Something Like Spring (63 page)

William studied him, wearing an almost pained expression. “Don’t tease me.”

Jason forced his smile away. “You’re right, and you’re wrong. I shouldn’t tease you. You’re totally right about that. But this picnic is nothing like the last one, because this time we’re both free to do whatever we want.”

“Meaning?” William said. “I don’t want to have an affair. I don’t want to share you.”

“Caesar and I broke up,” Jason said. “That’s why I stormed out of the gallery that night. I decided I couldn’t handle it anymore, so I went home, and we agreed to end it.”

“You’re serious?” William said.

“Scout’s honor.”

“You’re not a Boy Scout.”

Jason smiled. “True, but I’m being honest with you. I swear.”

“Wow.” William considered the implications. And hopefully the possibilities. “Is Caesar doing okay?”

Jason groaned. “You’re so nice! Yes, the other guy is doing fine. He moved out already and look.” He dug out his phone, pulled up the last text message Caesar had sent him.

Just had a job interview and my future boss is smoking hot! Can’t wait for a debriefing. ;)

“Wow,” William repeated.

“Yeah. His parents should have named him Casanova instead. Anyway, I think he’s going to be fine.”

“That’s good,” William said solemnly. “We need to talk.”

“We do?” Jason furrowed his brow. Talking should be the last thing they were doing right now.

“Yeah,” William said. “I contacted the Coast Guard. They have a position for me. I’d work as a technician. The pay is great, my room and board would be covered by them, and the benefits are amazing. I don’t think I can turn it down.”

Jason swallowed. “You’re serious.”

“Yeah.”

“Where?”

William glanced over at him with an apologetic expression. “Alaska. I fly out tomorrow.”

Jason’s face started to crumple just about the time that William started laughing.

“You were kidding?” Jason demanded. “You seriously think that’s funny?”

“About as funny as you keeping me in the dark all week,” William retorted. “You have no idea how lovesick I’ve been. All I do is listen to The Cure and pace my old bedroom. It’s pathetic.”

“Geez.”

“I know.” William leaned closer. “I’m miserable without you.”

“How come?” Jason asked.

“Because I love you.”

Jason dodged a kiss. “Say it again.”

“I love you,” William said. Then he turned his face to the sky and shouted it. “Jason Grant, I love you!”

Jason tackled him, flattening William with an “oof!” and kissing him before he could catch his breath. “I love you too,” he said. “I always will.” Then, in a terrible imitation of Robert Smith’s voice, he started crooning The Cure’s
Love Song
.

“Stop,” William pleaded, pretending to cover his ears. “I’m done with feeling sad. From now on, it’s just you, me, and a whole bunch of happy days.”

“How many happy days?” Jason asked.

William smiled. “More than you can possibly imagine.”

What began as a joke was now nearing reality. William mentioned the idea every time Jason complained that the Big Day would never come. Eventually the suggestion was taken seriously. Ben and Tim wanted to get married. All they needed was the right set of circumstances. To celebrate the anniversary of when Ben and Tim had met again at the little art gallery, Jason made reservations for them at a bed and breakfast. The day they returned was the actual date of that fateful reunion. Jason had felt that was a nice touch, although now, in the midst of so much stress, he wasn’t so sure if this was a good idea after all.

The guests were a challenge. There were so many to contact! He started with Michelle, which was smart, because she and Greg were willing to help. They took care of setting the scene, transforming Ben and Tim’s backyard. A small stage with an arch was built, providing enough room for two people to stand and take their vows. White flowers were planted in the ground around the stage, butterflies and bees naturally attracted to them, colorful wings fluttering in the summer sun. In front of this were seats for the guests, large tables off to one side already filled with food from the caterers. Decorative glass jars that held thick candles added ambience, as did the chains of light strung along the fence. Everything would be perfect, assuming the two grooms weren’t upset by what they found when they returned home.

Jason surveyed the guests, amazed that he’d managed to bring them all together, especially since some lived far away. Tim had a grandmother in Mexico City, for instance. When Jason had called her to reveal his plan, the old woman had shrieked in excitement and spent five minutes chattering in Spanish, forgetting to speak English. Jason had picked her up from the airport earlier in the day. She kept shoving little pieces of candy into his hand, insisting he call her Nana and patting him on the head, even though she practically had to jump to do so.

