Published: 17 Sep 2026

Chapter 47 – That Night and the Next Day

As soon as we arrived at the house after the reception, Devin and I helped Dad and Pa carry the gifts and the box with multiple wedding cards inside. While we were doing that, Mom and Ma took care of the leftover cake, and as soon as those things were taken care of, Mom asked if we were hungry. After all, we had last eaten around 3:00 that afternoon, although no one knew for certain the exact time, it was still quite a while ago.

“I definitely could use something to eat,” Dad answered first.

“And I’m hungry as well, Pa stated.

“So are we,” Devin and I chimed in.

“Since it’s Saturday night and there are still places open, I believe we have time to order pizzas, burgers, tacos, or Chinese,” Pa suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” I stated, “because Mom and Ma have done enough work today and shouldn’t have to do any more.”

“Marcos has more than just pizza,” Dad pointed out. “They have pizzoli, pizza bowls, subs, wings, and salads.”

“And Domino’s offers baked pasta dishes, specialty hoagies, loaded tater tots, boneless chicken wings, and salads,” Pa countered.

“We vote for Marcos, because we like their pizza better,” Devin and I offered.

“That sounds good,” Ma concurred, “so let’s write down what everyone wants, and then we can call it in.”

“You can call the order in, but don’t have it delivered,” Dad told her. “It would be better if someone went to pick it up, because delivery on a Saturday night is usually spotty, due to how many orders they get.”

“We’ll go get it,” Devin and I offered, “but we want to change out of our suits first.”

“Before you do that,” Ma quickly added, “tell me what you want to eat.” After she wrote it down, we turned to head for the stairs.

“Michael, you should take the box with the cards from the wedding up to your room,” Mom suggested, “since they might contain cash or pre-paid credit cards. We’ll be going out for breakfast in the morning and it would be best not to leave the box here were someone could easily find the cards if they broke in. Your dad told Lonny that we’d meet them at the Shamrock in the morning, so no one will be here to keep an eye on those things.”

“Do we have to take the other presents up to our room too?” Devin asked.

“Not now, because we want to see what wedding gifts you received. I’ll also make a list of what you were given as you open each gift, along with who gave it to you. That way you’ll have that information when you’re ready to write thank you notes.”

Heeding her warning, I picked up the box before heading upstairs, and then Devin and I went to my room to change. As soon as we took off our suits and hung them up, we put on something more causal and returned downstairs.

“Did you place the order yet,” I asked when we reached he living room.

“Yes, and they said it would be ready…” and then she looked at the clock first, before she continued, “in about twenty minutes.”

“Ok. Dad, I’ll need the key to the SUV then.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out the key, and tossed it to me. “And no writing ‘Just Married’ on the back window and don’t tie any cans or anything else onto the bumper,” he added with a smirk.

I knew he was joking, but it conjured up a very funny, and somewhat creepy image in my mind. “Don’t worry. We won’t,” I assured him.

As we were driving to pick up the order, Devin asked a question. “What had you so spaced out at the reception earlier? You looked like you were in a daze or a trance.”

“That would be an apt description about how I was feeling at the time, because I was shocked beyond belief and unable to talk about it at that point.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Preston cornered me in the men’s room and basically wanted to know if we were shifters. He mentioned the Greek Council Halloween Contest again, and he’d obviously also talked to Clint and Daniel about the vacation, because he knew about some of the things that happened. According to him, he made it sound like they told him that we performed unbelievable feats of strength at different times. He said he didn’t care if we were shifters, but he was interested in our abilities and how we came by them.”

“Fuck, this is exactly what we were afraid of. When Preston mentioned that he’d wondered if we were shifters after that Halloween contest, I knew he wasn’t going to let it drop. And if Clint told him that he thought you were a superhero, like he was saying after the vacation when we first met them, it must have reignited Preston’s suspicions about us.”

“I know, and Daniel told Preston about the different times that that he and Clint claimed one of us had saved them. So, when Preston confronted me about it, I tried to brush it all off as the result of an adrenaline surge or spike, but I don’t think he bought it.”

“I’m glad we’ve graduated and won’t be seeing him nearly every day, because I’m sure he wouldn’t let this drop, and there’s no way we can tell him about us.”

