“Oh my God,” Daniel said, right before Owen’s knees gave out and he hit the bed with a thump. “This is—I don’t even know what this is,” he wheezed, fighting for air as Owen vibrated beside him. “It literally can’t get any worse.”
“Never say that,” Owen murmured, leaning his forehead against Daniel’s shoulder. “Never, ever say that, because it usually can.”
They sat there in the quiet, breathing in tandem, until a timid knock sounded at the door.
“Naomi, I bet,” Owen said. He got up slowly, as though the weight of the day had turned his bones to steel.
Daniel wiped at his eyes with his palms; he stuffed Ander’s letter into his pocket, sniffling as stood up. Damage control began now, and any good planner knew this was as much a part of the project as accepting an envelope for a job well done.
He missed Mr. Snider and his patriotic flags a bit, that was for sure.
At the doorway, Owen and Naomi were deep in whispered conversation. She looked beautiful in the dress Ander had designed, a sleeveless jade green empire waist with gold trim around the neckline. Her glance when she noticed Daniel’s presence was sympathetic.
“You don’t have to—” Owen started to say, but Daniel shook his head.
“This is also my responsibility. We have to clean this mess up.”
“The food and drink are here already. It won’t do much good to send them away,” Naomi pointed out.
“Let’s invite everyone to stay. Take the cake topper off, have them remove the head table and add a few extra rounds. Someone has to grab all the favors and the guest book.” Daniel felt his logical self begin to kick in. “Anything personalized for the wedding, get rid of it. And tell the band they better have a backup set list of non-love songs or I’m just turning on the radio.”
Naomi nodded. “Got it. I’ll get started right away. The guests are going to be arriving in the next twenty minutes or so.” She shot Daniel a commiserating smile.
Owen reached out and touched Daniel’s arm. “I can make an announcement.”
“I’ll, uh—I actually have an idea. Maybe we can salvage this.”
THEY HAD
a brief moment before following Naomi down to the wedding site. Owen opened his arms and Daniel went without hesitation. Owen felt the hitch in his breath, felt his dilemma.
“You can do this. We can do this, all right?” he whispered, rubbing soothing circles against his lover’s back. “We’ll get through this.”
Daniel pulled back, his face crumpled and eyes dull with misery. “Cleaning up the mess today is going to be a picnic compared to what will happen later.”
With that, Daniel stepped out of Owen’s embrace, then walked out the door.
They were quiet all the way down the hill, Owen holding Naomi’s arm as she navigated the terrain, still a little off kilter since having the baby. Ahead, Daniel walked alone, at each step pulling his shoulders back and straightening the length of his spine. Owen watched him transform, and it hurt more than it should.
What the hell was going to happen tomorrow?
“Okay, listen up,” Daniel said, coming up to the catering staff as they unloaded things out of the company truck. “There are some slight changes. Naomi is going to give you the new layout. Has anyone seen the band?”
One of the waiters pointed over to the dock near where the ceremony would have taken place.
“I’ll take care of that,” Owen said quickly, touching Daniel’s arm as he walked up beside him.
“Then, uh—the crew. Let’s have them meet me at the dock in like… ten minutes? I need them to film something.” Daniel’s voice shook, and Owen saw the mask starting to slip.
“Done and done. Naomi’s already gone inside to get the room rearranged.”
“We’re going to have to eat earlier.”
“It’s fine. Let us take care of the food.”
The catering staff went back to their duties, casting glances over their shoulders in curiosity as Owen and Daniel stood on the pathway. The hum of the day didn’t slow, even with the grooms far away—people had jobs to do, money to make.
Owen had a train wreck and suddenly felt so very tired.
“Ten minutes down by the dock. I’ll talk to the band.” Owen laid his hand on the back of Daniel’s neck, the tremble and the warmth reminding him of the first time they had kissed. “I have so much faith in you, Daniel. We can get through this.”
He didn’t mean just today.
And maybe Daniel knew that too. He turned his head enough for Owen to catch his expression. He wanted to believe Owen—that much was clear from the attempted smile that crossed his lips.
“Thanks.”
They didn’t kiss, but Owen couldn’t resist the pull to be closer. He touched their foreheads together and murmured, “I am so incredibly lucky to have met you.”
