Stuart pursed his lips. “I get you. And yes, it is strange looking at it from where I stand. Maybe that has to do with the fact that lots of your friends have had sex with each other and some still do.” He grinned when Malcolm clapped a hand over a laugh. “I told you, I know a thing or two about wife swapping. It’s nice knowing you guys all have each other’s backs. Great, actually. I miss that about being Elder Morgan. A sense of belonging to something bigger.” Stuart’s expression softened. “I get a little with Marisol and the crew at King’s, but it’s not quite the same.”
Malcolm hid a smile. He’d seen the way his friends looked at Stuart. Seen the grins they’d exchanged any time he held Malcolm’s hand or they showed each other affection. Stuart had gone to the speakeasy guys when Malcolm had needed help, an act that really made them want to know him. Which meant Stuart was going to be pulled into the speakeasy crew by hook or by crook and he had no idea.
* * * *
“Malcolm? Dad says he needs your help.”
Malcolm turned in his seat at Sadie’s voice. After spending the morning making last-minute preparations, Carter had sequestered himself on the second floor of the house. The other guests began to arrive at noon and a party formed on the deck with lots of snacks and agua fresca, as well as a myriad of mixed cocktails courtesy of Kyle and Jesse. Sadie looked calm to Malcolm, but her words set alarm bells off in his head. Nothing could go wrong today—Malcolm would see to that himself if he had to. The looks Jesse and Kyle were sending him said they would absolutely be his back-up, too.
“Anything wrong?” he asked Sadie.
“Nah.” Sadie’s rose-pink sundress set off her dark hair and tinted her hazel eyes green. She leaned in and dropped her voice to a near whisper. “He’s having trouble with his tie. Ri-Dad always helps him but they’re not looking at each other before the wedding.” She paused then and frowned. “Which doesn’t make sense because we all ate breakfast together. Twice.”
Malcolm bit back a snort at her words. “Some people follow that tradition before they get married, meaning they don’t see each other until they’re ready to say vows. Usually, they don’t see each other for a whole day.”
“Well, that’s silly. What if you have trouble with your tie and your boyfriend’s on the other side of the house?” Sadie shrugged. “Anyway, Dad says you’re the best one to help.”
The tension forming in Malcolm’s chest eased. Hopefully, Carter wasn’t covering a problem more urgent than a stubborn necktie. “Got it. I’m good with knots, even though your dad and I don’t wear ties much these days.”
Stuart leaned past Malcolm and looked between him and Sadie. Which gave Malcolm another opportunity to admire the sight of Stuart in a natty pale-blue suit. Beyond his chef’s whites, Stuart didn’t go formal very often. He cleaned up exceedingly well, however, even if that meant his ink had gone into temporary hiding.
“Everything okay, guys?” he asked.
“Yep.” Malcolm winked at him. “Be back in a minute. One of the grooms needs a hand with a wardrobe malfunction.”
He and Sadie passed Cam on the way upstairs, and Malcolm stifled a laugh as he caught sight of a crown of pink and white roses resting on Cam’s fiery hair. Like the rest of the men in the house, Cam wore a casual summer suit, but Malcolm knew without a doubt that crown belonged on someone else’s head.
“You’d better not let Riley catch you wearing that,” he said, and this time, he did laugh at the way Cam’s face fell. “Sadie needs it for the ceremony, dude.”
“Yes, of course.” Cam pouted. “I was just keeping it from getting crushed. And the colors look really nice against my hair. Against yours too, pumpkin,” he added when Sadie set her hands on her hips.
“I have an extra one in my room you can wear instead,” she said. “It’s more white flowers than pink because the florist guy said it was a backup. You should wait until after the dads are married to wear it, though.”
Malcolm left them to their negotiations and continued on to the master suite where he found Carter before the full-length mirror dressed in a beautiful silver-gray suit, both hands on his tie and his face screwed up in a mask of concentration.
“Oh, thank God.” He practically beamed as Malcolm slipped past the door. “I hate to ask, but help? I’m all thumbs today, and every time I’ve tried with this thing, I end up looking like an absolute idiot.”
