“You are so on.”
Epilogue
Thanksgiving
Five years later
Wyatt
Ethan held his mom’s chair for her as she took her seat around our crowded yard-sale-rescue dining table. I knew Ethan was holding his breath as she undid the twist-tie-and-dried-corn-husk napkin ring Ethan and Christine had improvised and shook out the checkered bar-towel napkin—ten for ten bucks—I’d grabbed after getting his panicked text last night. Must have cloth napkins.
She lifted the delicate china from on top of her solid blue square dinner plate. “Well, this is an interesting choice.”
Ethan had to have heard the sarcasm, but he’d been handling his mom for years. “I know, right? We both like blue and it’s hard to find big sets so we go with what we can.”
It was a combination of yard sales and dollar store finds. After buying the food to cook, we hadn’t been able to afford fancy dinnerware. Our silverware wasn’t any better matched.
“It looks perfect,” Christine said from across the table. “Pinterest is full of these guides on how to blend vintage and modern. Let me get a picture so I can show it off.”
Ethan’s mom shifted one of the jam jars Ethan had put out as wine glasses. At least he knew where stuff on the table was supposed to go. I was praying the wood glue held the chairs together. Benson, Ethan’s dad, smiled at me as he and Owen came in from the living room.
I knew our apartment wasn’t big. Travers paid me well, but Ethan was still in grad school and student loans ate up almost everything else. Still, we’d been here for two years now. We’d painted it, and found furniture for it, and it felt like ours. Like home. Ethan pulled me along into the kitchen to start carrying out the food the two of us, along with Uncle Owen and Christine, had been making since four that morning.
Ethan squeezed my arms. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”
“What?” I thought it was going pretty well. No one had been burned or cut. The turkey smelled amazing, and there’d be enough for people to eat.
He rested his forehead against mine. “I know we said after dessert, but can we do it now? I’m never going to make it through the meal.”
I moved to hug him and he let go of his death grip. “Nervous or excited?”
“Nercited?”
“That’s what passes for a word at Pitt these days?”
“It’s totally in the dictionary. Right below n’blow me.” He whispered it in my ear, deep and hot.
“Right now, with your mom and dad ten steps away? All right, if you say so.” I stepped back.
“I’ll take a kiss right now. Maybe then I won’t throw up.” His eyes were wide and serious and painfully earnest.
Painful to me, I mean. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea that he was opening himself up for rejection. It’s why I’d always believed caring about stuff was a bad idea. Except Ethan. Everything about Ethan was a very good idea. Especially tomorrow.
To make him laugh I said, “Vomit is always romantic,” and kissed him when his lips opened.
It was in danger of getting out of hand—kissing Ethan would always have that potential—when I heard Christine say loudly, “So what kind of wine did you bring, Benson?”
“C’mon. Let’s make them at least think we’re planning to let them eat.” I let him go and picked up the green beans.
We carried out the food while Ethan’s dad poured out red wine. After we sat down, I met Ethan’s eyes across the length of the table.
Your press release, I signed at him.
He cleared his throat. “I—we—” He turned to face his mother. “Tomorrow at two thirty, Wyatt and I are getting married at city hall. We’d really like you to come.”
Her gaze went from Ethan’s hand to mine to Christine’s, where a half carat of diamonds sparkled next to her wedding band. No, Jenna, I didn’t get him a ring. We had plain gold bands to exchange tomorrow.
“Congratulations,” Ethan’s father said loudly.
“That’s wonderful, honey,” his mom added, and nodded at me. She and I were never going to be besties, but at least she was trying. “Are you sure you don’t want to do something at home? With your friends and family? We could—”
“No thanks, Mom. This is what we want.”
“But tomorrow? I didn’t bring...” she put her hand on her sweater like she was making a pledge “...anything. A present.”
“Mom. I—we just want you and Dad there. That’s all.”
“I would like to propose a toast.” Ethan’s dad stood. We all did. Then Uncle Owen poked me and tipped his head toward Ethan, so I went around the table to stand next to him. I thought about putting my arm around him but settled for holding his hand.
Ethan’s dad smiled at us. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
The wine splashed my lips as my hand jerked. Christine stopped signing for Uncle Owen and looked at Ethan’s dad in surprise.
“Just kidding,” he said. “To my son and future son-in-law. We’re proud to have you, Wyatt.” He raised his glass. “Ethan and Wyatt.”
As Ethan’s mom and Christine repeated it, Uncle Owen signed happy at me before tipping his glass to his lips.
Ethan’s dad raised his glass again. “May they have many happy endings.”
I choked. Ethan choked. Christine barked a laugh and signed it fast for Uncle Owen, but the loudest sputter came from Ethan’s mom.
I looked around Ethan to see her mopping her sweater and face with the bar towel.
“Benson Monroe.”
Uncle Owen grinned and signed. Christine translated, “Many happy...endings,” though Ethan and I both clearly saw a different sign.
“So,” Ethan’s dad turned to us and winked, “sons of mine, we gonna eat or what?”
Ethan slid into his chair like his bones had melted. His ears and cheeks were bright red.
“Excellent first press conference,” I told him, and went back to my seat.
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my wonderful and patient editor, Angela, my awesome writing sister, Erin, and my critique group, who is always there for a crisis, B.F.S.
Also by K.A. Mitchell
and Carina Press
Ethan & Wyatt Series
Getting Him Back
Boyfriend Material
The Ethan & Wyatt trilogy will be available in audio and print July 2017!
About the Author
At a very early age, K.A. Mitchell decided that Ken and G.I. Joe made a much cuter couple than Ken and Barbie and was perplexed when invitations to play Barbie fell off sharply. Today she still loves hanging out with imaginary friends and making up stories. Even better, people pay her to read about them. Now the author of over twenty-five gay romances, she guarantees happy endings for even the surliest of heroes, despite all their baggage.
Find out what else she’s up to at www.kamitchell.com, www.kamitchell.com/newsletter, www.Facebook.com/authorkamitchell and @ka_mitchell.
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ISBN-13: 9781488028175
Relationship Status
Copyright © 2017 by K.A. Mitchell
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Relationship Status (Ethan & Wyatt) Page 11
