Epilogue: Cody's Journal

I know, this is my first journal entry in like five or six years. But I can explain, I only just found this again. I guess it got lost when we moved in here. And all of sudden it showed up today.

So I thought I'd write an entry and maybe start writing more in my journal altogether, even though Zack used to call this whole journal thing way too girly. He might've been right, but I like writing in here despite his comments.

Anyhow, today is actually a very important day for me and Max. We are going to celebrate our ten-year anniversary as a couple. We've invited all of our friends and family for a big party at the Tipton hotel. We are expected there in a couple of hours. Everything is ready for the party, though. That's another reason I'm taking some time to write in this journal.

It's really unbelievable it's already been ten years since we got together. And I can truly say that these ten years have been absolutely amazing. Many things have happened during them; we've certainly had our ups and our downs. But one thing hasn't changed: we still love each other as much as we did during that magical first year, if not more.

In fact, I can't believe my luck when I wake up every morning with Max next to me in bed. You can never grow tired of going to sleep every night knowing that the love of your life will be right there next to you in the morning. I can't even describe the feeling.

It's astonishing, actually. Who would have thought, ten years ago, that the cute boy I helped out of that hot tub would turn out to be my one true love? If anyone had told me that at that moment, I probably would have laughed at them or called them crazy.

Now don't get me wrong. When I first saw Max caught up in some silly competition with my brother, I was amazed. I thought he was the most gorgeous human being I'd ever seen. At the time I decided to just shrug off those feelings and concentrate on wooing Bailey. Nevertheless, I did help him when his sister pushed him into the hot tub and asked Zack more about him.

It wasn't until I lost Bailey to Holden that I saw Max again. He was there to comfort me and to help me get over her. However, I don't think either of us had expected I was about to get over her that way.

Even though he was so very nervous back then, he still tried to make me feel at ease. And it worked. I don't think I'd ever been as comfortable with someone as I was with Max during that first conversation. I don't know how he did it, but he made me feel accepted and appreciated for who I am. He didn't want to change me; he even said I was perfect. At the time, having just been rejected by Bailey after the miserable failure of my six-month plan, that was exactly what I needed to hear. Nobody else had ever said that to me. Yet he did. It showed how much he really cared about me, even though we had just met.

I have to confess, I was pretty surprised when I realized Max was so much in love with me. I mean: me? Of all people, he fell in love with me? I couldn't understand that until he described his feelings for me.

It was then that I realized my own feelings for Max. Before that, I'd just thought of him as this really attractive guy, but then I realized that maybe there was more. I really liked Max a lot, enough to consider a relationship with him.

But you know me… I was scared shitless. A relationship with another guy? That was something totally unexpected! Especially since I hadn't acknowledged that I was gay at that point. I was terrified… totally afraid to take that step into the vast unknown. Even though deep inside I knew that maybe Max was the one I wanted. But I couldn't say it out loud. I was too confused.

And all the while Max was very nervous and practically in tears after he admitted that he had a huge crush on me. Maybe I should have confessed what I was feeling right away, but I was just as confused as he was.

But then suddenly it happened: we were kissing! I still have no idea if I made the first move or if Max did. I've asked him a hundred times, and he doesn't remember either. I guess it doesn't matter who leaned in first. What matters is that we both wanted it. For me that first kiss was an epiphany. It was awkward at first, but the more I got into it, the more I started to realize how much I liked the guy I was kissing.

Still I didn't say anything. I knew I liked Max, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to take that step. Looking back on it now, that was so stupid of me because my initial doubts hurt Max's feelings. The poor guy actually thought I was disgusted by him.

Of course that wasn't true, but he didn't want to believe me. So I did the only thing I could think of to show Max it didn't matter that he'd kissed me — no, that I even liked it: I kissed him again. During that kiss I finally made the decision that would change my whole life. I decided I wanted to be with Max and that I shouldn't be scared. It was time to listen to Zack's advice and take a walk on the wild side, to just go with my feelings. So I put all the passion I had into that kiss, and Max realized it too, because after that amazing kiss he asked me if I liked him back.

At first I couldn't even speak, but after a while I found the right words to express my feelings for Max. As of that moment, now ten years ago, he's been my boyfriend and I his.

How could I have known I'd just started a relationship with the love of my life? Of course I couldn't have known, I just knew I was thrilled to take a chance for once and to have Max as my boyfriend. Being with him just felt right, the way a relationship is supposed to feel. Max made me very happy, and I in turn made him very happy.

