Bonus Chapter
The Wedding
Noah
His sister Caitlin and her wife Gabriella had taken it upon themselves to arrange the wedding as soon as Noah had told them he’d popped the question.
They’d been adamant about it. In return, Noah had been adamant about the kind of wedding he and Joe wanted.
No fancy wedding planner or over-the-top venue.
The day was a celebration of love. ‘I just want to show Joe that he’s loved.
That what he did for me and does for me every day is all I’ve ever wanted,’ Noah had told his older sister, and as always when he spoke or thought of Joe, the great love of his life, Noah’s throat went raw with emotion and his voice failed him.
After Caitlin and Gabriella had gotten married themselves and decided to settle in Portland, Joe had suggested that he and Noah hold their own wedding there.
Joe had always wanted to go to the West Coast, and Portland was known for being laid back and queer friendly.
The wedding itself was held at the Multnomah County Library in downtown Portland in one of their community rooms. Caitlin and Gabriella had scouted several locations, but in the end, Caitlin had found it fitting that Noah, who loved books so dearly, should be married to his Joe in a library.
Also, it was very affordable since you could book a community room for free.
He and Joe didn’t have a large wedding budget; they’d spent most of it on accommodation in Portland for their friends and family, their own flights from Buffalo, and their honeymoon in Havana.
The tuxes hadn’t exactly been cheap either, and then there was catering on top of that, and the rehearsal dinner the previous night.
Noah’s parents had chipped in, and so had Joe’s mami, Monroe, and Debra, and in the end, he and Joe had gotten the wedding they wanted—modest and intimate over pompous and pretentious—perfect for two blue-collar boys.
Joe, of course, stole the show, and Noah had zero objection to that.
He looked absolutely breathtaking in his midnight-blue tux, crisp white shirt, and equally midnight-blue bowtie.
The tux looked like it was glued to Joe’s slender body, the sheer material stretched across his slim chest and lean arms. Joe’s usually wild black curls were tucked neatly behind his ears, with a pair of sparkling studs in his earlobes.
There was an aura of calm around Joe, which quickly spread to Noah’s own body as Joe came to stand next to him.
They exchanged tender smiles, and Noah suddenly felt shy as he briefly brushed his fingers against Joe’s.
This was it. It was truly happening. They were getting married.
Noah, who never used any hair products, had borrowed some from Lulu, and his usually mussed hair was now swept away from his face and tucked behind his ears.
A rogue lock fell onto his forehead as he bent to whisper a ‘hey baby’ into Joe’s ear.
Joe sighed as he leaned his body against Noah’s, then whispered his ‘hey yourself, corazón’ back, while squeezing Noah’s hand in his.
Noah felt a blush creeping across his cheeks, and his eyes stung with emotion.
Joe must have felt Noah’s building nerves, because he once again squeezed Noah’s hand and whispered, “You’re good, mi vida.
Nothing but good people here wishing good things for us. ”
“I know,” Noah spoke on a long, ragged exhale. “Thanks, baby.”
Caitlin quickly welcomed everyone, making sure they were seated before the official ceremony began.
She was dressed in a simple black dress with a huge statement necklace around her neck and her dark-brown hair tied into a neat bun at the nape of her neck.
A few months back, she’d told Noah that she’d obtained a license and would be officiating their vows, but that had apparently been a ruse because while he and Joe stood waiting at the end of a beautifully constructed aisle, Father O’Reilly suddenly made his appearance at the other end.
Surprise and warmth spread through Noah’s body at the sight of Father O’Reilly’s familiar face, while Joe blurted an ‘Oh, shit.’ Joe wasn’t exactly a dedicated church-goer, and then there was, of course, the unfortunate incident with the baptismal font.
Noah chuckled, then brushed his thumb along Joe’s knuckles, repeating Joe’s words from a few moments ago, “You’re good, mi vida. ”
“If you say so.”
Father O’Reilly waved at them from under an arch of white roses that Noah’s mother and his sisters had spent all morning setting up, while Casey, Noah’s father, Lulu, and Xavi had organized the rows of chairs on each side of the aisle, and the tables in the back for the caterers.
