Disclaimer: This is a work of complete fiction. It does not and will not exist outside the fantasy world.
© Matt Caper
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Epilogue
I gave myself a once over in the mirror, fretting over signs of age, then returned to my newly arrived guests. I stood in the middle of my livingroom and called for everyone's attention.
"Thank you to everyone for being here. This means a lot to me. I'm still trying to figure out a way to keep some of you here." A ripple of light laughter floated around the room. "Unless you make old age jokes, then I'm kicking your ass out." More laughter.
"He's not kidding!" said Nicholas, which only induced more laughter from my friends and family.
I leaned over and kissed Nicholas on the lips. "Thank you to my husband, Nicholas, and my best friend, Pete, for arranging this party for my twenty-first birthday. Disregard the number thirty on the banner and the cake. I love you all." Applause and hugs ensued.
I had been dreading turning thirty, now here it was. Despite my best efforts to stay in shape and remain young, I still noticed every wrinkle and every croak of my body when I moved. Ultimately, however, I was never happier. Nicholas was almost twenty-three, and we'd been an "official" couple for the past four years. He was the primary reason for my happiness.
I went to Pete and hugged him tightly. He had remained in this small Texas town, just like I had. He and Matt shared a small house together, as they were also an official couple. Pete was now twenty-eight, and Matt had recently turned twenty-one. We often talked about moving somewhere more open-minded, except we always seemed to find foster kids who needed a good home in this area.
As I let go of Pete, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to find Garrett, all grown up at twenty-one. "Garrett! You made it!" We embraced warmly, and I kissed his cheek. "I was afraid you wouldn't. I can't believe you're giving up part of your Spring break for me."
"Believe it, Grey," he smiled. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. It's so good to see you." He handed me a wrapped gift. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you." Nicholas took it from me and placed it on the dining room table, with the others. "How long can you stay?"
"I can stay until tomorrow, then Toby and I are going on our cruise."
"Is he here? Can I meet him?" I looked around for Garrett's boyfriend, whom I hadn't yet met, though I'd seen pictures of him online.
"He's not here. We're going to meet at the airport in Dallas."
I hugged Garrett again, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. "Your room in the basement is dust-free and ready for you."
"Thanks, Grey. Love you."
"I love you, too, kiddo," I said with a wink. Though Garrett's parents still lived in town, they'd done the most unexpected and awful thing, when they learned Garrett was gay. He came out to them after going off to college, and they ceased communication with him all together. They stopped answering his phone calls and emails completely, except for one incidence. They sent him an email telling him to remove all his stuff from their house, or they would get rid of it. Nicholas and I basically become his only parents, and we were even paying for his college education. I was more than happy to claim him as my own. Ever since then, he has spent every holiday and school break with Nicholas and me, making this his home, except the Christmas before my thirtieth birthday. He was with Toby by then, and they spent Christmas with each other. Toby was a young professor at Garrett's university in New England, older than I was by about five years.
"Happy birthday, old man," said a voice behind me, and I rounded on him with a scowl.
"Ryan fucking Jennings, you're not far behind me!"
"But I'm still a lot prettier!" he said. We laughed, hugged and kissed. He was right, too, he was still young looking and gorgeous. Though he graduated with his computer science degree, he was a professional model and probably had many more years in that line of work.
I hugged Ryan's partner, Corey, next. "Corey! Thank you, guys, for coming. I know y'all are busy."
I spied Jordan across the room. He had arrived early, so I'd already gotten to visit with him. What I still didn't know, however, was why he was still single. At twenty-seven, he was easily the most gorgeous creature in the room, save for Nicholas, and still just as sweet as he always had been. He still lived in Austin, and I couldn't imagine how he hadn't been claimed by another sweet guy already.
"What's the deal with Jordan?" I asked his brother, Corey. "Not that he has to be with somebody, but I'm surprised he's still single."
Corey shrugged. "Beats me. He always says he just hasn't found the right guy."
"I know what you're thinking," said Nicholas. I turned toward him and chuckled. "Don't start meddling," he warned.
