“Don’t you apologize,” Mark said just as he was about to open his mouth. “I don’t have anyone like that in my corner.”
Francis turned his head so he could look at Mark’s face. “You’re so very wrong, you don’t even know it.”
“How do you reckon that?” Mark plucked at the edge of the blanket instead of making eye contact.
“You’ve the sheriff. Erin and Evy, Jason. The Millers like you. Leah and Stuart. These days you have even more people than that. Henrietta and Charles adore you, and now, there’s the LGBTQ people in town. I’m pretty damn sure that if something happened to you, the waiting room would be filled to the brim with people.” Francis reached to grab Mark’s hand and tugged at it until he got the much-needed eye contact. “And your parents aren’t welcome in that room. Do you understand that, Mark?”
Mark’s expression softened and he nodded. “Okay. I understand.” Then something seemed to occur to him as he dug out his cell phone and punched in a number.
Francis sat up, curious about what was going on.
“Hey, Erin. No, nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to ask you to do something for me?” Mark reached for Francis’s hand and squeezed firmly. “Okay. Give me a second, I’ll explain soon,” he told Erin.
“What’s going on?” Francis asked when Mark put the phone down and took his other hand too.
“Francis, it just occurred to me that there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask and I forgot.”
“Okay?” Francis’s heart bounced violently. He knew this wasn’t a proposal or anything, but boy did it feel like one.
“My parents are still my next of kin in all my official information,” Mark said quietly. Then he swallowed, steeled himself, and looked at Francis. “Would you be my person?”
Francis felt his whole being quake at the question. This was more than a proposal, wasn’t it?
“Yes, of course. And I’ll make you mine as soon as I can.”
Mark breathed out and relaxed. “Okay, thank you.” He picked up the phone and explained the situation to Erin who could change the information at the sheriff’s station.
“The next time I have to go to the hospital in Woodruff, I’ll make sure they have you listed,” Mark said after the call was done.
Francis used their still-joined hands to pull him down, and kissed him senseless.
The catcalls from the back porch were epic, but neither of them minded.
* * * *
Since the New Jersey gang arrived on Thursday night and Aiden and Joel had to fly out early Monday morning, they decided that Saturday would be the night they’d have a barbeque party.
Henrietta and Charles were obviously happy with having people around. Charles and Jack had found a common ground in sports and the fact that they both came from military families but hadn’t taken that route themselves. Henrietta, on the other hand, seemed to be fascinated by Zinnia’s personality, and now sported multi-colored nails, courtesy of Zinnia’s makeup case.
Francis invited everyone he and Mark knew that he thought would come. Aiden flitted around, helping where needed, and Joel was in control of the kitchen meal prep, quite happy with playing chef and not the owner of a restaurant for once.
Rita and Minnie had taken the task of driving to Woodruff that morning to get all sorts of decorations. Because they didn’t know the place, Kaos had volunteered to go with them.
Padraig and Makai arrived just in time to help Kaos and the women decorate the backyard. Erin, Evy, Jason, and Lotte had all bowed out because of prior engagements, or in Lotte’s case, because she felt too pregnant. Her words, not Francis’s.
Emil arrived separately, bringing a massive chocolate cake from his mother. Apparently Nora had baked it with the party in mind, even though she and the sheriff wouldn’t be making an appearance.
“Oh, she was happy to do it! It’s vegan, so the girls can have it too,” Emil explained as he held the door open for Mark who they’d hired as muscle for cake-carrying purposes. “She uses any occasion she can as an opportunity to make cakes she wouldn’t otherwise. There aren’t many vegan bakers around here so she was happy to try it out.”
“Is her business picking up, then?” Francis asked as Joel moved some items off the counter to make space for the cake for the time being.
“Yeah, she’s happy about it too. I think she wanted to do something new and she’s always liked baking, so this is right up her alley.” Emil beamed, then saw Makai through the windows and beamed even more. “Sorry, I got to–” He gestured at his partner and dashed out of the door.
Francis watched as Emil jogged to where Makai had his hands up, holding some fairy lights and lanterns on a string for Padraig and Rita. Emil embraced Makai from behind and pressed himself against his back.
Francis smiled. “They look so happy.”
“Yeah. They do.” Mark cleared his throat. “I’m glad they found each other.”