But difficult times were just around the corner. We had to out ourselves as a gay couple to the world. Even then I realized many people wouldn't approve, would even be appalled by our love for each other. And I was right. Plenty of people on the S.S. Tipton looked disgustedly in our direction whenever we were affectionate with each other. But that's just how certain segments of society react to gay people. I've learned to accept that over the years.

Like I said, that wasn't really unexpected. The moment I chose to be with Max, I knew there would be challenges ahead. What I didn't expect was Dad's reaction. I never knew Dad actually had a thing against gay people. I had always assumed he would be laidback about stuff like this and would easily accept my sexual orientation. Or maybe react the way Zack did: shocked but still accepting. But no, Dad turned out to be one of those guys.

Even now I can remember the exact words Dad yelled at me after I told him Max and I were together. Thinking about them now still hurts as much as it did that day. I never knew and still don't know why Dad acted that way, but I'm glad he did quickly take those words back. However, he probably wouldn't have if Zack hadn't given him that heartfelt speech.

Anyhow, thanks to Zack, Dad realized he was in the wrong. Nevertheless it took him years to come clean about having a gay son. To be honest, I think he still isn't happy about it and wishes every time he sees me that I'd leave Max for some girl. That's just another thing I've learned to live with over the past few years. At least Dad has learned to accept Max, and even though it's clear he wishes Max was a girl, at the same time I know he really does like Max. I can't even describe how relieved I am about that because I was afraid Dad was going to blame Max for my being gay and would act coldly toward him. But he didn't, and he has made an effort to like Max. I think he feels he has to, because even though I'm gay, he still loves me.

I really owe Zack a lot for making Dad change his ways. Next to Max, he's the person who helped me the most during those first few days of being out. Except for his initial reaction, Zack has been nothing but supportive of Max and me. He's always been there to help us out, to tell people off when they behave in a homophobic manner toward us, even being the waiter for our first dinner together.

Oh, that dinner Max arranged for me! It was just amazing! He really went all out to make it the best meal possible. The whole evening was awesome and not just because of the gourmet cuisine he picked. No, the main reason that evening was the most romantic date ever was that I got to spend it together with my boyfriend. Being with him was the most important aspect for me. In fact, it still is.

Back to Zack now. No doubt the sweetest thing he ever did for me was bringing Max from New York to Boston. That's something I'll never forget and for which I will be forever grateful to my big brother. If he and Mom hadn't come up with that plan, we might have broken up and wouldn't be celebrating our tenth anniversary today.

I know, it was stupid of us to start off with a long distance relationship in the first place. Everyone advised us not to, said it would only end in hurt feelings and broken hearts. Even Zack had been against our relationship plan. Nonetheless he did nothing but support us. I have to say, things were actually going well until Zack and I went back to Boston for two weeks at the end of April when Aunt Rosie died suddenly.

The return was completely unexpected, so I hadn't brought my laptop or my cellphone battery-charger with me. Thus I wasn't able to contact Max and that was pretty upsetting for me at such a stressful time. I was down that whole week, which drove my brother nuts to the point where he felt he had to do something and organized a surprise date for me, bringing Max all the way from New York.

It was during that date I finally realized how much I felt for Max. I mean, I knew I liked him a lot and was falling for him. But during that month I missed my boyfriend so much and was so relieved when I saw him; it felt like the piece of me that had been missing was finally there. At that moment I realized I was in love with Max, that he might even be my true love, and that I didn't want to be separated from him again.

But though I had finally, completely, opened my heart to Max, I knew we still had that same issue to deal with — being in a long distance relationship for several more months. Fortunately, when Maxie's dad came to pick him up the next day, he gave us some very exciting news. Apparently his parents had enrolled him in Seven Seas High, proving that they understood our relationship was doomed to fail if we stayed apart and showing that they truly supported us being together.

Since Max had promised his parents to earn better grades while on the S.S. Tipton with me, I helped him out a lot — and with great results! At the end of the semester Maxie showed everyone that I had been right from the beginning, that he was much smarter than people thought, especially his family. He may not have been A plus material, but B's and an occasional A minus were possible for him, although he did get some C's too. Anyway, Max did really well in school, making both his parents and me very proud.

Writing this down brings back the memory of when Max got his first report card. Seconds after getting it from Ms. Tutweiller, he was there jumping up and down in front of me.

"Max, what are you doing?" I asked him, knowing he'd just received his grades.

"I got my report card! Guess how I did?"

