Yup! Being a True Mate has its enormous advantages.
Many people even say it istruemagic.
EPILOGUE
BAY
Half a year later
Little Gem is tucked safely in the sling on Alex’s chest, who has it tied like a total pro. Gem is looking around with those big amethyst eyes, taking everything in. On top of his head, there’s that little tuft of bright pink hair sticking straight up, completely immune to any comb or brush.
Alex loves carrying him like this, and we often go for walks. My True Mate refuses to use a stroller; he loves being close to our son, always saying he had to restrain himself from touching the people he loved for far too long, so now he’s indulging in it.
Alex loves being a parent so much, and miraculously it helped him regain his old self completely. Already being pregnant, he was more and more cheerful, but now he’s like the old Alex I met, spreading the sphere of light everywhere, constantly chatty, energetic, positive, and infectiously happy!
Month after month, his energy affects mine, and just like back in high school, I feel like I’m thawing, resurfacing, becoming more optimistic and alive.
There were days at the start of our second-term relationship when I would just sit by the window with my vape and stare,kinda absent, parts of my mind still stuck in that horrible decade of our life, but day after day, Alex’s radiance worked on me,bringing me back to life, just like before.
And now we’re here!
My brother River’s wedding is the kind of event that brings the entire family together, a huge moment that marks the end of a long wound in our family and a milestone of a palpable reconciliation with the past.
We’re all moved by the fact that River is back with us and on top of that, he returned with his True Mate.
I played a tiny part in all this, though probably a darker one than most people would wish.
It all started a year and a half earlier, after the day I found my dad sitting alone on the patio, crying his heart out.
He told me then that his soul would never be soothed, never healed, because he had failed our family so deeply. First, because people from his past came back into our lives and hurt me, and second, because he had failed River, that he hadn’t been the right dad for the sensitive, incredibly delicate personality of his oldest son.
That conversation stayed with me, and not long after, I asked Ennio to help me find where River lived with his husband at the time, a man who from the start demanded that River cut us off and who even after their kids were born still wouldn’t allow him any contact with us.
I went to the city where they lived and spent a few days watching what was happening in River’s home, and it was disturbing. River was on the edge of a breakdown, overwhelmed by responsibilities he had no help with.
I ended up making one phone call to River’s husband and told him he owed River his freedom, and if he didn’t give it, there would be consequences.
That’s exactly what happened. River got his freedom, but I don’t take credit for that outcome, because the man was morbidly obese and eventually just gave up on taking care of his family and himself, his health, everything. He died of a heart attack, and River became a widower. Soon after, he moved into the home of Archer Wilson, who had inherited a fortune from his uncle and had been quietly interested in River for a long time, admiring him from afar.
It turned out they were True Mates, and Archer accepted River’s children and helped him raise them. Before long, they had their first son together, Phoenix.
Today it’s their wedding that’s taking place on our parents’ estate, because of course it is… it’s tradition at this point.
Under a huge arch of white and red flowers, my oldest brother River stands across from Archer as they exchange heartfelt, beautiful vows. River’s eyes are sparkling, and he can’t stop smiling at the sculpted face of his True Mate.
I’m sitting in the second row next to Alex, who’s now bouncing little Gem on his knee.
We’re listening to the vows when Alex suddenly glances at me sideways and whispers,
"You know, these big family weddings always freaked me out. I’m so insanely grateful you came up with the idea that our wedding should be quiet and quick and handled without fanfare. I swear I would’ve died if I had to deal with something this huge," he says with an embarrassed grin.
I roll my eyes a little. "Well, we’re True Mates, Alex, it’d be weird if our views on this were totally opposite. These big parties overwhelm me too, but dad loves them, and besides, it’s nice to see all the brothers in one place…"
Alex chuckles under his breath. "Yeah, I’m glad I get to see them too, your family is awesome."
He kisses Gem’s little head, running his fingers through those intensely pink strands. He keeps trying to smooth them down, but they spring right back up every single time.
Meanwhile the newlyweds step down from the platform, and the next part begins. They start receiving congratulations from all my brothers, our cousins, uncles, Archer’s family, and all their friends. The line is long, but we don’t push ahead.
