And she’s standing where the officiant should be standing. From the amused smirk she wears—one I know well after eight years of being her VP—I realize they pulled one final surprise on me.
I tip my head toward Leo as we approach. “Are you serious?” I whisper.
Leo nods, smiling. “Yep. Hey, you let us pick.”
I’m aware of camera shutters clicking and I’m glad this is all going to be on film to watch later, because I’m afraid it’ll all blur together in a haze of emotions.
We make our way onto the riser. “Welcome, everyone,” Shae says as the room falls silent. “I didn’t anticipate being asked to preside over another event in my former residence but I’m happy to be here for this joyous occasion. These men are very dear friends and adopted family to us. I’m honored to not just be here as their witness to celebrate this day with them but also as the person who gets to perform the ceremony.”
“Youarelegally able to do this,right?” I joke, which prompts a soft wave of laughter from the audience.
She smiles. “Got ordained online a couple of weeks ago. Didn’t feel like figuring out how my law license or former president status would work in this case. We doing this or not, boys?”
“Oh, we’redoingthis,” Leo says, squeezing my hand again and prompting more laughter. He turns to me and takes my other hand and I suck in a long, deep breath because this feels like a dream come true.
“Excellent.” Shae starts reading from her phone. “Today we’re here to witness the union of these two men, an event nearly two decades in the making. While in some ways today is a beginning, in other ways it’s actually the next chapter in the long story of their life together and a testament to the power of their love for each other, which has only grown and strengthened since the first night they met.”
Fuck. I’m already blinking back tears and I hope I can make it through this without embarrassing myself.
But it looks like the sadist is also feeling a little emotional right now. He smiles as he squeezes my hands but I spot the way his eyes look a little too bright, like he’s close to tears.
If he starts crying then I’m doomed, because no way will I be able to hold back.
“There are countless poems and even Bible verses about the power of love, the qualities of love, the feelings and trials and tribulations of love,” Shae continues. “But what sometimes seems increasingly rare in this day and age is the quiet and solidfoundationof love. The mundane but necessary base upon which to build and grow and nurture that love. Not the flowery, grand gestures poets and songwriters have long exalted, but the daily expressions of faith and hope and devotion. Not the loudly shouted words, but every quiet deed that speaks in ways to touch the heart and tend the soul when no words can suffice.”
From where he stands behind Leo, Jordan’s gaze locks with mine and that’s when it slams into me that Shae didn’t write this ceremony. Not a single word of it.
This was all Jordan.
These arehiswords.
This is his gift to us, his public declaration of his love for us, one the rest of the world can’t learn about yet.
“Some say love is patient and kind,” she continues, “but love is far more than that. Love is that which is strong enough to survive the years and distance beyond reason or hope, yet fragile enough to dissolve if trust is not there. Love is the unbreakable power to tightly bind souls together even when everything else in the world fights to rip those souls apart. The most powerful love isn’t that which blazes hot for the world to see, but that which quietly smolders and refuses to die because it cannot ever be fully extinguished and will forever burn no matter what the odds, or how much others try to douse it.
“Today, we witness these men take their next step together on their greatest journey yet. Today, we get to celebrate these men and their love. Today, we are privileged enough to take part in a celebration that is long overdue. Today, their public pledge to each other finally gets to match the invisible, secret bond they’ve always shared, and which has kept the other going throughout the years when some might have walked away.”
Yep. Gonna start crying. I sniffle, trying to blink away my tears. Jordan’s positioned himself exactly where can look me in the eyes the entire time but anyone else will think I’m staring Leo in the eyes. I’m certain he calculated the camera angles, too, so no one watching at home will catch on.
From the way Jordan suddenly tries to suppress his smile I realize he understands I figured it out.
I also know Leo must have approved it, or it wouldn’t be happening.
I love these two men so damned much.
“Elliot Gerald Woodley,” Shae continues. “Before you stands a man who never faltered in his faith or love. From this day forward, do you swear to walk this journey with him, in love and integrity and honor, and to incisively show in word and deed your dedication to this life you have together?”
I sniffle back more tears. “I do.”
Jordan’s smile breaks through as he gives me the most subtle of nods.
“Leo Davidson Cruz, before you stands a man who never faltered in his faith or love. From this day forward, do you swear to walk this journey with him, in love and integrity and honor, and to incisively show in word and deed your dedication to this life you have together?”
Leo squeezes my hands. “I do.” Behind Leo, Jordan’s lips barely move, silently echoing those two words.
“The rings?” she asks.
Jordan steps over and hands them to us, pressing them into our palms in a way I know no one else can see. And I spot the ring on Jordan’s hand as he does and give him a squeeze before he steps back into his position.
