An Unexpected Turn

Chapter 65

Marriage

Ian crumpled the paper and threw it in the waste basket. He and Steve had decided to write their own vows and Ian was stressing with what to write. He started with what the traditional vows were and was trying to tailor it to his own, but it didn’t seem right. He eventually became frustrated and gave up for the moment.

After the wedding rehearsal, Steve and Ian came home. They had the house to themselves tonight since Ryan was going to be staying at Carl’s for the night. Peter had stayed up at the college. They wasted no time in moving things into the bedroom. They undressed each other slowly while placing small kisses on each other’s face and neck. As Steve moved down to the lower buttons on Ian’s shirt, he began licking and nibbling on Ian’s right ear, eliciting soft moans from him. After sliding Ian’s shirt off his shoulders, it was his turn to remove Steve’s shirt. He nuzzled his face in Steve’s neck, and placed kisses on it as he unbuttoned the shirt. As he finished the last button, he opened the shirt and leaned in to kiss and nibble on first Steve’s right then left nipple causing soft groans from Steve. They were both painfully hard by now but neither one wanted to rush the moment, yet both felt tortured by the anticipation. Once they were both naked from the chest up, they embraced, and kissed once more. When they eventually broke the kiss, they kissed and licked each other’s necks, periodically tonguing and nibbling on each other’s ears while grinding their hardness together. Steve began squeezing and playing with Ian’s hard melons as they ground themselves together. Ian’s hands moved to Steve’s waist and soon Steve felt the fingers opening his belt and then unbuttoning his pants before sliding down the zipper. Steve felt the palm of Ian’s hand slide inside and grab his hard shaft through his briefs. Steve groaned, “Fuuuuck.” Ian then giggled and said, “You have a wet spot.” Steve grinned, “I wonder why?” Ian slowly kissed his way down Steve’s chest as he slid Steve’s pants down. Ian looked up at Steve smiling as Steve smiled back down at him. Ian then focused on the hard shaft beneath the black briefs and the darker wet formed at the tip of the shaft. He put his mouth over it and sucked at the sweet nectar Steve was profusely producing. Steve let out a groan as his cock started throbbing at the feel of Ian’s warm mouth. Ian looked up at Steve with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes then began nibbling on Steve’s shaft, slowly moving down until he reached the base and the ball sack which he then put his mouth over. Steve’s cock was throbbing with excitement, causing his briefs to pulse in and out as Ian sucked on his balls through his briefs. When Ian finally pulled his mouth off, the front of Steve’s briefs were soaked in Steve’s precum and Ian’s saliva. Ian looked up at Steve who was smiling back down at him. Ian said, “Now for the main course.”, and then slid Steve’s brief down causing his stiff rod to spring out, slapping across Ian’s face and spattering precum across his right cheek. Ian grinned and began licking away at the shaft from base to tip. Each time his tongue would slide off the tip, Steve’s cock would spring back to slap Ian’s chin causing both of them to grin. Eventually, Steve asked, “Are you having fun down there?” Ian giggled and said, “Obviously”, before licking at Steve’s balls a few times, and then putting his mouth finally over Steve’s cock. Steve inhaled deeply as Ian’s mouth worked up and down his cock. From all the foreplay, it wasn’t long before Steve was getting close. He put his hands on Ian’s shoulders and pushed him off his cock, “Ok Stud, before you make me cum, it’s my turn.” Ian looked up pouting, “But I wasn’t finished.”

