Spring, summer, autumn, and winter had come, then gone, repetitively, making three years pass by in just the blink of an eye. To some people, there might not be any noticeable changes going on; but to Wang's family, those three years were like thirty years.

Bo sat on the chair in the middle of his old villa's garden, looking at a bunch of red leaves that danced along with the wind and scattered all around the green grass. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air of the familiar house, which gave him joy and sorrow. However, what past was past.

There was no need to reminisce on what had been done.

"How could one lead a complete life without going through some bad times?" he murmured to himself; his eyes still closed.

A slithering movement coming from behind his back, crossing his shoulders and moving downwards to a stop on his chest. Without turning around, he knew the scent and body's heat of the owner so well. Nevertheless, he still titled his head back, hoping that there would be a reward waiting for him.

And there really was one.

*smooch*

A wet sensation greeted his rosy, plump lips the moment he turned his head.

"Reminiscing again, my angel?" Sean asked, his lips were still placing a top Bo's, refusing to move away.

"Hmm," answered Bo with a smile. And this time, he was the one who initiated the kiss as he puckered the cherry lips after answering and continuing to nibble the soft flesh there satisfactorily.

The two cut off their talk for a short while, giving their lips a chance to make a conversation instead. Landing one last pucker on the slightly swollen plump lips that seemed to regain a healthy shade, Sean moved to sit on the nearby chair.

"I don't want you to keep doing that often. You just recovered. Be careful of a relapse," said Sean with his brows furrowed in worry.

"As long as my doctor is right by my side, a relapse won’t dare to co

me and disturb me," said Bo as wriggled his eyebrows and smiled widely.

"Of course, I'll be by your side for a long, long time. In case you forget, I'm not just your doctor anymore, Bo. I'm your husband, remember? You're going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life, whether you want it or not," Sean wiggled his eyebrows back at Bo while lifting his left hand to reveal a gold band circling his ring finger.

Bo got up from his seat and moved to sit on Sean's laps; his arms engirdled his husband's neck. He lowered his head, so the two foreheads were resting on each other, sharing the body's warmth.

"There is no need for a 'whether,' hubby," Bo outlined Sean's lips with the tip of his tongue, "I'll only need one choice. And that is...' I like it.' I'll be more than happy to get stuck with you for the rest of my life."

Once he finished his words, the naughty tongue began to poke the cherry lips persistently as if it was commanding the latter to open up. Complying to his spouse's request, Sean parted his lips, and the two newly-wed couples lost themselves within the sweet makeout session in the middle of the garden, surrounded by the breath-taking nature of foliage and flowers.

*******

The country song was playing inside the stereo of a black van that carried five people inside. A little boy was singing, or rather, shouting, the lyrics that no one could understand. Still, it caused a row of laughs all along until the car reached its destination.

Under a big tree with full branches to shield from the sunlight, Sean was preparing the sandwiches on the picnic mat while occasionally having to call for the chauffeur help to deal with a two-year-old boy who kept messing around nonstop, preventing him from getting his work done. James stood with his hands folded behind his lower back; his face tilted up to face the cool breeze that occasionally blew.

"Enjoying the air, dad?" asked Bo.

James turned to smile at his son and nodded, "I can't believe you have all your memories back. Even the memory of this place."

Bo smiled back before looking to the distance, watching his adoptive son playing around with his chauffeur, "I also can't believe that I'm able to recover. I guess because I have both you and Sean by my side to help me cope with them all. It seems to be me that the primary healer of emotional distress is to keep feeling optimistic."

James nodded; his smile got broader as the thought of a distressed Bo would never come to haunt him again.

"Back then, because of my memory loss, you decided to hide the past from me. You told me that mom was dead and that I was born in the countryside. Even to these days, I still can't believe that you had to undergo a lot of hardships way earlier than that because of my careless mistake, dad. I destroyed your luxurious life and made you lead a hard life you'd never been before."

The older man quickly turned to look at his son; his hand lifted to rest on Bo's back, patting it gently. "Don't say that, Bo. Didn't we agree that what passed is past? Besides, we've already got back everything that is ours; the company, the house, and more. Also, the people that deserved to be punished are currently paying for their crimes in prison. Everything falls back into place. So stop blaming yourself, okay? If sons-in-law hear about this, he'll be upset again."

Bo sighed and directed his eyes to where Sean was. The latter was busy making another sandwich that Bo knew was for him, given how Sean was adding more vegetables than the others.

"It's all thanks to Sean. I recovered well because he and his best friend took the utmost care of me. The two years that I spent in England weren't all that pretty, yet he refused to give up and stubbornly continued to stay right by my side until I fully recuperated. Even more than that, he even sought out help from his cousins, who are the chief of police and an attorney, so Ben's crime was exposed. I don't know what I've done to deserve such a person like Sean."

James chuckled and gripped his son's shoulder in a firm yet gentle grasp. "You've always been a kind-hearted boy since young, Bo, so it is a given how an angel as Sean is coming to you. You both are a match made from heaven. As for an old man like me, I'm more than content to have two handsome men accompanying me on my remaining days."

Bo turned to look at his father and joined him in the soft laughter. Once the sound of the chuckling subsided, Bo cleared this throat. "You've once told me that separation is inevitable and things will leave me when the time comes, just like the leaves that fall from the trees. But you know what? There is a kind of tree which leaves never fall regardless of the season."

He picked up his father's wrinkled hand to sandwich between his own and grinned. "You're just like that kind of tree, dad. Notwithstanding the difficulties, you're always here by my side, just like those leaves that never fall from their trees."

"Oh? A tree that leaves never falls?" asked James.

"The Evergreen."

"The Evergreen?"

"Yes. Despite the season, fall included, the leaves of the evergreen are still attached to its branches. It's just like how you always stick with me regardless of what. I wish to say this to you, dad. Thank you for being an evergreen father to me."

The father and son exchanged smiles in silence, letting their eyes do the talk since no choices of words in the world seemed to be able to express how grateful they were to have each other.

"Dad! Sweetie! The sandwiches are ready!"Sean's loud voice echoed from behind their backs, calling them to come over.

"We're coming, darling!" Bo shouted back before turning to his dad, "Shall we, dad?"

"Of course, son."

Bo and James turned on their heels, walking side by side to where the love of their lives was waiting; their faces depicted pure joy and happiness that no amount of money was able to buy.

~ END of the Story "EVERGREEN" ~