Chapter 24--Epilogue

"Are you sure it'll be ready?" Wyatt asked anxiously.

"Yes! For the tenth time, they have already set it up," Sarah snapped as she disappeared into the bathroom. "Now, just chill for a bit. You men may find getting ready quick and easy, but us women have to work harder at it."

"You look fine," Wyatt called back. In fact, to him, Sarah looked beautiful in the navy dress she had picked out. She was standing as best woman for Wyatt today, while Eddie was Bryan's best man.

"You'd say that if I had bed head," Sarah huffed back.

"Well, it's true," Wyatt muttered as he smoothed down his own shirt nervously. "What about the minister? Is he—"

"He'll be there!" Sarah huffed. "For the love of God, you're going to drive me crazy. Whatever made me think you should stay here overnight away from Bryan the night before your wedding, I don't know. I wonder if Bryan is driving Eddie just as nuts."

Wyatt laughed. "It could be the other way around. Eddie has been pretty excited about the wedding too."

"Well, that's true." It was several more minutes before Sarah emerged from the bathroom with the sides of her auburn hair swept up, leaving curls cascading down the nape of her neck.

Wyatt stared at her speechless. Damn, if she hadn't looked beautiful before, she was certainly stunning now.

"What do you think?" she asked almost shyly.

"I...I think Nathan isn't going to be paying attention to the wedding," Wyatt chuckled.

Sarah blushed, shoving at his shoulder. "Stop it."

The doorbell rang, and Wyatt nearly jumped out of his skin. "Well, speak of the devil..."

Nathan Woods had offered to come pick them up and drive them over to the park. Both Wyatt and Bryan still wanted an outdoor wedding, but of course the Turner Estate wasn't going to happen—ever. They had received permission to hold their wedding at the park by the bench where Bryan had proposed, erecting a temporary arch and setting up some chairs for their few friends. The announcement had gone out a couple weeks ago in the Garrett Gazette, and they had received many well wishes—almost as many as Wyatt had received when he'd been in the hospital.

He had been shocked by the outpouring of support by the community for his ordeal. The enormous amount of cards, flowers, stuffed animals, potted plants, etc he and Bryan had received had been overwhelming, nearly bringing him to tears at thought of so many people praying for him to get better. The first couple of weeks had been a struggle. He'd been tired and exhausted, sleeping for hours, then waking in the throes of a nightmare. Bryan calmly soothed him back to sleep, wrapping his strong, warm body around him and chasing away the shivers of ghost ice water.

Wyatt opened the door to Sarah's apartment to see Nathan Woods adjusting his jacket. Wyatt didn't know the man quite as well as Sarah and Bryan did, but he knew enough to know the man had spend hours tirelessly searching evidence and witness statements to find him. He stuck out his hand in greeting. "Hi, Nathan. Thanks for volunteering to do this."

"No problem."

"Hey, Mr. Kinnon," Marc called out as he came up behind his dad. "How ya doing?"

Wyatt grinned at his student's—well, former student since he wasn't working the rest of the school year—enthusiasm. "I'm good, Marc. Thanks for coming."

"Wouldn't miss it." Marc grinned, shoving his father's shoulder to get him moving. They both realized the man was standing there staring past Wyatt into the apartment.

Wyatt chuckled as he noted the sergeant had caught sight of Sarah, obviously taking in her stunning appearance.

Marc rolled his eyes dramatically as his father finally stumbled his way over to Sarah.

"You look...beautiful," Nathan nearly whispered, taking her hand, as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Of course, Sarah blushed again, a much deeper red, Wyatt noticed. "Thank you."

"Hey, so Mr. Kinnon, you ready to get hitched?" Marc broke the awkwardness.

"Yeah, most definitely. I would have done this in the hospital, if Bryan had let me." But of course, Bryan had insisted they wait until Wyatt was well enough to truly enjoy it without the lingering health problems.

"Well, let's go then. Come on, dad. Get a move on. There was already a crowd gathering, so you'll have to make a path," Marc said, clapping his hands excitedly.

Wyatt frowned. "A crowd? What do you mean?"

Marc grinned evilly as he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, you just wait. I think half the county turned out to see your wedding."

"Half the—? Why?" Wyatt looked lost.

Marc slung his arm around Wyatt's shoulders. "You're famous, dude. What'd you expect?"

@@@@

"Come on, Bryan." Eddie tugged at his hand, pulling him toward the door.

Bryan had to laugh at his brother's giddy excitement. He'd been bouncing off the walls all morning. Of course, Bryan wasn't much better, but he was feeling a little more trepidation than Eddie. His stomach was in knots, and he just wished he'd been able to see Wyatt this morning. To kiss him and know everything was still okay. But Sarah had refused to yield, keeping his lover ensconced at her apartment overnight.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he dug it out, smiling at the face grinning back at him.

He thumbed open the text from Wyatt.

