The days until our wedding passed swiftly. Thankfully, Xero was able to book our honeymoon arrangements for us once we gave him our brief. The AI was quickly becoming a true friend, though I still jumped a little when he simply spoke up out of the blue. His offer to make the arrangements had been quite welcome, and when he showed us the itinerary he’d managed to put together, we were all impressed. After the wedding, a night at a mid-century motel that had been retro-renovated to a high standard, followed by breakfast at a nearby diner, one of those chrome and glass ones with the checkerboard floors, red leatherette seats, and Formica counters and tables. Then, a mid-morning personal tour of the Brady Bunch House, complete with a professional photoshoot and a catered late lunch by “Alice”. Then we were back on the shuttle, heading straight to Tokyo, where he’d arranged for us to check in despite it being around six in the morning there, as the manager of the five star hotel had a sister mated to a Mylos, so was happy to do reasonable favors for the Fleet, such as this. Breakfast in our room, which would be supper according to our brains and stomachs, then a nap. Waking up to go spend the day exploring Tokyo, having lunch, and then dinner before going to bed.
Day 2, we had a cab arranged to take us to Tokyo Disney, after having breakfast and picking up our passes from the front desk. They were two day passes, so we would be able to take our time, and as it was a weekday with kids still in school, the park would be less crowded. Then more sightseeing until check out Friday morning, to catch a train to Kyoto, where we would be staying at a historic inn with its own hot springs. Then come Monday, we would go to Osaka, where we’d stay, and for this, Xero had arranged for us to ride the shinkansen, which I was every bit as excited about as Alec.
As wonderful as all that was, today was what I’d treasure the most. Getting to stand up in front of close colleagues, friends, and family to make our vows and celebrate our mating was a dream come true. I’d daydreamed for three years about this moment, never once thinking there would be a third. But Alec made it even more perfect, a true case of reality being better than fantasy.
I glanced around the backyard, at the mismatched lawn chairs, the folding tables borrowed from the church, laden with an array of covered multi-colored Tupperware and Pyrex dishes, cupcake towers, and a cut glass punchbowl with small, clear plastic cups arranged in a circle. Another table held the disposable champagne flutes, while three old red and white Coleman coolers held bottles of Prosecco. Our champagne sat in a metal ice bucket, the glasses with our names and wedding date etched upon them sat before it on a side table, which also held a cake that looked like two bells tied with ribbon, with piped buttercream stars in white covering the bells, and silver candy balls marking the line between them and the undersides. Altogether, it was cute and kitschy, and absolute perfection, right down to his aunt's Ambrosia salad in its huge mint green Tupperware bowl.
The music started, played on the Casio keyboard by one of the church ladies, Maude I think her name was.
“You ready?” Alec asked, eyes bright with excitement.
“Yes, but why is my dad standing under the arch?”
“I see my son is holding things up,” Dad said, making the guests laugh and Maude to stop playing. “Surprise, son! I paid my fee to become an officially licensed celebrant. Amazing what you can do online, and yes, I know you don’t actually need to file with the state, as thanks to the treaty, you’re already legally married, even with it being three of you. It just felt more right to do it.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said, tears pricking my eyelids.
“Okay, Maude, hit it!” Alec’s mom said, and Maude began playing the wedding march once more, nodding her head as she did, her blue rinse curls bobbing along. I took Kit and Alec’s hands in my own, and we walked down the aisle together, where Alec’s Dad stood on one side and his mom on the other, acting as his best man and matron of honor, as we didn’t want them left out of the ceremony but also didn’t want any of that giving anyone away business.
“Dearly beloved,” Dad started. “In the immortal words of the great Prince, we are gathered today in this thing called Life. Not only our own lives as we are touched by the bond these men share, but theirs as they embark on a shared journey through their own. The grooms have declined to wear rings, choosing instead to show their dedication to one another by act and deed, the physical representation of which is the tattooed bracelet each now wears upon their arm.”
I smiled, remembering us getting them done the day after deciding where to go for our honeymoon. We’d gone to a tattooist who came highly recommended and who had a shop on one of our sister ships. He’d listened to our thoughts and designed us a bracelet that looked like entwined tree roots, which became branches with tiny leaves, bearing all three of our names on a different leaf, leaving others empty for any future children we might choose to have in years to come.
“The first of these acts is to exchange vows before all gathered here as witnesses. Do you, Kittinir, take Alex and Carl as your husbands? To cherish above all others and to love through good times and bad? ”
“I do,” Kittinir said, facing us both, each of his hands holding one of ours. I also held Alec’s hand, so we made a small circle.
“And do you, Alec, take Carl and Kittinir? To love and to cherish-”
“Yes! A thousand times, yes!” he burst out, unable to wait, causing the guests and our parents to titter.
“Okie dokie then,” Dad continued amiably. “And Carl, do-”
“I sure do.”
Dad sighed. “Someone is eager for cake,” he muttered, and we all laughed again, me and my men included.
“Well, she does make the best cakes,” Alec replied.
Dad threw up his hands. “Then I guess I’ll go ahead and just say, with the privileges granted to me by the American Fellowship of the Jedi Knight Order and the great state of Texas, I pronounce you husband and husband and husband. And look at that, they don’t even wait to start kissing.”
32
ALEC
The chairs had been folded and stacked against the side of the house so we could all dance a little, just a few slow songs courtesy of Myrtle so we could have the obligatory first dances. First Kit, Carl, and I, sort of linked arms and swayed to Unchained Melody, then my mom danced with me, while Carl’s dad and mine surprised us both again by asking Carl and Kit to allow them to be their dance partner, declaring that there wasn’t anything wrong with a father showing love and pride in their sons. Kit had looked especially touched by Dad’s declaration that he was his son, while Carl had chuckled at his father’s words and said, “Come on then, old man, show me what you’ve got.” Myrtle heard his words and decided to add to the challenge by fiddling with her keyboard settings and playing Jailhouse Rock, only for her sister Mavis to tell her in no uncertain terms that while the King was always a fabulous music choice, that song was inappropriate for a wedding. I’d had to intervene and assure them both that we’d all enjoyed the fun of it before it got too out of hand between the elderly sisters.
Now it was over and the guests were leaving, each offering us their congratulations while mom made sure everyone took any leftovers with them in their bowls and dishes, if any. The punch bowl was Mom’s, star of many a childhood birthday party, so thankfully all she’d had to do was ladle leftover punch into the small brown Tupperware jug that had held Kool-Aid and Hawaiian Punch first at my granny’ house, and later at ours growing up.
“It looks like someone left behind their stroller,” Carl said, nodding towards the living room.
I frowned. I don’t remember seeing a stroller like that, so I have no idea whose it is. Hey, Mom, any idea whose umbrella stroller that is?”
“No,” she replied. Then her eyes widened and she strode over to it, her feet going at Olympic speed from the kitchen to the living room until she was in front of the stroller, which had been facing away from us, towards the TV which had been put on for the younger cousins and children of my mate’s colleagues while simply eating and mingling right after the ceremony. I’d assumed it had been forgotten and simply left on, but as Mom looked down in shock, I realized that wasn’t the case at all.
“Someone’s left a baby! There’s a note pinned to her little romper, with your name on it, Alec.”
“What? Who could possibly have done that?” I hurried over to take a look, even as Mom reached down to unbuckle the small child and lift her in her arms.
