And every time Chance had talked him out of it, reminding him just how much he’d regret not having a real wedding, how much he’d regretted not having one with Emily. At one point Patrick was seriously wondering if he would truly regret it, after everything he’d been trying to do. But then Chance pointed out the day was for both of them, and from then on, Patrick simply focused on making the wedding happen.
When he’d asked Chance to marry him, he’d never considered the million details that went into planning a wedding. All he’d been concerned about at the time was fixing the mess he’d created of their relationship. But since then, he’d read more, researched more, and spent more time on the phone than he’d ever done before in his life. He had reams of paper printouts, notebooks full of notes, and was actively working on a bald patch on his head.
His rescue had come from the last place he’d expected: his mother.
Late one night, some three months after he’d proposed, he and Chance were settling in to sleep after making love when his phone rang. Throwing a puzzled look at Chance, he sat up and snatched it off the bedside table.
When he saw who it was from, his heart crept into his throat, his stomach sank to the floor, and he nearly dropped the phone from his shaking hands. Chance, on instant alert, wrapped himself around Patrick and kissed his shoulder, cheek, and back. Patrick calmed down and swiped his finger over the screen. “Hello?”
“Patrick?” His mother sounded nervous.
“Hi, Mama,” he said, then stopped because he had no idea what else to say. He had no idea what to expect. They’d stopped talking at all. Even the one-line e-mails had ceased.
“Hi, baby.” Patrick didn’t notice the tears start to fall right away. Six months. It’d been more than six months since she’d called him that. First because of the divorce, then because of coming out. “H-how are you?”
“Uh… good, actually.” He glanced at Chance, who smiled and reached up to wipe his cheek.
“H-how’s… uh… how’s Chance?”
Patrick blinked into space in shock for a long moment, then pulled himself together. “He’s good, Mama.”
“That’s good. And Avery?”
Patrick frowned. “Doing good. Getting big. He’s got a best friend in preschool.”
“I bet he is. They grow so fast.” She fell silent and stayed that way for so long Patrick was afraid she’d hung up. He pulled the phone away and looked, but the screen was still green. “I… heard you’re planning a wedding.”
Patrick stared at Chance. “That’s right, Mama.” He took a deep breath. “I’m marrying Chance.”
“That’s what Quinn said. Said you were driving yourself crazy, planning it.”
Patrick actually chuckled. “That’s an understatement.”
Another silence filled the air between them, and Patrick frowned, wondering if he’d said the wrong thing. But apparently not and what she said next turned his world upside down.
“I could help you.”
Patrick was sure he was hearing things. “Uh… I… uh… Mama?”
“If you don’t want my help, I understand,” she said hurriedly.
Patrick shook himself out of his stupor, recognizing this for the olive branch it was. “I’d love it, Mama.”
“Okay. Good.” It seemed she’d used up her courage. “Uh…. Tell Chance I said hi. And, um, I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll see what you have?”
Patrick was openly crying now, tears streaming down his face. He had to swallow a couple of times before he could speak. “I’d like that, Mama. I’ll tell Chance. Um…. Talk to you tomorrow, then.”
“Okay, baby. Good night.” She disconnected the call.
Chance had had to pry the phone from his hand and pull him back into bed.
Coordinating a wedding from the other side of an ocean wasn’t nearly as complicated as when, well, you weren’t. With his mother helping, everything seemed to fall into place so much more easily. It still had its challenges, but things went a lot more smoothly.
He’d been shocked by how much she listened to him, how much she’d asked what he wanted. How much she talked to Chance, which was a lot, drawing him into the music planning. Patrick had no idea why he didn’t give that to Chance sooner, except that he’d somehow thought he needed to do the wedding on his own. Yet another reason he’d been glad to take her help, even if she surprised him. He remembered the wedding she’d put together for Leia and the battles they’d had over it.
But it was the conversation with Tutu a few weeks later that cleared it up. “I kicked her ass.”
Patrick blinked in shock. Was his entire family going crazy? “Uh, Tutu, did you… say….”
