No Sacrifice

by Grace R. Duncan

  “What are y’all whispering about?” Marcy demanded.

  Patrick looked up and grinned. “Giving birth.”

  Marcy paled a little. “Right. Sorry I asked,” she muttered, but Patrick noted she glanced at Pablo when she did.

  He turned back to Chance to speak when Rhys stood up and banged his fork on his glass. The DJ brought over a microphone, and Patrick exchanged looks with Chance.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. And Patrick.” Everyone laughed, including Patrick, except Chance.

  “Hey! That’s my husband you’re talking about.”

  “Right, except Chance too.” More laughter, this time both Patrick and Chance joining in. “So, Patrick made the epic mistake of making me his best man. Honestly, he’d have gotten a much better toast out of Angelo. Or, well, Angelo would likely be nicer, anyway.” He paused to let the chuckles die down again. “But he’s stuck with me.”

  Someone shouted, “Poor guy!” earning more laughs.

  Rhys grinned. “Indeed,” he agreed. He turned to look at Patrick. “First off, I have to say it. This is the best wedding I’ve ever been to. It’s the only wedding where the entire wedding party got lei’d.” Patrick reached out and smacked Rhys as the audience laughed and booed. “Okay, okay. I had to. Now the toast.”

  He cleared his throat. “These two… are idiots.” The entire assemblage laughed at this. “Okay, I’m being a little hard on them, but… well, it’s true. They’ve been complete morons about each other.” The guests still chuckled, but it was more subdued at this one. “But… I have never seen two people more in love, either. Relationships aren’t easy—they are, in fact, very difficult. It’s why something like this is such a big deal. So many people never make it this far. But despite the difficulties, their own idiocy—” He paused and looked up at the chuckles. “—and a few outside issues that they shouldn’t have had to deal with….” Here, he looked at Jack, who had the grace to blush. “Some even coming from me….” He nodded at the murmurs. “Yes, I didn’t always help things. These two men are very forgiving. And I think it’s because of that ability to forgive that, despite everything, they have loved each other through it all.” He took a breath. “I’ve had the rather dubious honor of watching that love grow. And I do hope that I get to see it for many years to come. To Patrick and Chance!”

  He held up his glass, and everyone followed suit, echoing the “Patrick and Chance!”

  Sophia stood up next, taking the mic from Rhys. “Yes, now I get to say a few words. It’s his fault for choosing me,” she said, pointing a thumb at Chance. “But I promise they’ll be fewer than that windbag.” Everyone laughed. “However, Rhys Hadley is one hundred percent correct. They have been more than a little stubborn about each other, especially in those weeks before Patrick’s proposal. I’m afraid it’s a bit of a miracle that neither of us bashed their heads in.” She shook her head as the guests laughed again. “But truthfully, they’re an amazing couple. I think it’s rare to see two people as happy and as in love as they are. And they’ve given this old queen something to remember. There are happily ever afters, sometimes the good do win out, and dreams do come true. To Patrick and Chance and their own happily ever after.”

  She held up her glass as everyone shouted “Hear! Hear!”

  When she sat down, she snatched up her napkin and started dabbing at her eyes. She threw a look at Chance. “Nope, you didn’t manage it today. I found new mascara, and this doesn’t run.”

  Chance laughed and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You’re something. Thank you.”

  She sniffed. “Just don’t do anything quite as stupid as that again, hmm?”

  “I can’t make any promises.” Chance looked over at Patrick and kissed him.

  Sophia rolled her eyes but was distracted as the hot male waiters brought out dinner.

  Patrick waited at one side of the dance floor as Chance spoke with the DJ. He watched Chance fix the headset and transmitter, then say something the DJ nodded at. A moment later, Chance turned around. “First off, I’d like to thank you all on behalf of my husband and me. The amount that was donated to The Trevor Project has been phenomenal. We appreciate very much your heeding our wishes to donate to them instead of gifts. They need it so much more than we do, and we’re amazed and humbled by how much you’ve sent. So, thank you.”

  He paused to wait as the very loud applause died down. “So, this is supposed to be where the married couple does their first dance to some sappy song that they’ve picked out.” He grinned when they laughed. “Well, the song’s still sappy and we’re still dancing. But because my husband is a stubborn man, he’s managed to convince me to sing it for you.” The guests broke out in applause. Chance waited a few seconds, then held his hand up. “But I made him promise to let me lead.”

  Patrick crossed the floor as the opening notes of “I Won’t Give Up” started, and the guests laughed again. “It’s a good thing we took lessons in this. I had no idea how to follow,” Patrick murmured in his ear.

  Chance grinned. “Indeed,” he whispered. “I’ll still love you even if you step on my toes.”

  Patrick did it deliberately, making Chance laugh. The last intro bars played then, and Patrick’s smiled faded. He looked up into Chance’s eyes and stepped into his husband’s arms, and then they took the first steps of the dance.

  They had taken lessons, even choreographed the entire thing. Based loosely on a waltz, it gave them actual steps to do and something for Patrick to focus on, since he was very new at following.

  It surprised him, actually, how well it worked. He’d never quite expected two men dancing together could be so beautiful, but when he’d gone digging through Google, he’d seen exactly that.

  Through quite a few turns and spins, some swaying and a few leans, they managed the entire dance without missing a step—and without him actually treading on Chance’s feet. As the song wound down, their dance slowed with it. And once Chance had sung the last word, Patrick leaned in and they shared a long, slow, drawn-out kiss full of their love, reiterating their promises to each other.

