Epilogue
Freddie
Six months later
Winter and spring had flown by for Freddie. Life had been altered dramatically for him on so many levels—good, brilliant, and not-so-great changes. Taine had been at his side through all of it.
Cuts across the NHS had affected the hospitals in Cardiff as well. Freddie lost his beloved job in late February. He moped for a week until Taine gave him a brilliant idea—offer his skills to one of the many cancer charities.
A month of research and interviews followed until finally, Freddie started working with Tenovus Cancer Care as a nurse advisor in their chemo callback service. He found himself enjoying the work greatly. The only thing he missed about the hospital was Genevieve, and he saw her at least once a week for coffee.
As for Taine, they saw each other at least four nights out of the week—one of the benefits of having a more stable job that didn’t require his travelling all over the country. Their friends expected them to move in together. Freddie didn’t think they would for at least another year; they both appreciated having the option of space, even if they usually ended up sleeping together more often than not.
At the beginning of the year, Taine had started assisting with the training for one of the Cardiff rugby teams. He’d also spent a lot of time keeping Scottie from losing his mind with renovating the nightclub. The Sin Bin would have its soft opening for friends and family next week, so today they’d be walking through it with Francis, who had handled the design.
Taine, Scottie, Caddock, BC, and Remi had been the main investors of the club, along with a few of their other former teammates. As only two of them lived in Cardiff, the others had relied on Taine and Scottie to handle any issues with renovating the property they’d purchased. It had made for an exhausting six months.
“Ready?”
Freddie glanced over at Taine, who was driving them over to the club. “No.”
“Scottie promised to be nice. Caddock had words with him when he got in Francis’s face.” Taine dropped a hand on his knee to squeeze. “I know he’s an arsehole.”
“I imagine Francis had words with him, as well.” He grinned at Taine. For being a bit mild-mannered, they’d learned never to underestimate the interior designer. “Not much else to say, is there?”
They pulled up outside the Sin Bin. It appeared to be nothing more than an old building that had once been part of a wharf. They’d kept the exterior almost completely intact. Only those in the know would be showing up at the club.
A secret den of iniquity.
Scottie hadn’t liked Francis’s description. Everyone else had loved the concept. Old wharf on the outside, lush leather and smoky colours on the inside of the nightclub. The three-storey building offered a bar on one level, a dance floor on another, and space for live music.
“What crawled up Scottie’s arse?” Freddie glanced around at the dark blue walls, leather chairs, old carpets, and artwork on the walls that looked like they’d fit into a prohibition bar. “It’s brilliant.”
“It’s too gay.” Taine mimicked Scottie’s gravelly and coarse voice perfectly.
Freddie paused in his inspection of a row of framed photos of former rugby players; much of the décor also had a sports vibe to it. “Scottie does realise that he’s as bent as we are, right? He also realises most of the advertising has been touting this as a gay club—or at least gay friendly.”
“He does.”
Freddie shook his head in disbelief. “Unbelievable.”
“Francis hasn’t arrived yet.” Taine glanced around the room. “Are we early?”
Heading out of the club, Freddie strolled across the road to stand by the railing looking across the water. The summer thus far had been mild. He hoped the evening of the opening would be the same.
Taine moved up behind him, wrapping his arms around Freddie and resting their heads together. “Are you happy?”
“I’m always happy.” Freddie elbowed Taine in the side when his arms squeezed too tightly. “I’m still not moving in with you.”
“I didn’t ask.” He rubbed his rough beard against Freddie’s neck. “Don’t be naughty, Frederick, I’ll have to spank you.”
“You’ll do that anyway,” Freddie retorted. He gripped the railing in front of him while his thoughts turned to something more serious. “Genevieve rang me yesterday. She’s taking a sabbatical from the hospital to join a non-profit group of doctors. They’re going to Yemen for a month starting in August.”
“Thinking of going?” Taine’s arms once again tightened around him.
“Remember Hamish?”
“The retired Royal Marine who works private security?” Taine asked after a prolonged silence. “Didn’t he get into a fight with Scottie at the party the other night?”
“That’s the one. Genevieve’s mother hired him to travel with her, so we’ll have extra security.” Freddie hadn’t talked to his dads or aunt about it yet. They wouldn’t want him to go, but he could make a difference, even if it were only for a short time. His boss at the charity had already tentatively approved the time off; they’d be sending several nurses, actually. “It’s a month.”
“I’ll worry.” Taine twisted Freddie around in his arms, pressing him up against the railing. “You’ll have to bring Bitsy so I can keep an eye on her.”
“You don’t mind my going?”
Taine frowned at him. “Not my job to mind. I’m here to offer support and encouragement. That’s what you do for someone you love.”
“Love?” Freddie blinked up at him. He might’ve thought the word a few times, but he’d certainly never said it. “Did you—”
Taine cut him off with a hard kiss. “I love you.”
Freddie ran his tongue across his swollen lips and tried to force his mind to function. “You aren’t just saying this because you’re afraid I might not come back from Yemen?”
“Don’t be a knobhead, Frederick.” Taine bit the tip of his nose.
He grinned up at the tall man looming over him. “I love you too.”
“Good. Brilliant.” Taine’s lips twisted into a blinding smile. “Let’s invite this Hamish to the opening next week. I want to impress upon him the importance of you returning to me safely.”
“And the fact that he’s going to piss Scottie off?”
“Added bonus.” Taine pressed up against Freddie. “I’ll miss you, Frederick.”
“For a month.” Freddie didn’t think it would be that much of a hardship. “Thirty days isn’t anything to cry over.”
Taine brought his hands up to cup Freddie’s face. His thumb scratched at the short stubble on his face. “I love you, and I’ll miss you.”
“Fi’n caru ti.” Freddie tilted his head up for a soft kiss that seemed to go on forever. He repeated himself in English, so there was no mistake. “I love you.”
The End.