Jamie barely noticed when his father left, a sudden bout of nervousness causing him to pace the bedroom before he stopped in front of the windows to peer down at the South Lawn. Craning his head, Jamie could just make out the crowds of people who were making their way to the rows of white chairs set up in the Rose Garden.
The White House staff and active duty members of the Marine Corps were on hand to act as ushers. The day was warm but not painfully hot. The ceremony wasn’t going to be long simply because Jamie and Kyle didn’t want it to be. His parents might’ve wanted an extravagant display of love but that wasn’t who he and Kyle were. They valued their privacy and always would. All jokes leading up to the wedding aside, this was a celebration they were never going to elope from.
Liam joined him by the window, peering down at the guests. “I know I’ve said this before, but I’m glad you found Kyle.”
Jamie couldn’t stop the smile that came to his face. “Me, too.”
Time seemed to crawl until it didn’t. When it was close to the start time, Jamie had to stop himself from taking the stairs down to the first floor two at a time. With all the months spent visiting his father in the White House, Jamie knew the way blind. Liam followed behind him, but Jamie only had eyes for Kyle when they made it downstairs.
Kyle stood off to the side, away from the plas-glass double doors leading to the Rose Garden, chatting with Alexei and Sean. Both Kyle and Alexei wore their Strike Force uniforms, their medals gleaming beneath the lights, while Sean was in a suit. Kyle looked away from his brother, their eyes meeting, and for Jamie, it felt as if the world stopped.
He’d seen Kyle in his dress uniform a few times before, had woken up and gone to sleep with him countless times over the past couple of years, but for Jamie, it felt as if he were looking at Kyle for the first time all over again.
“Clean up okay,” Alexei said with a teasing grin. “Guess you can marry my brother.”
Sean elbowed his husband in the side without bothering to be discreet about it. “Ignore him, Jamie.”
“Yeah,” Jamie said, not really paying attention to anything other than the smile on Kyle’s face.
“We’ll leave you two alone. See you at the end of the aisle,” Liam said, gesturing at Alexei and Sean to follow him to the Rose Garden.
The three headed outside to take their place with the rest of the wedding party. Jamie closed the distance between himself and Kyle, meeting those unblinking green eyes that stared right into his soul. Jamie didn’t hesitate to kiss him, not caring about their audience of Marines standing at attention at intervals down the hall.
Kyle opened his mouth beneath Jamie’s, drawing him in with a soft neediness that made Jamie wish they were alone.
“Hi,” Kyle said when they finally parted, sounding a little breathless. “You look really, really hot. I’d say let’s push back the wedding by thirty minutes, but I think everybody might try to find us if we did, and that would be embarrassing for everyone involved.”
Jamie settled his hand on Kyle’s hip in a proprietary way. “I’m not willing to wait any longer to marry you.”
“Good, because I’m ready to marry the fuck out of you.” Kyle rose on his tiptoes to kiss Jamie one more time, the touch of his lips gentle this time. “Just so you know, I’m going to enjoy spending the rest of my life with you.”
The words made Jamie tighten his grip on Kyle’s hip, pulling him so close their medals jostled against each other’s uniforms. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Well, you’re walking down the aisle with me, but yeah. I know.”
Jamie sucked in a steadying breath before stealing one more kiss because he could, because he wanted to, because he still had Kyle here in his armstokiss, and he would always be grateful for that gift.
“Come on. Let’s go get married.”
The wedding ran on military time and Katie oversaw the schedule, which meant everything would be on time or there would be hell to pay from his sergeant. Moments later, at the top of the hour, the US Marine Corps orchestra and band started up, the strains ofJupiter Hymnfiltering through the walls to Jamie’s ears.
Jamie stepped back and reached for Kyle’s hand, interlacing their fingers. Then they turned to face the double doors a pair of US Marines were prepared to open to the Rose Garden.
“Are you ready?” Jamie asked.
“I told you before that I would follow you anywhere. Walking down the aisle with you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
Jamie tugged Kyle forward as the doors to the Rose Garden opened, revealing their guests standing between the rows of white seats, the newly trimmed grass beneath everyone’s feet a vibrant green. At the far end of the aisle, the flower arch was an intricate backdrop to where their friends waited for them at the altar. The person marrying them was Christopher Bateman, a judge from the U.S. Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit and one of his mother’s friends.
Jamie and Kyle walked with measured strides down the aisle together, hand in hand, the music washing over them, all eyes on them. When they reached the dais, they stepped up to it together, still in sync in a way Jamie hoped they always would be. When they finally stood in front of the altar, they turned to face each other, still never letting go of each other’s hands. Jamie met Kyle’s green eyes and didn’t look away.
The music faded to nothing and the rustling sound of everyone taking their seats reached Jamie’s ears. He didn’t turn to watch.
“I want to welcome everyone gathered here today for a joining of two special lives,” Christopher said, reading off the holographic words projecting from the data rings he wore.
The opening greeting of their wedding washed over Jamie; words he would remember later when he could focus beyond Kyle’s presence in front of him. He mentally tracked the speech Christopher gave, bits of praise and acknowledgment of their sacrifices that Jamie only half listened to.
When it was time for their vows and to exchange rings, Liam stepped up to pass Kyle’s ring to Jamie. Jamie took it with steady fingers and reached for Kyle’s left hand. Kyle’s engagement ring sparkled in the sunlight, but it paled to the look on his face. Jamie didn’t look away, didn’t blink, as he said his vows, the words catching in his throat a little.
