The central branch of the public library bustled with children and parents. It was definitely NOT silent, but the librarians had given up on the usual quiet for the event celebrating the start of their summer reading program. 

The event was pretty much finished now, but there were still a few families lingering in the main conference room with the illustrators who’d participated in the bookmark project. Each illustrator had been given a table to advertise their book and do bookmark signings for anyone interested. Josey didn’t want to brag, but almost all of his bookmarks were gone. He wouldn’t have guessed that “The Red Badge of Courage” turned out to be so popular, but he expected it was really the vision of Tor’s handsome face on the bookmark that drew the crowd in. 

Not that it was Tor exactly – but Josey had modeled the face of the young Henry Fleming on the first portrait he’d done of Tor. The boy on the bookmark stared straight ahead at the viewer as he carried his regiment’s colors into battle, his eyes shining with determination and strength despite his weary expression. Josey thought it was one of the best pieces he’d ever done.

“How you holding up?” came Tor’s voice. 

Josey glanced up and met his husband’s gaze before giving him a kiss. They’d decided shortly after returning from the hospital that there was no point in waiting (plus, it would help convince HR to add Tor to Josey’s insurance plan), so a week later they went to the city courthouse for a marriage license and quick ceremony in front of a judge. Etta and Sam and Kristy were there as witnesses, as well as Melissa and Tor’s commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Bridge (or ‘Dave’, as Josey was told to call him). Tor had reached out to Dave not long after the stabbing and Josey was really glad he did, since Dave was super supportive of Tor’s going to therapy. The Bridge family lived in the city too and they’d had dinner with them several times now. Dave’s wife and kids welcomed the new couple with open arms; they’d all heard plenty of stories about Tor during the years and they were curious to meet his soulmate.

The Bridges had even come to the library event today, despite the fact their children were a little too old for the summer reading program. Each of the teens had gotten a bookmark and teased Josey for making Tor hotter than he was in real life.

“Excuse me, I only draw what’s there,” he’d replied with a smile, to which they rolled their eyes. Even Dave pretended to gag, prompting Tor to playfully punch his arm.

Melissa also showed up at the event; but Josey expected she was also there to scout the talent for her team. After doing a lap around the room, she whispered to Josey, “Your bookmark is the best, but you didn’t need me to tell you that. I’m going to be putting Tor in charge of all your vacation time from now on. He knows how to bring out the best in you!”

Etta and Sam had shown up briefly too, leaving the deli in Kristy’s hands. Kristy had already seen the bookmark’s art and besides, as she put it, “I’ve spent more than enough time in libraries studying these last few months - if I have to spend another minute in a library, I might just shrivel up and die.” So Josey didn’t hold her absence against her.

Now it was just him and Tor (who’d been able to take the whole day off thanks to Kristy), and as much as Josey liked children, he was ready to go home for some quiet time.

“Let me pack up the remaining bookmarks and return them to Steven, then we can leave,” Josey told Tor, and he glanced around for the librarian who’d arranged the event. He didn’t spot Steven, but instead discovered a little boy about six years old with an oddly familiar face standing beside his table.

“Hello,” Josey said to the latecomer, “would you like a signed bookmark?”

The boy nodded and Josey took out his pen.

“May I put your name on it?” he asked with a smile.

The boy nodded again. “I’m Mikey.”

“OK Mikey,” Josey said, and he wrote on the back of the bookmark before handing it over. “I hope you enjoyed all the books here today!”

“Yes,” Mikey agreed and he studied the bookmark before staring up at Tor. “It looks like you. Are you a soldier?”

Tor smiled. “I used to be.”

“Is that where you got all those scars?” the boy asked, with all of a child’s blatant disregard for social niceties.

But Tor didn’t even blink an eye as he answered, “Yup. They hurt a lot.”

Mikey nodded, as if this was the only answer to be expected. Then he fixed Josey with his wide brown eyes.

“We have all your books at my house,” he told Josey. “My daddy buys them whenever there’s a new one and he reads them to me and my sister. I like your pictures – daddy does too. He says you’re his favorite artist. He likes how you draw animals.”

“That’s really nice of him,” Josey replied in amusement. “Is your daddy here today? Would he like a bookmark too?”

Mikey nodded. “But he’s too scared to talk to you. He said you wouldn’t want to talk to him.”

Josey was a little baffled by this announcement, but when Mikey pointed to a man standing near the doors, he understood why Mikey’s father might be nervous to speak with him.

“Jonathan,” he whispered, a lump forming in his throat as he recognized his eldest brother. Tor perked up, instantly on the defensive.

“One of your brothers is here?” he asked, and then he spotted Jonathan at the doors. Even though Josey’s brother was several years older than him, they looked enough alike that it was easy to see they were related. No wonder Mikey had seemed familiar!

“Should I talk to him?” Tor whispered so that Mikey couldn’t hear.

