Page 185 of Beau and the Beast

In a world filled with harpies and nymphs and mermen, no one gave a young man with a burned face and a cane a second look. For once, Noah was allowed to be just another person. Plus, the prevalence of NHPs had made it abundantly clear that the human world had been built only for one type of person: the small, fit, ambulatory, able-bodied type—and businesses and designers had rushed to change things to accommodate their new NHP customers. The changes made the world easier for people like Wolfram—but it made things easier for Noah, too.

Noah seemed to find his purpose in advocating for non-human people. He knew too well what it was like to hide from the world and how important it was to never treat someone like a freak. With the payment for Beau’s book sustaining them, Noah had no reason to continue hacking. He’d put his talents to better use, working at the NHPAA center.

He was thriving and Beau couldn’t possibly be prouder of his brother.

Beau knew that if their parents were alive, they would be immensely proud of him and Noah—of the men that they had grown up to be and the men that they had chosen to love.

He was about to tell Noah so when Wolfram raised his wineglass and tapped on it with a knife.

“Can I have your attention—just for a moment?” he asked, getting to his feet.

Beau looked up at him, surprised. Wolfram hated to be the center of attention, and though he was a fabulous speaker, he dreaded making any sort of presentation in front of people.

“I think we all know that we’re here tonight to celebrate the launch of Beau’s next bestseller,My Year with Remarkable People—and to eat some of the best food you can get anywhere in the five boroughs,” he said, smiling.

The guests clapped softly, raising their glasses, James leaning in with a loud, “Hear, hear!”

“But I want to divert attention away from the book for one moment, if you will,” Wolfram said. “You all read Beau’s last book and so you all know more about me than you probably ever wanted to know.”

An appreciative laugh rolled through the guests.

“I’ve been thinking a lot this month about what happened to me and my staff over ten years ago. What happened to my staff was unfair and cruel. They were separated from their families for a decade—and forced to spend time with me when I was at my surliest."

Beau leaned over to look at the faces of the staff. They didn’t look like prisoners anymore. They’d grown tan and happy in the year since they’d been free.

"But what happened to me was never a curse,” Wolfram continued. “It changed me into the person that I am today, and I could not possibly resent something that was responsible for bringing Beau Blake into my life.”

Everyone turned to look at Beau warmly and his heart swelled to be surrounded by so many people he loved.

“What happened to me forced me into a new approach to life,” Wolfram said. “For the first time, it forced me to think about other people and to examine what good I could do in the world. Angry and hurting, I founded the Mueller Global Endowment Fund because I didn't know what else I could do.

“I believe that, though all things can be learned, some of us are born with talents and abilities and characteristics that others aren't. I had to learn how to do good in the world, but I am confident that Beau was born knowing.”

Violet reached over to take Beau’s hand and squeeze it. When he looked at her, she had a broad smile on her face.

“Since the moment I met him, Beau spent his time thinking of others,” Wolfram said, “finding ways to make life better for the people around him. Even when I was a stranger to him, even when I was rude to him, Beau was searching for ways to accommodate me, to make me feel cared for and understood.

“And so no, what happened to me wasn't a curse. It was an opportunity. It took a hard man who was closed off to the world and it made him as vulnerable as he was ferocious and unapproachable.”

Wolfram paused to offer his hand to Beau. Beau puffed a laugh through his nose and shook his head, embarrassed by all of the praise Wolfram was heaping onto him. Beau slipped his hand into Wolfram’s and Wolfram lifted him gently to his feet.

“Beau was never scared—not of me. He is the most tenacious, remarkable person I've ever met, and without him I quite literally wouldn't be standing here with you all today.” Wolfram lay an arm across Beau’s shoulders as he continued.

“I have never encountered someone who challenged me to be the best version of myself, who dug his heels in and demanded that I do better. And I have never loved someone so deeply," he said, dropping his arm and turning, "as I love you, Beau."

He took both of Beau’s hands in his and when he spoke, he spoke straight to Beau.

“You have taught me that there is strength in flexibility, in vulnerability, in speaking your mind and being your authentic self, bearing your heart. You have endured hardship and you refused to let it make you hard. You stayed gentle through everything—and that’s just one part of why I love you.”

Wolfram reached into his jacket for something and took a step back before taking one knee. Violet gasped somewhere behind Beau as Wolfram produced a small velvet box.

“That’s why I don’t want to spend one moment of my life without you by my side,” Wolfram said, his gilded eyes flashing. He opened the box to reveal a simple silver band. “Would you do me the honor of being my husband, Beau?”

Time seemed to stop for Beau. A warm breeze wafted in through the open windows and everything in his life was profoundly soft and beautiful.

Beau’s life had changed. The world had changed. Beau’s biggest worry now was whether or not he might accidentally curse on television or whether or not his party guests were having fun. Wolfram was concerned about tea stains on his tailored shirts and grading papers from the courses he taught at the center.

Life was no longer about simple survival for them. It had blossomed into something so much more.

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