Page 36 of Tattooed Heart

“Does that mean I can stay, Cap?” I ask, licking along his lower lip, not even making an attempt to wipe the tears that are streaming down my face and smearing all over his cheeks.

“Yeah, sweetheart, you belong here.”

EPILOGUE

~~

6 months later

DREW

“Stop panicking. The place looks great, sweetheart.” The Savage Ink art show is tonight, and Ryan is freaking the fuck out. I don’t even know why. The place looks great. They decided to save the money they received from sponsorships by hosting the event in the tattoo studio.

Once all the chairs and the reception area were cleared, there was more than enough floor space. The walls already had hundreds of framed pictures of the tattoos done by current and past employees, so the vibe was excellent, and I know the kids from the shelter will love looking along all the different styles of tattoos as well as the canvas art the guys have spent the last six months producing.

Ryan, of course, did a second series of his Marvel-inspired rainbow superheroes, and this time around, I made it a point to sit with him in the evenings while he sketched and painted the illustrations onto canvas. We had our own little naming ceremony for each one. He even made an extra special Snagneto and Professor seX drawing for me to frame and put on my desk at work

Gavin put together a collection of Japanese-style paintings that are seriously outstanding. Who knew a big guy like him could paint something so soft and ethereal? Carter has a bunch of portraits, including an adorable one of the puppies, who are so much chunkier now but still so freaking cute.

Unfortunately, they are too big to carry in the carrier these days, so I had to leave them at home for now, although I do have Pete collecting them to bring them by later. They are part of my master plan, after all.

Tonight, not only will Ryan's art show be a massive success, I can already tell, but it's also the final stage of my Master plan of Woo. Tonight, I'm going to ask Ryan to marry me, and he's going to say yes. I can be sure of it.

The last six months haven't been all smooth sailing, but then life never is. With a bunch of new staff to train, I did get caught up at work a few times, but as promised, Ryan marched into my office, shut my laptop down, and sent everybody home for the night. We are a well-oiled machine, and it's time I lock him down for good.

As expected, the show is a massive success. With the money the shop was able to donate and what was left over from the sponsors, as well as the sales of the evening, we managed to raise almost ten thousand dollars for the shelter. And just to put the icing on the cake, Gavin announced that he would be running an art class down there once a week for any of the local kids or adults who want to come along.

I swear Ryan is literally choking up when he stands to offer his help with it, and the kids all cheer and rush them both with hugs. Fuck, I’m choking up, too.

My head snaps when I see my brother slinking in through the back with my fur babies under his arms. They are kinda of heavy now, and Pete is built like a toothpick. Wait, what the hell are they wearing? Are those doggy tuxes?

As comical as it is to watch him struggle to carry the formally dressed, wriggling puppies, I move to help him before they hit the ground and ruin everything. Ryan is still up at the front chatting with the shelter coordinator. Now is my moment.

Grabbing the dogs' leads, I push my way through the crowd and up to the front. I can see a few eyes turning to look at me. Well, the pups, really, but Ryan has not yet noticed. It gives me time to fish out his commissioned ring from my pocket and lower myself to one knee behind him, the dogs flopping down at either side of me, seeming exhausted already from the walk to the front of the room.

Their little tired pants get a few laughs from the crowd, but I keep my eyes on the back in front of me, and as much as I love the view of his peachy ass, I clear my throat to get his attention.

When he doesn't seem to hear me, I look around for help, and Nyx rolls her eyes at Ryan's clear obliviousness. "On your left" She whispers to him, and it just makes me laugh as I finally meet the eyes of the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.

RYAN

"On your left," at her words, I turn around and find Drew on one knee in front of me, our babies at his side. My jaw drops. What the fuck is happening right now? My eyes meet Drew's, and we stare at each other momentarily before he finally speaks.

"I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." He starts, but the laugh that bursts from me stops him from continuing.

"Yes, Cap, I'll marry you!" Now, it's his jaw that's dropping.

"What? You didn't even let me ask you. I had a whole speech and everything," he's pouting now, and it's adorable.

Lowering myself to my knees in front of him, I hold out my hand for him to slide on the ring.

"I don't need a big speech. Just that one quote was all it took. Besides, you can do this all day," I wink as the crowd erupts into congratulatory cheers.

It’s only then I get a good look at the ring, and I can see the star and the way the band has been split to look like two bands. Just like the Captain America Shield. Lifting my eyes to his.

"It's perfect, we're perfect. I love you, Cap."

THE END