Page 55 of It’s Only Love

Dennis - Epilogue

Seven Months Later

Wes: Good luck!

Me: Thanks! I’ll let you know how it goes.

Wes: You better!

I smile at that. I miss my friend, although he’s not too far away. I get to see him periodically during school breaks when he’s not working. He’d come home to Cannon Beach, and we’d play catch-up. But I appreciate his constant support.

Wes still hasn’t found anyone who meshes with him, so he keeps on trying.

I’ve told him more than once that it’s going to happen for him when he least expects it.

One day, he’ll find that perfect person for him, like Aaron and I have, when he’s not searching.

If he’d stop being a playboy long enough…

I couldn’t have asked for a better life. It was only two years ago when my life felt like it was falling apart, but Mike helped put me back together again and made me more whole than I’ve ever been. To say I’m lucky would be an understatement.

Not only do I have Mike in my life, but my non-profit organization is really taking off.

It took a while to get there and to save enough money.

The grants came through, and I finally built something I can be proud of.

Ecola Environmental Warriors is what I’ve called it.

The kids are desperate for attention and direction, dumped into the foster care system, which generally overlooks their care.

The foster system is just underfunded, and it’s hard to find quality homes to deal with possible mental health problems.

I call them warriors to give them something they can be proud of.

To show that they have a purpose in this world other than just living or surviving.

I hired a recent graduate, who’s a psychotherapist, to join my staff to help with kids who need it.

I also have another educator like myself, who teaches kids all there is to know about the environment, and how we all should live in symbiosis together with the wildlife and fauna.

I’ve also recently brought in a survivalist and former nurse, who instructs them on how to survive in the wild and teaches them basic triage in case of an accident. That was my idea after losing that kid almost two years ago.

I have a total of fifteen students, ranging in age from ten to sixteen, with more on a waiting list. My program is starting to gain traction, but I need more staff to accommodate more children.

For now, it’s been a success, and the kids are beginning to thrive.

You can see the excitement on their faces, their dim lights shining brighter.

With my help, I hope they can succeed in school and maybe even go to college.

I stand in the wet grass at Ecola State Park, overlooking the ocean and mountains, all covered in a fine mist. It’s breezy and cold, but I’m dressed warmly enough that it doesn’t affect me too much. Sunny, cloudy, rainy… It’s all beautiful to me.

As I reflect on my past and achievements, I’m looking forward to my future even more—a future I’m about to redirect, and I can’t fucking wait.

“I got your note,” says the deep voice behind me. I would recognize it even in a crowded room.

I smile without turning around, yet my stomach twists with nerves. “Well, it wasn’t exactly hard to find, pinned to the refrigerator and all.”

An amused grunt escapes him. “‘ You know where to find me ’ is kind of vague, don’t you think?”

“Yet here you are. You always find me.”

Mike wraps his arms around me and presses his solid body against my back before kissing my cold cheek. “And I always will.”

I close my eyes and lean my head back against his shoulder. I’ll never get tired of his presence. And he has a big presence, whether he likes it or not.

“So, mind telling me what we’re doing out here, freezing our asses off?” he says softly in my ear.

My stomach dips again, and my heart races. I shouldn’t be nervous. This is Mike we’re talking about, my forever person. He turned me away once, so long ago, but I know he won’t this time. Still, I haven’t bared my soul like this since that day by the bonfire nearly six years ago.

“Den?” he says, pulling away and turning me around to face him when I say nothing.

I stare up into his stormy blue eyes, full of concern. Instead of answering him, I dig into my coat pocket, pull out the box, and open it before dropping onto one knee.

“Oh God,” he mutters, quickly figuring out what’s going on, not that it isn’t obvious .

With a deep, shuddering breath, I take his hand and make the speech I’ve rehearsed countless times in my head.

“The moment I slipped on that rock when I was twelve and you caught me, I knew right then you would always be it for me. You’re my soulmate, Mike.

