Washington, D.C. Date Night #3
“You know I love you, right?” he asked.
Gene lifted a brow.
“No conversation in the history of relationships went well after that sentence. What’s going on? You’re edgy, and the family is overcompensating for it. I’m not an idiot. I can feel the energy. The vibe is way off.”
Yeah, no shock.
“I need you to tell me that you trust me no matter what, and that you won’t get angry with me.”
Uh-oh.
He didn’t like this.
The last time something like this went down, Ethan had dropped that they weren’t going back with the family, and he’d had to tell Elizabeth.
Glancing over, Raphael was trying to be invisible, and failing miserably.
“Of course, I trust you, and unless you’re going to tell me we’re not going to be a couple anymore, you’re probably good.”
Well, thank God for that.
“Then, I have to show you something,” he said, moving to the door with his hand still in Gene’s.
As he opened it, and pulled the man in, the lights in the room went on, and Gene came face-to-face with a room full of people, a walkway of rose petals, and their whole family.
Plus friends.
And he blinked.
“What is this?” Gene asked.
When he turned, Ethan let go of his hand, went down on one knee, and stared up at him.
“Will you marry me here in front of our family, friends, and children?” he asked. “Will you forever be part of our world, and never leave my side?”
Gene was caught off guard, and not in a bad way.
He just never expected this.
Holy.
Shit.
Ethan tended to be lowkey, and this was ANYTHING but lowkey.
This was high-key, if that was a thing.
“I know we said we’d get married at the new house, but I wanted everyone in our world to be part of it, as I tell the universe that you’re the last part of my heart. Now, we’re complete, and for the rest of my life, you’ll be mine.”
Gene just blinked.
He knew they’d already had a commitment ceremony, but this…this was a PARTY.
A.
Huge.
One.
Gene didn’t know what to say. He’d felt something had been off the last week or two, but he’d never expected this.
“EJ.”
Ethan didn’t move.
“Let’s do our wedding now. Here. I want everyone in this room to know the truth.
You’ve been part of me since we were first partners over twenty years ago.
Without you, I never would have learned to be the man I am today.
You prepared me to marry Elizabeth, and start a family.
I want everyone to know that without you, and that part of our life, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
That man wouldn’t have made it this far. ”
Not a word was spoken in the room, and that was a miracle in itself. Their kids were there, and silent as they watched their dad and Uncle Gene have their moment.
“Get up, Ethan,” Gene said, pulling him to his feet.
For a brief moment, Ethan thought he screwed up, but then, as always, Gene had him.
He was safe.
Moving into his body, they stood toe-to-toe, and he stared into his eyes. In them, Gene didn’t see fear, but he did see love.
They were definitely ready.
“I will absolutely marry you. My only requirement was that our children see this moment. Since you somehow managed to wrangle all of them here, I’m in.”
Ethan smiled.
“It was Elizabeth. She planned all of this for us.”
Gene wasn’t shocked.
And now, it all made sense.
She’d dressed down and said what she’d said for them. She was giving them their moment.
“Let’s get married,” Gene said. “I’m ready. God knows I don’t get into a tux for funsies. They suck.”
He hugged him.
“I love you,” Ethan whispered.
“And I love you. Thank you for this gift. It’s spectacular.”
When music began playing, Gene turned around, and held out his arm for his mate. They’d taken vows, but now, Gene was going to get to do what he’d planned.
Marry them all.
This was more than just about him and Ethan. This was about the family they’d formed, and the unit they’d become. He could wing his vows to all of them, since he’d not had time to prepare.
Tonight, they’d all be a couple.
As they began walking down the path of rose petals, Elizabeth was at the end, holding Willa in her arms. While they shared kids, this was their only one together.
Gene immediately held out his arms, and Willa went into them. He kissed her, and Ethan kissed her too. The little girl was smiling at both of them.
Now, Gene needed to have his hands free, but as soon as it was over, this little girl would be back in his arms. While he never planned to be a father, he was damn glad he was one.
“Go with momma,” Gene said, cherishing that they were going to get to see them get married.
Today, he’d stop being Uncle Gene to them, and instead, he’d be another Dad.
You couldn’t have enough of them.