~I love you~

~love you too. Very much~

~see you soon.~

~not soon enough~

~ :) ~

He looked up to see Eddie pouting at him from the door. "Come on. Wyatt waiting for us."

Bryan chuckled and headed for the door, where his older brother grabbed him and hauled him out faster. Eddie looked so grown up in a suit. Bryan couldn't remember if he'd ever seen Eddie wear one before. His brother grinned back at him.

And Bryan loved seeing that smile on his brother's face. He'd seen it so much more now that Eddie was living with him, with both of them. Eddie adored Wyatt, and Wyatt loved having Eddie in their home. When Wyatt had come home from the hospital, Wyatt had already started making plans for Eddie's room, for when he came to stay. They waited a month, to allow Wyatt to recover, before bringing Eddie to stay permanently. But Bryan had brought him several times to visit before that.

Eddie had been anxious and nervous around Wyatt at first. But Wyatt had quickly put Eddie's mind at ease, playing with him and treating him just like his own brother.

It had only been two months now since Wyatt's rescue, but Wyatt was recovering well. They all were. All three of them attended therapy sessions, both individually and as a family. Bryan had probably struggled the most, burdened with guilt over his mother having chained his fiancé in her basement, her hurting his brother for years, as well as having been the one responsible for her death. He was slowly coming to terms with it.

Her funeral was hard for him to endure. It had just been a few people: him, Eddie, Wyatt, Sarah, and Simon. They'd buried her next to his father, in the plot his parents had bought together. It had been a short and solemn affair. Wyatt had held him tightly as he grieved over the woman he'd thought she'd been. He wasn't sure he'd be able to go back to visit her grave any time soon though.

Bryan had sold the Turner Estate to Simon Lefebvre for next to nothing. Simon had protested at first, hoping Bryan would reconsider selling it at all, arguing it was financially profitable. But Bryan wanted nothing more to do with the manor that brought nothing but painful memories now. He couldn't ever get the image of his brother barging out of the basement with Wyatt's limp body in his arms. And that fucking chain hanging from his fiancé's ankle.

Yeah, he wanted nothing to do with the manor ever again.

He adjusted his tie again, for the fiftieth time today, as they headed out the door. Bryan smiled as he greeted the cab driver waiting in his driveway.

"Hey, Mr. Foxgrove." Jimmy Valens reached out his hand. Bryan noted he was dressed in slacks and a button down shirt.

"Hi, Jimmy. It's so nice of you to offer to drive my brother and me over."

The man grinned. "Not a problem. The least I can do. Just want to help out, you know."

Bryan and Eddie settled into the back of the cab for the short ride over to the park.

Valens pulled up next to the curb, putting the car in park. All three of them climbed out. Bryan took a deep breath of the early summer air as he straightened his suit coat.

This was it.

He managed to get his feet moving down the pathway toward the fountain. As they drew closer, he was surprised to hear a lot of voices. Rounding the bend, he stopped short. Shit, who were all these people?

A cheer went up when he was spotted. He noticed Nathan Woods striding towards him with a huge smile on his face. "Ended up with a few extra guests, I see."

A few? Damn, it looked like the whole freaking town was here. For him and Wyatt?

"Don't look so surprised," Nathan stated. "Wyatt's affected many kids in this town, and your love for him is contagious. It's natural everyone would want to see your wedding."

Bryan felt tears pricking the corner of his eyes as he scanned the crowd, picking out so many faces that had helped him through Wyatt's disappearance as well as aiding in Wyatt's recovery. And they were all here for him, for Wyatt, to support them once again.

The crowd parted, and Bryan could finally see the small gathering of chairs for the few people they'd invited to their small ceremony in Marshall Park: a few of Wyatt's teacher friends, a few friends of Bryan and Sarah's from work, Simon, Janet Lettman, Marc and the boys.

His eyes briefly flashed over the small white arch, decorated with navy blue ribbons and white roses. The minister waiting with a smile. Sarah, dressed in a simple but elegant, navy dress, her auburn locks pulled back in cascading curls.

But then abruptly everything else faded away. His eyes lit on the most beautiful man ever. Waiting for him. Under the arch. Wyatt. His Wyatt.

He looked stunning in his navy suit, his blond hair falling over his forehead softly. Those whiskey eyes glimmered as Bryan stepped toward him, followed by Eddie.

By the time he reached Wyatt's side, he could barely breathe. He reached for Wyatt's hand and noticed it was shaking. So Wyatt was as nervous as he was. They stared at each other for several long minutes, ignoring the whispers, giggles, and awww's from the crowd behind them.

Bryan finally realized that Eddie was crowding up next to him, his big body practically vibrating with giddiness as he almost pressed his way between Bryan and Wyatt. Bryan chuckled, gently moving Eddie to the side. Eddie shuffled happily.

"Hi, Wyatt," his brother waved.

"Hey, Eddie. How was it without me last night?" Wyatt smiled.

