Chapter 19-Epilogue
“Hey, everybody, I wanna say something!” Rob’s voice called over the sound of many people talking.
The conversations died down as everyone looked at the rocker. He grinned at them. “First of all, we’d like to thank everybody for coming today,” he said with a wink. “We know that you have busy schedules and all…”
A ripple of laughter passed through the crowd. “Anyway, Thomas and I are really happy to be here today too. Especially me, because I am the luckiest man ever. This adorable man actually said YES when I asked him!” he reached down to grab a blushing Thomas’s hand, lifting it into the air so that everybody could see the gold ring encircling one slender finger. “I never would have foreseen this a year ago,” the rocker continued as he kissed the finger lovingly. “I mean, he was just my weird neighbor who was always glaring at me over the hedge. Course I gave him a lot to glare at me about,” he added impishly as he looked down into his new husband’s eyes. “Which is why I don’t blame him at all for the evil stuff he did to me in retaliation. But it all worked out in the end, for which I thank my lucky stars. And when we’re two old guys sitting around on our front porch, we can tell our great-grand nieces and nephews all about the time that Uncle Thomas did awful things to Uncle Rob – which is why we’ve been married for several decades!”
More laughter, as the accountant rolled his eyes a little. Rob grinned down at him. “To have such a person love me,” he said more softly, so that the listeners had to strain their ears as he addressed his spouse intimately, “Is the best thing that could ever have happened to me. Even when the band takes off, and we become rich and famous, that still won’t be half as important an accomplishment as the one I did today. Thanks so much for loving me, Thomas, even though I know I’m just a mangy musician with a devil cat for a pet. We both really appreciate you caring for us.”
Thomas lowered his eyes a little as a sheen of tears glazed the brown orbs over. “I couldn’t have done anything else,” he murmured for Rob’s ears alone. “You are the kindest, most wonderful man I have ever known. I was so cold, so alone – until you opened my heart and made me start to really feel. Now I don’t know what I would do without you,” he whispered to his husband.
“If I have my way you’ll never find that out, baby,” Rob replied softly. “Now come on – let’s toast to ourselves, huh?” he picked up his champagne glass and turned back to their guests. “Anyhow, I’m really glad that you could all be here for us on our special day. So let’s drink to me and Thomas, and our future life together. I for one am sure that it’ll be just as happy as this last year has been.” He raised his glass, followed by the guests.
“To Rob and Thomas,” many voices said almost in unison. Rob sat back down next to Thomas, gliding his hand surreptitiously down the accountant’s thigh. He got a LOOK for such inappropriate behavior, and had to fight back a sly grin. He couldn’t wait for the honeymoon to start. Hawaii was beautiful this time of year, and he couldn’t wait to drag Thomas out on the beach in swim trunks – if he could. His lover…no, husband…was still reticent about such things. But you never knew – the power of good sex might go to his cute little head and make him do something he never normally would have.
He looked out over their guests, who had resumed their conversations. Patrick and Anne were cuddled together at a table, the P.I. occasionally rubbing his hand over his wife’s rounding belly. Never had a man been more proud and excited about the arrival of his first child. Rob was looking forward to being an uncle again too, since he suspected that this niece or nephew would be as smart as a whip just like his or her parents. A disgruntled Laurie and family were at a table nearby, his oldest sister frowning awfully. She was majorly unhappy about his marrying the man he’d been shacked up with for almost a year. Up until today she’d still hoped that he’d get over this ‘aberration’ and go back to dating women.
Tough titty. She’d either accept Thomas or not, Rob didn’t care. She’d just better not hassle his husband, or she’d be very, very sorry. He would not stand for her shoving her views on homosexuality down the accountant’s throat. She was his sister, and he loved her, but she could be the biggest annoyance in the world.
His gaze slid on to Ricky, who was holding hands with his new girlfriend. Having taken a cue from Rob, he’d picked this one up in a library. And it looked like she might be a keeper; he’d dated her for five months now, and they seemed pretty happy. Now even Jack looked like he might abandon his plans to get a big-breasted trophy wife and actually get a real girlfriend instead. He seemed really jealous of both of his friends’ happiness.
Many people had attended their wedding, but the two people that Rob would have liked to have talked into coming had flat out refused. Thomas’s parents disapproved thoroughly of their son’s sexual orientation, and pretty much cut him off when he started dating Rob. While this rather infuriated him, at the same time he rocker had decided that he and his family were all that Thomas needed. Those cold-hearted bastards weren’t necessary for his husband’s happiness. He deserved better than them, much better. And Rob would make sure that he got that.
He put his hand over Thomas’s, his thumb stroking over the gold ring possessively. He and Aretha had moved in with Thomas months ago, and while he hadn’t sold his house yet he would put it on the market eventually (when it started to rebound from the mortgage fiasco). For now he and Thomas simply did maintenance work on it so that it didn’t fall into disrepair. And Aretha still liked to prowl around the backyard, maybe searching for more mice or reminiscing about her life in the house with her slave.
Rob pondered the song that he meant to sing to Thomas tonight. He wouldn’t embarrass his husband by singing it in front of all these people. It was the one he’d begun writing when he’d first started dating Thomas. It had turned into a lilting ballad, a song of love from him to his muse. He couldn’t wait to see the blush that would spread over that cute little face when Thomas heard it. Mmm, musical foreplay. What a cool idea.
Feeling evil, he leaned over to whisper into a small ear: “Hey Thomas. I’ve had the tricks from you – tonight, do I get the treat?”
To his delight, his husband turned brick red and glared at him from behind his gold-rimmed glasses. “Rob,” he hissed. “You are positively….”
“I know,” the rocker said unrepentantly. “But what can I say? I always want to rock your world, baby.”
