My cue.
(Again.)
This time, though, I was ready, and I stepped around the side of the house.And there was Bobby.
He wore the light gray suit we’d picked out (similar in cut and style to my own, darker gray, but not identical).And his boutonniere had more color in it than mine.But we had matching bow ties (yes, I picked them out, and no, they didn’t have a single video game reference, cartoon character, or Dungeons and Dragons connection).My favorite part, though, were our shoes.
Sneakers, of course.
Bobby had told me all about them.And I—because I am averygood boyfriend—had listened.All I remembered now, though, was that his pair, with their cream-colored leather and dark brown trim, looked so good on him.Mine were pure white, and yes, they were cute, minimalist low-tops.When I’d made the mistake of asking Bobby how much they’d cost, I’d almost passed out.
All of that flashed through my mind in a second, though, because Bobby was moving toward me, and I was still on autopilot, walking toward him.He looked so serious.His hair was in its usual razor-sharp part, and he was freshly shaved.The burnt-bronze eyes.That insane jawline.And then, just for me, a hint of the goofy grin before the familiar reserve dropped back into place.
When we reached each other, he took my hand, and we started down the aisle.
I had to admit, Fox had outdone themselves.The setup consisted of white folding chairs and a flower arch set on a low rise that gave a view of the ocean.It was simple.It was elegant.It was perfect.The wind tousled my hair (Bobby’s hair still looked impeccable, of course), and it was cool enough to raise goose bumps on the back of my neck, and when I turned my head, it filled my ear, and it was what every child wanted to hear when they listened to a seashell.
And what made everything even more perfect (I know, something can’t bemoreperfect, insert eye roll) was that our family and friends were there.
If I was being totally honest, I’d kind of wondered if, when I finally walked down the aisle, I’d pass out from all that unwanted attention.I mean, there were alotof eyes looking at me.And yes, I still had the feeling that I had a stomach full of moths that were doing their best to get into my lungs and suffocate me.
So, maybe that’s why everything seemed to register as snapshots.Keme and Millie and Fox and Indira waiting at the flower arch, opposite Bobby’s brother, Eric, and a couple of Bobby’s friends from college.(Fox, I’m sure you’re all dying to know, had worn a black suit with a black-on-black paisley scarf, and from what I’d manage to hear in the flurry of preparations, they were eager to let everyone know that the suit was crushed velvet.) And our friends from town.Mrs.Shufflebottom wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.Tessa with her daughter on her lap, pointing to us and waving.Cheri-Ann Fryman, holding up her phone and, I suspected, live-streaming the whole thing for the benefit of everybody else in Hastings Rock.Chester was there, looking like a snack rolled in a dream, with his dad, Tony, next to him.For some reason, when Chester saw me, he got a huge smile on his face and then ducked his head.Althea and Bliss Wilson were there, holding hands.Bliss whispered something in Althea’s ear, and Althea giggled and gave me a giant side-to-side wave like I might, somehow, miss her in the crowd.
And that was why I didn’t black out, I guess.Because all these people loved me.And I loved them.
Our parents were seated in the front row, my mom and dad on one side, Bobby’s dad on the other.My dad wore a huge smile (and no, he wasn’t carrying a gun—I’d asked him twice, and then, just to be safe, I’d frisked him before everyone went outside).My mom wasn’t smiling.She was watching me with that familiar intensity, the way she looked when I knew she was capturing everything, recording it, processing it.I thought, probably not too far in the future, there’d be a book about a young man getting married.But her face looked open and soft in a way I wasn’t sure I’d seen before, and she was clutching my dad’s hand.Next to them, my sister Dottie was bouncing her son on her knee.The grin she shot me said she had a very good idea of what I was thinking.
Bobby’s dad looked thinner than I remembered, but he sat with perfect posture in his navy suit (of course he did; this was the man who created Bobby), and he gave Bobby a nod as we passed him.
And then we were at the arch.
The music quieted.
Bobby and I turned to face each other, and he took both my hands now.
Indira stepped out of line and joined us under the arch.She looked lovely in a dark green dress, her hair styled loosely over one shoulder, and she smiled as she put her hands over ours for a moment.
“Welcome, everyone,” she said in that crisp, clear voice—out of the corner of my eye, I saw Millie’s brother, Ryan, sit up straight.“We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life’s most important moments and to witness as Dash and Bobby join their lives together.”
I made the mistake of looking into the deep bronze of Bobby’s eyes, and I was lost.He looked so solemn.And his hands were so solid wrapped around mine.I thought, even with the wind blowing, I could hear him breathing.
“Marriage is a promise between two people that they will love each other, support each other, care for each other, and grow together for the rest of their lives.And when I think about how these wonderful young men have already been doing that work—how they have laughed and cried together, how they have watched over each other in sickness and injury, how they have slowly and surely built a life together, and how they worked so hard to find each other—”
“Took them long enough,” Fox put in.
A laugh rolled through our friends and family.Ilaughed, although that was about ninety percent nerves.Bobby’s goofy grin even slipped out for a second.
“I think we all know,” Indira said, “that what Bobby and Dash have is special, and I’m grateful to be here with all of you to witness this declaration of love and faith.”She fell silent, and when I glanced over, her eyes were shining.Her mouth trembled, and then she managed a smile.“I understand the couple has written their own vows, but first, let’s do the official bit.Dash, do you take Bobby to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”
My eyes stung.I nodded.“I do.”
Bobby breathed out, and I hadn’t realized, until then, how tense he’d been.
“Bobby,” Indira said, “do you take Dash to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”
Bobby’s hands tightened around mine.His voice was thick when he said, “I do.”
A cheer went up from the crowd.