"I don't know, average I guess." I didn't want to put too much pressure on him with overly high expectations.

"Not really, I got all B's! Also one C and one A!" He wrapped his arms around me as he said this.

"You did? That's amazing, Maxie! You're the best!" I had known Max was capable of doing better, but I hadn't expected him to do so well already.

"Thanks to your help, sweetie," he answered and kissed me again. He was so grateful to me for helping him realize that he really is smart. I in return was proud of him for proving everyone wrong.

There was one other thing Max needed to work on, though. Namely his magic training. Yeah, magic training… my boyfriend is a wizard alright. When Max first told me that, I couldn't believe it, but then he showed me some magic, proving that he was indeed a wizard. It was a very shocking discovery for me, but I learned to live with it. After all, Max can do amazingly cool stuff with his wizard spells!

And I even helped my Maxie out with studying magic. That was far from easy for me, but I felt like it was something I had to do for him. He really needed all the help he could get. I never dared to tell him, but he was way behind compared to Justin and Alex. If we hadn't worked so hard on all those spells, he never would have been able to cream them in the family Wizard Competition.

And he did really cream them. Yes, Max won the Wizard Competition, even though nobody, except me, believed he would. Even his dad told me, while we were waiting for the final results, that Max only joined in the competition because he had to.

"Really? You don't think Max has any chance? He's worked very hard for this," I reacted. I couldn't believe Jerry didn't believe in his youngest son one bit.

"Don't get me wrong, Cody. Max has almost caught up with Alex and Justin, but he's no competition for them. Justin knows every spell known to wizard-kind, while Alex uses her magic intuitively. Max, though, he… he just isn't as smart as Justin, or as natural with magic as Alex."

"Well, I believe in Max! And I know he can win, too!"

I really did, not just because it was my duty as a boyfriend, but because I knew he could be the victor. He had put in a lot of effort, just for this moment, and his will to beat his brother and sister really helped push his motivation to the peak. Thus, in the end Max beat all the odds and he was the one who walked out as a full wizard, while Justin and Alex were now "normal" people.

I still remember how stupefied Jerry and Theresa looked when they realized Max had won, showing their complete lack of faith in him, and according to both Justin and Alex, he beat them fair and square, proving that he was truly the best. I can't even describe how proud I was of my Maxie that day. He succeeded at something nobody had expected of him and I can only imagine how overjoyed it made him to finally be the best at something.

There is a major downside to being the Family Wizard, though. Both Max and I had known for a long time beforehand that we would never be able to get married if Max became the Family Wizard because if wizards choose to marry a mortal, they have to pass on their powers to a sibling. After some long discussions, we decided not to marry. I knew how important magic was for Max; I didn't want him to give that up for me. Even though I would have loved to marry my loved one, I was prepared to give that dream up for Max. I won't lie that it caused me great pain, but I realized that in the end we don't need to be married to know that we love each other and that we will do so forever.

However, the biggest obstacle to our future together is actually the Wizard Council. They are very conservative and being gay isn't tolerated at all for a wizard! This means Max could lose his powers if they find out he is in a same-sex relationship. Right from the start we knew that we couldn't let that happen! There was no way we would break up because some fascist council said Max was not allowed to love me if he wanted to be a full wizard. And Max couldn't give up his powers. That would mean letting the bastards win.

Max's family totally agreed that we didn't have to give in to them. Even his Uncle Kelbo, the Russo Family Wizard of the previous generation, thought it was outrageous, but nobody could change the council's mind. Luckily Max thought of a plan to fool the council.

His plan was simple. Every time the Wizard Council visited us – and they don't visit a lot – he would just turn me into a girl. I didn't like that idea, and I still don't, but it's the only possible solution we have. Strangely enough, the plan has worked so far. The council members have warned us that since I'm a mortal we can't get married or have children, but as I said before, I've made peace with this reality and so I let Max magically turn me into a girl whenever the conservative bastards visit us. We've only seen them twice so far, and both times they were convinced by our scheme.

That reminds me of something. I didn't write about our house yet, did I?

No, apparently I didn't.

Well, Max and I have bought a nice house in the suburbs of Boston. We had a long discussion about where we wanted to live. Max really likes New York and his friends there, but Boston is just a lot cheaper, so we ended up here in a nice big house.

In fact, it's the kind of house you would never be able to afford when you're 26. But yet we do.

Being a full wizard, Max has some magical means to generate money. I don't know how he does it, and I don't need to know either. All that matters is that Max makes enough money — enough for the both of us, to be honest. But I don't want to live on just magic money. I need to pay my own way.