Unlike the private vow ceremony they had, this one was very much public and made a statement.
When Willa went to her mother, Elizabeth stayed there.
“Gene and Ethan, it’s going to be my pleasure to lead you down the path of this wedding together. We’re going to start with your past. Since you’ve already taken vows to each other, I hope I do you proud with this,” she said.
Ethan was confused.
It was clear he hadn’t known what was going to happen either.
When someone stood up in the audience, they both looked over.
It was Greyson Croft.
That’s when he spoke.
“I had the privilege of meeting and working with Ethan and Gene in Philadelphia. Most of you know me as a mob man, but once upon a time, I fought for justice in a city that was barely keeping its head above water.”
They all listened.
“Gene and Ethan, even then, had a spark and chemistry together that was something I was so curious about. When one would come into the room, there would be a light between them. I later learned that was adoration and love.”
They stood side by side, listening.
“I saw them grow, and I saw them flourish. When they were in Philly, I was able to learn what love is from them, and find my own peace by modeling my life after theirs. I was the beginning of the journey, and the love story.”
Ethan smiled at Elizabeth, and of course, she’d make this the most beautiful moment. Of course, she researched it, and did this in the most Elizabeth way possible.
Full.
Of.
Love.
Thank you, he mouthed, and she winked at him.
When Greyson sat down, Corbin Price stood up.
“I was also at the beginning of the journey. I was able to see Ethan and Gene grow together, and overcome everything. That love showed me how to be a husband, and that love helped me survive. When I was assaulted, together, they pieced me back together, showing me that love could heal any and everything.”
Gene wiped his eyes.
This was far better than just vows. This was a living testament to their existence.
From another’s perspective.
“When my husband was killed, both Ethan and Gene came back to Philly, and they helped put me back together again. They worked my husband’s homicide, and kept me together. Their love was so strong that it healed pieces of me just by being near them.”
Corbin sat down.
And Gabe stood up.
“We’ve had a contentious relationship over the years,” he said, and both Ethan and Gene laughed.
That was a mild word for it.
“I was your boss at the beginning of your relationship, and you both denied it to me, but I knew. What you both never realized was when you two were together, there was a chemistry there. It oozed from you both, and I’ll admit…Gene wasn’t my first pick for Ethan.”
He glanced over at Elizabeth.
“I wanted a firebrand, a badass investigator, and someone who could handle the demons that my, NOW, best friend carried. Only, I picked a woman for that role. What I never expected was for her to be the bridge back for Gene and Ethan. I admit that I tried to break you both up for your ‘benefit’, and that made you fight harder. So, you’re welcome. ”
Ethan laughed.
“Really? You’re taking credit for it? You were an absolute nightmare.”
He winked at his friend.
There were few people who could say that to the President of the United States, but he was one of them.
“I was there for the beginning, and I’m here for this part of the journey too, and I can say one thing.
I was wrong. You were both meant to be. I see the joy and happiness you both have, and how you’ve made it work.
I don’t understand the dynamic of this family, but I can tell it’s successful.
So, Ethan and Gene, I’m not surprised that today, twenty-three years to the date that you both became partners, that you’re still standing. ”
Gene blinked.
And he did the mental math.
Oh, holy shit.
Today was the day they became field partners, and he’d moved from vice to work homicides.
Ethan squeezed his hand, so the man knew nothing was random in life. The universe played it all out as per the master plan.
Elizabeth spoke next.
“I wandered into your life at a time when there was darkness for both of us,” she admitted, getting them to turn around and face her. “You were broken in ways I’d seen before, because I was broken in those same ways, Ethan.”
They listened.
“You lost a big part of yourselves when you went your separate ways. Gene needed a break from his career, and Ethan was just starting to take off in his. In that moment, the universe put an obstacle in your path, Ethan,” she said. “Me.”
He blinked and tears slipped down his cheeks. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt, he wouldn’t be the man he was today without her either.
She fixed him for good.
What Gene began, Elizabeth completed.
“We met, and four days later, we got married. You proposed, and it was fast for a reason. You were going under because the part of you that made you a whole man was lost. We believed that I fixed you, but really, we just began assembling pieces to fix each other.”
Gene wiped his eyes.
Elizabeth continued.