I just knew it. It’s why I’ve loved you for so damn long—for over a decade now.

Some may find that pathetic, but not me.

Loving someone the way I love you is never pathetic.

You deserve love and understanding. You always think of everyone else first, but you deserve to be taken care of, too.

I hope I’m that for you. You and I share a connection that can’t be broken.

We know each other so well, it’s almost visceral.

The day you first kissed me… It healed a piece of me.

You were like this long-lost puzzle piece, and I’d finally found you. ”

“Like one of those pieces hiding between couch cushions with the dust and old crumbs?” His eyes are wet, and he’s trying to suck in his trembling lip to hold back the emotions.

I snort a watery laugh. “Never that. Can I finish, babe, before I flub this?”

“Yeah…” he rasps.

My eyes water along with his, and it’s kind of hard to breathe.

The intensity of my emotions is almost suffocating, but not in a bad way.

It’s just that loving Mike is all-consuming.

“Back then, I never dreamed I’d be on one knee, right here and now, but I know I’m in the right place at the right time.

I know we’re in this together for the long haul, but I really want to make this official, if you’ll have me.

” With one more deep breath, I finally ask him. “Will you marry me, Michael Tanner?”

The words have barely left my mouth before he pulls me to stand and yanks me against his solid body.

“I would love nothing more than to marry you, Dennis Holbrook. You’re fucking everything to me, too.

We grew up together, and if I have my way, we’ll grow old and gray together, too.

It’s impossible to imagine a life without you in it.

You’re a part of me as much as my beating heart and my breathing lungs. You’re my fucking soul, Den.”

Tears finally start spilling from my eyes, streaming down my face. Mike gently wipes them away with his cold thumb as his own eyes continue to leak.

“I should’ve brought tissues. My bad,” I quip.

He sniffs in response and kisses me.

I pull away and show him the ring before I pluck it out and slide it onto his ring finger. It’s a little big because it’s hard to measure your boyfriend’s ring size in secret, so I just went big since his fingers are thick.

“We’ll get it resized,” I say. He looks down at the hammered gunmetal ring. “I thought it looked kind of like something a builder would like.”

Mike smiles and kisses me again. “It’s perfect. I love it.”

I shove the box back into my coat and wrap my arms around his neck. “Just so you know, I’ve told everyone, and they’re expecting us at Maggie’s Seafood. Dad made reservations.”

“Sounds perfect, baby.”

I tilt my head and give him a coy smile. “Also note that I’ve had our wedding planned since I was fifteen. It may involve purple tuxes, but I’d like to think my taste is more refined now.”

Mike throws back his head and laughs. “I should’ve known.” Then he raises a brow. “Purple tuxes?”

“Hello? I was fifteen … It was my favorite color at the time.”

“We’ll plan it all together.”

Mike bends down and takes my lips in his and kisses me like it’s our first time. Like he’s pouring his body and soul into it with a lot of tongue and lip nibbling .

When we pull away, I see his lips are swollen, pink, and glistening. Then I picture other things, like sucking sexy dicks and fucking sexy holes.

“We should celebrate before dinner. We’ve got lots of time,” he says. I swear, my man’s a damn mind reader sometimes.

“Oh yeah? Does it involve tangled limbs in tangled sheets, writhing, sweaty bodies, aching jaws, and satiated holes?”

He chuckles. “It does indeed.”

“Race you!” I say as I take off running.

“Hey!” he laughs after me and starts running, too.

Of course, being a runner, I’m always faster.

Mike and I make it home in no time. As soon as the front door is slammed shut, we start yanking off our jackets and pulling at our clothes, flinging them into unknown corners of the house.

Naked, we lunge at each other, fingers digging eagerly into each other’s skin, hips thrusting as our mouths consume each other full of sloppy tongue in a hungry kiss.

My cock is leaking and throbbing already, and I shudder when it rubs up against Mike’s hardness.

We groan in unison at the friction, our mouths and bodies fused together.