Nonetheless, I won't deny graduating from law school is a bit easier when your boyfriend has enough money to pay the outrageous tuition fees. After finishing my articling stint, I got a position as an associate at a mid-size firm with an office here in Boston. So far I'm happy with my job, and I make good money!

Ultimately, my dream is to start my own law firm, which I plan to do with Bailey. Yeah Bailey, my high school crush. We both went to Boston University for law school and were called to the bar at the same time. She works at another firm downtown, but we talk a lot and share the same dream.

Speaking of which, besides Zack, Bailey was also hugely supportive of me and Max on the S.S. Tipton, and she's been a great friend ever since. We hung out a lot together since we share plenty of common interests, mostly stuff Max doesn't like, and in return he hung out with his friends doing stuff that didn't interest me at all. But that's OK; we don't have to share every hobby to be in love. That's what best friends are for, after all.

Bailey was also the first non-family member I told about me and Max. It was the morning after our romantic dinner together and maybe due to that, I couldn't keep us a secret any longer. I had to tell somebody about my amazing boyfriend, so I went out to look for Bailey and when I had found her, I was very excited to tell her the news.

"Hey Cody, what's up? You look totally ecstatic, what happened?"

"Bailey! I'm dating someone!" I exclaimed joyfully. That was not really how I wanted to announce Max and me, but back then it was the only thing I managed to say.

"Oh yeah, I saw him yesterday. He seems like a nice guy."

"You already know Max? But how?" I asked Bailey. I was a little disappointed that I hadn't been the one to tell her. On the other hand, she was smiling and seemed totally laidback about me having a boyfriend.

"I saw him at the smoothie bar yesterday and Zack introduced him as your boyfriend. Oh Cody, I'm so happy you found someone. And such a sweet guy, too."

"Thanks! Max is pretty amazing, yeah. But you're okay with me dating a guy?"

"Of course I am. It was a bit of a surprise to me, but I guess if you're happy who would I be to judge you for that?" Bailey said before she pulled me into a hug. From that moment on, our friendship became even stronger before, this time without my awkward crush on her coming between us.

And now Bailey is actually our neighbour! How cool is that? She rented the house on our right. In fact, I was a bit surprised she moved from Kansas all the way to Boston. But her boyfriend convinced her to do so. I guess love will make you do anything. Then again… I'm the one who lets himself get turned into a girl to make sure my guy is able to keep his wizard powers…

Bailey has also found herself a terrific guy, a guy she loves more than anybody in the world, and oddly enough that guy happens to be my own twin brother.

Yes, Zack is with Bailey now and he really cares a lot for her. I honestly would have never thought Zack could be in a serious relationship with any girl, yet he has proven me wrong for about nine years now. Bailey is such a good influence on my brother, and he has matured quite a lot since he and Bailey started dating. I guess Bailey was who Zack needed. We could have saved each other so much time and pain if only we knew all of this when we first met Bailey.

But we didn't, and so I ended up going after Bailey, getting rejected and finding the love of my life in Max. Zack, on the other hand, never showed any feelings other than friendship toward Bailey. Needless to say he totally caught me off guard when he asked me if it was OK if he asked Bailey out.

"Sure, why wouldn't that be OK with me, Zack? But you and Bailey?"

"Yeah, I know… It's just… I really like her. But kind of feel like I'm stabbing you in the back by dating a girl you liked so much," Zack had confessed.

"Don't be silly, Zack. Why would that hurt me? I have Max now."

"So, you're really alright with me dating Bailey? Thanks a lot, bro!"

No matter how Zack had matured, I still didn't believe he would be able to hold on to a girl like Bailey. But a few weeks ago he surprised both me and Max by asking us if we were OK with him proposing to Bailey at our anniversary party, in front of our mutual family and friends. Apparently that would make things more special.

Neither Max nor I had to think about that for one second. After all Zack has done for us, how could we refuse him this?

Also it's thanks to Zack's job at the Tipton that we can celebrate our anniversary there. He works at the check-in desk, doing the job Mr. Moseby did for years, but with the new management structure, the manager no longer handles these tasks. As soon as we heard that news, Zack had applied for the job and to everyone's surprise he actually got it. So when we came to book the lounge for our party, he was able to give us a serious discount (not that we need it, with Max's secret money-making spell).