“Ass. Yes. You didn’t think I never used language like that, did you?”
“Uh, yes, actually.” Patrick couldn’t help but smile when she laughed.
“Well, I do. And in this case, it’s appropriate. Seems your mama nearly lost it when she realized you were planning a wedding without her. She bawled around a huge smile the whole way through your proposal. But she still maintained her stubborn attitude. Until I told her you were planning a full wedding and going to get married without her. She couldn’t believe it.”
Patrick scowled. “Why?”
“She didn’t know that men would have one.” Tutu’s matter-of-fact reply stopped his annoyance. He had to remember he was the first in their family to admit to being something other than straight. “But once she realized you were serious and that you were having a wedding—a full, even traditional, Hawai’ian wedding—then she started to realize just what she was losing out on. I made sure to remind her she wasn’t getting to see Avery either. She didn’t like that, either. But the final straw was your da.”
Patrick nearly choked on the sip of coffee he’d taken. “Da?”
“Yes. Your da finally told her that she was being selfish.”
“Da… told her….” Patrick shook his head. “Tutu, have I slipped into an alternate reality?”
Tutu laughed again. “No, Patrick, you haven’t. I think he was worried he wouldn’t get to see your wedding. And he was getting tired of her moods. It was a lot to deal with. Anyway, she still grumbles about not understanding things, but I think she’s accepted it. And now she’s just a little too worried about making your da mad or pushing you away again.”
“I… don’t know what to say.”
“Thank you would be a good start. And that you’ll buy me a new dress for your wedding.”
Patrick grinned. “Thank you, Tutu.”
He’d bought her a dress, shoes, and jewelry.
Patrick paced back the other direction, taking another deep breath and trying not to freak out. He glanced up to see Rhys, Angelo, and Sebastian watching him, all three heads moving in unison when he turned around. He rolled his eyes and stopped pacing. Instead, he started twisting his engagement ring around his finger.
On the night he’d proposed, they’d made it about six inches and thirty seconds into the apartment before Chance had Patrick pinned to the wall and his lips fixed to Patrick’s neck. Of course, part of that was the time they’d been apart. The other part was the fact that Patrick hadn’t been able to keep his hands—or lips—off Chance the whole way home. At one stoplight he’d leaned in and buried his nose in Chance’s neck, needing to inhale the scent again. Chance replied by kissing him so thoroughly, it took the honking of a horn to get them moving. After that, Patrick kept it to his hands, but they stayed busy the whole way home.
They remembered to lock the door, then started pulling clothes off fast. Patrick’s brand-new Armani suit landed in a puddle on the floor. And he didn’t give a single damn.
They managed to get over to the couch, but only because the end table was the closest set of supplies. Chance pulled open the drawer, grabbed something, then sat back.
Patrick sensed the change in mood and sat up, reaching to touch Chance’s face. “A ghrá?”
Chance took a shaky breath and held out a condom. “Do
I need this?”
Patrick swallowed. That hurt. Hurt like hell. But he had to admit to himself that Chance had reason to ask. He shook his head. “No, a ghrá. I couldn’t touch anyone else. Didn’t even look at anyone—including Rhys. I love you, only you, loved you then and—” He shook his head helplessly.
Chance moved in and kissed him slowly. “I believe you. I’m sorry, baby, I shouldn’t—”
“No. It’s a fair question. But I meant it. No one. Did… did….”
“Nope. Not even remotely interested in anyone.” He kissed Patrick again. “I love you.”
Patrick let out the breath he’d held, the tension fading. He cupped Chance’s face and kissed him again. “Good. Uh… think we could pick up where we left off?”
In answer Chance grinned and tossed the condom over his shoulder, then pushed Patrick back and kissed him hard.
When it was over and they lay in each other’s arms, bodies cooling, Patrick took Chance’s hand. He stared at their threaded fingers, at Chance’s ring. Chance dropped a kiss on Patrick’s knuckles, then looked up. “I want to get you a ring.”
Patrick grinned. “I’d like that. What do you want to get?”
