Epilogue
Jaylen
Two years later…
What happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay in Vegas. It haunts your digital footprint for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death.
“What’s a blood diamond? And why doesn’t Lucy want one? They sound fancy,” Lamber says, dragging his feet behind Wells and me as we quickly trek our way through the casino.
“It’s like an unethical diamond or something. I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve heard that Jay-Z song. It doesn’t matter right now,” I shout back to Lamber, frazzled and overstimulated by the noises and lights in this place. I’m too busy to get into it with him because I’m frantically searching for Soko among the rows of slot machines in the bustling casino.
“Tell that to the kids in Africa,” Wells says.
I’m stressing because Soko’s typical flashy garb seamlessly blends into the backdrop of Vegas, making him unusually difficult to spot.
“There he is!” I point across the casino at Soko, like I’m about to yell Seize him . We all rush over. “Did you get it?” I impatiently look him over.
“Easy, easy, guys. Let’s hit up the tables before we go.” Soko attempts to grab a seat at one of the poker tables.
I grab his arm and lift him up out of the chair. “Soko, I’m getting married in thirty minutes. Please, give me the rings. I don’t have time for this.”
He reaches into his pocket and takes out a ring box. He starts to hand it over to me but pulls it back right at the last minute. “Lamber and I want to come.” He holds the box hostage.
“Sure. Fine. Just don’t do anything stupid.” I snatch the box from his hand before he has time to list any other demands like requesting to be the flower girl.
“Can I do a bridesmaid?” Lamber’s laugh is unreciprocated.
“The bridesmaids are a witty gay man and a very powerful lesbian. On second thought, sure, give it a try and see how that goes for you,” I snap at him. I open the ring box, and suddenly, all my worries melt away. It finally hits me: I’m marrying the love of my life tonight.
Inside are two thick gold bands with the words Till Death engraved in Gothic font. I noticed Lucy looking at similar rings a few months ago on her phone late at night and I took a mental note. I’m surprised Soko was able to find them on such short notice, but then again it seems he has a lot of connections in Sin City.
I didn’t formally propose to Lucy. Not because I didn’t want to, but because she once went on a long-winded tangent about how it should be a decision two people make together. With no diamonds and no proposal, she was making it difficult to be romantic. Still, I couldn’t argue with her logic, so I waited until she was ready to have the conversation about marriage. We’ve been toying with the idea for a few months now, but with the team winning the Stanley Cup a few weeks ago, our plan to have a serious talk about marriage kept getting pushed back.
My teammates and I are fresh off our wins at tonight’s NHL awards show. Soko took home the Hart Memorial Trophy, Lamber was nominated for the Norris Trophy, and Wells was invited to the festivities by the keeper of the Stanley Cup. I was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for my leader-ship on the ice as the Rainiers’ captain and my tireless work with Cam’s House.
In my acceptance speech I thanked Lucy, calling her the love of my life. I thought the recognition would have embarrassed her, but apparently, the public declaration of love sparked an idea. Somewhere among the pre-award show champagne, the Vegas weekend getaway with all our friends, and the three-week-long Stanley Cup celebration, we began feeling recklessly romantic.
When I slid back into my seat next to her after my acceptance speech, Lucy interlocked her hand in mine and leaned over. “Let’s get married,” she whispered to me.
Before the award show ended, I had an Uber waiting out front to take us to the Clark County Marriage Certificate Bureau for a marriage license.
A firm hand grabs my shoulder and gives me a shake. “Let’s get you married, JJ!” Wells says, and the boys all holler like we’ve hit the jackpot. I snap the ring box shut and hand it to my best man for safekeeping.
Lucy
“She needs something blue!” Cooper frantically shuffles around the casino gift shop in search of any blue accessory for my last-minute impromptu Vegas wedding.
“She’s wearing a black minidress and fishnets. I think we can drop the traditions.” Maya loafs around the store at a much more casual pace. She picks up a small souvenir shot glass but puts it back down after checking the price tag.
“I’ve never been a man of honor before. It’s my duty to make sure everything is perfect for Lucy. You’re not trying to mess with my duty, are you?” Cooper presses Maya, finger pointed and nostrils flared.
“Please, listen to yourself.” Maya swats his finger out of her face and pivots to a sunglasses display to check her meticulously laid baby hairs in the small mirror.
I step in between them. “Cooper, I’ve already said this, you are both my bridesmaids.”
“Yet only one of us is taking it seriously.” Cooper huffs as he disappears in the gift shop again.
I take a long sip from my comically shaped casino-branded plastic cup, which has stained my lips scarlet from the red dye forty in the cocktail. The only thing I’m stressing over is missing our appointment at the twenty-four-hour wedding chapel.
It’s been an incredible year. Not only for my painting business—which, after winning this year’s Seattle Art Mu-seum’s prestigious award, is booked solid for the next year—but things with Jaylen have never been better. I can’t wait to marry him, with or without my something blue.
Maya begins tearing at the black lace overlay of her maxi skirt, ruthlessly pulling off the front panel before I can stop her. She reaches into her purse, grabbing a bobby pin from the bottom of the bag. It doesn’t take long for me to realize it’s a makeshift veil.