“Of course. And, seriously, you look great.” Malcolm crossed the room and carefully straightened the silk necktie around Carter’s neck so the broader end hung lower against his pale-pink shirt. “I still can’t do it unless I pretend I’m doing the tying, so hang on a second.”
They both laughed as he turned Carter toward the mirror, then rose up on his toes enough to see over Carter’s shoulder. The last of Malcolm’s worry faded as he worked with the dark gray tie. Carter looked happy and relaxed, his eyes clear and his body language easy.
“It’s been a while since you had to do this for me,” he said to Malcolm.
A dozen memories rushed into Malcolm’s head of helping Carter with his jacket or tie during their time together at Hamilton Advertising. Years that now seemed a lifetime away when they’d had a different kind of working relationship and lives that were unrecognizable compared to those they lived today. That time had changed the path of Malcolm’s life, though he hadn’t known it at the time.
“Lucky for both of us I can still tie a wicked Windsor,” he said. Malcolm wound the broad end of the tie around in a final pass, then looped it up and over to complete the knot. “I offered to help Stuart with his tie earlier, but it turns out he is great at a Kelvin.”
“He really is badass.” Carter followed Malcolm’s fingers with his eyes as he smoothed the silk. “You know, if we were Jesse and anyone else on the crew, we’d move on to talking shibari right now.”
Malcolm tipped his head back and laughed. “Oh, God, you’re right! Which reminds me that we should get you downstairs before Riley thinks something’s wrong and Jesse makes Stuart regret not hooking up with him and Cam that night.”
“Pfft. Stuart wouldn’t think that.”
Malcolm drew his eyebrows together. “No?”
“Nope. You’re the one he’s looking at, Mal.” Carter raised his own hands to the now finished knot while Malcolm turned him around again. “You know a guy is into you when not even the eye candy that is the speakeasy crew turns their head.”
“You make a good point.” Malcolm lifted Carter’s jacket from the chair nearby and held it out. He tried not to feel too smug. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem. Thanks for being here today.” Carter slid his arms into the jacket, and together, they settled it over his broad shoulders. “And for the assist with my clothes. How do I look?”
“Perfect,” said a familiar voice from the door. Only then did Malcolm notice that Jesse and Kyle had joined them at some point and were both smiling widely. Kyle took several steps forward.
“About time to get you downstairs, big man,” he said, his dark brown eyes brighter than usual. “Ri and the kids are waiting.”
“Oh, good!” Carter grinned. “I’ve been going stir-crazy cooped up on this floor with the cat for company and knowing that everyone else was downstairs. So lead the way, my good men.”
Jesse held up a hand. “Yeah, I need a hug first or I’m going to start bawling my head off.”
Catching Kyle by the elbow, he pulled him forward, and before Malcolm knew it, he’d been dragged into the hug, too. And while his eyes burned and his throat went tight, Malcolm was more than okay with that and squeezed his friend’s back just as hard.
“You guys are really cutting it close,” Stuart said a short while later as Malcolm dashed across the deck, now empty except for the speakeasy crew, with Jesse and Kyle close behind. “I think the senator and his boyfriend were about to do some recon.”
“He’s right,” David called over Will and Cam’s laughter.
“Everything’s under control
,” Malcolm replied. “We’ve got about a minute to get out there or we’re going to crash the processional, though. That won’t be a good look on any of us.”
“Oh, fuck six ducks.” Jesse grabbed Cam by the hand. “Let’s go!”
With a little hustle, the guys were seated by the time the acoustic guitar duo providing the music changed chords. Which was a good thing seeing Malcolm and his friends filled nearly every chair on the left side of the aisle alone. They handed around small baskets of rose petals while John Legend’s All of Me filled the air and Malcolm thought he and the guys looked almost entirely together by the time Sadie and Dylan stepped off the deck. Of course, Will bobbled his basket of petals and a good number of them ended up in Malcolm’s lap while the two of them and their dates tried to smother their laughter.
