“That’s not how—” Shane said, then stopped himself. “We’re not married.”
“Are you going to get married?”
Shane locked eyes with Ilya, and Ilya saw the silent plea for help in them.
“Do you think we should?” Ilya asked.
“Do you love each other?”
“We’re friends,” Shane said stiffly at the same time Ilya said, “Yes.”
Jade grabbed her sister’s arm. “We could have a wedding today!”
Ruby jumped and clapped, probably making a mess of her nails. “Yeah! Can we?”
Ilya grinned at Shane. “What do you say, sweetheart?”
Twenty minutes later, Shane was standing in the Pikes’ living room wearing a magician’s cape, a top hat, and holding a pink plastic heart-shaped ring. Ilya was standing next to him wearing a red sequined bow tie and a headband covered in flowers. He was holding an identical purple ring.
Across from them stood two seven-year-old girls wearing princess dresses, and behind them was a large assembledaudience of stuffed toys and Arthur (wearing a firefighter costume and a freshly painted blue manicure).
Arthur pressed a button on a toy that played fifteen seconds of a song fromMoana, and they were ready to begin.
“This is the wedding of Shane Hollander and Ilya...” Jade narrowed her eyes at Ilya.
“Rozanov,” he supplied.
She nodded. “Rose-noff.”
Shane snickered, and Ilya nudged him. “Shane. Keep it together. Is our wedding day.”
“Shane, do you promise to love Ilya and be his husband forever?” Ruby asked.
Shane gazed at his ridiculous-looking boyfriend, who smiled back at him. One of the flowers on his headband was holding on by a thread, dangling in front of Ilya’s raised left eyebrow. Suddenly—absurdly—Shane’s throat felt tight.
“I do,” he said quietly, and with an embarrassing amount of feeling.
“Ilya,” said Jade, “do you promise to love Shane and be his husband forever?”
“I do,” Ilya said. “Forever.”
There was a slight tremor in Ilya’s voice, which surprised and relieved Shane. At least Shane wasn’t the only one getting inappropriately emotional.
“Okay,” Jade said. “Do the rings now.”
Ilya took Shane’s hand, and slipped the child-size purple heart ring onto his pinkie, down to his second knuckle. Shane huffed out a shaky laugh.
He took Ilya’s hand and smiled at his painted nails. He wiggled the ring onto the end of Ilya’s pinkie, barely able to get it past the tip. He glanced up, and caught Ilya blinking rapidly.
“I now pronounce you husband and husband,” Ruby said.
Jade elbowed her. “Iwas supposed to say that!”
“No you weren’t! You say the kissing thing.”
“Oh yeah. You may now kiss.”
Shane raised his eyebrows at Ilya, silently askingYou wanna?