Steve pulled Ian to his feet as he stepped out of his briefs. He kicked them to the side and then began kissing, licking and nibbling from Ian’s neck down to his hard pecs. Stopping to bite gently on the hard nipples. Ian groaned, “Ohhh fuuuck Steve”. Steve then moved to Ian’s right side and began licking between his right pec and arm. He then lifted Ian’s right arm and buried his face in Ian’s arm pit, licking the sweat from it. Ian gasped, “Holy shit Steve!” Steve let Ian’s arm drop and smiled at Ian before moving to his left pit. Ian’s cock was throbbing in his pants and wetting his briefs with a huge amount of precum. Eventually, Steve moved down Ian’s chest to his abs, planting kisses along the ribs of muscle of his eight pack. Ian giggled as Steve tongued his belly button while palming his balls with one hand and opening his pants with the other. Soon Ian’s pants were around his ankles. Steve looked up at Ian and said, “Looks like I’m not the only one with a wet spot”. Ian giggled and mimicked Steve, “I wonder why?” Steve then mimicked Ian and sucked on the wet spot, savoring its unique flavor. Before long, Ian’s briefs joined his pants around his ankles and Steve was devouring Ian’s cock, getting the precum from its source, unfiltered and in greater quantities. Steve then took Ian’s balls in his mouth and worked them over with his tongue. Ian put his hands on Steve’s shoulders to steady himself, “Fuck, that feels so good.” Steve went back to sucking away on Ian’s cock while also kneading Ian’s firm buns as his fingers slowly moved into the valley between them. Steve then wet the fingers on his right hand and one of those fingers began circling Ian’s rose bud. Ian took in a deep breath as the finger penetrated him. Steve tasted an extra amount of precum enter his mouth as soon as he inserted the first finger into Ian. He grinned while still working his mouth over Ian’s cock. Steve slowly added a second, then third finger in Ian and soon Ian was trying to pull from Steve’s mouth, but Steve held him there. Ian warned him, “Steve, I’m about to cum. I don’t want to…Fuck!” Steve push up into Ian hard and Ian’s cock began flooding his mouth with cum. Ian gripped Steve’s shoulders hard as his orgasm continued. Once Steve had milked Ian’s cock dry, he slowly withdrew his fingers and pulled off Ian’s cock. Ian was looking down at him, “I didn’t want to cum just yet,” Steve grinned up at him and said, “I’m sure there’s more where that came from.” Steve then pushed Ian back onto the bed and pulled his pants and briefs off and tossed them on the floor, then said, “What next”. Ian giggled and said, “You know what I want.” Then he rolled over onto his stomach and said, “Fuck me, Steve!” Steve smiled and said, “My pleasure, Stud.”, then climbed on top of Ian and began sliding his precum and saliva-soaked cock between Ian’s hard buns. Steve’s cock slowly sank deeper in between Ian’s buns until it was rubbing across Ian’s waiting hole. Steve then positioned the tip of his cock at the entrance and Ian arched back slightly as Steve slowly penetrated him. Steve sighed, “I love your sweet, tight, hot hole Stud.” Ian groaned, “I love your big cock in me, Steve”. Steve was soon pressed tightly against Ian’s firm buns, and he paused there, not only for Ian to get used to him, but because he loved the feel of being tight up against those buns, “I could just be happy right like this.”, Steve whispered. Ian wasn’t having that and said, “Come on Steve. Fuck me!”, as he began bucking back and forth beneath Steve, fucking himself on Steve’s hard shaft. Steve smiled and began stroking to match Ian. They were soon pistoning like rabbits as the room filled with the sound of moaning, grunting, the slapping of skin against skin and the pleas to go harder. After a while, Steve pulled out of Ian who was still bucking back and forth, “Roll onto your back, Stud. I want to watch your sweet face as I fuck you.”, Steve said. Ian flipped onto his back and spread his legs wide and Steve re-entered him and resumed fucking him with abandon. Ian’s stiff cock was making a puddle of precum on his abs and every time he reached for his cock, Steve would swat him away until he finally grabbed Ian’s wrists and held them over his head. This resulted in Ian’s cock rubbing against Steve’s abs as he fucked him. They were both starting to breath harder and more ragged as Steve said, “I’m getting close, Stud. Where do you want my cum?” Ian grunted, “Breed me, Steve! Give me your seed! Oh fuck! Im cumming!” Steve yelled, “Me too, Stud!” Ian’s cum blasted between them, coating their abs and chests as Steve’s cum flooded Ian’s bowels. As they emptied their seed, Steve slowly rolled both he and Ian onto their sides, so they were still pressed together, sandwiching Ian’s cum between them. They kissed as they caught their breath and then Ian leaned his head on Steve’s shoulder, “Let me rest a couple minutes and then it’s my turn.” Steve smiled as his breathing slowed and after a few minutes, noticed Ian’s breathing had slowed as well. He looked down at Ian as he laid on Steve’s shoulder and noticed Ian’s eyes were closed. He’d fallen asleep. Steve smiled and then kissed Ian’s forehead and then laid his head back onto the pillow before falling asleep himself.