“I know, but he claims that he only wants to use what he learns from us in his classes, and he promises he won’t divulge our names. He said he’d even make it sound as if the information is decades or even centuries old. He’ll just tell his students that he recently discovered the details and isn’t sure when it was collected.”

“I don’t care, even if you trust him and he promises not to use our names, once word gets out that shifters might be real, then the mobs will form and go into action. They’ll grab their guns and other weapons to hunt down the monsters they think are walking among them and it’s not going to turn out well.”

“Do you really think his students are going to believe him or take the information seriously?”

“It doesn’t matter! Just like other conspiracy theories, once they start to spread, the lunatics come out in the open. All of the unhinged believers will begin actively looking for shifters and they’re going to find them, even if they’re not there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. They’ll do it the same way some of them are already going around looking for space aliens and UFOs. It could also prove to be as fatal as the witch hunts in medieval Europe and colonial America. All they’ll need is a suspicion, and then they’ll confront the person. They might even try to kill them.”

“Ok, then we’ll just have to remain aloof and not talk to Preston about this if he contacts us, but that shouldn’t be too hard. We probably won’t be seeing him again, at least not very often. If he contacts us again, we’ll just have to tell him that we’re too busy to get together in person or talk for very long on the phone.”

“Yeah, it would definitely be best we keep our distance from him, because he’ll be watching us like a hawk whenever we’re around him.”

By the time we reached Marcos, we’d finished talking about my run in with Preston, and our growling stomachs reminded us about our task. We went inside with a new urgency to pick up our order and pay for it, and as soon as we had everything, we headed back to the house.

Mom and Ma had already set the dining room table and poured the coffee and other drinks before we arrived. As soon as we handed them the order, they used their list to distribute the various items. Once we had those items, we sat down to eat.

“Today was truly lovely and everything went perfectly,” Mom stated while we were eating. “You both looked very handsome and I can’t wait until we get the photos and DVDs of your special day.”

“Speaking of the DVDs,” I followed, “how many copies did you order.”

“I told the videographer that we’d need five copies. One for you boys, another for Aaron and Doris, a third for your dad and me, and one for my parents and another for your dad’s parents. Aaron, I never thought of your dad and granddad, but do you think they might want a copy?”

“I’m not sure, so I’ll ask them on Monday. If they do, I’ll call or text you so you can order more copies, but if you don’t hear back from me, then that will mean they don’t want a copy.”

“Either that or you forgot to ask them,” Ma insinuated. “Or worse yet, you asked them and then forgot to call or text Cindy.”

“Then you can ask me about it when I get back to the cabin after work on Monday.”

“You can count on me checking with you.”

Now that we’d filled our stomachs and knew that we had to get up early to meet Lonny, Clint, and Daniel for breakfast, we all agreed it was time to turn in.

When we woke up in the morning, Devin and I hopped in the shower quickly, dressed, and headed downstairs to join the others. Since they were all ready to leave, we merely went out and got in the SUV for the ride to the restaurant.

Lonny and the boys were waiting for us in the parking lot, and after Dad parked, we all got out of our vehicles and walked to the entrance. After we went inside, the staff began congratulating Devin and me as we were being led to our table. Most of them knew us from our previous visits to the restaurant and a few had just met us at the rehearsal dinner or the reception. Then, as we were looking at the menus, the owner came over to speak to us.

“Congratulations and I hope everything met with your approval yesterday.”

“Yes, everything was perfect. Thank you. The buffet at the reception and the meals at the rehearsal dinner the night before were all wonderful and everyone enjoyed them.”

“I’m glad to hear that, and since you’re such good customers, I’m giving you a 20% discount on whatever you order for breakfast.”

“Thank you, Andre,” Dad responded. “That’s very kind of you.”

“And hopefully we might be booking a baby shower in the near future,” Mom added.

“Mom, we just got married and we’d have to find jobs and a place to live first before we can think about having children. Eventually we’ll start screening surrogates and get the process started, but please don’t rush us.”

“I just wanted Andre to know that we’ll be giving him more business in the future.”

