Washington, D.C. Date Night #5
“Inside, it says the most important thing,” Ethan admitted. “It’s one of the most powerful words in the world.”
The jeweler showed him.
It said one thing.
‘Husband.’
Gene saw it, and he smiled. No one would ever know what it was, but the five of them.
“I’ve fought so hard to get to that word.”
They all had.
Holding out his wrist, the jeweler put it on his wrist, and closed it. Then, he used a jeweler’s tool to lock it in place.
The jeweler handed Gene a box, and the man took out the next bracelet.
That was when Ethan held out his wrist.
“With this bracelet, I thee wed, Ethan Jackson Blackhawk,” Gene said.
They were poignant words that he’d never forget.
When it was in place, Ethan held out his wrist, and his was locked in place.
His had the same word inside.
“And with this bracelet, I take you, Gene, as my husband.”
When they both had them on, Gene took a step toward Ethan, and found his mouth with his. First, they’d marry each other, and next, Gene would make his intent known.
The kiss was sweet, but it said one thing.
‘Mine.’
As Gene broke the kiss, they both smiled, knowing that it was done.
Well, part of it.
Next, Ethan picked up another, and faced his brother.
“Please accept this as a part of us. You’ve been with me on this ride the longest, even when we were apart for those years. Be ours.”
He did the same thing Gene did, and pulled up his sleeve. The jeweler put it on his wrist next to his Rolex. When it was locked in place, Callen touch both men’s shoulders.
“With this bracelet, I promise my fidelity and love,” Callen admitted.
And no one doubted that.
Moving on, Gene picked up the next one. He held it out for Chris, who had joined them.
When he held out his wrist, it was locked into place, and he was claimed as husband because his said the same thing as Ethan’s, Gene’s, and Callen’s bracelets.
“With this bracelet, I promise my heart and love to my family for as long as I shall live,” he said. “Until death do us part.”
And that hit them all hard. Chris would likely die first, and there wasn’t a day that went by where they weren’t cognizant of it.
Now, there was only one person left, and Gene picked up the final bracelet.
Taking it out of the box, he opened it, and held it out for Elizabeth. It was the smallest of them all, and inside, it said one word.
‘Wife.’
That said it all, and was exactly how Gene felt about her. She’d given him this whole world, and the least that he could do was make her his.
And he was.
“With this bracelet, I want you to know that you’re also mine in every single way that you’re Ethan’s. To me, there are no walls once you take this. I want to be part of you, and have you be part of me.”
She stared into his eyes.
“Make sure you’re positive you want that, Gene. We can have walls. I’m fine with it.”
He wasn’t.
Before, he married just Ethan, but if they were going to have an open marriage, then it would be completely open. No one would feel like they were less than anyone else.
PERIOD.
“I want this whole family—not pieces of it. I want the drama, and the messiness. I want the joy and the happiness. I want all of it, including the parts that give Ethan everything he needs. We’re a family, so let’s be one. With this bracelet, I call you wife, confidant, and family.”
She held out her wrist, and Gene snapped the bracelet closed and held her arm as the jeweler locked it in place.
It was done.
Their family was complete.
As soon as they were all in bracelets, Ethan took over. It was time to make sure the world knew who they were.
“It’s my pleasure to introduce my husband to all of you,” Ethan said, speaking loudly. “This is Gene Cantrell Blackhawk, and he’s part of our world—until death do us part.”
The whole place began clapping, and Ethan found his husband’s mouth with his, and they kissed.
As they did, all the kids came running from their seats, and bum rushed them.
It made Gene laugh, and in that moment, his heart felt so light and happy. There was nothing better than this moment.
“We love you, Dad,” EJ and CJ said together.
He’d been wrong.
That was the best moment.
“I love you both too, Sons,” he said, trying it out, and it had a nice ring to it. It also brought tears to his eyes. Gene literally had everything in the world he’d ever wanted.
A family.
His brothers back.
A good man.
And now, he even had a wife.
Today was the best day of his existence, and he’d never forget it for as long as he lived.
Elizabeth stepped forward to get the party started.
“I hear there’s food and lots of booze, and if I’ve known anything about our guests, they’re all about the booze. Last one to the bar has to sit with the president and be bored out of their goddamn mind,” she said. “Thank you for coming. Get your party on!”
“HEY!” Gabe said, laughing as his fiancée gave him a kiss on the cheek.
All around them, the festivities began.
The music played, and there was nothing but happiness and joy.