The End
“Hey, everybody, I wanna say something!” Rob’s voice called over the sound of many people talking.
The conversations died down as everyone looked at the rocker. He grinned at them. “First of all, we’d like to thank everybody for coming today,” he said with a wink. “We know that you have busy schedules and all…”
A ripple of laughter passed through the crowd. “Anyway, Thomas and I are really happy to be here today too. Especially me, because I am the luckiest man ever. This adorable man actually said YES when I asked him!” he reached down to grab a blushing Thomas’s hand, lifting it into the air so that everybody could see the gold ring encircling one slender finger. “I never would have foreseen this a year ago,” the rocker continued as he kissed the finger lovingly. “I mean, he was just my weird neighbor who was always glaring at me over the hedge. Course I gave him a lot to glare at me about,” he added impishly as he looked down into his new husband’s eyes. “Which is why I don’t blame him at all for the evil stuff he did to me in retaliation. But it all worked out in the end, for which I thank my lucky stars. And when we’re two old guys sitting around on our front porch, we can tell our great-grand nieces and nephews all about the time that Uncle Thomas did awful things to Uncle Rob – which is why we’ve been married for several decades!”
More laughter, as the accountant rolled his eyes a little. Rob grinned down at him. “To have such a person love me,” he said more softly, so that the listeners had to strain their ears as he addressed his spouse intimately, “Is the best thing that could ever have happened to me. Even when the band takes off, and we become rich and famous, that still won’t be half as important an accomplishment as the one I did today. Thanks so much for loving me, Thomas, even though I know I’m just a mangy musician with a devil cat for a pet. We both really appreciate you caring for us.”
Thomas lowered his eyes a little as a sheen of tears glazed the brown orbs over. “I couldn’t have done anything else,” he murmured for Rob’s ears alone. “You are the kindest, most wonderful man I have ever known. I was so cold, so alone – until you opened my heart and made me start to really feel. Now I don’t know what I would do without you,” he whispered to his husband.
“If I have my way you’ll never find that out, baby,” Rob replied softly. “Now come on – let’s toast to ourselves, huh?” he picked up his champagne glass and turned back to their guests. “Anyhow, I’m really glad that you could all be here for us on our special day. So let’s drink to me and Thomas, and our future life together. I for one am sure that it’ll be just as happy as this last year has been.” He raised his glass, followed by the guests.
“To Rob and Thomas,” many voices said almost in unison. Rob sat back down next to Thomas, gliding his hand surreptitiously down the accountant’s thigh. He got a LOOK for such inappropriate behavior, and had to fight back a sly grin. He couldn’t wait for the honeymoon to start. Hawaii was beautiful this time of year, and he couldn’t wait to drag Thomas out on the beach in swim trunks – if he could. His lover…no, husband…was still reticent about such things. But you never knew – the power of good sex might go to his cute little head and make him do something he never normally would have.
He looked out over their guests, who had resumed their conversations. Patrick and Anne were cuddled together at a table, the P.I. occasionally rubbing his hand over his wife’s rounding belly. Never had a man been more proud and excited about the arrival of his first child. Rob was looking forward to being an uncle again too, since he suspected that this niece or nephew would be as smart as a whip just like his or her parents. A disgruntled Laurie and family were at a table nearby, his oldest sister frowning awfully. She was majorly unhappy about his marrying the man he’d been shacked up with for almost a year. Up until today she’d still hoped that he’d get over this ‘aberration’ and go back to dating women.
Tough titty. She’d either accept Thomas or not, Rob didn’t care. She’d just better not hassle his husband, or she’d be very, very sorry. He would not stand for her shoving her views on homosexuality down the accountant’s throat. She was his sister, and he loved her, but she could be the biggest annoyance in the world.
His gaze slid on to Ricky, who was holding hands with his new girlfriend. Having taken a cue from Rob, he’d picked this one up in a library. And it looked like she might be a keeper; he’d dated her for five months now, and they seemed pretty happy. Now even Jack looked like he might abandon his plans to get a big-breasted trophy wife and actually get a real girlfriend instead. He seemed really jealous of both of his friends’ happiness.
Many people had attended their wedding, but the two people that Rob would have liked to have talked into coming had flat out refused. Thomas’s parents disapproved thoroughly of their son’s sexual orientation, and pretty much cut him off when he started dating Rob. While this rather infuriated him, at the same time he rocker had decided that he and his family were all that Thomas needed. Those cold-hearted bastards weren’t necessary for his husband’s happiness. He deserved better than them, much better. And Rob would make sure that he got that.
He put his hand over Thomas’s, his thumb stroking over the gold ring possessively. He and Aretha had moved in with Thomas months ago, and while he hadn’t sold his house yet he would put it on the market eventually (when it started to rebound from the mortgage fiasco). For now he and Thomas simply did maintenance work on it so that it didn’t fall into disrepair. And Aretha still liked to prowl around the backyard, maybe searching for more mice or reminiscing about her life in the house with her slave.
Rob pondered the song that he meant to sing to Thomas tonight. He wouldn’t embarrass his husband by singing it in front of all these people. It was the one he’d begun writing when he’d first started dating Thomas. It had turned into a lilting ballad, a song of love from him to his muse. He couldn’t wait to see the blush that would spread over that cute little face when Thomas heard it. Mmm, musical foreplay. What a cool idea.
Feeling evil, he leaned over to whisper into a small ear: “Hey Thomas. I’ve had the tricks from you – tonight, do I get the treat?”
To his delight, his husband turned brick red and glared at him from behind his gold-rimmed glasses. “Rob,” he hissed. “You are positively….”
“I know,” the rocker said unrepentantly. “But what can I say? I always want to rock your world, baby.”
The End