Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
I wink, and I’m relieved when I hear Jackson laugh along with everyone else, knowing that he really did want me to be myself today.
“I don’t show a lot of people my fears or insecurities, but I know I can show them to you, and then you make me feel not only like they’re not so bad, but like I can conquer the whole goddamn world.”
I hear a few oohs and aahs in the crowd, and then Jackson’s up.
“I knew you’d make that hard for me to follow,” he teases, still beaming, practically glowing, and I know he’s trying to make me feel better since I was so nervous. “But I knew from the day we met that you were going to be a challenge. Well, mostly, I was just nervous that the unconscious kid sleeping on my couch might try to steal some of my accessories, but fortunately, I’m not too fancy.”
His remark earns another laugh from the guests.
“Derek…oh, Derek. I’d all but given up on finding love when we met. And if you’d told me I was going to fall in love with that shallow, irreverent, careless kid I met, I would have called bullshit.”
The audience snickers some more. Oh, these guys definitely know me.
“But then I found out that wasn’t the real Derek, was it? Just armor you wear, same as we all do every day, trying to hide our hurt and pain. And as you showed me all that was behind the act, the performance, you made it that much easier to show you the real me…maybe even show more of it to myself.”
He turns my hand, palm up, as he runs his thumb down the center.
“I’ve always thought I was the one who had to be strong, to carry all the weight, until I met such a small man who was so much stronger than his little body could ever let on. You certainly never needed me to conquer the world, but won’t it be so much more fun to do it together?”
“Oh fuck,” I mutter, fanning at my teary eyes with my hand.
Jackson looks to Steph, who has to catch her own breath before continuing the ceremony.
Evan approaches from beside Gary and Hayden, carrying the open box with the rings.
Our little adorable ring bearer.
I take Jackson’s hand and slide his ring on, and he does the same with mine as Steph goes on with the ever-important, “I now pronounce you…husband and husband.”
Gazing into each other’s eyes, it’s hard not to lunge at him and take what’s mine, but fortunately, Steph doesn’t leave us waiting much longer. “And before this happens out of turn, I suppose it’s best to go ahead and say: you may kiss…the boy.”
I figured I would be the one to make the first move just from how excited I am, but Jackson’s lips are sealed with mine in no time as he takes me in that familiar way.
We’ve kissed like that hundreds—no, thousands—of times.
We could be in the park or at dinner or in the bedroom.
It’s hard to even be sure I’m still at my wedding and not in one of those beautiful memories, as my awareness is focused on that mouth and how good it feels to have Jackson’s flesh against mine.
He clings to my body the way he might during a far more intimate moment.
And I’m so caught up in the frenzy we’re working up, it takes me a moment to pick up on the crowd’s cheers, applause, and hollers.
When Jackson finally pulls away, I catch my breath as he whispers against my lips, “Forever my boy.”
“Forever my daddy.”
As he leans back farther, I can see the pure satisfaction in his expression as a gentle smile tugs at his lips.
To think I’d been so scared of fucking it all up, and here it is, more perfect than I could have possibly imagined.
10
Jackson
Things are a bit of a whirlwind after that. I don’t have much time to sit down and think about the fact that I’m a married man…that Derek is my husband, making me the happiest guy in the world.
The cocktail reception is right after the ceremony, and everyone is drinking, laughing, and talking while we get photos taken.
“What about one like this?” Derek bends over, his ass against my groin, a hand in front of his mouth as if to say oops. The photographer laughs and snaps a few photos. “These def won’t be the ones we share with Randy,” Derek teases.
We take more pictures than I ever knew was possible—Derek and me; Derek, Gary, and Hayden; me, Zane, and Frankie; with my mom, with Steph; the whole wedding party. I’m truly considering throwing Derek over my shoulder and running away from this part of it when he says, “Oh my God, can we go party now?”
I laugh because that’s exactly what I’m ready to do as well. “Yes, we can.”