Daniel laughed wetly. “Please don’t say things like to me right now or else my actual suggestion will be for you and me to pull an Ander and get the hell out of here.”
Owen’s heart pulsed and soared. “Soon.”
“We have an aborted wedding to salvage,” Daniel whispered.
“I know—so save me a dance.”
RELUCTANTLY OWEN
left Daniel to deal with his list of necessities. He texted Mickey and Brittany, telling them to meet him down by the dock—and Mickey’s prompt
WTF
response let him know that Victor had spread the news.
The bandleader was chatting with the members of the string quartet on the dock, their chairs in a semicircle, violins and cellos at rest. Owen summoned up a charming smile and began his patter.
Things had changed, the wedding wasn’t happening, but he wanted them to stay, play, and create some semblance of calm in what was about to become a hot mess.
The lack of surprise on their faces led Owen to believe this wasn’t their first canceled wedding, further evident when the cellist turned to the violinist and said, “I got the sheet music for this in my car.”
Owen directed them up to the patio, where they would now be playing during the cocktail hour—which was going to start an hour early. In gowns and tuxes, they grabbed their instruments to start up to the main house.
Done.
And just in time, as Owen looked up to find Daniel approaching with the officiant a few steps behind.
“How’d it go?” Daniel asked.
“Apparently there’s a set list for this kind of thing. They’re prepared.”
Daniel laughed bitterly. “Well hey, good and also terrible to know.” He gestured behind him. “Reverend Lund needs to get paid and also driven back to the city.”
Owen smiled at the petite woman in the flowing purple robes and a matching turban. “I’ll have Naomi take care of that.”
“And right now she’s going to pray quietly while I try to put a positive spin on this.” Daniel began to pull at his tux, running his hands over his hair.
“Stop or Lucias will sense you messing with that,” Owen murmured, putting his hands on Daniel instead. “You look fine. Dashing even.”
“I look like a hot fucking mess.” Daniel’s voice shook. “And I need to say something on camera, I need to give some reason.”
“Did the couple break up?” Reverend Lund asked, interrupting their private conversation.
“No.” Daniel turned to smile at her faintly. “They realized the wedding was causing their relationship harm, so they… ran off together.”
Reverend Lund smiled. “Well, that’s quite impressive.”
“You think so?” Daniel asked.
“Unfortunately I’ve presided over weddings where I couldn’t even be sure it would last through cake,” she laughed. “Couples whose marriage was the farthest thought from their minds, a celebration that had nothing to do with the people involved, the reason they were together in the first place. I’m sorry for all the drama, but good for Ander and Rafe. I’m glad they decided their relationship was the most important thing.”
Owen wanted to hug the woman, lift her off her feet, and spin her around. Her words stopped Daniel’s trembling. His shoulders slowly dropped.
“Reverend, would you mind if I stole some of that?” Daniel asked.
MICKEY, BRITTANY,
and Noah set the equipment up quickly, each of them throwing Owen side eyes as they prepared to record… something. Owen kept to the side, watching Daniel at the end of the dock under the beautiful white rose arch. He tried to keep his mind on getting through this crap, knowing that Victor was somewhere on a rampage, but Daniel distracted him.
The sparkling lake behind him, the lush green forest, even the picturesque rowboat filled with flowers bobbing and floating behind it—it made for a fantasy setting, with Daniel standing in the center of it. A little sad, a little frazzled, but strong, cleaning up the mess created by someone he loved.
Owen bowed his head, laughing at little at the irony.
Once upon a time, that had been him.
And oh, for so many reasons, he wanted to stop Daniel from getting mired in the drama of it all. To convince him that he wasn’t responsible for this and that he had every right to say fuck it and hightail it back to the city.
But that wasn’t Owen seven years ago, and it wasn’t Daniel today.
I love you
, he thought.
MICKEY GAVE
Daniel the high sign and Brittany counted them down; when the camera came on, Daniel took a deep breath and looked up.
“So, we’ve arrived at the wedding day after a long and dramatic journey.” He laughed wryly. “I know what you were hoping to see, and frankly I was hoping to see it too. I mean, I worked hard on those flower arrangements!” Daniel winked at the camera, his gaze finding Owen standing a few feet away. The twinkle that appeared in his eyes made Owen grin.