Tim’s parents, when Jason contacted them, asked how long they had to make a decision. That seemed cold, but in the end they had agreed. When they showed up at the house, Mr. Wyman seemed none too pleased.

“I can’t believe we have to sit here and watch this,” he grumbled.

“You either watch your son get married and be happy,” Mrs. Wyman replied, “or watch your wife get a divorce.”

Mr. Wyman had been grinning like a zombie ever since.

Ben’s relatives were easier, since Jason had been around them plenty of times. The only trick was making sure they had enough seats. In addition to Ben’s parents and his perpetually sour sister, Ben had grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more. The Bentley family easily filled up their side of the aisle. Only Tim’s side continued to be a ragtag bunch.

Allison sat there with her husband, perhaps because more space was available. She needed it now—or the baby that Allison cradled in her arms did, since a huge array of gear was required to keep the child happy. Tim’s grandmother sat next to them, making conversation. Jason caught a snippet as he walked past.

“He have beautiful skin. Like cinnamon! I take him back to Mexico with me, yes?”

Next to Nana sat her daughter and son-in-law—Tim’s parents—and behind them a row of empty chairs were reserved for Marcello and his guests, but he was too busy directing an army of topless waiters. And fretting over details Jason never would have considered. Like now, when Marcello was having a small table and chair set up on stage. Jason watched in puzzlement, feeling even more confused when a middle-aged man with graying hair went there and started arranging papers. When Marcello saw Jason coming, he met him halfway.

“Who’s he?” Jason asked, nodding at the man. “And why does the altar now look like a classroom for one?”

“The man is Adrien York,” Marcello said, “and he’s here to make all of this legal.”

“He’s a lawyer?” Jason asked. “But gay marriage isn’t legal in Texas.”

“No, but there are possible concessions. Adrien has been quite clever about this. He offers wedding packages to gay couples. During the ceremony, they sign papers that guarantee they will inherit each other’s estates, have power of attorney in medical emergencies, rights of visitation and that sort of thing. So while we gay Texans still can’t marry legally, Adrien has dug up every useful law to get us as close as possible. He actually came up with the idea when helping Ben and Jace some years back. Normally he doesn’t preside over such matters personally, but he and this family have some history together.”

“Okay,” Jason said. “I thought there would be a priest or something here instead.”

“What does a priest know about marriage?” Marcello asked. “Would you buy a car from a man who had never driven one? Lawyers see marriages begin, and they certainly see them end. In this particular case, our lawyer understands everything in between, because he is a married man himself.”

Marcello pointed to the black sheep side where an Asian man built like a stack of tanks was already weeping emotionally.

“In that case,” Jason said, “he seems qualified. As long as I don’t have to stand up there in front of everyone.”

Marcello’s attention focused elsewhere, eyes narrowing. “Why are those waiters unpacking the caviar from the ice? What are they going to do next, microwave it?”

Marcello stomped off to correct this gravest of errors, Jason turning his attention to the guests again. Greg was trying to get his two teenage sons to settle down and stop fighting, Michelle sitting next to them and ignoring the commotion with practiced patience. She patted an empty chair next to her, signifying she was saving it for him. He smiled in appreciation, but pointed at his watch. Emma had just arrived with her date and would probably sit with them. Of course there was still someone missing who Jason was seriously starting to stress about. Where was—

A flash went off, causing him to blink. Kelly walked over, a camera hanging around his neck. “Wait until you see your face. Stress City.”

“That’s because I thought you were going to be late,” Jason said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“It’s not a wedding without a photographer,” Kelly agreed. “I was late because William needed a ride. He
still
refuses to drive. The man knows how to fly a helicopter, but he won’t drive a car.”

Jason groaned. “I was supposed to pick him up!”

“Don’t worry about it. He knows you have way too much going on. That’s why we also went to pick up the cake.”

“Oh my god!” Jason cried, spinning around. William, along with a few of the waiters, was carrying the cake to an empty spot reserved for it. “How could I forget that?”