Sadie and Dylan made their way to the aisle and walked toward a silver-haired woman who stood beneath the gazebo with a pleasant smile, her demeanor welcoming and warm. Like his father, Dylan had dressed in silver-gray trousers and a pale-pink shirt, and he wore a gray bow tie and no jacket, a pink rose pinned to his breast pocket. Sadie’s flower crown was in its rightful place, too, and she carried a basket of rose petals.
Moments later, the grooms appeared, hands linked and smiles bright, and Malcolm’s throat ached again. His friends looked…radiant. Riley’s gray jacket complemented the rest of his family’s colors, though his trousers were white and his bow tie a deep rose. He looked dashing—because Riley always did—but Malcolm thought today he and Carter would have looked just as amazing in jeans and T-shirts. Both shone from the inside out, and a near-tangible happiness surrounded them. Malcolm swore he felt lighter just being present.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” the woman beneath the gazebo said after the last bars of music had faded. She moved her gaze over those who’d gathered, then to Carter and Riley, who stood before her, with Sadie at Carter’s side and Dylan at Riley’s. “I am the Honorable Samantha Stone. I’m honored to have been asked here today to officiate a very special moment in the lives of Riley Andrew Porter-Wright and Carter Ward Hamilton, one they’ve chosen to share with you.
“To all present, I say that today is a celebration. Of love and commitment, and friendship and family. Marriage is created in the hearts of two loving people, and Carter and Riley are two such souls. We gather here not to witness the beginnings of what will be, but rather what already is. In the years they’ve known one another, Carter and Riley’s love has grown and matured into an unshakable union and they have decided that now is the right time to live their lives as husbands.”
Justice Stone shifted her gaze to the Hamilton kids and smiled. “As I said earlier, today is also a celebration of family. To honor this uniting, Carter and Riley ask for their children’s blessing. Sadie and Dylan, do you offer your dads your goodwill?”
Sadie and Dylan exchanged a glance, then nodded at the Justice. “Yes, we do,” they said in unison.
“And do you welcome Riley as an honorary Hamilton and give him your love and affection?”
Dylan and his sister repeated, “Yes, we do,” and Dylan flashed a thumbs-up at Riley, prompting gentle laughter from everyone.
“Thank you.” Justice Stone shifted her focus again to the grooms. “Carter and Riley, true marriage begins well before the wedding day and continues far beyond the ceremony’s end. A brief moment in time and the stroke of the pen are all that is required to create the legal bond of marriage. It takes a lifetime of love, commitment and compromise to make that union durable and everlasting.”
She inclined her head beyond Carter and Riley to the crowd in their seats. “Today, you declare your commitment to each other before the people who love you. Your yesterdays were the path to this moment, and your journey to a future of togetherness becomes a little clearer.”
A sense of wonder filtered through Malcolm. Just that morning, Stuart had described his future as having gone murky after leaving Utah. Malcolm’s own future was still coming clear, too, in ways he’d never expected. A small part of him dared to hope he’d found a partner he could share that journey with, and even that Stuart might someday feel the same.
“The vows you are about to make share your love and commitment to each other,” Justice Stone said. “They declare your promise to one another and your children, and to all those here who support you today.” She gestured to Riley with a kind smile.
Riley turned toward Carter and gathered Carter’s hands in his own. “It’s hard for me to remember a time when I didn’t love you, Carter, and there are still days that I can’t believe we’re here right now.” He smiled, his throat working before he continued. “Today and every day, I promise to be your sympathizer and best friend, to always trust your judgment, and to love our kids with my whole heart. I promise to put you and Sadie and Dylan first and I will never forget how lucky I am to have your love in my life. I promise to be yours, Carter, and to be your husband for as long as you’ll have me.”
Carter nodded, but it was clear to Malcolm that he was struggling to keep it together. Heck, Malcolm’s own eyes were smarting, too. Carter’s voice sounded rough when he spoke, so Sadie took a step closer to her father and set one hand on his hip.