“But… the reality is Ander and Rafe are not here. They made a decision that on the surface seems selfish and crazy, but when I look at it, I see how brave it was.”
Daniel slid his hands into his pockets. “See, social convention dictates many things about falling in love. How long you date before you live together. How long you live together before you get engaged. Rings and parties and registries. I mean, it’s a billion-dollar business.” He smiled a bit brighter. “I’m not complaining. Equal rights for LGBT couples means equal rights to go a little off the rails with all the hoopla. But sometimes all that other stuff blots out the reason you decided to do it in the first place.
“Everyone heard how they met, but the moment Ander fell in love with Rafe was actually in a deli. They were buying soup. It… it was raining out and Ander was cranky and he just wanted his soup and crackers. Except the counter guy forgot the crackers.” Daniel rocked back on his heels. “So there are no crackers in the bag, and Ander’s just… that’s the last straw. He’s so mad. But he’s pretending not to be because he’s trying to impress his date. And all of sudden Rafe pulls out the crackers from his bag and hands them to Ander.”
Daniel paused and tilted his head, his attention still on Owen. “They had been on a few dates, things were going okay, and then in that moment, Ander had the realization that Rafe was
it
. He was The One. Because of some crackers. Because he knew how to make him feel better without Ander having to say anything. Because he just wanted to do whatever small thing he could to make Ander happy.” Daniel shook his head. “Somewhere in the craziness of expectations, they lost sight of why sometimes love is handing over your crackers. Making a sacrifice, even a tiny one, is saying, ‘You’re more important than anything else.’”
He blew out a breath and focused directly on the camera. “Ander and Rafe, after all the craziness, decided this morning to leave for their honeymoon early. To concentrate on their love for each other and not my really spectacular seating plan. They want me to thank you for following along and for your kind words. And in your own life? Never forget why you fell in love. That’s the thing that carries you for the rest of your lives together—not which gravy boat was on the registry.”
Mickey turned off the camera as Brittany smiled broadly, nodding. “That was lovely.”
Daniel looked a little shocked, his mouth open as he regulated his breathing. Owen took three, four broad steps past the film crew, and when he reached Daniel, he pulled him into his arms.
OWEN BROUGHT
Daniel up to the main house. Guests were milling about in their finery, all looking slightly confused as waiters in black uniforms directed them to the stone patio outside the barn. Tables sat stocked with food and drink, the string quartet playing some politely unobtrusive Bach.
Owen sent the film crew to the barn with instructions to wait for him. An idea was beginning to form, one dependent on just how the crowd of guests reacted to no wedding and a free party.
“Come on, let’s get you a drink,” Owen murmured, guiding Daniel around to the back entrance of the barn.
“I need to—” Daniel started to say, tucked under Owen’s guiding arm.
“Whatever you’re going to say, the answer is I’m getting you a drink.”
“The guests.”
“Are my responsibility.” They walked past the gorgeous barrels of flowers and unlit lanterns into the barn. It was perfection—Daniel’s interpretation of Ander’s vision felt like a dream. Ribbons of tulle and brown silk, wrapped in fairy lights, were looped over the rafters, with matching silk curtains flowing like waterfalls at each window. Round tables of fifteen sparkled with diamond-dust-brushed cream roses and white hydrangeas spilling out of low crystal vases at the centers. Antique china, crystal stemware—everything artfully arranged on wide ribbons of brown silk overlaid on white tablecloths.
The head table was gone, replaced by another round one. The bartenders were hurriedly filling their stations, the band warming up on stage. Owen spotted Naomi in the bustle of it all and waved her over.
“Scotch and a quiet corner,” Owen said as she walked closer.
Daniel laughed beside him. “That sounds perfect. Just until you’re ready to make your little announcement.”
“No, sorry. Overruling you. Go with Naomi and I’ll find you when I’m done.”
Daniel started to protest but stopped in midbreath, shaking his head. “Thank you.” He turned to Owen with wide and tired brown eyes, but Owen couldn’t miss the sincerity. “You don’t have to do this.”