Tom was in the living room when Mike walked in the door. It was just around noon. Tom called out, “What brings you home so early?” Mike replied, “Just bored I guess.” Tom said, “I haven’t seen Julie lately. Is she that tied up with the wedding planning? That’s tomorrow, right? I’d hate to show up only to find out it’s the day after.” Tom was grinning, knowing it was tomorrow. Mike hesitated, not sure how to reply, but then realized Tom would notice how he and Julie would interact during the wedding that something was wrong. “Dad, Julie is busy with the wedding, but that’s not why she hasn’t been around. Julie and I are having some issues, and before you say anything, it’s my fault.” Tom asked, “You didn’t cheat on her with some other girl, did you?” Mike turned white at first, but then realized his out, “No dad. I would never hook up with some other girl behind Jule’s back. It’s something else and I’m not ready to talk to you about it, at least not now, ok?” Tom nodded, “Mike, I love you, son. I hope I’ve learned a good lesson the past few weeks. I won’t push you to talk about it, but I want you to know that I’m here for you whenever you want to or need to talk to me. I know in the past I thought I knew everything, but after almost losing you because of my own ignorance and then because someone just as ignorant almost took your life, I’m seeing things a little differently these days. I want to be the understanding and supportive father that I should have been over the years.” Mike smiled while at the same time his eyes filled with tears, “Thanks. Now where did you hide my dad?” Tom grinned, stood and walked over and hugged his son as he said, “Welcome to the new me, Mike. I hope I can be the father I always thought I was, but wasn’t.” Mike embraced his dad tightly as tears streamed down his cheeks, “Thanks dad. I will talk to you about this, but I’m not ready yet, ok?” Tom released Mike and looked him in the eye and said, “I understand, son and if you find you never want to tell me, that’s fine as well. Just know, I want to be there for you if you need me”. Mike wiped the tears from his cheek, “Thanks, dad. I appreciate it”. Just then, Mike’s phone sounded. It was Julie’s ring tone. His dad recognized it and stepped back to give Mike some privacy. Mike answered, trying to sound cheerful “Jules, what’s up?” Julie’s voice on the other end said, “Mike, can we meet somewhere to talk?” Mike suddenly felt like he was going to throw up. It wasn’t Julie’s happy voice. “Mike?” Mike drew up the courage to respond, “Yeah, Jules, where do you want to meet?” Julie suggested, “How about the park down the street from my house?” Mike turned white. It’s where they had their last conversation, when Mike confessed he had liked the sex he had with other guys. He felt like he was falling into an abyss. “Mike are you alright?”, Tom asked from the living room. Mike replied, “Uh, yeah dad. I have to go meet Julie.” Tom nodded, “Ok, Mike. I hope things turn out well for the both of you.”

Mike thought he would need to pull over to throw up at any time as he drove to the park. The sound of Julie’s voice made him think that this may be the end of them. He didn’t think he was going to be able to handle it. He loved her more than anything and his honesty may have been their ending. He arrived at the park and pulled into the lot. Julie must have walked there since her car was nowhere to be seen. He felt numb at what he felt was inevitable started to manifest itself. As he climbed from the car and looked around, he saw her sitting on one of the park benches. As he drew near, he gathered up the courage to at least smile weakly, “Hi Jules”. Julie smiled up at him, stood up, and suggested, “Could we take a walk?” Mike replied, “Sure Jules.” They walked for several minutes, neither of them saying anything which was making Mike feel worse and expect the worst. Finally, Julie asked, “Mike, are you ok? You don’t look well.” Mike was shocked, almost angry that Julie didn’t realize how he felt at that moment, “Julie, after our last talk you didn’t know whether you wanted to continue our relationship even though I tried to tell you how much I love you, and then you call and want to talk. I’m on pins and needles here, and we walk for who knows how long and you haven’t said a word. I’m not well Jules. I’m sick with worrying about US!” Julie stopped walking and turned to Mike, “Mike, I’m sorry about what you’re going through, what we’re going through. I needed time to think, and I’m not finished sorting it all out. I’m afraid of losing you and thought ending it before that happened might make things easier.” Mike immediately broke into tears, “Jules. Please. Don’t do this. I love you”. Mike was surprised as Julie grabbed his head and kissed him. He was stunned. Julie grabbed Mike’s shoulders and said, “Mike! I don’t want to end it! I just want to sort this out and then we can decide where we go from there. I thought it would be easier by ending it, but then I thought, ‘what if we could make things work’. Why would I want to end the best thing in my life? I was afraid, Mike. I panicked and I guess my self-defense kicked in.’ Mike realized what Julie was trying to tell him, “Jules, I love you. I’ll never have sex with anyone else but you from now on. I want to marry you if you’ll have me”. Julie smiled and said, “Slow down, Mike. I think we need to hold off on talking about marriage for now. I think we need to discuss things and come to an understanding, an agreement on where things are going and will go. First, I realize you’ve just discovered your “bi” side and I don’t want to keep you from exploring that. It might have some negative psychological effect on you. That’s why I want to hold off on the marriage thing until we’re both sure.” Mike was a little confused, “Jules, I’m not sure what you’re saying here. Where are we at this point?” Julie smiled and gave mike a quick peck on his lips, “Mike, I am open to you continuing to experiment with guys as long as you use protection. I want you to be sure that WE are in your future and that you’re not going to decide later in life that you’d rather be with a guy. In the meantime, we can resume being a couple until everything is sorted out, ok?” Mike was on Julie before she knew what hit her. They kissed for several minutes before a woman walked by with her dog and said, “You two should get a room.” They both laughed and wished the woman a great day as they pet her German shepherd.