“Need you,” he pants against my lips.

Before I know it, he pulls away, bends down, and grabs me by my thighs. Suddenly, I’m being tossed over his shoulder and carried into the living room.

“Whoa!” I gasp, my arms dangling like a fucking rag doll. I take the opportunity to admire his tight ass, and I may have slipped a finger along his crease.

He sets me on my feet when we reach the couch, then he grunts in irritation. “Dammit, I don’t want to dig around for the lube.”

I tilt my head and grin at him. “Like old times?”

Mike raises a brow .

“You know, when we first frotted in your truck during the drive-in movie.”

His crooked grin soon matches mine. “How could I forget that night? And what a night it was.” He laughs. “Still have no idea what that fucking movie was about.”

I snort. “Apes.”

I press my hand to his chest and push him back until he’s sitting on the back of the sofa, and at a perfect height to line up our swollen dicks.

I hold out the palm of my hand in front of Mike’s face. “Spit, babe.” He gives me a nice glob, and I also spit in my hand. “Ready for some spit-tastic frotting?”

He rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t stop grinning as he nods.

I stand between his thick thighs and fist our cocks together, spreading the spit over our lengths. “Fuck, I love your dick rubbing against mine,” I rasp.

“My second favorite thing,” he says back.

“What’s your favorite?”

“Kissing you.”

Oh God… Seriously, I’m going to melt with love. Literally fucking melt. One of my favorite things about Mike is that he has no fucking clue how romantic he is. Like, totally oblivious. “Jesus, Mike… So damn sweet.”

He blushes at my praise, then lowers his head to capture my lips with his, pulling me into a deep kiss as I stroke us.

His fingers squeeze my shoulders as we suck and nip.

We pull away, resting our foreheads together, looking down as I get us off.

Our cockheads ooze precum, and I swipe some up with my thumb, using it as lube.

I work our cocks fast and hard, driving us both closer toward that much-needed release. The air is heavy with the scent of our combined arousal, filled with our moaning and panting, along with the slapping of skin against skin as I pump us to completion.

Mike tilts his head and nips my earlobe before swiping his tongue through the shell, then he moves down and nips at my throat. His hand travels down my chest, and he tweaks my nipple. I groan because I love it when he pays attention to them.

It doesn’t take long for the pressure to become nearly unbearable.

I’m the first to shoot my load, spilling over our dicks and my hand.

I don’t stop, using my cum as lube, squeezing and twisting my hand on each upstroke to bring Mike over the edge, too.

His cock swells and pulses in my hand, and he quickly follows behind me.

With our heads resting against each other’s shoulders, we just stand there, our chests heaving as we slowly come down from our high.

Before I can step away and clean my hand off, Mike reaches for my face and pulls me into a sweaty but brief kiss.

Then he holds my face steady to look at him.

“I fucking love you, Den. You’re my everything.

I know I’ve said that countless times, but it will never be enough.

Every time you come home from work with a smile on your face, or when you touch my arm to get my attention, or when you give me that little eye sparkle of mischievousness, you make my heart beat faster.

The past two years with you have been nothing short of amazing, baby.

I can’t wait to see what our future holds.

We’re gonna have kids, more dogs, or cats, or…

as many animals as you want. I want a house filled with laughter, noise, and chaos because it all represents you. ”

I try to cough away the emotions, but it’s useless. I tear up anyway. “Fuck, Mike. You sure do have a way with words. I love how everything that comes out of your mouth has a profound meaning and comes straight from that huge heart of yours. I can’t wait to see what our future looks like either. ”

After kissing again, Mike leads me upstairs to our bathroom and turns on the shower. “Let’s get you nice and clean, baby, so I can get down and dirty with you again. I wanna fuck the hell out of that pretty pink hole of yours. We have time before we meet up with everyone.”

“Going to have my ass squirming at dinner, huh?”

Mike tugs me against him and nips my throat. “You’d better believe it.”

The End