The Blackhawks could close the circle because their family was done. They were now complete.
That was the best moment of them all.
For all of them.
Their family was whole, and they’d stay that way. Like the permanent gold bracelets locked on their wrists, it spoke of their commitment.
Their love.
Their family.
And nothing would break that.
NOTHING.
* * * T h e B l a c k h a w k s * * *
Their Room
Hours Later
Never let it be said that the Blackhawks didn’t throw one hell of a party. It was after midnight, and after copious amounts of food, and so much alcohol, they were finally leaving the festivities.
The children had conked out hours ago, and they were transported via limo to the jet and were safely on their way back to Damascus with Janet, Caryn, and Wyler.
Only, they weren’t alone. Uriel, Muriel, and Benning were with them to make sure they were safe and sound during their flight.
The kids were going…home.
That meant that tomorrow, when they’d paid for this party, and checked out, they would be joining them too.
It was funny how heading home meant not through town, but instead, back out West to a place that Ethan and Elizabeth swore they’d never return to.
It was crazy.
Only, that was their problem tomorrow.
This was Ethan and Gene’s honeymoon, of sorts, and the night wasn’t close to being done. Their private celebration was heading back to the penthouse suite.
The two grooms were definitely inebriated, but who was anyone else to talk?
They were all sloppy drunk.
It was rare they let that guard down, but now, here they were, doing just that.
Then again, it had been a hell of a week, and two weeks leading up to this moment, so they deserved a night of downtime.
In the suite, they began dropping all of their things. Elizabeth had gotten a piggyback into the room from the elevator, and that had been an interesting ride.
Callen was wobbly as her ass was sticking out from her dress, riding up. Oh, and she’d lied. She was wearing britches, and not just her dignity.
Not far away, Chris was laughing as he and Ethan tried to direct Gene down the hall without falling down. No one should be walking in that state.
NO ONE.
Granted, it was amusing to see for Elizabeth, since she was being carried. In heels, she’d be crawling. So help her God, no one had better call with a case, or she was losing her nut.
Finally, with some miracle, they made it.
Now that they were in the room, it was all coming down to Ethan and Gene, and the evening’s plans.
They’d have to decide if they wanted alone time, or one big pile of bodies in bed.
It was dealer’s choice on a wedding night, and they all had to make that choice at one time or another.
If they wanted to be alone, no one would be upset. Callen, Chris, and Elizabeth would grab the second bedroom, and cuddle up for the night.
“If I drink any more, I’m going to be so freaking hungover,” Callen said. “I’m already borderline disorderly.”
That amused Chris.
“I have bad news for you, CJ. You’re going to be hungover tomorrow. When you were drinking out of the bottle of Jack and doing splits, that pretty much sealed that deal and set the pace. The Blackhawk boys and the hard stuff don’t mix.”
He snorted.
Yeah, tell him about it.
“I know. I was trying to convince myself, and failing miserably.”
Ethan found his brother amusing.
“The second Jack, Jose, and Jim showed up, I knew we were screwed. Blackhawks, and those three, don’t do well together. We’re either starting a fight, or fucking. Thankfully, we managed not to do either in the ballroom.”
Well, no fights had been had.
That was for damn sure.
As for tonight, that was anyone’s guess.
Speaking of fucking…
“It’s your wedding night,” Callen said. “You know the rules. You decide the sleeping arrangements. Oh, and it’s weird that we have that rule. Just saying.”
It was, but since they had more weddings than a normal couple, it was a necessity. Plus, this was a special moment, and no one was sure how it would go. This was new territory for all of them.
Gene was strictly gay, and Elizabeth was NOT a man.
Ethan glanced over at Gene.
“What are you in the mood to do?” he asked, giving his husband the final say.
Ethan had sex with everyone in the room, so he was the one person who had the least conflict when it came to bed arrangements.
Tuck him between Gene and Elizabeth, and he was sleeping like the dead. Shove him between Chris and Callen, and he was out for the count. His brother’s perpetual boner never bothered him when he was drunk, disorderly, or ready to pass out.
Gene actually looked confused that the man was asking him that question.
“Do?” he asked.
That made Elizabeth giggle.
“Gene. Do. As in DO.”
He still looked like he wasn’t sure what they were saying. So, he went there.
“I thought we decided.”
Uh, had they?
There had been a lot of dancing and drinking, so maybe they did. None of them were in the right state of mind to be remembering jack shit.