But Josey saw the nervous way that Jonathan was trying to appear inconspicuous and he decided that it was time to be brave. Jonathan had always been his favorite brother and the family member who supported his artistic hobbies the most. Besides, Josey had Tor beside him and he knew could brave any fear with his soulmate.

“It’s alright, just come with me,” Josey answered his husband. Then he moved around the table and held his hand out to Mikey. “I would like to talk to your father, Mikey. Will you walk with me?”

Mikey gladly took Josey’s hand and they walked over to Jonathan, who watched them with apprehension.

“You were wrong, Daddy, he wants to talk to you!” Mikey announced, and he let go of Josey’s hand to cling to his father’s leg.

Jonathan nodded. “You’re right, Mikey.” Then he met Josey’s eyes. “You were right too, Josey – there is a man at the other end of your red string.”

Josey held tightly to Tor’s hand. Even though he couldn’t see it, he knew that their red string was there tying them together.

“Yes, this is my husband Tor,” he replied. “Tor, this is my brother Jonathan.”

“Charmed,” Tor said, his tone just a bit frosty.

“A pleasure,” Jonathan agreed, and he took a deep breath before meeting Josey’s gaze again. “Listen, I know this apology is seven years too late, but I really am sorry for not standing up for you when you came out. It never mattered to me whether your soulmate was a man or a woman, but I was afraid that if I sided with you our parents would hate me too. That’s why I didn’t look at you…I couldn’t bring myself to see how I’d betrayed you.”

Tears came to his eyes, but he continued to speak. 

“It was stupid, really,” he said, “because I’ve cut our folks out of my life now. I haven’t talked to them since Mikey was a baby. They said some horrible stuff about how Rachel and I were raising our child which made Rachel really upset. James doesn’t talk to them either. They were putting all this pressure on him to get his soulmate to take the family name and when he announced he was giving up his job at the architecture firm to help Shonda focus on her political career, our parents told him he needed to leave her. James just about exploded. You know his temper – he made your departure look like that ‘So Long, Farewell’ song from ‘The Sound of Music’!”

Jonathan laughed weakly and Josey couldn’t help a chuckle; James had always been the most outspoken of the Green brothers.

“Anyways,” Jonathan continued, “after that we both agreed we weren’t going to let their toxicity continue to run our lives. I thought about reaching out to you then, but I didn’t feel I’d deserve your forgiveness even if you were to give it to me. I’ve bought every book you’ve illustrated – including the early ones – but I know that doesn’t make up for not checking in on you. Please believe me when I say that I’m really sorry Josey, and I’ve regretted letting you go every day. And I didn’t come here to make a scene, honest…I just wanted Mikey to meet you at least once because I miss you so much. I’m glad you’re OK and that you found your soulmate. You deserve all the happiness in the world and I wish I could rub your red string in our parents’ stupid faces! Honestly, since I’ve become a parent, I don’t understand how they could’ve done that to you…”

Jonathan wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffled. Josey couldn’t take it anymore; he understood how much courage it had taken his brother to face him and despite the twinge of pain it gave Josey to remember how Jonathan had turned his back on him, he knew he couldn’t be the man worthy of Tor if he refused to meet his brother at least halfway. So he dropped Tor’s hand and hugged Jonathan.

“Thank you, Jonathan,” he said tearfully. “I mean it. I don’t hate you – I know what it’s like to be afraid and I appreciate you coming here despite that. I miss you too!”

Jonathan hugged him tightly before letting go to pick up Mikey, who’d started crying too.

“It’s OK Mikey, everything’s alright!” he soothed his son. “I needed to apologize to your uncle because I did something very wrong to him years ago.”

Josey hurried to agree.

“These are good tears,” he told the boy. “I’m happy I got to meet you and your daddy today. If it’s OK with you, Uncle Tor and I would like to have lunch with you both soon.”

Josey turned to Tor, who didn’t even need to nod. The expression on his face spoke of his relief and joy for Josey. Josey smiled in return.

“That would be really great,” Jonathan said. “Let me give you my number. And can I give your number to James? I know he wants to apologize too…he got super drunk at our house once and sobbed about you for an entire night.”

“And Jeremy?” Josey asked hopefully as he put his number into Jonathan’s phone.

“Nah, Jeremy sided with our folks like he always does,” Jonathan replied with disgust. “He’s still a homophobic piece of shit…Mikey, don’t repeat that in front of Mommy. But it’s true - I’m sorry, Josey.”

“Eh, two out three isn’t too bad,” Josey replied, hoping he sounded cheerful. Jonathan chuckled appreciatively.

“Yeah, it’s Jeremy’s loss,” he said, and then he turned to Tor. “I am genuinely happy to meet you, Tor. You really lucked out on getting paired with Josey!”

Tor grinned as he put an arm around his husband and Josey leaned into his side.

“Oh, you have no idea,” he said.

THE END.