“Could they match? I don’t know, you know, what you spent, but I’m pretty sure I could handle it.”
Patrick brushed damp blond hair back. “I’d love that. We’ll go as soon as you want to.”
“Good. Tomorrow. Need to make sure everyone knows you’re taken.”
Patrick laughed. “Good thing you’re wearing a ring, then, too.”
Chance scoffed, but Patrick put a finger over his lips. “When you’re up on that stage on Wednesday, they’ll see that ring, and as gorgeous as you are, as much as they want you—and they do, make no mistake, I’ve seen the looks even if you haven’t. When they see that ring, they’ll be forced to remember that you belong to someone.”
Chance’s cheeks reddened. “I…. It makes me feel good that you want to, you know, show it like that.”
Patrick shrugged a shoulder. “You’re my life, Chance. I want to show it to the world.”
Chance looked up. “Well, then, it’s only fair the world knows you’re mine too.”
Patrick heard the trumpetlike sound and looked up to see the kahu with the conch shell lifted. His heart picked up speed, and he swallowed, his stomach jumping, his nerves about shot.
Angelo stepped up and hugged him. “Just remember why you’re here,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” Patrick said, taking a deep breath, then turning to Rhys and taking the long green maile lei. The maile vines twisted together to form a long open lei. Along with the sweet green leaves, Patrick had chosen white ginger blooms for the lei. He lifted it and set it around Angelo’s neck, then gave his friend the traditional kiss on each cheek.
“Thank you. You’ll do great,” Angelo said, smiling, then turned to the end of the trees and started over the sand.
As the ukulele player started strumming, Angelo met Marcy—who wore a purple-and-white lei—at the end of the aisle and offered her his arm. She smiled, threw a wink at Patrick, and took Angelo’s arm before they started the walk to the front.
Patrick looked over the assembled group. The guests they’d chosen for the ceremony itself had been very limited. The reception on the main lawn of the Hilton Hawai’ian Village would be much bigger and include all of the immediate family who attended the ceremony, most of the rest of his family, and extended family—second and third cousins, aunties and uncles, and everyone’s spouses. Many of his old high-school friends, most of the cast and even some of the crew of Deception, and even a few of his mother’s friends were planning to be there. He’d nearly had a heart attack when his mother gave him a count of some two hundred and fifty people. He didn’t know there were that many people in the family, much less who would want to celebrate with him. Or that so many would want to travel for his wedding.
But here on the beach, the number was much smaller. Patrick felt a pang at the ones who were missing. Noa had sent her invitation back unopened. Devin hadn’t replied, though he didn’t send his back. And Flynn had sent the RSVP back with “no” crossed out and something written in that Patrick had been trying to forget since he’d received it.
But Leia and Christian were there, her oldest on Christian’s lap, her youngest playing in the sand at her feet. Colin and Makani had seats next to Leia and Christian. Their teenager sat right behind them, pulling his earphones out and sitting up as Angelo and Marcy passed.
Alana sat on one side of Tutu in her new blue dress, and Mama and Da sat on the other, right up front. Quinn had the last seat on the back row so he could take off and go “fight with the kitchen idiots,” as he put it, when the ceremony ended.
Patrick had wanted him to stand up front during the ceremony. But Quinn had blushed, stuttered, and finally made an excuse about needing to get back to the kitchen since he was handling the food. Patrick hadn’t realized up until then that Quinn was the chef for their reception, but it meant a lot that Quinn wouldn’t trust it to anyone else—that’s how Mama said he put it, anyway.
On the other side of the aisle, Violet, Vannah, Darcy, and Zach had the front row. Andy sat behind Violet, dressed in a suit Patrick had never seen before. Chrissy sat next to him, talking his ear off, and Selia and Jack took up the rest of the row.
Patrick paused at the last row. Emily and Sara filled in the last two seats of their guests. He watched his ex-wife laugh at something her current wife said. He still had regrets with her that he suspected would never go away completely. She turned her head, apparently sensing his gaze, then smiled and nodded at him. Patrick returned them, feeling a little better.
He turned to smile at Sebastian when his friend stepped up to him.