Andre smiled before he spoke. “I look forward to that day, whenever you decide it’s best for you, but I promise to give you our best service and a fair price.”

“We know you will,” Devin replied, “and thank you for catering our reception and letting us use the banquet hall, because it was perfect for our needs.”

“That was my pleasure,” Andre stated, and then he walked away.

“If you and Devin want to see what having a family is like before you start searching for a surrogate,” Lonny stated, “I can arrange to loan you these two whenever you want.”

“Really?” Clint blurted out and nearly leaped out of his seat.

“Sure, if they’re foolish enough to take me up on the offer!” Lonny replied while finding it difficult to disguise his mirth.

Although the rest of us knew Lonny was joking, Clint seemed to be taking his comment seriously. I could see the hope in his eyes dim slightly when his dad replied to his comment, and although Clint didn’t find his dad’s response amusing, he still felt there was a chance.

Seeing what was happening, I decided it was a good time to chime in and set Clint straight. I wanted him to know that what he was hoping for wasn’t possible.

“We appreciate the offer, but we wouldn’t have time for doing anything like that while we’re looking for jobs. And besides, we have no idea which of the places we’re interested in are hiring, let alone might be interested in interviewing us. The jobs we’re interested in are mostly in Texas and California, and hopefully they aren’t being drastically affected by the lousy economy and are still hiring. Even if we get jobs, we’ll still have to load up all of our belongings and take them with us after we find a place to live. Then we’ll have to settle in and survive the probationary period before we can even start considering having a family.”

“We’ll help you move,” Clint volunteered, “and then we can stay with you for a while.” He obviously didn’t hear the rest of what I’d said or was intentionally ignoring it.

“Clint, I was only joking,” his dad informed him in an effort to come to our rescue, “and I apologize to Michael and Devin for putting them in this situation.”

“But they’ll probably need help moving,” Clint followed, ignoring everything that his dad had just said

“Trust me,” I interjected, “we don’t have a lot to move and there won’t be a lot to pack up. And when we get to where we’re going to live, we’ll have to find a temporary place to stay while we’re looking for something more permanent. If we’re lucky our temporary accommodations will have a kitchenette with cookware and some dishes we can use, because it will be far too expensive to eat all of our meals out. And I doubt a place like that would have two bedrooms, so there wouldn’t be a room for you.”

“Why would we need two bedrooms? We could just do like we did on vacation.”

“Clint, we just got married and would like some privacy for a while, so we’d at least need a suite with two bedrooms. Not only that, but there’s also the problem of returning you home afterward. We certainly wouldn’t be able to take time off from our new jobs to take you back, and your dad might find it difficult to get the time off to pick you up as well. And even if one of us could take the time to do that, it would mean a long round trip for whoever takes you home.”

“We could take a bus or plane to get back.”

“You’ll probably be going to school when we get jobs, either this fall or next spring, because I doubt those types of places will be hiring over the holidays. And if you’re in school, you wouldn’t be able to join us, and even if you did, we probably wouldn’t have much time to spend with you. We’d be working all day and tired when we come home, and we’d still have to prepare something to eat and then clean up afterward.”

“We could do the dishes and clean up the kitchen after we eat, and we could spend time together on the weekends,” he responded hopefully.”

“Yes, that’s a possibility, but what about your schooling?’

“We could go to school down there.”

“But we wouldn’t be able to enroll you in school, since we’re not your parents or guardians.”

“Couldn’t dad give you something saying you’re my temporary guardian?”

“It would have to be a legal document, but how long are you planning on staying? Do you think your father would let you go for an entire school year? And if that’s what you believe, it would mean you wouldn’t be together for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“He could come down and join us, or we could just stay for a few weeks.”

“You don’t enroll in one school for a few weeks and then return to your school back home. And you certainly can’t afford to miss that much class time.”

“But we’d be getting the same stuff there.”

“Maybe not. Different states have different curriculums, and not only that, but their students may take the same courses you do, but in a different grade. That means you might be repeating some courses and falling behind in others, so when you returned home, you’d have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Dang, I knew it was too good to be true,” Clint whined.

“But you’ll keep in touch with us, won’t you?” Daniel asked. Since he hadn’t been actively participating in the discussion and didn’t seem as upset as Clint, either it wasn’t as important to him or he understood the situation better.