“Is this my something borrowed?” I ask as she fastens it into my messy updo. I’m not sure how she will ever get it sewn back on her dress.
“It’s your something used.” She adjusts some rogue strands of hair and lays the veil delicately down my back. Maya sure does love a reduce-reuse-and-recycle moment. Her head tilts to the side as she looks me over lovingly. She grabs my hands and says, “I’m glad you finally realized you deserve good things.”
“Me too. Thanks for the kick in the ass.” I pull her in for a hug.
“It’s a kickable ass.”
“It is, isn’t it?” I twist my back to get a look.
A shriek from across the store interrupts our moment. “Got it!” Cooper yells. Running over, he hands me a light blue lacy thong.
I hold it up at eye level. Bejeweled across the front are the words Viva Las Vegas . I giggle. I know Jaylen will get a kick out of them too. “It’s perfect.”
* * *
“Next!” The woman behind the front desk sounds like she swallowed a frog. The red lipstick stains on her teeth are the same glossy scarlet as her nails. She looks like the type of woman to call you “honey” and always have a light on hand.
Jaylen tugs on Wells’s arm, spinning him around. “Where did Lamber and Soko go?”
Wells shrugs. “They said they needed to grab something and they would be right back.”
I hand over our paperwork and I’m given a bouquet of weathered faux roses. “Get in line, lovebirds. Be sure to pick up your buy-one–get-one coupon for our strip-club breakfast buffet after the ceremony,” the woman says, ushering our group into the chapel.
“This is the sanctity of marriage that homophobes are so pressed about preserving?” Cooper leans in to say to Maya. She giggles into her palm, but quickly pulls it together to shush him.
We file into the dingy chapel. The once-pristine white early-2000s wedding decor is now a time-stained pale yellow. An Elvis impersonator emerges from a side door and electric slides into place under the awning.
Cooper gasps. “This is so camp.”
“It’s so Lucy,” Maya says.
It’s gaudy and tacky—but to me, it’s perfect. I know I will owe Jaylen something more traditional—something with all our friends and family—but I don’t mind because this is exactly how I always pictured it. A little bit crazy, and a whole lot of love.
Suddenly, the back door bursts open. I jump, having expected some dramatic speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace moment with one of Jaylen’s overzealous fans. Luckily it’s only Soko and Lamber finally returning in time for the ceremony to start. Soko strolls in holding the Stanley Cup over his head like he’s trying to air out his armpits, while Lamber is cradling one of those comically large bottles of champagne like it’s a baby.
“Was the trophy really necessary?” I say to Jaylen. Soko sets the Stanley Cup in an empty chair in the front row.
“Did you steal that?” Jaylen asks.
Instead of getting a straight answer from either of them, Soko does a double-finger gun hand gesture and sits down in an empty chair beside Wells and Hannah.
“We’re gathered here tonight to join Lucy and Jaylen in holy matrimony. All right, how ’bout some vows,” Elvis says in character.
I pull out a crumpled piece of paper tucked between my boobs and unfold it in trembling hands. I shake my bangs out of my eyes as I steady my breath. “I only knew chaos before you. I didn’t know life could be so calm. I didn’t know love could be so comforting. You are so good at loving me, Jaylen. I showed you the darkest parts of me, and you still saw light. I promise to always search for that light in everything we do. I love you.” As I begin to tear up, Elvis quickly pulls a tissue out of his oversize gold-and-diamond-encrusted belt buckle.
It’s Jaylen’s turn to say his vows and to my surprise, he doesn’t pull a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. Instead, he grabs both my hands and looks deep into my eyes. “I loved you at first sight, and I knew because I was terrified of you.”
Our guests break out into a hum of giggles—myself included. Jaylen pulls me in closer.
He continues, “I knew right away that you were going to be someone who would change my life. And change is scary, even when it’s good. It’s been so good, by the way. I’m so happy I held on for all of this. When I met you, I was at a point in my life where I wasn’t sure I would ever be happy again. I know I got through it to get to you because with you, I slowly started to believe that I deserved it, happiness and love and maybe even a bit of luck. It’s you and me forever, and the rest is an added bonus.” He starts choking up.
In that moment of silence, while Jaylen looks longingly into my eyes, Soko begins to sob violently. With all eyes on him, he cries out, “Even in the toughest battles, love is the only true victor.”
“That was really touching, but you need to pull yourself together,” Lamber says, taking Soko under his arm, where he sniffles into his chest.
Wells steps up and brings Jaylen two gold rings. I’m almost too distracted by the strobe lights reflecting off Elvis’s sparkly outfit to notice that they are the same ones I saved on my phone months ago.
Jaylen repeats after the officiant, “With this ring, I take you, Lucy, to be my wife.” He slips the ring on my finger, and I immediately pull it up to my face for a closer look. I do the same to his finger as we inch closer and closer together, impatiently waiting for the part where we can kiss.
The affiant declares, “By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife!” Elvis hardly finishes his sentence before I’m grabbing Jaylen’s face and kissing him. Jaylen takes me by the waist and dips me. We share a passionate kiss as our closest friends cheer and holler as we celebrate a life full of hockey, love, and lots of good luck.
* * * * *