Forever & Ever

by Tere Michaels

  “Jesus Christ,” Matt muttered. “Do I even want to know what the bouquets cost?” He dug around his wallet for singles.

  “Depends. Cheaper than having your new wife pissed because you forgot.” The kid laughed at his own joke.

  “Fortunately I’m marrying a man who hates flowers.” Matt handed over the bills.

  Sign of the times, Matt supposed, because the kid didn’t even blink. “No refunds,” he warned, eyeing Matt suspiciously. “So why are you bothering?”

  Matt sighed as he took the flowers in hand. “The wedding industry is a juggernaut that cannot be stopped, and I just became its latest victim.”

  EVAN DROVE down the narrow streets surrounding the courthouse, searching for a spot. He’d hoped coming later in the day, at the end of the court’s business hours, would afford him something a bit closer, but finally, in desperation, he squeezed the car into a space near the end of the park—which meant a bit of a hike to where Matt waited.

  He’d changed into his best suit in a McDonald’s bathroom before leaving the city, a flurry of nerves and excitement. Everything seemed to be falling into place, a phenomenon Evan wasn’t intimately acquainted with as he walked past throngs of schoolchildren and mothers with baby carriages and old men playing chess. Every step, every clack of his dress shoes on the pavement, brought him closer to Matt and this dip into… un-Evan-like behavior.

  His palms began to sweat.

  Fumbling, Evan got his phone out to text Matt.

  Where are you?

  Look for the giant wedding mall on the corner.

  What?

  You cannot miss it. Believe me.

  A few more blocks and Evan spotted Matt pacing in front of a newsstand, except as he got closer, he realized what Matt meant. A woman tried on a veil as someone he presumed to be her mother held an ornate picture frame in each hand as if trying to decide between them.

  Matt spotted him when he reached the other side of the street; Evan waved nervously as he waited for the light to change.

  “Hey,” he said as he jogged over to Matt’s side, heart fluttering. “Wow, you look great.”

  Matt’s best suit—the navy rich client suit, the one Bennett and Daisy had given him two Christmases ago—fit him perfectly, so much so that Evan gave him a lingering once-over.

  “You always give me that look when I wear this,” Matt said delightedly. He waved two small plastic containers under Evan’s nose. “Here, have a rose.”

  “Oh.” Evan hadn’t thought of flowers, but the little white rose, already halfway to wilted, made him smile. “Perfect.”

  “You ready to do this?” Matt handed him one container, then opened the one he kept. When he moved to pin it on Evan, Evan got light-headed with what felt strangely like lust.

  “Huh?”

  Matt fussed with the giant pin and Evan’s lapel. “Are you ready to get hitched? And why is this so hard? I did this for prom, why can’t I remember?”

  Evan tried not to flinch when Matt stuck him. “Prom for you was like, forty-seven years ago,” he said.

  Indignant, Matt stuck him again, this time clearly on purpose.

  “Yes, by the way. I’m ready to get married,” Evan said finally. Matt grinned as he managed to attach the rose to Evan’s jacket.

  “Excellent. Because I’m really looking forward to the honeymoon.”

  Evan returned the favor, attaching the boutonnière onto Matt’s jacket. And maybe he copped a feel of the chest beneath that fancy blue suit.

  “You are quite the randy groom,” Matt muttered, leaning over to smack a quick kiss on Evan’s lips.

  “Who knew?” Evan cleared his throat as Matt walked over to drop the empty plastic containers into the garbage can on the corner. He felt a little drunk as he stared at Matt, his brain shorting out.

  Mine.

  Matt detoured on his way back to go to his car, which Evan realized was parked near the corner. A second later the door opened and Abe’s fedoraed head appeared.

  He waved wildly at Evan as Matt helped him out of the car.

  This was it, Evan thought. This was really it.

  “This is very exciting,” Abe said as he reached Evan’s side. He noticed the flower on Evan, then Matt, and then looked at Evan again. “What? The best man doesn’t get one?”

  “I got you Johnnie Walker Double Black!” Matt reached for his wallet, mumbling as he walked back over to the Marriage Mart on the corner.

