Jed's face looked rather shocked at the thought of being called someone's stepdad.

He looked at John who was smiling at Oliver. He loved how much acceptance his happy mind was filled with.

"Being a stepdad, do I have to do anything? What does that word mean exactly?"

John chuckled and squeezed his hand once more.

"No" Oliver grinned. "I'm thirty-six, I'm pretty sure I don't need babysitting or looking after."

"Debatable," Vinny said but Oliver ignored him.

"Oh, so being a stepdad is a word used for a parent that's not technically your parent?"

"Yes," John said. "But don't worry, it's just a name, like Grandad."

Jed nodded but raised his eyebrows when Oliver hugged him tight.

"I'm glad my dad fell in love with you" He mumbled into his shoulder.

Jed hugged him back with a heartwarming smile.

"It means a lot to hear you say that Oliver. Thank you."

Vinny was starting to fidget, he needed some Oliver time too.

Duke could see him wringing his hands and it was distracting him.

"Have you told Zachariah?" He asked as Oliver pulled away and connected his gaze with his vampire.

"Oh, no I haven't. I'll ask him to come. He should know" Jed said before Oliver got up and walked over to his soulmate.

"Wait, don't sit-"

"Too late," Oliver said and sat on Vinny's lap.

Vinny grumbled but wrapped his arms around him.

"Don't you dare get up."

Oliver chuckled and wrapped his arms around his shoulders but he could feel Vinny's affection and wouldn't embarrass him like that.

* * * * *

20 minutes later.

"So, John and I are soulmates," Jed said. He, John and Zachariah was standing in the Vanderwood gardens.

Jed almost held his breath as he watched the angel, but no reaction came.

John felt like his face was on fire. Every time someone says that they are soulmates, it feels incredibly real.

"I know. I was meaning to talk to you about it. But congratulations" Zachariah beamed and placed a gentle hand on Jed's shoulder.

The angel was stunned.

"You knew?"

"Yes. Jeduthun, I know you very well. There wasn't a single glance or subtle smile that I missed. I noticed that you'd brush against each other when you passed in the hallway and that your eyes would brighten when you saw him. It was very easy to detect that you had connected a bond, I was just waiting for you to tell me because I thought you might not be ready."

"Wow," Jed chuckled. "I can't believe you noticed but Panuleon didn't."

"Yes, but he has his soulmate and a child to distract him, I often meet you without Jenny so my full attention is always on you both."

"Well, thank you for not telling anyone and understanding that we needed time."

"It's okay. Finding your soulmate is a big shock but you're both together forever now and that is one of the best feelings imaginable."

John nodded, he definitely agreed.

After 'falling in love' with Oliver's mum and then losing her, it doesn't help towards those trust issues and self-confidence. But now he doesn't need to worry about that, they'll never break up.

"Thank you for being so accepting Zachariah. for us, having a soulmate who isn't another angel is one thing but to have a soulmate of the same sex as well would be deeply frowned upon."

"I believe you are allowed to love whoever you want to. As long as you're happy, why should it matter? But the elders know about your relationship and they're prepared to let it slide because of your duties."

"If I'm honest, I'd expect them to let it slide, nobody else can take over my role. I've watched the kids grow up and I truly do feel like part of the family."

"They see that and I do believe they may be secretly happy for you" Zachariah smiled. "Right, I must return to Jenny. She's baking a cake as it's her sister's birthday today. But she's not very safety aware."

Jenny is Corey's mum's sister, so she likes to pay respects to her in that way too.

John and Jed chuckled before Zachariah hugged them both.

"I really am happy for you, thank you for telling me."

They beamed at the angel as he flashed his wings.

"See you soon Zachariah," Jed said, just before he vanished.

In heaven, Jed and Zachariah had met multiple times. Which means that Jed had met Panuleon when he was very little although, he doesn't really remember.

He always had big respect for Zachariah for choosing to look after a baby angel.

Some angels of higher power do this but it is a choice.