  When they broke apart, they stared at each other. Patrick completely forgot where they were for a long moment, not even hearing the tumultuous applause, focused only on Chance, on just how beautiful that man was to him. “You really are my light, you know that?”

  Chance blushed around a smile. “I… I like knowing that. You’re mine.” They shared another kiss before finally realizing the DJ had shifted the song to something new, apparently turning off the mic. Patrick and Chance grinned at each other, then walked over to the tables, holding their hands out to their own mothers. Patrick led Kalea out on to the floor while Chance led Violet. As Mariah Carey started singing about heroes, Patrick closed his eyes. He swayed in place, not moving far, but his mama seemed very happy with that.

  “I’m sorry, Patrick,” she whispered.

  Patrick pulled back and looked down at her. “Sorry? What for, Mama?”

  She nodded, reaching up and cupping a cheek. “I should never have done what I did to you. I… I’ve caused you so much pain.”

  “Shhh,” he said, then kissed her forehead.

  “No, I—”

  Patrick lifted a finger to her lips. “Let me explain.” She paused, then nodded. “I don’t think Chance and I were ready yet to be the kind of partners we needed to be. We both had baggage—and yes, I know everyone does—but we needed to get over these things if we wanted to be able to honestly love each other.” Patrick shook his head. “I needed to figure out what was most important. I had to learn that, as much as I love you, I couldn’t let you be the deciding factor in my life.” She swallowed and dropped her eyes. Patrick tilted her chin up until she met his gaze again. “That’s not to say that what you think doesn’t matter—it does. But I had to learn that I can’t live my life for you.” He rested his cheek against hers. “I love you, Mama. And I didn’t want to hurt you. But….”

  “I know. You learned who you
were and needed to. I’m glad you did.”

  They danced in silence until the end of the song, and then he kissed her before stepping back. Patrick and Chance glanced at each other and nodded, then moved to the other’s mother. Phil Collins crooned this number about being in someone’s heart, and Patrick led Violet through a simple dance.

  “I’ve never seen him so happy,” Violet said, looking over at Chance. Kalea and Chance were talking, and she said something that made him laugh. She smiled up at Chance and—to Patrick’s happy surprise—he kissed her on the cheek.

  “I hope I can continue to make him happy.”

  “You will,” Violet said, nodding. “And there are times that you won’t. That’s part of being two different people. But I have faith that the two of you will be together for a very long time.”

  Patrick smiled. “I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.”

  “Good. Because if you don’t, you’ll have me to answer to. I don’t put up with crap from any of my children.”

  Patrick grinned. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, and she smacked his arm.

  By the time they’d done all the things they’d wanted—and that were expected of them—they were both closing in on exhausted.

  Like cutting the cake. Quinn made the beautiful multitiered cake to truly reflect both of them. Each tier was decorated to look like a film canister or a stack of music CDs. Strips of film and music staves twisted in a spiral vertically along the cake. And each tier held icons from the other person’s tier: notes and clefs covered the film canisters, and the CD stacks had clapboards and cameras. The tiny top tier was removed and packed up for them to take with them, and the rest was cut for the guests. Patrick and Chance fed each other bites, making sure to smash it in each other’s faces while laughing like loons.

  After they spent the requisite time talking and dancing with a mess of other people, they were finally able to leave. Patrick kissed his mother again for suggesting they stay in the same hotel that night. They’d decided to stay the week there, though no one knew that except their mothers and that was only so they could be found in case there was an emergency with Avery. Patrick and Chance said their thank-yous and good-byes, kissed Avery, made sure he would behave for his Grandma Violet, then made their escape.

  When they stepped into the elevator and hit the button for their floor in the Ali’i Tower, Patrick and Chance sighed. Chance pulled Patrick in, nuzzling his face, and he melted against his husband. “I am almost too tired to make love with you tonight.”

  “Hmm, are you getting old on me, Chance Tearney?”

  Chance grinned. “Are you ever going to get tired of saying my name like that?”

  Patrick tilted his head, considering it. “Probably not for a while.”

  Chance laughed and kissed him. “Good. I like hearing it. And no, I’m not getting old. But you can’t tell me that you’re not a little fried after all that today.”

  Patrick fought to keep a straight face but lost. “Completely fried. But… I need to feel you.”

  Chance sobered and nodded. “I need to feel you too, baby.” He cupped Patrick’s face and kissed him again.

  Even after all the kisses they’d shared through the evening, Patrick felt like he hadn’t been able to get enough. He deepened the kiss much more than he’d been able to at the reception, focusing on showing Chance as much love as he could. When they broke apart, he kept his eyes closed. “I love you, a ghrá.”

  “I love you, baby.”

  Patrick opened his eyes and looked into Chance’s. And in them he saw himself, saw them together, their future, their life. They’d both gone through hell and given things up to get there. But as Chance brushed a thumb over Patrick’s cheek, as his husband smiled, and the blue eyes reflected the love he felt, he knew it was worth it. He was where he belonged, and he’d sacrifice it all over again to get here.

  About the Author

  Grace R. Duncan grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age—many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fanfiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.

  As someone who loves to travel and see new places, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children - both the human and furry kind.

  As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the Internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance, and other erotica, or even dabbling in art.

  Website: www.grace-duncan.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/GraceRDuncan2

  Twitter: @gracerduncan

  E-mail: duncan.grace.r@gmail.com