All in all, the wedding was a joint effort, a celebration of the love that Noah and Joe had fought so hard for.
A love that Noah had never expected but had craved with every bone of his body.
A love so all-consuming that Noah had had to give in to all his fears and just surrender.
Surrender to Joe and just allow Joe to love him.
And to love Joe back without fear, without any ghosts lingering around him.
At first it’d been hard, so fucking hard, but now it was easy. Love was just easy with Joe.
“Ready?” Caitlin called out, her gaze connecting with Noah’s, and Joe made a small jump next to him.
Lulu and Xavi were standing on each side of Father O’Reilly, Xavi as Joe’s best man and Lulu as Noah’s.
Noah nodded as both he and Joe seemed to suck in a deep breath at the same time, both realizing the enormity of the moment simultaneously.
“Is it my turn now?” Maeve quipped as she stood bouncing on her feet in front of them, a small basket tucked against her chest, while she waited to perform her duties as flower girl.
She looked adorable in her midnight-blue dress with a huge silk bow on the back, real daisies woven into her curly hair, her white Mary Janes tap-tap-tapping impatiently against the floor.
Noah smiled at her, then lifted his eyebrows into a question. “Are you ready?”
Maeve nodded eagerly at him, her curls bobbing around her face. “Born ready, Uncle Noah!” she beamed at him, and Joe snorted next to him.
Then soft music started playing from the speakers next to the rose arch, the tune indecipherable to Noah at first, until Sade’s characteristic airy voice broke through the music.
‘You think I’d leave your side, baby? You know me better than that. You think I’d leave you down when you’re down on your knees? I wouldn’t do that.’
It all happened so fast, as Noah’s legs decided to give way beneath him.
Instantly, Joe was there, always there, wrapping his strong arms around him, holding Noah up with his only five-foot-seven frame.
Noah clung to Joe, his face buried against Joe’s neck as pent-up emotion swept through his body, causing it to shake uncontrollably.
Then he felt Joe’s lips move next to his ear, soothing, nonsensical words whispering across Noah’s skin.
Swallowing, Noah breathed through his nose as he focused on Joe’s gentle voice, then tried to steady himself.
Focusing on Joe’s hand, which stroked up and down his back, Noah slowly regained control of his body, and his surroundings came back into focus.
Sade’s beautiful voice filled the room with its promise of strength and love as everyone seemed to hold their breath all around them.
Noah’s mom looked like she was ready to bolt out of her chair and run to him, but his dad held her back with a firm hand on her shoulder.
Lulu’s gaze connected with Xavi’s, an unspoken question in his eyes.
Xavi nodded quietly, and Noah could just make out the words, he’s fine.
It was true. Noah was fine now. It had taken a while, and some days, the past still weighed heavily on his shoulders, but overall, Noah was doing great.
Better than great, actually. He was living a full life as an openly gay man who loved another man with everything that he was, and for the most part, everyone seemed to be okay with it.
As Sade sang, ‘When you’re lost and you’re alone and you can’t get back again.
I will find you, darling, and I’ll bring you home,’ Noah righted himself, then pressed a quick kiss against Joe’s lips before brushing his face with the back of his hand.
After a few deep breaths, Noah nodded at Caitlin, his voice a little hoarse and a whole lot shaky when he said, “Ready, Cait. We’re ready now. ”
Maeve started making her way down the aisle as she scattered a trail of white rose petals after her. Everyone oohed and aahed through the music until she reached the end and rushed to sit next to Liam, who was the designated ring bearer.
That was their cue, and he and Joe started making their way down the aisle, their hands clasped tightly together, Noah’s face still wet from tears.
Noah’s eyes connected with his mom’s as she fruitlessly dabbed at her face with a handkerchief.
Noah’s gaze moved to her side, where his dad sat, tall and almost as broad as Noah, with nothing but love and pride displayed on his face.
Where their relationship had been strained before, with Noah’s secret acting as an invisible wall between them, things were different now.
Not a week went by that Noah didn’t speak to his dad on the phone or stop by for a beer and a game.
Another thing that Joe had given him on an endless list of things Noah never thought he’d have—an open and honest relationship with his dad.