“You’ll do great. I’m sure of it.”
“Thanks. I… hope so.” He gave a nervous laugh, which Sebastian chuckled at. He took a second lei from Rhys that matched Angelo’s. “And thank you for being here, standing with me.” He put the lei over Sebastian’s neck and gave the two kisses.
“Thank you. And really, you’ll do fine. I know it.” With a hug he walked out onto the sand and met Pablo—who wore a matching lei to the rest of the men in the wedding party—at the end of the aisle. Patrick laughed at Sebastian’s surprised look when Pablo offered his arm. But Sebastian took it, grinning, and they walked to the front.
Patrick turned to Rhys.
The shadows of old pain still danced in Rhys’s dark eyes as his gaze moved over Patrick’s face. “He’s the luckiest man on the planet,” Rhys said quietly. “I hope he knows it.”
“Th-thanks.” Patrick swallowed and took a breath. “Someday, I’ll say that about your husband.”
Rhys tried to hide the gratitude, but Patrick saw the shadows fade a little. Rhys chuckled. “Who says I’ll get married?”
Patrick smiled, knowing what Rhys was doing. “When are you going to propose to Gabe?”
Rhys scowled, which Patrick was going for. “He never called. I thought you knew that.”
Patrick’s eyebrows shot up, and he shook his head. “No. I thought he did and you were just keeping quiet about it! He never called?”
Rhys shook his head.
“That asshole!” Patrick said, scowling. “How dare he ignore you?”
Rhys’s smile broke across his face, and he laughed. “Thanks. Maybe you will be my best man someday. Right now, it’s my turn to be yours.”
“Thank you for that,” Patrick said, taking the last two leis Rhys held. The bigger one he put over Rhys’s head, kissed his friend on each cheek, and moved to step back.
Rhys hugged him hard and kissed his forehead before stepping back. With one more look, he turned and stepped around the trees. Patrick watched him meet Sophia—who wore another purple-and-white lei—in the center, offer her his arm, then escort her to the front.
Her knee-length dress matched the groomsmen’s shirts in a blue close to Chance’s eye color. Patrick’s mother had tried e
xplaining the simple dress style to him, but it went completely over his head. They agreed to match, and he knew they both looked very pretty—that was enough for him.
Sophia hadn’t planned to attend in drag. When Chance asked her to be his best woman, she’d laughed so hard tears—mascara-free versions—ran down her face. But he’d insisted he was serious, and when she finally realized it… well, this time her mascara did run. Again. She’d told him she’d have come as Tom, but Patrick and Chance both knew she was a lot more comfortable as Sophia. So they’d insisted. Now Sophia was getting into place opposite Rhys. And blinking rapidly already.
Patrick turned to his son and squatted. “You remember what you’re supposed to do, right?”
“Yes, Da!” Avery nodded.
“Good. I love you, Stinker.” He pulled Avery into his arms and held tight for a long moment.
“Love you!” Avery hugged him back, then pulled away.
Patrick put the tiny version of the maile lei over Avery’s head and kissed him. Avery gave a puzzled look, but Patrick just smiled. “It means ‘I love you.’”
“Oh! We just said that!” He shook his head as if his father was nuts and turned to the sand.
Patrick laughed as he watched his son hurry along behind the chairs. He met Rory, who wore a tiny dress in the same color as the rest of the party, a lei that matched the rest of the girls’, and carried a tiny basket of flower petals. Patrick hadn’t cared if he had a flower girl, but he wanted someone in Chance’s family involved, and Rory was perfect. Avery held out his arm, which Rory took, but the expression on her face made the assembled company laugh. It looked like something had turned sour under her nose, and if she could speak, it would clearly be uncomplimentary toward boys.
When they got up front, the kahu stepped forward, lifting the conch shell to his lips again. The trumpet sound signaling the next part of the ceremony drifted on the ocean breeze, drawing attention from a few nearby people.
Patrick didn’t care. The music shifted, and the beginning piano chords of a different song filled the air. Patrick stepped around the tree line and turned.
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