Justin and Carrol heard a car pull into their driveway. Carrol asked, “I wonder who that could be?” Justin looked out and said, “It’s Mike. Julie is with him”. Carrol smiled and so did Justin. They liked Mike and were saddened by their sudden relationship issues. Justin sat down and they both pretended surprise when Julie came in with Mike behind her. Carrol said, “Mike, it’s good to see you.” Mike smiled and said, “It’s good to see you as well, Carrol.” Carrol had long ago chastised Mike for calling her Mrs. Smith and that he should just call her Carrol. Justin also didn’t want to be called Mr. Smith, so they had settled on Justin. He would have loved to have a son like Mike, and he felt bad for Mike due to Tom’s proclivities for extreme conspiracy theories and prejudices. Justin had gone fishing and watched the boys play sports many times with Tom. Justin just felt Tom seemed like too much of a negative influence on Mike and seemed to always have a negative vibe around him. He’d heard recently though, that Tom had changed after Mike’s knifing and hoped it was true. Justin asked him, “Everything going ok at home, Mike?” Mike smiled and replied, “Yeah, things are great.” Justin nodded, “That’s good to hear. How’s your dad doing?” Mike knew the subtlety in Justin’s question, “He’s doing good. In fact, I asked him this morning what he did with my real dad. He’s no longer glued to cable news, and we’ve never gotten along better.” Justin’s smile grew wider, “I’m really glad to hear that, Mike,” Carrol then asked, “Could you stay for dinner, Mike?” Julie replied for him, “Of course he’ll stay for dinner.” That drew a smile from everyone. It seemed the world had been righted once more.

“I feel like part of me is missing”, Ian said to Chad as he sat in the living room of the house Chad was renting from him. Chad laughed, “It’s not like you aren’t separated from him at other times. It’s just for tonight. Don’t act like such a baby.” Ian grinned and said, “Baby, huh? You’re lucky you’re my Best Man and I need you to look good tomorrow. It’s just strange not having him here. I feel really, I don’t know.” Chad laughed and said, “I think I know. You’ve got wedding night jitters. You’re a bundle of nerves.” Ian nodded and said, “Yeah, I need a drink.”

Steve sat quietly in Carl’s living room holding a rum and coke. Carl said, “By the time you take another sip of that, the ice will be melted.” Steve smiled, “I can’t believe tomorrow’s the day. We’ll be officially married. I can’t wait for it to be over and be on our honeymoon.” Carl smiled and said, “Yeah, Chad and I verified your reservations are all set. I’m jealous that you are going to be in St. Croix for two weeks. Just make sure you’re not in your hotel room the whole time.” Steve laughed and finally took a sip of his drink, then said, “We’ll make sure to see the sites and have fun on the beach. Ian wants us to not just stay in Christiansted, but also visit Frederiksted as well.” Chad was puzzled, “What’s the difference?” Steve replied, “Christiansted is mostly where the resorts are located and the fine restaurants. Frederiksted is where the workers mostly live. It’s supposed to be the slummy side of the island, but that’s why Ian wants to go there. He wants to meet the people who actually work and make St. Croix what it is.” Carl nodded, “Sounds like Ian all right, but I’m sure you weren’t difficult to convince. Just be careful. Just because you might have good intentions, some of the locals might not.” Steve nodded, “Yeah, I tried to make that point with Ian. He understands, but still wants to go.” Carl smiled, “I’m not surprised.”

