“Dude, what kind of picnic doesn’t have beer?” asked Pete, looking in dismay at the beverage table with its selection of waters and sodas.

Simon picked out one of the sparkling waters and handed it to Rex. “It’s a company picnic, Pete. You don’t even work here.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t stop talking about setting it up, which is as good as an invitation.”

Simon looked at his friends surrounding the table, and laughed. “I can’t believe you’re crashing a Cray gathering.”

Lucas took one of the sodas. “I think security is watching me. They can tell I’m a Phelps.”

“Well hello boys,” said Evan, dressed in his electric-blue vicuna suit, looking like a million bucks. “Help yourself to whatever you like. And if you find any sharp rocks, my cousins Ash and Callum are over there by the rotisserie table.”

Any snarky jokes Pete might have made, were silenced by the presence of a little boy clinging to Evan’s leg.

“Hey, Reg,” said Simon.

“Uncle Simon! I clinging like a leech!”

Simon reached down and picked him up. “I wonder who taught you that phrase,” he said, shooting a glance at Evan, who had put on his most innocent face.

In some ways, life had gotten much, much more complicated. The state’s investigation of Cray Reliable was ongoing, although no charges had been filed just yet. The general impression was that the company would do fine by the end of the case…although Archie had lawyered up, and was hidden away up in the city, far from the prying eyes of the community.

The board of directors had, of course, asked for Archie’s immediate resignation.

“To me, the craziest part is that Ash and Callum weren’t involved,” said Evan. He was snacking off the cheese plate, being careful not to get crumbs on his suit. “Those bastards, innocent? I never would have believed it.”

Simon nodded. “I think Archie was scared of humiliating himself in front of them. That was probably why he thought of stealing your trust fund in the first place…he couldn’t admit to his sons that he was an absolute failure at running the company.”

“It looks like it taught them a lesson,” Evan said. “At least, they aren’t being total assholes.”

As much as Simon might wish to spend every waking moment with Evan, there had been a lot of work to be done. Evan had spent hours, days, in secret meetings with his cousins, figuring out how to keep the company from sinking. They’d been shocked when he casually mentioned the names of his friends, sons and nephews of diplomats and CEOs and bankers. Without realizing it, Evan had amassed a ton of contacts who could be called upon to step in to help the company.

But Evan wasn’t just a valuable member of the company now. He was a part-time dad, as well.

Maura had taken a while to believe the threat was really over. It wasn’t until she began reading the stories in the paper, that she could accept that Archie’s evil hold over the family had ended. Only then did she relent, and say that Evan could tell the world about Reg. (The fact that Evan had blurted it to the board of directors would just have to be their little secret.)

She was flourishing now, though. Knowing she could count on Evan (and Simon too) to help out with Reg took a lot of stress off her, and there was nothing in the world like the look on Evan’s face when he’d take Reg to the park, or the zoo, or on his first trip to a pizzeria. Reg loved it all…and Simon did too, especially the way he had been so quickly adopted as Uncle Simon.

I’ll be a better uncle than Archie, I promise!

Evan wasn’t the only one who was busy, though. The state was poring over the company’s records, and Simon found himself as the resident expert on how to find everything. He felt like a tour guide, leading the investigators through the subbasement, showing them what each section was for, what each cabinet held. He’d been called as a witness a few times, offering careful answers to their probing questions, helping them build their case against Archie.

“It’s funny,” he’d told Evan, “I kind of thought that once I revealed the truth, that would be over. Who knew the law was so complicated?”

“You want complicated, you should see my lawyers looking into the trust fund. They’re more rabid than the state guys.”

“Do you think there’s any chance of recovering the money?”

Evan shrugged. “Does it matter? I don’t need the money…and honestly, if I had it, I’d probably use it to help the company now, anyway. But help it in the right way.”

“I like money!” said Reg, and they laughed.

“Spoken like a true Cray,” said Evan. “You did a really good job on this picnic, by the way. Look how happy everybody is.”

“I figured everybody needed a break,” said Simon. “But you know, you do too. You’ve been burning the midnight oil lately. I think you need a vacation.”

“I know,” Evan said. “Let’s get away somewhere. Someplace sunny, with clever little cocktails. Maybe we can take a boat.”

“Oh god no,” said Simon. “Can’t have you running into planes anymore.”

“It was a sea-plane! It was sitting right there on the water!”

Reg got back down from Simon’s arms, and ran off to Maura. It gave Simon a chance to pull Evan closer.

“Hey-hey,” said Evan. “Want to shock the employees by doing it here on the table?”

“I think we’ve christened enough offices at Cray Reliable for one fiscal year,” said Simon. He looked into Evan’s eyes. “You are the strangest, most wonderful person I’ve ever met. How did I manage to land you?”

“Land me?” said Evan. “I’m just wondering when you’re going to make an honest man of me.”

“An honest… Oh, Evan.” His smile widened, as he saw Evan reaching into his pocket. “Tell me you’re not about to do what I think you’re about to do.”

“Oh shit!” said Pete from a nearby table. “Guys, look!”

“What’s he doing?” said Rex. “Is he kneeling?”

“A Cray on his knees,” said Lucas. “Will wonders never cease.”

“Would you guys shut up?” said Karl. “This is a special moment for my big brother.”

Evan removed a small box from his pocket, and opened it, revealing a dark, shining ring, that seemed to be carved from stone. The sunlight soaked into it, making it sparkle mysteriously.

“Simon Bowden,” said Evan, “I can’t believe I never met you until…well, you know. The club. To imagine that you were always here in town, and I never saw you. I wish I’d met you a decade ago. But I have been so happy since the moment we met. It feels like just yesterday, and yet we’ve been through so much.”

“That’s for sure,” said Simon, his heart thumping inside his ribs.

“If it weren’t for you, I never would have had to grow up. I think I’d still be under the thumb of my family, still giving up all responsibility, scared to take charge of my own life. But you…you inspire me. You were so brave. You saved me.

“I can’t promise you great wealth; all that is somewhere in the future. But what I can promise you is my loyalty, my love, and my heart. Simon…would you marry me?”

“You better say yes!” yelled Pete.

“Dude,” muttered Karl.

But Simon was laughing. “Evan, this is crazy. I love it. I love your craziness as much as I love that caretaker I see inside you, that sense of responsibility for people that you feel so strongly, even if you won’t always admit it. I’ve never been brave. I’ve never thought of myself as having any courage at all…until I met you. Suddenly I feel like I can take on the world. Of course I will marry you.”

Evan slipped the ring onto Simon’s finger, and stood.

The whole crowd cheered, the Cray Quarry gang loudest of all. His friends rushed up, hugging him and slapping him on the back, laughing, grabbing his hand to look at the ring.

“Our little boy, all grown up!” said Pete.

“At least it’s not a blood diamond,” said Karl.

“We’re really happy for you,” said Rex.

Lucas gave Evan a hard look. “You’d better not hurt him, or we’re coming after you.”

Evan wrapped his arms around Simon. “I’m going to bundle him up tight, and never let him go.”

Simon looked out over the crowd, the well-wishers and friends. They seemed so far away, their voices muted, compared to the joy he was feeling right now, the happiness over Evan. He wished the entire world could feel the way he did, that they could all fall in love, the way he’d fallen in love with this man whose strong arms embraced him now.