“Yes! We can talk on the phone and even have a video call once in a while on the weekend. And we can text too.”

“Ok, because I want to keep in touch with my big brothers.”

“And we’ll try to do those things together,” Clint added after he perked up a bit.

“Ok, but we’ll have to agree about when we’ll have a phone or video chat in a text first, so we can set up a time. We’ll be very busy and have a lot to do, so don’t just call unless we’ve agreed to it first. And if you text us, don’t be surprised if we’re too busy to respond right away, and please don’t get impatient and keep texting.”

“Ok, as long as we can keep in touch.”

Now that this had been cleared up, we finished eating our breakfast. And after the bill was paid, we went out to get in our vehicles, and that’s when Lonny and the boys decided to say a final goodbye.

“I wish both of you the best with finding a job,” Lonny said, “but just in case, I’ll give you some food for thought. I know you’re hoping to get jobs with NASA so you can be part of any future space exploration, but there are aerospace jobs in Colorado too, if NASA or the other places don’t work out for you. There’s Lockheed Martin in Littleton, BAE Systems/Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Blue Origin in Denver, and Northrup Grumman in Colorado Springs.”

“Yeah, try to get one of those jobs so you’ll be near us!” Clint suggested eagerly. His father ignored him and continued.

“And there’s also Keysight Technologies, a computer centric engineering group in Loveland, and they work on aerospace and defense solutions.”

“Yeah, please try to get one of those jobs and you won’t be so far away,” Clint reiterated excitedly as he began bouncing up and down like Tigger.

“We’ll keep those things in mind if we don’t get hired by NASA or one of the other places that we’re interested in,” Devin replied, “but we want to pursue our dream jobs first.”

His response dampened Clint’s smile slightly and stopped him from bouncing around. Daniel, on the other hand, seemed less fazed by the news, but we could still see he was deeply concerned about his boyfriend.

“We’d probably feel the same way,” Daniel responded, and then he addressed his next comments to his boyfriend. “We know we can trust Michael and Devin to keep in touch with us wherever they get a job. They’re our big brothers and we know they’ll never forget us, and we’ve got the bracelets they gave us, and the ones we gave them, to link us to them in the meantime.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but I like having them around more and actually being close to them.”

“I know, but your dad and I will still be here for you.”

“If you weren’t my boyfriend, it would be even worse. I know you’ll help to remind me of our big brothers, because you like them too and they were responsible for us getting together.”

“Yes, they were, and they also promised to stay in touch, so it’s not like we’re losing them completely.”

“You’re right, so I’ll take off my little boy shorts and put on my big boy pants.”

The two of them then gave Devin and me big hugs before they got in the back of Lonny’s car, and he shook both of our hands before he hopped in the driver’s seat. We waved at them as they drove off, and then we got in the SUV for the ride home.

“That appeared to be a very emotional goodbye,” Mom said as she turned to look at us from the front seat.

“Yes, it was. It seems Clint has managed to develop a strong emotional and psychological attachment to us after our two vacations together.”

“Are you two and his father going to be able to deal with his connection to you?”

“Yes, but it won’t be easy. In the meantime, I’m hoping his relationship with Daniel will grow stronger and overtake the strong attachment he feels for us.”

“We hope so too.”

“And what did Daniel mean by his comment about the bracelets they gave us?” Devin asked.

“I’m not sure, unless they left something for us when they were at the house.”

When we returned home, Mom and Ma wanted to see the gifts we received and make a list of them to ensure that we didn’t forget who gave them to us. We were eager to see what we got as well, so we began to unwrap the presents.

We soon discovered that we got some really nice things and that most of those giving the gifts were anticipating that we’ll be getting our first place together soon. We received a pair of insulated serving bowls with lids, a blender, a four-slice toaster with wide slots, and a smart oven air fryer from Grandma and Grandpa MacPherson.

In addition to those things, we were given a custom wood cutting board with our names and wedding date carved into the opposite side, a set of six plush and absorbent bath towels, and a luxurious sateen sheet set. And last, but not least, Clint and Daniel gave us two Infinity Leather Bracelets engraved on the inside with “Love My Brother” and a special note, along with a 5×7 photo of the two of them. I guess that answers the question about what Daniel meant by the comment he made as they were saying goodbye.