The following morning, Ian woke up before Chad, and began getting ready. He didn’t sleep well. He was a bundle of nerves. Today was the day. As he walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, Chad greeted him with a smile, “Sleep well?” Ian groaned, “Not really”. Chad laughed, “Don’t worry. It’ll be over before you know it and you’ll be on the beach in St. Croix, a married man.” Ian smiled at the thought, and said, “Thanks.” Then Chad said, “I’ll get us some breakfast.” Ian said, “I’m not sure I’m that hungry.” Chad insisted, “Something in your stomach will do you some good. Maybe it will calm your nerves.” Ian replied, “I don’t think a bottle of Percocet would calm my nerves right now.”

Steve woke up with a smile on his face. Today was the day. He would be spending the rest of his life with his loving husband, Ian. He was giddy with joy. He walked into Carl’s room and said, “Wake up Carl! It’s Saturday, and most importantly, our wedding day!” Carl’s eyes opened and he yawned, “I’m awake, and by the way, it’s your wedding day, not ours.” Steve grinned, “By ours, I meant mine and Ian’s wedding day, silly. Let’s get some breakfast and then get ready.” Carl laughed, “Who’s the Best Man here? You’re supposed to be a nervous wreck, and I’m the one who’s supposed to be calming you and make sure you’re ready on time.” Steve laughed, “I am nervous, but I’m also so very happy.”

Ian saw Chad grinning behind him in the mirror’s reflection, “What’s so funny?” Chad grinned even wider as he replied, “Nothing is funny. I’m smiling because you look so good. You are going to make so many people jealous of Steve today. This tux makes you look so hot.” Ian giggled and said, “I think most people are going to be more jealous of me having Steve as my husband.” Chad laughed and said, “I think there’s going to be a lot of jealous people today.” Ian did look hot. His tux was tailor-made just like Steve’s and all of the wedding party. He and Steve’s tux were a dark blue with sky blue shirts which matched the tux color of the Best Men and groomsmen. The Best Men and groomsmen’s shirts were a light blue which matched the color of the tuxes the ushers would be wearing. The only difference between the Best Men and the groomsmen’s outfits were that the Best Men wore corsages that matched the Groom’s tux color and the groomsmen’s corsages matched their shirts and the ushers’ tuxes. The only white, other than some in the corsages, was the dress that Cindy, the Flower Girl would be wearing. It was white, with blue trim using all of the shades being worn by the guys in the wedding party. Julie’s dress was also tailor made for her, even though she wasn’t in the wedding. Steve and Ian had insisted since she had worked so hard in the planning of the wedding and the postponement, due to the incident in which Mike had been stabbed. Her dress had all the shades of blue as well as white. She wore a red corsage and had red flowers in her hair.

The area around the pier was packed. Most of the guests had been bussed from other locations due to limited parking and the number of guests as well as news organizations, which Steve and Ian had limited as they didn’t want the publicity. They weren’t able to keep them totally out though, especially since the Governor was in attendance as well as a few well-known movie stars. The beginning of the pier was lined with chairs with an aisle in the middle. Each side contained a row of ten chairs, ten rows deep, allowing 200 seated guests. Any remaining guests as well as the media would have to stand behind them with a ten-foot gap for security. There were many state troopers there for security. The Governor wasn’t going to allow any unwanted guests like happened during the first rehearsal. Fifteen feet in front of the closest seats a twenty-foot-high curtain stretched across, blocking the view of what was behind. On either side of the chairs, the sides of the pier were decorated with blue and white flowers as well as blue and white laced satin fabric adorning shining dark polished wood. It didn’t look like a pier at all. Light, classical music played in the background and slowly, the guests were seated by the cutest two little twins in tuxedos, Davey, and Greg. They were so proud when they got to seat the Governor and his wife who complemented them on how adorable they looked.