  Abe poked Evan in the ribs. “You okay? Haight’s vibrating like his On button is stuck. You look dazed.”

  Evan blinked a few times; fully aware he was still staring at Matt. “I’m great, actually. Surprisingly.” Because truth be told, he’d expected a certain amount of freaking out by now. Not the fluttering joy in his chest. Not the lustful gaze. “It’s going to be nice to bust his balls later for being the nervous groom.”

  “You crazy kids,” Abe chuckled.

  Matt returned with a carnation spray-painted a sickly bright blue. “I think this matches the bird attached to your hat.”

  “It does, actually.” Sticking out his chest, Abe smiled brightly as Matt attached it—this time without much groping.

  “You’re getting good at that,” Evan said.

  “I’m ready for prom.”

  Evan checked his watch. “I hope you’re also ready to get married, because we have to get upstairs.”

  THEY MET Miriam at the employees’ entrance again. She sparkled with delight at their suits and cooed over the flowers. “I have some rice at my desk if you think it’ll help the mood, and I’m available for flower girl duties.” Her floral dress fit the offer perfectly.

  The trek through the hallways went much quicker and much less anxiously; Evan knew at the end of the workday no one would notice the weird little party hoofing it toward the judge’s chambers.

  “Hi, Darrell!” Miriam greeted the bailiff and then knocked on the judge’s door.

  “Come,” a stern voice echoed from the other side.

  “Wernicky,” Matt muttered. “Anyone know him?”

  Evan shrugged. The name didn’t ring a bell. Abe responded in kind.

  “He’s super nice,” Miriam chimed in as she opened the door. “And he’s promised this is totally a private thing.”

  In Judge Wernicky’s chambers, a blast of air-conditioning greeted them. Behind the large wood desk—freshly shined—sat an enormous man, like a Jets linebacker had been thrown into a robe and arranged to look official.

  Evan guessed him to be about fifty, with a Marine’s haircut and ruddy complexion. He stood up and Evan felt his head tilt back. Not a football player—maybe basketball. His head was the size of a car engine.

  “Gentlemen,” he said gruffly. He approached them with his hand outstretched. “Congratulations.”

  “We appreciate your discretion, sir.” Evan tried not to wince as the judge crushed his hand.

  “Miriam explained things to me.” Judge Wernicky’s broad face broke into a lighthearted grin, and his voice rose about two octaves. “Just so you know, this is my thing. I’m kind of known as the judge to the stars. Lots of private ceremonies, lots of stuff done on the QT.” He chuckled. “You should see all the pictures I can’t show people!”

  “That sounds dirty,” Matt whispered for Evan’s ears only.

  Judge Wernicky clapped his hands. “Shall we, gentlemen?”

  THERE WAS certain poetry to a jovial giant marrying them. A judge that could bench-press all three of them with one hand while scrolling through his phone to show them a photo of “that guy from the TV show and the model.”

  To break up the sausage fest, Miriam stood to one side, holding the judge’s cactus like a demented flower girl. Abe planted himself next to Matt, surreptitiously tucking a handkerchief that Matt pretended not to notice in his pocket.

  “You want some pictures to commemorate the occasion? Maybe a video?” the judge asked, indicating Miriam.

  Evan froze for a second, and Matt scanned hi
s face for some sort of assistance in answering.

  “Actually,” Evan said, “yes. That would be great.”

  Matt felt his face folding into confusion. “Really?”

  “I’ll hide it in the tax file,” he said, shrugging. “No one will find it there.” He handed his phone to Miriam, who put the cactus back on the windowsill. “It might be nice to, you know, have.”

  “Okay. That’s weird coming from you.” Matt wiped his damp palms on his pants. He turned to the judge, then a wildly grinning Abe. “Okay. Here we go.”

  “You want the quick version? Because if not, I have a really nice thing I do for people in love,” the judge said.

  “Do the love thing,” Abe spoke up. “Nice and mushy.”

  Wernicky looked delighted. “Outstanding. Mentions of God?”