Jed chose not to out of fear of losing the child he would raise. It would break his heart if they got separated.

In a way, the rules in heaven are too strict. Angels are taken for granted and they don't get a chance to live, that's why Jed feels so happy to have a family.

This is why he was so pleased to watch Rayvon and Luka grow up.

He got to do the task that he was scared to do in heaven.

* * * * *

It was now almost half nine at night and everyone was casually doing their own thing in the dining-room.

Rayvon and Luka were sitting by the fireplace. The nights are starting to get a little chilly.

They were sitting close and being cute and affectionate, as Oliver would put it.

They were kissing because of mating season but it was amazing by how fast they got used to being soulmates.

Being this way felt normal and it was a routine that happily slots into their everyday tasks.

They felt like they have connected the bond for a long time, but they haven't, it is just too strong to ignore.

Oliver was curled up next to Vinny on the couch but his gaze was wandering between his dad and Jed and his son and Luka.

His mind was still incredibly vibrant with excitement and Vinny kept pulling his head in his direction, forcing him to pay him some attention.

Panuleon and Corey were sitting at the table.

The angel was giving his soulmate a massage on his shoulders, just because his hands were like magic and he was very good at being gentle but firm when he needed to be.

"Vinny," Oliver said and took his hand. "Thank you for falling in love with me."

The vampire watched his soulmate with a twinkle in his eye.

"You're welcome" He smiled.

"I mean, if I was just a regular human, my life would've ended thousands of years ago. I would never have had Rayvon, dad would never have met Jed. Panuleon and Corey would still be in the other world and little Luka wouldn't be here."

"It's crazy how things turned out," Vinny said while letting his gaze wander around everyone in the dining-room.

"I know, just one connection brought all of these people together."

Vinny let his gaze trace over his soulmate's face.

This face has been in his life every single day for eighteen thousand years. This person sitting next to him used to be a regular human. When he was born, he didn't know just how incredible his life would turn out to be.

"Oliver, you're amazing," He said with a look of love floating in his eyes. "You've coped with so much in your life. I don't know how you manage."

Oliver took his hand and watched their fingers slot perfectly in between each other.

"I manage because I know how lucky I am to have you and this family. I genuinely feel blessed and I'll never forget it."

Vinny smiled at him.

But this smile wasn't quick and lasted for only two seconds like they usually did.

This smile was real, proper, and it lit up his whole face, making the vampire look exceptionally happy.

Oliver adored it when he smiled like that.

"Before I met you, I was so unhappy. You really changed my life and I can never be grateful enough for that."

Yes, it's rare, but Vinny occasionally really opens up and makes sure his soulmate knows just how much he means to him.

"I know you were unhappy. Your glare would scare the crap out of me but I always thought that someone who frowns so much couldn't experience a lot of positive emotions."

Vinny nodded.

"But then you realised that my face was naturally grumpy."

Oliver chuckled which was music to the Vampires ears.

"Yes. But I love it" He grinned and pressed a finger to his forehead, creating that famous glare.

"But seriously, you know how much you mean to me and you know how much I needed you in my life. I'm not joking when I sat that you saved me."

Oliver's face turned serious for a moment.

He knows how depressed Vinny was at that time. He had gone through a horrendous childhood and really suffered. He had no friends, nobody to turn to because he hated talking about it.

His parents were the only reason he was still alive and hadn't ended his own life. But then Oliver came along and gave him something worth living for.

He was a miracle to Vinny and every now and then, he likes to remind him just how wonderful he actually is.

Duke and Madison knew Vinny was like that which was one of the reasons as to why they got him a bodyguard. Yes, it was to stop him from getting kidnapped by the lethal group that hated Vampires but it was also to stop him from getting too low and ending it all.

As parents, they were incredibly worried about him and almost felt a little helpless.

But now, everything is just perfect.

Everyone is happy and in love, they couldn't have wished for anything better.

They couldn't have wished for a better life.