Once the guests were all seated, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite began to play and the curtain in front of them slowly opened to a large, polished mahogany stage with a huge curved dark blue curtain in the background. The stage was decorated in the same multiple blue colors with white accents. The crowd was astonished by its beauty and yet masculine touch. So far, Julie had hit it out of the park as everyone began talking about how fabulous it all looked, including the Governor. Some low-key hip hop music then played as there was movement of the curtain once more as it slowly closed. A mix of hip hop and rock music played for a while and then suddenly a drum roll sounded, and the progressive rock group Yes’s Cinema began playing as the curtain once again began slowly opening. It was timed so that the song ended just as the curtain finished opening. The guests were a bit puzzled though as there seemed to be what looked like a shimmering blue sea just in front of the stage. Suddenly, another Yes song, Starship Trooper began playing mixed with a whirring sound. The blue sea seemed to whirl in motion. Then pieces began lifting into the air. Small blue drones were rising up and began flying over the audience. Twenty at a time began flying over the seated guests and dropping packages onto their laps, delivering gifts of thanks for attending. By the time the song ended, all the gifts had been delivered and all the drones had flown out of sight.

Everyone was both amused and happy when the 1964 song Chapel of Love began playing. The Governor commented to his wife, “They’re playing music from today back to 1910. This is really something else.” Then the music ended and there were murmurs among the guests as the Ushers, Greg and Davey walked to the back. Then everything grew quiet as there seemed to be a group moving from the back, up the aisle toward the stage. It was a menagerie of priests, Christian faiths, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and others as well as the local Justice of the Peace. It was an unusual parade of individuals. As they all moved onto the stage in a semicircle, backed by the blue curtains, the Justice of the Peace came up to the microphone, “I’m sure you all have lots of questions about what you’ve just seen as a multitude of religious organizations paraded up here onto the stage. Well, it wasn’t because Steve and Ian are confused about their religious affiliation.” This drew some laughter from everyone. Then she said, “Yeah, hard to believe, right?”, more laughter. She continued, “These leaders of their religious affiliations wanted everyone to know that they endorse this joining in marriage of Steve and Ian as they have proven not only their love for each other, but their love and care for everyone as is the teaching of most religions. As the non-religious representative here, they have endowed me with not only the legal aspects of this ceremony, but each of their religious blessings as well.”

Then Unchained Melody began playing. Little Ben who had a huge smile on his face holding a satin blue pillow with two ring boxes, slowly walked beside Cindy, in her beautiful dress with a basket of red and white flower petals which she spread out on the floor as they moved down the aisle. Then the Ushers, Davey and Greg began walking down the aisle behind them, followed by Mike and Ryan. Behind them Tony and Scott followed, looking proud to be there for their friends. Carl and Chad then joined the wedding parade, grinning with pride at being the Best Men, both wondering if they were certain they were next. As they all gathered in a semicircle around the stage, Steve and Ian appeared and began slowly walking down the aisle. Both were smiling, but Ian had to wipe tears of joy from his eyes as camera flashes had them seeing spots. Unchained Melody was coming to a close as Steve and Ian positioned themselves on either side of the JP. She began with the official marriage wording and finished with the “required” asking, “If anyone has a reason why this marriage should not take place, speak now, or forever hold your peace.” Total silence. She then asked if we had any vows that we wished to pledge and Steve said, “We do.” She said, “Then you may make your vows, Steve first.”

“Ian, you caught my eye, and I was blinded by your presence. You lifted my heart when I hadn’t realized it had reached a low point. You made me care again when I was careless. You cared for me when I was in need even though you were suffering yourself. You broke my heart and made it whole again. You risked your life with me even knowing it may be our end. You make my day every morning when I see your face. You make me happy when I hear your laughter. I made my choice the moment we met. You are caring, and selfless to a fault. I love you with all of my heart and that will never change.  Will you marry me and share our lives together?”

Steve, you comforted me when I was frozen with fear. You searched for me when I was lost, and I’d forgotten who I was. You risked your life to whisk me from a fiery death. You guided me to safety when death was once again approaching. You frustrated me and at the same time made me proud of you when you risked your own life to save others, selflessly. You are my savior, my champion, my love, and my soul mate. How could I not choose you, Steve? How could I not love you? You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Will you marry me so we may share our lives together? They then said in unison, “I will”.