Anyway, I'm very happy for both Zack and Bailey, but still a bit confused about the whole situation. Whenever it came to marriage I was always the one who really wanted to get married, while Zack totally despised the idea of marriage. But look at us now: I can't marry the man I love, even though both of us would love to, and Zack is about to ask his girlfriend to marry him. It's like the world has turned upside down and we have switched places.

It even reminds me a bit of the marriage class we had years ago on the S.S. Tipton where we were all paired up as couples for a week of fake marriage in order to teach us that this is a decision couples shouldn't take lightly. The class was still a few weeks before Zack asked Bailey out, so I ended up coupled with her and to be honest, I would have preferred to do this assignment with Max, but only boy-girl pairs were matched up. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it at the time, so Bailey and I stuck together, thinking that as best friends, we would do pretty well.

Of course the assignment turned out to be a disaster. According to Bailey I acted like a total jerk and spent more time with Max than with her, so it was no surprise that our fake wedding ended in a fake divorce before the week was over. I didn't learn much about marriage, but I did learn something about Bailey. She believes deeply in marriage, and in its significance for adding meaning to a relationship.

Just like I did at the time… but I have learned that marriage is not that important after all. Max and I love each other; that's enough for us. But not for Bailey, she really wants that special guy, so I think Zack's decision to propose to her is the right one because even though it seems to go against his nature, it would make her very happy and I'm sure we'll have another very happy couple living next to us soon.

That reminds me. I didn't mention our other neighbours yet. We are in fact surrounded by good friends. On our right we have Zack and Bailey, and on the left we have Max's best friend, Jamie.

Jamie has been Max's friend for almost ten years, too. He and Max first met when my boyfriend was about to out himself to his schoolmates. Jamie was there to help Max with everything he needed to know. Having been the only openly gay guy at their school, he taught Max a lot and was his biggest source of support during the months we had to spend apart from each other, awaiting the next school year.

When that first year together at Seven Seas High finally arrived, I was very surprised to see the same Jamie on the S.S. Tipton. Not only had he enrolled in our sea school, but he also got to share a cabin with Max.

At first I thought it would be nice for Max to share a cabin with his best friend since that way he wouldn't have to bunk with a stranger and would have another friend here, outside of me and Zack of course. But Max didn't agree with that. He seemed very nervous, practically terrified, when he heard he was going to bunk with Jamie.

Of course I realized there was something wrong between those two. Max really liked Jamie. He always spoke very high of him, as the guy who introduced him to many gay teen events, for example. But when they had to share a cabin, it became a very awkward situation.

After being together for a few months, I knew exactly how I could make Max tell me what was going on, even when he didn't want to.

It concerned something that happened the same week I was in Boston for Aunt Rosie's funeral, the week without communication. Max had already told me it had been very hard on him. In fact he was almost convinced that I didn't want to be with him anymore, and that led to him almost asking Jamie out on a date.

Fortunately for us, Zack had told me about this before so I wasn't that surprised or angry. Back when I heard it from Zack, I was pretty disappointed or even mad, I guess, but Max explained to me it was nothing more than considering options, just because I was unreachable and he was under a lot of pressure from his family at the time.

Thanks to Zack telling me earlier, I could react casually when Max explained this. I kept telling him it was no big deal. After all, nothing had happened and we were still in love and together. You don't have to be a psychiatrist to know this was a big relief for my boyfriend. Clearly it had been eating him on the inside for a while now.

"There is something else too. Jamie still seems to have a huge crush on me," Max told me after we hugged to make clear it was not an issue for us.

"What?" I exclaimed and looked at Max for a reaction, but he just nodded.

This was actually new for me, and a bit frightening. I was worried Jamie might make a move on Max after all and that maybe Max would give in at some point and want Jamie instead of me. I quickly shrugged away those thoughts. Max loved me! I should trust him enough not to leave me! And besides, if he wanted Jamie instead of me, he could have gone with him months ago. But Max didn't, so there was no need to worry about Jamie.

"That might be awkward for the both of you," I replied. "Does he know that you know about his crush?"

"We talked about it over the phone, right before I visited you in Boston. He obviously felt very bad, so we didn't say much about it. And we didn't talk about it later anymore at all."

"But he knows we're together, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, he always supported us, even when Justin and Alex kept telling me to move on or when I told him you were my guy."

"Well then? It didn't matter the past few months. Why should it matter now?"

"I know, but…"

"But? There is no but, Maxie. I trust you; I know nothing will happen between you and Jamie," I assured my insecure boyfriend.