“Riley, you know me better than anyone and somehow still manage to love me, though I really don’t know how.” He paused as Riley looked skyward with a laugh and Malcolm saw them squeeze each other’s hands tighter. “So today and every day, I promise to be your navigator and your sidekick, to always tell you the truth and to make our house a home. I’ll do my best to never let you down. I also want you to know that Sadie, Dylan and I will stand with you always.” A tear slipped down Carter’s cheek, but he continued as if he hadn’t noticed. “I promise you myself, Ri, and to always love you for who you are. Thank you for saying yes.”
Sniffles were audible from both sides of the aisle as Dylan withdrew a pair of rose-gold wedding bands from his pants pocket and Malcolm had to swallow hard. Seeing his friends like this—the love shared with each other and their children—was a gift. Malcolm couldn’t describe it any other way.
Raising his hands, Riley wiped the tears from Carter’s cheeks and his own. He and Carter accepted the rings from Dylan, who looked as solemn as Malcolm had ever seen, and the Hamilton kids watched as their dads slipped the rings onto each other’s fingers. In the next heartbeat, all four were grinning. Justice Stone waited for Carter and Riley to clasp hands again and set one of hers over theirs.
“Carter and Riley, you have declared your love by exchanging vows. You’ve symbolized your commitment by exchanging rings,” she said. “So there’s just one more question I need each of you to answer before I turn you loose to celebrate.”
She met Carter’s gaze. “Carter, do you take Riley to be your husband?”
“I do,” he said with a grin.
“And, Riley, do you take Carter to be your husband?” she asked.
Riley barked out a gleeful-sounding laugh. “You bet I do.”
Justice Stone brought her hands together with a chuckle. “Then by the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husbands. So kiss already, but keep it classy, and give your kids a hug!”
A roar burst from the crowd as Carter and Riley embraced. Malcolm got to his feet with the other guests, cheering as they threw handfuls of rose petals in the air, and Cam shoved two fingers in his mouth and blew the most ear-piercing whistle Malcolm had ever heard. Laughing, he turned toward Stuart. His heart sank as he caught something sad in Stuart’s expression.
Stuart had tried so hard to find the same contentment only to have it go terribly wrong. Maybe watching two men exchange vows was more bitter than sweet for him, considering he’d lost his home and whole life simply for being gay.
“Hey.” Malcolm wrapped his hand tight around Stuart’s. “Are you okay?”
Stuart’s eyes went wide. “Yes! Damn, I’m sorry.” He squeezed Malcolm’s fingers and seemed almost to shake himself. “It’s a lot to take in,
you know? Amazing. Overwhelming, too, and not in a bad way.”
“You’ve no doubt figured out all of these guys are ‘go big or go home’ types.” Malcolm offered what he hoped was an encouraging smile. The guitar duo had started up again, but now he ached with a need to make his man feel better. “Not sure they know any other way to be, so I hear you on the overwhelming part. I’m glad you’re here. That you could see this with me.”
So you could see what love looks like when the right people come together.
Understanding flashed in Stuart’s eyes though Malcolm hadn’t spoken those words. “I’m glad, too.” He brushed a kiss to Malcolm’s lips and the light touch sent warmth all through Malcolm when Stuart really smiled.
They paused then so they could cheer even louder as the grooms and kids made their way back down the aisle. The song the guitar duo had been playing became clear as the noise of the crowd died down, and when Malcolm looked at Stuart again, awe was clear in his face.
“Is that…are they playing Billy Idol’s White Wedding?”
“Yep.” Malcolm snickered. “Carter asked for two things on this day—that the kids be involved in the ceremony and that he be allowed to choose the recessional. He didn’t tell Riley what song he chose, but I have a feeling Riley’s so loved up right now he hasn’t even noticed.”
He held his arm out to Stuart, who’d started snickering, too. “Let’s get in line for hugs with the happy couple, and then I want to grab a drink before the dancing starts.”
“Dancing? You didn’t tell me there’d be dancing.”
“You’re right, I didn’t. And I can’t wait to see you shake your ass.”
The glower that settled over Stuart’s features would have freaked Malcolm out only a month before. He really had gotten better at reading the man, though. He wasn’t surprised at all when Stuart heaved a dramatic-sounding sigh and let Malcolm lead the way.
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