d get punished when they got home. Henry had fucked him hard and fast and dirty, just the way his lover knew he liked it, and the possibility of someone coming outside to check on them, catching them, had only ratcheted up the pleasure.

The hum of overpowering lust had faded with their orgasms but they were so much more than that now. The love between them had blossomed into something big and important and lasting. After taking Elliot hard, Henry had cared for him tenderly afterwards, the way he always did. Taking care of him better than Elliot had ever taken care of himself.

Elliot could hardly believe he was here. This was his life. He was in a serious, monogamous, live-in relationship with the most powerful man in Knights Port. Henry had been elected Mayor tonight, just as Elliot had known he would be. It had been clear to him from the start that nothing would stop Henry from reaching the top.

Whatever his man wanted, he got.

It hadn’t been easy. Not at all. There had been people that tried to keep them from their happily ever after.

Lorna and the twins hadn’t faded from Elliot’s life without parting shots. They’d gladly trashed him in the press when they came around asking questions about the new man on Henry Lord’s arm. They’d tried to paint him as the evil stepson that had never been grateful for what they gave him. They’d even gone so far as to suggest he was using Henry for his money and power to gain fame. Eventually Henry had threatened to sue them for defamation of character and release the details of how Lorna had taken the restaurant for herself despite the will stating it should go to Elliot on his eighteenth birthday. That had finally shut them up for good.

Even some of Henry’s supposed allies in his elite circle had backed into the shadows after Elliot became part of his everyday life. As it turned out, some of those high and mighty holy rollers were all good with tolerance and acceptance so long as they didn’t have to see it for themselves. When Henry had been single, his sexuality wasn’t something they’d had to think about. With Elliot on his arm at every campaign event, the two of them being photographed and splashed across tabloids and magazines, newspapers touting them as the Cinderella love story that would break barriers for the gay community, those supporters had grown quieter and quieter and then, disappeared entirely.

Elliot had felt bad about it. He’d blamed himself. Ultimately though, Henry had convinced him that those people didn’t matter. They weren’t friends. They weren’t family. Their approval wasn’t important. Not even for all the campaign contributions and votes in the world, had Henry ever tried to hide him or make him seem like he was less than what he was.

His everything.

“Mmm, it feels like just yesterday.” Henry smiled as he nuzzled Elliot’s neck, “I can still remember the way you looked that night. So gorgeous you distracted me from everything else in my world. You were like the sun and I couldn’t look away.”

Elliot snorted as Henry moved behind him, holding him to his chest, his arms around his waist as they looked out over the city, “You go blind if you look at the sun, smooth-talker.”

“I did.” Henry’s voice was at his ear, “Once I saw you I was blind to anyone else. You’re the one I wanted. The only one I wanted. I knew I had to have you and once I did, I knew I’d do anything to keep you.”

“Yeah, hence tracking me down like a stalker.”

“Shh.” Henry nipped at his earlobe, “Can you keep the smartass remarks quiet for a minute or two and let me say what I want to say?”

Elliot smirked but nodded.

“I love you, Ell. I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I don’t want to spend a single day of the rest of my life without you.” Elliot started to say something when Henry shifted him in his arms but the low warning growl told him that his man wasn’t done being sweet yet, “There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while now, but I didn’t want you to think I was doing it because of the election, because being committed would look good on paper. I wanted you to know that I’m asking because I love you and because I can’t imagine my life without you. Because I want you at my side as I serve as Mayor and then, hopefully, someday Governor and Senator and maybe even President. I want all of that, but I want it with you.”

Henry shifted again and Elliot gasped. His boyfriend was holding a small black box in front of him now. He snapped the lid open and revealed two silver rings. Elliot stopped breathing.

“Marry me.” Henry turned him around slowly so they were face to face again, “Marry me, Ell. Maybe it seems fast, or crazy, but that’s how we’ve done things from the beginning. You make life fun. You’ve been doing it since we stood right here, in this spot, and you taunted me into kissing you. Spend the rest of your life teasing me and I’ll spend the rest of mine making you happy. Please?”

Elliot bit his lip, trying to fight back a rush of tears. From lowly server at that first party, to the fiancé of the guest of honor, his life had changed so much since that night on this rooftop. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky. Didn’t know what he’d done to deserve a man like Henry. But he didn’t intend to ever give him up so he nodded quickly.

“Yes.” He sniffled a little, “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

Henry’s hands shook a little as he slid one of the rings onto Elliot’s hand. Elliot did the same for him. Then Henry was tossing the box aside and lifting Elliot into his arms with a happy cheer. Elliot laughed as Henry spun them around until they were dizzy and laughing and when he finally lowered him back to the ground Elliot fell against Henry’s chest as they held onto each other.

“I love you.”

“Mmm,” Henry grinned as he cupped Elliot’s cheeks and brushed their lips together, “I love you too, Ell. I’ll love you forever.”

The End