I continually marveled at Nicholas' ability to read my thoughts, and even predict them. "Nicky, they might be perfect together!"
He grinned, and we looked to another part of the room, where TJ, now twenty-four and also still single, was chatting it up with my boys from Seattle, Landon and Noah. "Maybe," said Nicholas.
"I've gotta do what I've gotta do," I said, and I traipsed across the room. I approached Noah and whispered in his ear. "Will you and Landon take TJ and Jordan, and go to the store for more soda? And, um, take your time. Let them get to know each other."
Noah grinned and nodded. "You bet."
I grinned proudly at Nicholas. "Let the sparks fly."
"You're supposed to be a School Counselor, not a matchmaker," he reminded me.
"I'm a jack of all trades," I boasted. Incidentally, Jordan and TJ eventually ended up a couple, and I took all the credit.
I continued to mingle with my loved ones. My parents were there, but only for a short while. Dad was walking with a cane, just like he'd said he would, but he couldn't do it for long periods of time. It didn't matter that they didn't stay long, though. Nicholas and I, along with my nineteen year old, Eli, his best friend, Kyle, and my seventeen year old foster son, Caleb, all of whom lived in our guest house, had lunch with Mom and Dad every Sunday at their house. Granny had been gone for a couple of years by then. Her death prompted us to spend more time as a family, though we were eternally grateful for the time we'd been given with her. Eli and Kyle often brought their girlfriends to our Sunday lunch, too. That made me happy, because both girls enjoyed family time and held that as important. Caleb also had a girlfriend, but they were a new couple and didn't do the family lunches together, yet. Nicky's mom, Alicia, often joined us, as well. She still lived in Granny's house and never went back to drugs or heavy drinking.
Pete and Matt often joined us for Sunday lunches, too, bringing their own foster kids. Pete's parents moved out of town, though that wouldn't have mattered. He never spoke to them again. My parents sort of took their place. Matt's dad was still around, but he preferred to remain on his couch, in front of the TV, by himself.
I had four other adopted kids that had come after Eli, but before Caleb; the twins, Justin and Jason, Daniel, and Antonio. They were all grown and lived elsewhere, and unfortunately, none of them could be at my thirtieth birthday party.
I liked having a full house again. Over my birthday weekend, the guest bedrooms in the house that were normally empty, since Caleb was currently the only foster kid I had, would all be occupied once again. Landon and Noah in one, TJ in another, Will and Dane in another, and Garrett downstairs, which was his usual room. Will and Dane had followed Landon and Noah to Seattle, and I didn't see any of them as much as I would've liked. But they had their own lives after graduating college, and I was simply happy that they were happy and following their dreams.
That night, when everyone had settled into their rooms or returned to their own homes, I undressed and stood in front of the mirror again. "Hon, do I look older to you? Am I finally getting fat?" I looked at myself from every which angle, basically being worried and paranoid over nothing. "What're you going to do when you're still young and gorgeous, and I'm an old man?"
Nicholas pressed his naked body against mine from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You'll always be sexy to me. You're sexier now than you were eight and a half years ago, when we first made love. I love your body," he purred, and he began to caress my chest with one hand and fondle my package with the other. I felt his rising cock pressing against my ass.
"Do you really think so, or are you just saying that?" I asked, even as my breathing became labored and my cock jumped to life in my husband's hand.
"I mean it, baby. I'm going to spend the next forty or fifty years making love to you, and I'm going to love every second of it."
His hands left my body, and I didn't realize he was lubing up his cock, until he began pushing inside me. I moaned loudly as he turned us sideways, so I could see in the mirror our two bodies joining as one. "Fuck, Nicky," I breathed. "I love you so much." He stroked me in tandem with his thrusts, which became increasingly harder and more intense. "Ride me, baby."
Nicholas growled, making me bend over slightly as he moved faster. "Grey Skies is my permanent flight," he panted. "I'll ride you `til we crash."
We were lost for words after that, immersing ourselves in one another's soul. Nicky's love was the fuel for Grey Skies. As long as I had that, I would never crash.