I have to confess I was a little more scared than I admitted to Max back then. After all Jamie was gorgeous! Not as hot as Max, but still… So yeah, despite my assuring words for my boyfriend, I wasn't so sure of them myself.

Fortunately that fear was totally unreasonable. Nothing happened between Jamie and Max, they really were just very good friends, although I had the feeling Jamie sometimes felt awkward around Max and me, like a third wheel. It must have been agony for him seeing us as a happy couple all time.

Luckily, a few months later Jamie's suffering finally came to an end when a new, gorgeous student, called Jeremy, arrived at Seven Seas High. Much to our surprise Jeremy turned out to be gay, too. I know, what are the odds? Max, Jamie and Jeremy, the three hottest guys on the S.S. Tipton, all happened to be gay.

However, we didn't find out about that until we saw Jamie and Jeremy entangled in a passionate kiss. It looked like Jamie had found himself a boyfriend too, and we couldn't have been happier because he really deserved someone who cared for him as much as we do for each other. And Max finally was able to let go of his guilt for breaking Jamie's heart. On top of that, they also looked extremely cute together. Even their initials matched, so naturally it didn't take much time before everyone was calling them 'J&J'.

To be honest we'd actually expected J&J to break up pretty fast. We hoped they wouldn't, but with Jamie's crush on Max, we assumed Jeremy was nothing more than a rebound-guy for Jamie, making a break-up inevitable. But they proved us wrong: J&J are still together at this day. I even believe they might be the next married couple among friends, next to Zack and Bailey.

So yes, Jeremy is the guy living next to us together with Jamie. In fact, the house they live in is ours, too. Or Max's, as a matter of fact. As soon as he heard Jamie and Jeremy were going to move to Boston, he wanted to buy the smaller vacant house on our left for them.

Of course they both refused Max's offer at first, but after a long evening of discussion they accepted it on condition that they could pay us back in monthly chunks, like a mortgage, which was an arrangement all four of us could live with. After all, we all knew J&J needed it. At that time they couldn't afford to rent a house or an apartment themselves, since neither of them had a regular income yet.

By now Jeremy also works at the Tipton Hotel as a bellboy, but I heard from Zack that Jeremy is up for a promotion. I guess his career at the Tipton is starting to take off. His boyfriend still has no regular income, though, since becoming a writer. I have to admit he's exceptionally talented. If he saw what I've written here in my journal, I'm sure he'd disappointed in my boring, legalistic writing style. But hey, I write legal briefs all day – what can he expect?

Anyways, his debut novel has become a bestseller and now he's working on his second one. But still he always takes the time to write articles to defend gay rights in society. That boy with a huge crush on my Maxie has become an amazing person if you ask me. And one who also has an equally amazing boyfriend to share his future with.

Yep, we have some great friends for sure.

Now that I've written this whole entry, I realize how lucky I actually was to meet Max, to listen to him and to my own heart, and to decide to go with my feelings for once. It was such an un-Cody thing to do, but I have never been happier ever since I made that decision. At this point I can't even imagine what life would be like without Max.

Fortunately I don't have to. I know I will grow old with Max by my side, and that's what we will also celebrate today. Speaking of which, I guess it's time for our party since Max is standing behind me, planting kisses on my neck and cheeks. It's like he wants to tell me something. Aside from that he loves me, it can only be something like, "Come on Cody, it's time to head over to the Tipton for our party."

Yeah, that means I have to stop writing for now. There is so much more I could have written, but I guess I handled the most important things. Isn't the most important that Max and I are still going strong and love each other just as much as we did ten years ago? And I'm glad we can share this feeling with all of our friends and family today.

Author's Notes: And with this epilogue I finally complete my first story ever here! I'm kind of proud of myself now to be honest. And I hoped you all enjoyed this story.

The biggest thank goes to Elianna22 for proofreading and editing all of this. It's amazing that with her busy work schedule and her own epic story (Repercussions 2) she still managed to find time to edit my stuff. Thank you so much, Ellie!

Also another solo shout out needs to go to woundedhearts who edited and proofread the first chapter of this. And of course I like to thank all who read and reviewed this story. Thank you guys, your support means a lot!

As last note, I'm happy to announce that "Love To The Max" will have a sequel. I'm working on ideas for that one, so don't expect it immediately, but it will be my next 'long' story. In the meantime there will be a shorter story/oneshot – also connected to this story - inspired by something Tiger and Ellie said in a discussion on the forums. Just to let you know there is plenty to look forward to from me.