  “No, thanks,” Matt said with confidence.

  “Any readings at all? I’m sure we can find something that suits.”

  “Well…,” Evan started to say, but Miriam piped up.

  “Can I make a case for some Brontë?”

  Evan and Matt shared a look, and Evan swore he heard Matt’s voice in his head.

  “Miriam, you’ve been so sweet to us. We would love whatever you pick. Would you mind reading it?”

  “Oh, of course!”

  “Very nice.” The judge clearly approved. “Rings?”

  “No, actually. We can skip that part,” Evan said as Matt squeezed his hand. “Is that okay?”

  “Sure, sure.” The judge went to his desk and collected a piece of paper from the blotter. “I think that’s everything, folks. Let’s get this going.”

  “DEARLY BELOVED, we are gathered today to join Evan Cerelli and Matthew Haight in matrimony.” The judge loomed over them, the piece of paper in hand seemingly dwarfed by his size. “While some may think a courthouse wedding isn’t romantic, I think it says, ‘Screw all the fancy stuff, we just want to get hitched.’”

  Evan’s mouth wobbled in amusement as he clutched Matt’s hands.

  “You two have come before me today with the intention to seal your union. Making a life together doesn’t have much use for a piece of paper, but tradition and the law have made this ceremony something of importance. Solemn but joyful. Symbolic but binding.

  “Evan and Matthew, today you celebrate one of life’s greatest moments and give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, as you join together in vows of marriage.” He winked. “Just to get this out of the way, anyone have any reason to object?”

  Abe snickered.

  “Good. Miriam, you okay over there?”

  Miriam chuckled behind the phone as she recorded the moment for posterity.

  “Excellent.” Judge Wernicky cleared his throat and ruffled the paper. “Here we go.

  “Evan, do you take Matthew to be your husband?”

  “I do,” Evan said, loudly and clearly, even as his throat went rough.

  “Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?”

  “Yes, I do.” Matt squeezed his hands tightly as Evan spoke the words directly to him.

  “Matthew, do you take Evan to be your husband?”

  “Hell yes.”

  “Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?”

  “I do.”

  Judge Wernicky beamed at them.

  “Almost there, gentlemen. Evan, repeat after me….”

  Evan took a deep breath, ready to recite the familiar vows. “I, Evan, take you, Matthew, to be my husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you.” Evan exhaled slowly. “Always. Even when you live only to drive me crazy.”

  Matt sniffled loudly, which set off Abe, and Evan coughed in an attempt not to break into nervous laughter.

  “I, Matthew, take you, Evan, to be my husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you.” Matt nodded as he said the words. “Even when you get all… Evan,” he added softly.

  Abe snickered, then blew his nose loudly.

  “Miriam?”

  She’d arranged the phone on its stand, sitting on the judge’s file cabinet. Ducking into the shot, Miriam took her own phone out of her dress pocket and began to read.

  “I have two things to share.” She cleared her throat. “Emily Brontë wrote, ‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.’” Miriam looked up, giving them a delighted smile.

  “And then I turn to her sister Charlotte to add, ‘I ask you to pass through life at my side—to be my second self, and best earthly companion,’” she said with a sigh.

  “Oh man,” Matt said wetly, and Evan broke into a damp laugh of his own. Miriam couldn’t have chosen a better set of quotes to grace their ceremony with.

  “Perfect.” The judge continued. “Evan and Matthew, just as two very different threads woven in opposite directions can form a beautiful tapestry, so can your two lives merge together to form a very beautiful marriage. To make your marriage work will take love. That is the core of your marriage, as it’s the reason you are here. But it also will take trust—to know in your hearts you want the best for each other. It will take dedication—to stay open to one another, to learn and to grow together even when this is not always so easy to do. It will take faith—to always be willing to go forward to tomorrow, never really knowing what tomorrow will bring. And it will take commitment—to hold true to the journey you both now pledge to share together.”

  Evan couldn’t look away from Matt’s face, but the sound of Abe’s breath hitching was unmistakable.