“Weddings are insane,” Kelly said. “When my time comes, I’m eloping. Or hopefully someone sweet like you will take care of the preparations. The lucky couple is going to be so happy you did all this.”

“You think so?”

Kelly glanced at his watch. “We’ll find out any minute. I better get into position.”

Jason thanked him, stomach burbling with nerves. He did one final check, ignoring the fact that Chinchilla was peeing next to their makeshift altar or that William was licking frosting off his finger that could only have come from one place. Then Caesar rushed into the backyard, clapping his hands.

That was the signal. Everyone hurried to take their seats, all but Jason, who went inside to greet them. He was supposed to be house-sitting and taking care of Chinchilla, and he had been, when not stressing about getting everything else ready. He waited by the front door, listening as the voices grew louder. Then he opened it and—

They were wearing tuxedos. Ben was dressed in white, hair freshly cut, face cleanly shaved. Tim looked stunning in black, his hair slicked back. Were those diamond cufflinks?

“Why are you dressed like that?” Jason stammered.

“We could ask the same of you,” Tim said with a grin. “How many people wear a suit while house-sitting?”

“The gray brings out your eyes,” Ben said. “You look very handsome. Will you be walking me down the aisle?”

“
You know
?” Jason said, not hiding his disappointment.

“You contacted everyone ever,” Tim said. “One of them was bound to snitch.”

“But we were still surprised,” Ben said. “And flattered. So are we allowed to come inside yet, or…”

“Of course,” Jason said, stepping out of their way and leading them through the house. “Who told you?”

“My lips are sealed,” Ben said. Then he caught sight of the backyard, all the people waiting there, and the many decorations which had transformed it into a wonderland. And he stopped.

For one split second, Jason thought they wouldn’t go through with it. But then Ben grabbed Tim’s hand, glanced over at him and grinned like an excited child. Tim matched his smile.

Breathing out in relief, Jason rushed to open the door for them. Then he grabbed his guitar that he had waiting there. As Ben and Tim walked down the aisle, Jason strolled a few paces behind, playing Wagner’s
Bridal Chorus
even though this wedding was between grooms. Ben and Tim might have known they were getting married, but they were both clearly surprised by many of the guests. They kept stopping, wanting to greet people they didn’t see every day. Jason kept them moving with the music, playing them all the way to the front, where Adrien was waiting. Then Jason quickly took his seat. Michelle patted his hand, while behind him, William massaged Jason’s shoulders.

He felt like crying already.

“I assume you know why you’re here,” Adrien said, causing the audience to laugh.

“Something about parking tickets?” Tim replied.

“Oh, it’s much more serious than that,” Adrien said. “We have all gathered here today to make your love legally binding. And to see two handsome men kiss. Before you do, I have some vows prepared for you—”

“Actually,” Ben said, “we came up with our own.”

“Oh!” Adrien said. “That’s great. Please, go ahead.”

Ben and Tim turned to face the crowd, both of them momentarily overwhelmed by everyone there. Ben spoke first.

“I’m not very good at speeches, and Tim was nervous too. We thought about using the traditional vows, but we’re not exactly a traditional couple. So what we decided to do was write each other letters.” Ben pulled a folded piece of paper from his suit jacket. Tim did the same. “We haven’t read these to each other yet, but we’d like to now.”

“Do you want to go first?” Tim whispered.

Ben nodded, hand trembling. “To my knight in tarnished armor,” he began, causing murmured laughter. “You saved me. I was a lonely teenager, one who never believed he would find love. Even when we met, you were a hopeless fantasy. I took care of you on that couch in your parents’ house, pretending it all belonged to us. I liked imagining that you belonged to me and I belonged to you. I never would have guessed that all these years later, my dream would come true—that I wouldn’t have to pretend anymore. But first you saved me. Not just when I was a teenager who needed hope and love, but as an adult, when my world had come crashing down and I tried to content myself with being alone. Once again I never thought love would be possible for me. But you kept showing up in my life, kept reminding me of how the impossible can happen. Especially when we’re together. Being with you has been blissful, infuriating, beautiful, painful, everything I ever wanted and more. I wouldn’t trade a second of it for the world, because most of all, being with you has been love. I adore you, Tim Wyman, and I couldn’t be more proud to become your husband on this day. I love you.”