The Rest of the Story

by Tal Bauer

He smiled, and it was like a million sparklers went off at once, a million little flashes of light in the depths of his eyes. The shine of him, the glow. He was incandescent. Wondrous. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. I was so, so fucked.

He was as close to perfect as I’d ever seen, so close that it burned to be around him. He was like staring at the sun.

“You mean everything to me.” My words hung between us. “You are everything to me. So let’s do this. Let’s really do this.”

I’m yours. I’m yours as long as you want me. You can smash me to pieces, shatter me into smithereens, and it will all be worth it, just for the chance to be part of your life.

“I don’t want the world.” Shea slipped his hand into mine, wove our fingers together. “I want you, Morgan. I just want you.”

“Shea,” I started again. My voice cracked, wavered. “You are every dream I didn’t know I had, and every future I never knew I wanted, come true. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy, or to love life this fully. Loving you has changed everything. Now, my future is yours, and my hopes and dreams are tied tight to your hopes and dreams.”

“My love for you has no end.” I slid the ring down Shea’s finger. “Will you marry me?” I whispered. “I do.” Shea squeezed his eyes closed as he threaded our fingers together and sucked in a breath. “Morgan, I do, I do.”

“Morgan,” he started. “I love you for exactly who you are today, and for who you have always been: the man of my dreams, and the man I’ve waited my whole life for. I marry you today, loving each and every one of your very many strengths and your very few faults.”

“Forever is not long enough with you—” Shea’s voice wavered “—but from today forward, every moment is ours.”

his cheeks. “Whatcha looking at, Husband?” You are everything to me, Shea. You are my mornings and my midnights, my days of sunshine and my nights of candlelight. You are my everything, and my love for you has no end.