The JP then said, “Then, by the power vested in me and with the blessings of all these religious faiths, I now pronounce you, Steve and Ian Andrews-O’Connor, husbands in marriage. You may now consecrate your marriage with a kiss.” Everyone present, including the state troopers there for security, broke into applause as Steve and Ian kissed. As they broke the kiss, Steve, and Ian both had tears of joy running down their cheeks. Ian said, “I’m so happy, Steve. I love you so much.” Steve replied, “I love you too, Ian.” And they embraced once more. The JP then said, “Please be patient while the wedding party gets some photos taken.” Then the curtain slowly closed once more as Steve and Ian continued their embrace. Then Mike was heard saying, “You two need to get a room!”, followed by laughter and a reply from Steve, “We already have one waiting. We just can’t wait to get there.” More laughter.

Once the photos were finished there, the plan was to drive to Steve and Ian’s house for more photos before going to the wedding reception. They took photos in front of the house, by the pool and even down at the beach before they were finally done. Ian and Steve then thanked Julie for planning such an elaborate wedding and that Hollywood wouldn’t have done better with props. They said the drones were brilliant and so over the top, but the guests loved it and their gifts which were custom selected for each individual.

The reception was just as packed as the wedding.

“I’ve known Ian since High School and he hasn’t changed much. I remember almost every day he would rush into home room just as the teacher was calling Jerry Nathan’s name for attendance, because he overslept. His name would be called next, Nathan, O’Connor, and he would yell ‘here’ just as he was sitting down. laughter. That’s why I looked for a bed as a wedding gift that’s like those chairs you see on tv where they lift to help people out of them, only this one would tilt sideways from the center. Steve could set an alarm that would dump Ian out of bed when it went off. laughter. We used to get jealous because of all the girls that used to flirt with him. Now the girls are jealous of a certain guy. laughter. Well, I lie. It’s not just the girls who are jealous. laughter. Ian’s my best friend and I was so proud when he asked me to be his Best Man. It’s such an honor to be the Best Man to someone as kind, as generous and as selfless as Ian. He and Steve were destined to be together like Batman and Robin. They’re so much alike in their hearts and yet so different in their mannerisms. Yes, Ian’s the disorganized, messy one. laughter. Now I’d like to introduce you to the other Best Man, Carl.

Carl stood up and waved, “Thanks Chad.” Carl looked around at the guests and smiled, “I’m not going to be able to give you fond memories of Steve’s childhood or boyhood memories. In fact, I’ve only known Steve for close to a year now. My only funny memory I can relate is the one during the Celebration of Life for my Granpa. There was this situation where Steve was about to eat his salad, and his hands were bandaged to the extent that he couldn’t even hold on to a fork. He was so frustrated, but most of us had a good laugh as Ian had to feed him. It was so funny but at the same time, so sweet. That’s the funny part of this toast. Now seeing Ian feeding Steve like a baby was funny, the reason he had to be fed in this way is not. Steve had burned his hands rescuing four people from a car accident. These four people who are here today would not be alive today if Steve wasn’t there on that day. The day my Granpa died, I would have died as well as many others had it not been for Steve’s actions. I won’t embarrass them further with the list of all he and Ian have done for this community and for the inspiration of people around the world, but I am so proud to be one of the two Best Men at their wedding today. Chad and I raise a toast to our friends, Steve and Ian Andrews-O’Connor. Everyone raised their champagne glasses and clinking was heard throughout the large hall.

The DJ then announced that it was time for the wedding dance and that both grooms could not dance. The crowd booed. The DJ said, “No no, people. I mean they’ve told me they cannot dance. That doesn’t mean we can’t convince them to come out on the dance floor and make the attempt.” Laughter and applause erupted all over and two red-faced individuals walked out onto the floor together as Unchained Melody played once more. Steve and Ian moved together with their hands wrapped around each other’s waist and back and slowly swayed to the music. The crowd cheered them on as cameras filmed and flashes were going off. Halfway through the song, Chad and Carl joined them on the dance floor, followed by Tony and Scott and with laughter from the crowd, Ryan and Mike. Greg and Davey came out with Julie and Ben was all smiles as he danced with Cindy.