Eddie frowned deeply, his lips pursed. "Sad. Bryan wouldn't sit down."

Sarah peeked around from behind Wyatt. "Neither would Wyatt. I threatened to sit on him."

Laughter ran through the crowd. Bryan and Wyatt both flushed as they grinned guiltily at each other.

The minister grinned and lifted his chin, taking that moment to gather the attention of the crowd.

"Hello everyone and welcome. Thank you all for joining us on this lovely sunny afternoon to witness the joining of these two men in holy matrimony. Wyatt Kinnon and Bryan Foxgrove are coming together to publicly proclaim their undying love for each other through the sanctity of marriage. We are all here to celebrate their love for one another, and to watch the miracle of love blossom in their hearts.

"We all know Wyatt and Bryan have suffered unimaginable hardships recently, but they have weathered the storm and grown stronger for it. Their love for each other is undying, unquenchable. And we are all blessed to have the opportunity to witness the shared love of this beautiful couple.

"Their enthusiasm is contagious, the certainty of their destiny together is inspiring, and their devotion to each other gives us all a glimpse of the heights love can reach. Marriage is a special place. It is an oasis, a haven, a sanctuary where we can safely learn about ourselves in the presence of another. Like the harmony and melody in a song, marriage weaves two lives together, creating a deeper, richer hymn."

Bryan could barely focus on the words the minister uttered. His eyes swam as he fought to keep his tears of happiness at bay. Wyatt's own liquid eyes gave him balance, kept his knees from giving out from under him.

"We are honored that Bryan and Wyatt are sharing some of their beautiful music with us this day. Only love is capable of joining living beings, uniting, completing, and fulfilling them. Marriage is a symbol of that love, of the commitment to create a lifelong partnership together."

Bryan sensed the minister shift and managed to drag his eyes away from the man who held his heart for a moment.

"Bryan, you have chosen Wyatt to be your life partner. Will you love and respect him? Will you be honest with him always? Will you stand by him through whatever may come?"

"I will," Bryan stated, squeezing Wyatt's hands tightly.

The minister turned to Wyatt, repeating the same words of affirmation. Bryan could feel himself holding his breath, as if Wyatt might change his mind at the last moment. But when the words, "I will," fell from Wyatt's lips, Bryan released a huge sigh of relief, earning himself a small smirk and shake of the head from his soon-to-be husband.

"And do you both promise to make the necessary adjustments in your personal lives in order that you may live in a harmonious relationship together?"

"We do," Bryan and Wyatt intoned together.

"May I have the rings, please?"

Bryan glanced back at Eddie, who dug in his pocket for the gold band. They smiled as his brother handed over the ring so carefully, obviously worried he'd drop it.

"Be careful," Eddie warned the minister with a small frown. "It's special."

A small ripple of laughter echoed around them at his brother's concern over the ring.

The minister took it with an amused smile. "I will take good care of it."

Eddie nodded, apparently satisfied that the minister would take care. "Okay, then."

Bryan and Wyatt both grinned as the minister turned and took the other band from Sarah.

"May these rings symbolize your unending love for each other," the minister said, holding the two rings up together for all to see. Then he handed one to Wyatt.

Bryan could see Wyatt's hand shaking slightly as he slid the ring on Bryan's finger. "I give you this ring, that you may wear it as a symbol of the vows we have made this day. I promise to cherish you and to be faithful to you always. I pledge you my love and respect, my laughter and my tears, for all the days that I have."

Bryan's heart caught in his throat, and for a moment, he flashed back to the thought that those days were almost cut short. But Wyatt's squeeze to his hand snapped him back, and he turned to the minister, taking the other ring.

"I give you this ring, as a symbol of my everlasting love and the vows we make today. I offer you my heart, my soul. All that I am is yours. This is my oath to love, honor and respect you always, 'til death parts us."

Bryan slipped the gold circle over Wyatt's slender finger with a shaking hand. The minister smiled kindly as he placed his hand over both of theirs.

"Now may those who wear these rings live in love all their days."

Wyatt's watery gaze cast over to Bryan, who fought back his own tears. A month ago he'd thought this day would never come. It still felt a bit surreal.

"Bryan Foxgrove and Wyatt Kinnon, we have heard your promise to share your lives in marriage. We recognize and respect the covenant you have made here today before these witnesses. Therefore, in the honesty and sincerity of what you have said and done here today, and by the power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I declare you married and partners for life. You may seal your vows with a kiss."

The nerves washed out of Bryan as he claimed his husband, Wyatt's lips melding with his. He felt Wyatt's hand slip up the back of his neck as cheers erupted around them.

The minister's voice rose above the crowd, his hands spread wide. "It is my privilege and joy to be the first to introduce Bryan and Wyatt to you as partners in life... for life."

Bryan and Wyatt turned to the crowd cheering and clapping behind them. Bryan couldn't help grinning uncontrollably, his hand clutching Wyatt's.

Wyatt was his now. And he was never going to let go.