  “Evan and Matthew, insomuch as the two of you have agreed to live together in matrimony and have promised your love for each other by these vows, I now declare you to be husband and husband.”

  Time seemed to suspend for a moment. Evan swallowed back a burst of intense emotion as he stared into his husband’s face. To know such love twice in a lifetime was unexpected; he’d never felt so humble.

  “Congratulations, gentlemen, you may seal your union with a kiss.”

  “Now the part I can really get behind,” Matt choked out, grabbing Evan’s face with both hands. “This was an excellent idea.”

  Evan was still laughing when Matt pressed their lips together with exuberance.

  “MAZEL TOV,” Abe Klein said, clapping his hands together. Miriam cheered and clapped along with Judge Wernicky. Matt heard all this from a distance as he kissed Evan until he pulled back in need of air.

  “That,” he said, still holding on to Evan, “was weirdly awesome. And I’m glad no one was here to watch me be the sap.”

  Evan pulled away just enough to wipe his eyes with his fist. “I’m keeping that video for blackmail purposes.”

  Abe pounded Matt on the back; they turned to find the older man dabbing at his face with his handkerchief. “Congratulations, boys.”

  Feeling wildly emotional, Matt disengaged from Evan long enough to give Abe a tight hug. “Thanks for everything, Abe.”

  “This is a good day, a very good day,” he muttered before wiggling out of Matt’s grasp. He coughed, not making eye contact with anyone for a moment. “Evan? You keep this idiot in line.”

  “I just promised to do that. The ‘idiot’ was understood.” Evan patted Abe’s arm. “We appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

  “Eh. I just wanted to get out a little bit.” Abe put his gruff exterior on, stepping back from their little circle. “And you know, the scotch.”

  Matt sniffled, giving Abe his space. “Should have brought it in. I could use a belt.”

  “We have a few pieces of paper to sign, gentlemen, and then I’ll let you get on your way,” Judge Wernicky said gently, interrupting their conversation. “Miriam?”

  She shut off the phone, fiddling with it for a second. “All saved.” She handed it back to Evan. “I labeled it ‘tax videos.�
�”

  “Perfect.” Evan tucked the phone into his jacket pocket. Matt grabbed his other hand, holding tight. “Thank you so much.”

  “My pleasure. Now let me get clerking!”

  Miriam fussed at the judge’s desk for a few moments. Matt felt like the ground was moving underneath him; Evan’s hand kept him steady as he tried to reconcile what just happened. He didn’t expect the flood of emotions, didn’t expect to feel so freaking happy at this moment. From the dazed look on his face, Evan wasn’t all that prepared either.

  When Matt’s phone buzzed in his pocket, he jumped with surprise.

  He pulled it out, checking the screen. “Danny’s having dinner at Ollie’s house,” he said. “Elizabeth is going to the gym with Jane.” Matt gave Evan his best waggling eyebrows. “We have the house to ourselves until at least eight.”

  Evan’s eyes got wide. “I hope we don’t hit any traffic.”

  JUDGE WERNICKY slapped them both on the back and insisted on taking a picture, after swearing on an actual Bible that he’d never show anyone. Miriam hugged them repeatedly, then Abe, then Evan and Matt again.

  “Tell Buddy I said thank you,” Abe said, kissing her cheek before they left.

  “I’ll send the marriage certificate to Abe’s place,” Miriam promised. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “We need to buy her a pony,” Matt said as they walked down the hall toward the now familiar back exit.

  “Flowers at least.” Evan squeezed his hand as they kept the pace slow so Abe could keep up.

  When they reached the corner, the wedding accoutrements cart was closed down, and the entire bustle associated with the courthouse dissipated. A chilly wind blew as the sun started to go down, and Evan took the moment in, a mental picture to keep tucked away.

  “I’ll drop Abe off, then meet you at home?” Matt asked, pulling him into a hug.

  “Yeah. Give me a chance to, uh, set things up.” Evan hoped his husband—husband—got the message.

  He shouldn’t have doubted it for a second, because Matt’s grin could be seen from space.