“I do,” I said, my voice steady and clear. I squeezed Forest’s hands, and he smiled at me in a way that made my stomach dip. He was so goddamned beautiful.
“Do you, Forest Middleton, take Nash James Brockway to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?”
Forest’s voice was softer, but he didn’t hesitate. “I do,” he said, his eyes locked on mine.
“Who has the rings?” the officiant asked, and Forest looked puzzled. I hadn’t told him I’d gotten us matching rings, knowing he’d probably try to talk me out of spending money on them. On him.
They were simple gold rings, nothing flashy, but they had nice rounded edges that made for more comfortable wearing, the saleswoman had told me. I’d had to guess Forest’s size, but they could always be resized if needed.
“I do.” I took the little box from my pocket, then opened it and took Forest’s ring out.
Forest’s eyes grew moist as I placed the ring on his left ring finger. It fit perfectly! Joy bloomed in my heart as I repeated after the officiant, “I give you this ring, in token and pledge of my constant faith and abiding love. With this ring, I thee wed.”
I then handed my own ring to Forest so he could place it around my finger with trembling hands. His voice was a little wavy when he repeated the same words. Those last three words hit me hard for some reason, my knees growing weak and my stomach all in knots.
The officiant sent us a warm smile, which spoke to his character because it seemed legit, and how many weddings did this guy do each week? “By virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and husband.”
It was done. We were married.
I cupped Forest’s face in my hand and leaned in for a soft, tender kiss on his lips. His eyes fluttered shut, and for one moment, it was easy to pretend this was real, that he’d meant the words as much as I had, that what we had promised each other would last.
It wouldn’t. It couldn’t.
But I allowed myself to hold on to that dream a little longer.
I’d booked us a little cottage on the beach in Bolinas. Only a short drive from San Francisco, and with the beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore close by, it was one of my favorite spots. Growing up, I’d come here often with my grandparents, and the place held nothing but warm summer memories for me.
Was it too much to hope that Forest and I would build some memories of our own?
We’d stopped by the house real quick to change into casual clothes. Our bags had already been packed, so we’d thrown those in the car and taken off again. He’d been quiet for the first fewminutes, but I’d watched him gradually relax, sinking a little lower into his seat, the tension seeping out of him.
“It’s a beautiful ring,” he said quietly, holding out his hand and studying it. “You didn’t tell me you got these.”
I shrugged. “It needs to look real. I doubt anyone will look too closely at our marriage or suspect anything being off about it, but in case they do, I figured it would be best to make everything look normal and real.”
“Thank you.”
I hesitated. “I’d love for you to stop thanking me. It’s not necessary.”
He studied me from his spot in the passenger seat. “It makes you uncomfortable.”
“It does. I don’t like the attention on me in the first place, but it’s also…” I wasn’t even sure how to explain it. “It reinforces a dynamic I don’t like, one where I’m the benefactor or something, and you’re the recipient who has to be grateful.”
“I am grateful.”
“And I know that. No need to repeat it. I don’t want this to become a…a thing. A debt, like you owe me or something. That’s not how I roll. We’re friends, Forest, and I want you to think of me as your friend. Not as someone who did you a favor.”
“Okay.”
I shot him a glance sideways. “Yeah? You get why?”
“Sure. I can see your point. Doesn’t mean I won’t mess up every now and then.”
“I can live with that.” Something struck me then. “You never curse, do you?”
He chuckled. “I’m a teacher, remember? It’s been drilled into me not to curse or swear or use any bad language. It’s ingrained by now.”
“But you do it when you talk to yourself.”
