Epilogue
December 26th, one year later...
“You look great in purple,” Sunny said as Grant moved to stand beside him. His stomach was in knots, but that was the way it was supposed to be. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
If he wasn’t swinging wildly between nervousness and excitement, he would have known he was making a mistake.
“I thought it was blue,” Grant said.
Sunny looked over at him, confused, and saw a tiny smirk on his face.
“I had you for a second there,” Grant said.
Sunny shrugged. “I would have married you in a blue shirt. I’d still marry you if you turned up naked.”
The smile on Grant’s face changed to something softer and warmer. “Are we gonna do this, then?” he asked, offering his arm to Sunny.
Sunny took it eagerly, curling his fingers into the crook of Grant’s elbow. “If you’re sure you’re ready.”
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life,” Grant said, pulling Sunny in closer to his body. “You’re the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten. Two years in a row, now.”
Yesterday, they’d had the most magical family Christmas Sunny had ever been a part of. His face still hurt from smiling and laughing the entire time.
Today, he was marrying the man of his dreams.
If Sunny had loved Christmas before, that was nothing compared to how he felt about it now. It was definitely the most wonderful time of the year.
He took a deep breath, then nudged Grant in the side to get him to lead on.
The crowd on the other side of the doors was overwhelming, but Sunny had Grant to stick close to. After today, he’d always have Grant to stick close to.
The first part of the ceremony whooshed over Sunny’s head, his heart pounding too loudly with excitement for him to hear anything much that was being said.
He’d heard it at the rehearsal. He knew what he was agreeing to.
His brain tuned back in when Grant caught his eyes, and Sunny swallowed.
They’d decided to write their own vows, and he had no idea what Grant was about to say. Knowing Grant, it’d be something disarmingly sweet.
Grant was the sweetest, kindest man Sunny had ever known. He never did anything without thinking of everyone else in his life first.
If anyone deserved to be loved, it was him. Sunny had told him that a dozen times over the last year, and he thought it was starting to sink in.
“You are my Sunshine,” Grant began, making Sunny’s throat tight already. He wasn’t sure he was going to survive Grant pouring his heart out in front of everyone they knew like this.
“Which I guess you’ve heard a lot, but for me, you showed up on my doorstep at a time when I needed you most, like the world’s prettiest Christmas miracle. Not a day has gone by that you haven’t surprised me with the depth of your patience, your compassion, and your foresight. You also keep my life in order, which is definitely something you should still be charging for.”
The crowd behind them laughed, and despite the tears already welling up in his eyes, so did Sunny. He was smiling so broadly that his face hurt all over again, staring up into Grant’s eyes and barely processing that he got to have this, forever.
“What I’m saying is, I’m lucky to have you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make you want to stay. That’s what I’m promising, here. You know I love you. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t, so there’s no point in telling you that. What I want you to know is that I’m gonna spend the rest of my life trying to keep you happy enough to want to wake up next to me every day. Because I lived a lot of it without you, and I’ve got a whole lot of lost time to make up for. If you’ll have me.”
Sunny bit his lip as tears spilled over his cheeks, sniffing and squeezing Grant’s hands tighter.
“I was so prepared and now you’ve made me cry in front of all these people, and I’ve forgotten what I wrote down,” Sunny said. He had notes in his pocket, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of Grant long enough to grab them.
He wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to let go of Grant ever again.
Another wave of laughter rippled through the crowd, which felt fitting. Their joy had always been infectious. If Sunny hadn’t been sure Grant was the onebeforehe’d had him in a room with all his friends, he’d known after that.