Steve and Ian were both overwhelmed with emotion. They had never danced together, and they now embraced and swayed in each other’s arms. They were lost in each other and the music. They were in their own world where no one else existed. As the music stopped, a tearful Ian looked up into the eyes of a tearful Steve, smiles on their faces as they knew they were as one and they slowly moved their lips together in a kiss. As they broke the kiss, the room erupted in applause, bringing them both back to reality. Another song began and Carl approached Steve, and Chad approached Ian and they then danced together.  When the song ended, the DJ announced the dollar dance. Steve and Ian looked to each other in horror as two lines formed around the room in wait for a chance to dance with each of them. Mike took his turn with Steve as they both laughed. Justin glanced across their table at Tom and was relieved to see him grinning widely as he watched them dancing. Justin’s wife Carrol had noticed as well and was smiling too. Steve asked, “So, are you and Julie good?” Mike responded, “Yeah, we’re going to see how things work out, but I’m feeling really good about it.” Steve said, “I’m glad to hear that and hope you work things out. You two are good for each other.” As the song ended, Mike said, “Thanks Steve. I think Julie and I will be ok, and I think you helped.”

Ian was shocked as his dad approached to dance with him, smiling, “I never expected to be doing this Ian, but I am so proud of you for everything you’ve done. I thought I’d never have to say this, but I love you for who you are and for what you and Steve have done for our city. Ian looked up into his father’s eyes and saw a smile and tears, “Thanks dad. That means a lot to me.” The hug that followed was long and emotional.

Steve was surprised as Mrs. O’Connor took her turn to dance with him. She whispered to him, “Steve, you are the best thing that has ever happened to Ian. He was always a happy kid, with friends and was always busy with sports, but I’ve never seen him happier than he is now. I’m so proud of my little hero.”, as she began crying onto Steve’s shoulder. Steve hugged her, “Thank you Mrs. O’Connor. Your son is the best thing I could ever have wished for, and your blessing is the best gift I could ever have received.” Mrs. O’Connor smiled and said, “Take good care of my baby, Steve.” Steve smiled and said, "That is my number one priority in life Mrs. O’Connor”.

As Mrs. O’Connor left Steve to join the line for Ian, Julie stepped up to Steve. Steve smiled and said, “I can’t believe that you did all this. I never expected anything as huge and so over the top Julie. Thank you so much.” Julie grinned and replied, “I was happy to do this for you and Ian, Steve. After all, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now if it wasn’t for you. This is my thanks to you, from all four of us.” Steve blushed, “I appreciate it, Julie, but there was no need to have gone this far. I’m overwhelmed.” Julie grinned, “I’m happy to hear that, Steve. I’m thinking of doing this wedding planning thing on a regular basis.” Steve smiled, “Well, you’ve certainly padded your resume’ with this one. You have both the Mayor and the Governor as guests, not to mention a few movie stars. Great start.”

They eventually had to shorten each person’s dance time with Steve and Ian to thirty seconds as it was already time for the food to be served. The guests had a choice of Chicken Cordon Bleu, Filet Mignon and Lobster or Peking Duck. No one was disappointed in their meal.

Then came the cake cutting. Everyone was sure both Steve and Ian would have their faces covered in wedding cake. It turned out they were wrong. As much as Ian’s devil side wanted to do that, he restrained himself as did Steve and they fed each other the first of the huge wedding cake. It was both chocolate and vanilla as Steve and Ian both preferred chocolate cake, they knew some may prefer vanilla.

Once the cake cutting and eating was finished, Steve and Ian held one more toast to their wedding party and their awesome guests. They finished with thanking them all for coming and to enjoy the rest of the reception as they would be departing shortly. They were caught by surprise when first Ryan stood up and began clapping and soon everyone followed his lead as the entire room applauded them. Ian was in tears and Steve gripped his hand and said, “Ian and I are so blessed at having such awesome friends. Thank you all so much for coming tonight and celebrating this awesome day with us. The Governor stood and said, “Steve and Ian, the state is blessed to have you.” The mayor then stood and said, “The city is in your debt.” They should have issued earplugs as the room erupted in applause as Steve and Ian exited the hall.

End of Chapter 65