Page 60 of For the Rest of Forever

Allen laughed loudly and turned to Greg, immediately reaching up to frame his face. He tugged Greg down to him, and their lips met in a brief but joyful kiss. “You... are so...” He couldn’t even speak to finish his sentence, and he just shook his head and pulled Greg down again for another kiss, laughing. When they parted, he glanced at the table again. “They’re Bavarian cream, right? Otherwise, this whole thing is a fail.”

“Oh god, I hope so,” Greg said with another laugh. “I was pretty specific when I talked to Joe last night.”

“Joe helped set this up?”

Greg nodded and pulled Allen up against him again, dipping down to kiss Allen’s cheeks and forehead and then his lips. When he straightened up again, he was grinning down at Allen with a twinkle in his eye. “Hedidmake me explain before he would agree, though.”

“I can’t believe...” Allen pulled away from Greg and stepped over toward the table, blinking back tears as he remembered a very, very similar setup from over thirty years ago. “It meant so, so much to me that day. It was silly, just likethis, but...”

Greg stepped up behind him and slipped his arms around Allen’s waist, and Allen leaned back into him, closing his eyes as he let his husband’s warmth surround him. Greg’s lips brushed his cheek. “That day—when you first told me about your parents—Allen, I... had no idea what to do or how to handle anything, how to help you feel better. All I knew was that I needed to take care of you, because I already knew that I loved you.”

“I remember that you stayed with me and held me and listened to me tell you all of that... stuff. And we couldn’t go out because—because I wasn’t doing well.” Allen sniffled and reached up to wipe a tear from his cheek. “And when I woke up in the morning and came out to the kitchen, and—”

He laughed and shook his head. It had been just like this—flower petals, candle light, and donuts. Bavarian cream. It had been both silly and probably the kindest, most romantic thing anyone had ever done for him. He wiped another tear from his cheek. “You said—you said you owed me a romantic dinner out, but since it was breakfast time and we both needed to eat...”

With Greg’s gentle encouragement, Allen turned back around in Greg’s arms. The smile on Greg’s face was soft, but also filled with some sort of deep, deep love. Greg’s hand came up to cup Allen’s cheek, and Allen leaned into the touch and closed his eyes.

“And I also told you then,” Greg started, his voice low and rough with emotion, “that I was so happy to be there with you and that you meant the world to me.” Greg kissed his forehead, and Allen inhaled a shaky breath.

He remembered that too. He remembered Greg holding him, hugging him, kissing him oh so gently on the forehead, telling him how important he was. It had been huge and had meant so much. Just like this did now.

“That’s still true now. You mean the world to me, Allen Westin. We’ve been through so much together, and I love youmore every single day. I’m so grateful for you, Allen. So grateful, and I know—”

Allen pulled back out of their embrace slightly as Greg’s voice faltered, and when he looked up at his husband, Greg was smiling but with tears in his eyes. Allen stretched up as Greg bent down, and they shared another sweet, gentle kiss. Then Allen rested his head against Greg’s chest as Greg continued.

“And I know that whatever this next phase of our life brings—whether it’s harder days, easier days, more ups and downs, rain or shine—whatever it is, darling, we’ll face everything together. Just like we have since that day.”

Allen’s heart clenched, and he nodded against Greg with a small smile. “That day when you stayed,” he said.

“Yes. That day when I stayed.”

“. . . And brought me Bavarian cream donuts.”

Greg huffed a laugh and shook his head. “God, these better be Bavarian cream. Did you check? I—”

Allen stopped him with a kiss that deepened and lingered and had some safe, comforting warmth to it. And when they parted, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Greg’s with a long sigh. “Thank you, Greg. I love you.”

“Ah, I love you, too, darling.” Greg’s arms slid around his waist and pulled him closer. “So,” he whispered in Allen’s ear, “you don’t care if they’re Bavarian cream or not?”

Allen chuckled and blinked back tears as he shook his head. “They are. I checked.”

“Okay, okay, good. Otherwise, you know, I’d go get some. Whatever you want.”

“I just want you,” Allen breathed, “for the rest of forever.”

Epilogue

Greg

One Year Later . . .

“Alright, Beans is asleep—poor guy is tuckered out—and the dishes are done, and it’s just you and me and that big huge moon up there, lighting up the sky and blocking all the stars from view,” Greg said with a chuckle as he settled down next to Allen on the two-person sleeping pad he’d set up just outside their camper.

“All that planning you did, and you forgot to check the moon phase, huh?” Allen scooted over next to Greg and curled up in his spot, with his head resting on Greg’s shoulder.

Greg laughed as he stared up at the moon through the clearing in the trees above them. “At least it’s clear, and the weather has been pretty perfect. I hope you’ve had a good time, darling.”

“I have. I’ve had a great time. And the camper—it was an excellent idea.”

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