Penguin - 10. Epilogue

Epilogue – Five years later

Daniel

I hated wearing suits in general; wearing a tux was pure torture. I fiddled with the bowtie, trying to get it to look right. I sighed in exasperation and gave up. Eric came up behind me and rubbed my shoulders. “Relax…everything will go just fine!” He turned me around and fixed the bowtie.

I took a deep breath. “Thanks. I just keep worrying that I’m going to screw something up.”

He smiled at me and patted my cheek. “You’ll be fine!”

“Of course he’ll be fine…he’s got me to kick his ass if he isn’t!” Robbie grabbed me in a headlock.

“Hey! You’re going to mess up my tux, asshole!” I tried swatting at him.

Robbie let me go with a big grin. “Since when do you care so much about your looks, your Royal Highness? Or should I say Bridezilla?”

“Bride… oh you are so going to get it for that one, dick! Just wait until I’m out of this damn tux!”

“I’d like to think you’d rather be with your new hubby after you get out of your tux, but what the hell? I’m game.” He leered at me. “I’ve never had a threesome with two other guys before.”

Eric got between us as I playfully lunged at my best friend. “Ok guys. You can get rid of your latent sexual attraction for each other later. Right now, you both need to behave and keep those tuxes neat! Can I trust you two to be alone while I check on the rest of the wedding party?” He shook his head. “Look who I’m talking to, of course I can’t!”

I laughed and chucked him lightly on the shoulder. “Get out of here. We’ll be fine.”

Eric and I had become quite close after Sean was shot. He was an absolute godsend when it came to helping take care of Sean’s wounds and helping me repair my friendship with Robbie. He also helped tremendously with restoring my ability to trust men. Of course, Sean helped with that, too. So did a lot of therapy. I’d come a long way in the healing process; regaining my self-confidence and learning to live with what Trevor did to me.

I looked in the mirror and sighed.

“Don’t.”

“Huh?” I looked at Robbie, puzzled.

“You deserve this. Stop whatever you’re thinking right now.”

“How’d I ever manage to get this lucky?” I whispered.

Robbie drew me in for a hug and held me tight. “You’re so special, Danny. You have no idea how special you really are.”

I held onto him even tighter. There was only one man I loved as much as Robbie, and I was amazed that shortly I would be exchanging wedding vows with that man. I had never allowed myself the fantasy of considering marriage before I met Sean. That tumble down the bank I took five years ago changed my life in so many ways. I would be forever grateful to him for that.

I stood in the back of the church next to Robbie’s dad, nervously fidgeting. He put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I smiled at him warmly and put my hand on his. Robbie’s family was always there for me when my own let me down. I couldn’t think of anyone other than Robbie’s dad that I wanted to escort me down the aisle. He cried when I asked him.

Some light classical music started playing as I watched Caitlyn, Robbie and Siobhan’s little girl, walk down the aisle ahead of us. She had a basket of rose petals in one hand and Penguin’s leash in the other. Penguin darted at the rose petals and batted them out of the air as Caitlyn tossed them. Once they reached the end of the aisle, Caitlyn dropped the basket and the leash and ran crying to Siobhan. Penguin trotted over to Sean and leaped onto his shoulder as he bent down.

I teared up as I walked down the aisle, reflecting back on everything that happened over the past five years. I never imagined Robbie ever settling down with one woman, yet he was happily married to Siobhan and had a three-year-old daughter. Siobhan was a force of nature who didn’t put up with any of Robbie’s shit.

Sean and I went through a few rough patches; mainly having to do with my lack of confidence and distrust of men, thanks to Trevor. We got through them, though, and I sobbed into Sean’s chest when he actually said ‘yes’ after I proposed to him at the spot I fell off the bank in Meadowlane Park.

The tears started to flow freely when I looked at the man I was going to share the rest of my life with standing at the altar. He looked incredible and having Penguin perched on his shoulder just completed everything perfectly. Sean had bought a little bowtie to go on his harness. He said every tuxedo cat should have one.

I took Sean’s hands and saw that he was as teared up as I was. We pledged our hearts and souls to each other for better or worse. We’d already been through the ‘worse’, so all we had to focus on was the ‘better’. After the minister pronounced us husbands, Sean took my face in his hands and kissed me deeply. Penguin head-butted me and purred loudly.