“Wait, you’ve got one more gift that I forgot to take to the reception,” Mom said as she jumped up and rushed out of the living room. When she returned, she was carrying another lovely wrapped item. “This was delivered in a brown UPS box to my office and it’s from Grandma and Grandpa Harris.”

We opened that gift too and discovered that they’d sent us a high-quality 17-piece knife set with a wooden storage block. All of the gifts we received were all very lovely, practical, and much appreciated. They also wouldn’t take up a great deal of space when it came time to move.

“Go up and get the box with the cards now and you can open those as well,” Mom urged.

I went to my bedroom to get it, and when I returned, we began opening the cards. There weren’t as many as I’d first thought, since so many of our guests had brough gifts instead, so it didn’t take long to discover what else we’d been given. The first card was a shocker and must have been the last one placed in the box – it was from Ma and Pa. After Devin and I read it and looked at the items that were in with the card, we looked at them and spoke.

“Why are you doing this? You already split the cost of the wedding, the rehearsal dinner, and the reception, and Gramps and Pops told us you paid for a third of the gift they told us about as well.”

“We can afford it and we want you boys to start out with the things you’ll need,” Pa responded.

“But this says you’ve signed the deed to the cabin over to us and there’s a floorplan for an addition to it?”

“Yes, so look it over to make sure it meets your needs. We’ll still be living in the older section, and my dad, granddad, and I are going to do all of the work building the addition. It will have two levels with doors on each level that connect both sides so you’ll have access to us, yet be able to shut the doors when you want some privacy.”

“Wow, this is quite an elaborate floorplan,” Devin stated after glancing over the plans quickly. It shows that we’d have our own living room and a playroom?”

“Yes, that’s for when you visit us from time to time, so the boys will have a place for their toys and they won’t disturb you,” Ma replied.

“And it says the second floor will have three bedrooms with a separate stairway leading up to them.”

“Yes, the master bedroom will have its own bathroom, and there will be two bedrooms for your sons, so they’ll have some privacy and won’t have to share a room. However, there will be a bathroom between their bedrooms that they’ll share. You’ll also have your own kitchen and dining area, but you’re more than welcome to eat your meals with us.”

“Damn, this is very generous of you,” I stammered, “but are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, because eventually you’ll have to spend a much longer time at the cabin with us while you’re training your sons. It may not be soon, but they’ll reach puberty eventually and that’s when their ability will emerge.”

Although we were overwhelmed by their gift, we went back to opening the remaining cards. Of course, we eventually came across the card from Gramps, Pops, Faith, Hope, Ma, and Pa, and inside was a certificate that we were to take to his friend’s dealership. It said that we should present it when we arrived there and we’d be allowed to select the Honda CR-V hybrid SUV that we wanted.

In the other cards were a variety of pre-paid credit cards with a note explaining how much they were for. My parents had given us a Visa card with a $3,000 balance, and they’d already bought the suits we wore at the wedding and numerous other items for work and casual wear. Lonny gave us a Visa card that had a $300 limit, and to our surprise Preston had given us a $250 American Express gift card. Everyone had been very generous and we were off to a great start. And there will also be the money that we’ll earn when we auction off the baseball cards, coins, and antiques.

Ma had been busy entering everything on a list she’d made on my laptop, and we’d use it when we send out the thank you cards. We’ll have to do that before we begin preparing our resumes and applying for jobs, so there’s a lot to do before we move on to the next phase of our lives.

This is the end of Secrets 3

Note: Although this is the end of Secrets 3: The Road to the Future, I have plans for Secrets 4: A New Generation. My initial plan is that it will start several years in the future, once Devin and Michael are secure in their jobs and have started a family. I have a few surprises planned for the next book, but it will probably be a while before I start posting anything. I’ll try to proceed as quickly as I can, since I’m getting up there in years and don’t want to leave you hanging. All my best to the readers who have stuck with me this long and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the various chapters and clicking on the emojis.
Sincerely, Bill

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