26. Chapter 26
Living in Foggy Basin was a sure way to lose your ever-loving mind.
Well, my mind, anyway. Because that is what had to have happened.
It was fall, and the trees were either naked or losing leaves rapidly, no longer a quilt of color all around, but an orange, sienna and brown carpet everywhere I walked.
It was no less lovely, simply different.
The people around me were the same as always, and for the first time in my life, I had stability and a chosen family who cared about me.
Maybe that was why I’d agreed to this madness.
That’s what I told myself, but the truth was that I was madly in love with Jackie Corbin and wanted nothing more than to join our lives together completely.
So we met our family at the courthouse. And I mean our entire extended family, which was probably more than half the population of Foggy Basin.
I’d expected two or three people, maybe Brock’s cousins and Evelyn, who was kind of like an auntie to him, but this was crazy.
It proved how much the town truly welcomed us newcomers, and also how much they really loved Jackie.
I have no idea why he ever thought they didn’t. My man was beyond endearing.
Of course, it went without saying that Brock and Eddy were our best men.
And they brought a host of other people.
That list included Greg, Eddy’s brother, and his mother, who hugged me before we got started.
It made me feel a little mushy, and she wasn’t even my mom.
They also closed the store for the day, and we were having a reception there after the ceremony.
Notably, the entire Sheriff’s Department was in attendance because Sharon insisted on it, saying I was now her little cousin. She actually pinched my cheek when she explained it.
Nate brought his husband, Kit, and his brother, Ash, along with his partners, Remy and McClain, making me realize there were many connections in this place.
Remy and I had become good friends, which surprised me, since I was normally a closed-off mess.
Well, I’d changed a lot since finally committing to Jackie.
And there he was. Standing beside me. “You ready?”
“Yes. Actually, I’m very ready.”
Jackie grabbed my hands and bounced up and down. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too.” I was about to become Alfred Corbin, a better name that represented a happy future.
Which brought up the one notable absence.
My parents. They weren’t here. They’d always called me Freddy, but when I came out as gay, they didn’t call me anything.
They didn’t kick me out or disown me. It was more like they slowly disappeared from my life.
I hadn’t spoken to them in years, and they had no place here.
I wished it could be different. Wished they could see how happy this man made me, and what good people we were.
And how we’re part of this lovely community.
Marrying Jackie was more than taking his name and his ring.
It was fully joining this big, crazy family.
We weren’t originally going to do the walking down the aisle thing since we were at the courthouse.
But it had been quickly re-organized, and everyone was inside, sitting on the benches that lined the walkway.
Normally, people who were getting married or having a court date were there.
It wasn’t used often, but today everyone was there.
Eddy, Brock, and Joel Mitchell, the clerk of courts from Miller’s Point, who came over to marry us, stood at the very front of the room.
Sharon and Paige had decorated the podium with a strand of garland and white roses.
And Brock and Eddy wore light gray suits with white ties with boutonnieres that matched the podium flowers.
We both wore dark green suits, which were nice for fall and also went well with his hair and freckles, with the same white ties and boutonnieres.
We walked hand in hand while Henry stood at the back and played the wedding march on his violin. It was beautiful and perfect for us.
Then Joel held his hands up, and Henry stopped playing while the crowd quieted.
“I’m thrilled to be here today to celebrate the union of one of our own, beloved son, Jackie Corbin, and his partner, Alfred Burke, who recently moved here along with others from Queen Gaming.
” I didn’t know why he included that part, except when I glanced over at Eddy, he winked at me, so I was pretty sure it was his fault.
Whatever. “Love and marriage bind our souls to this community, and today, Jackie and Alfred will take that step.”
He kept it short after that, and we went through our revised vows of honor, cherish, and protect , then we exchanged rings.
Jackie had wanted to write our own vows, but that was beyond me.
I was sure every bit of this, along with his personal vows, would show up in his blog.
That was fine as long as he kept the sex out of it.
I stared down at my new ring. A simple gold band with an inscription inside that read Love, Jackie . His said Love, Alfred . We were now forever banded together with gold, and my soul sang with happiness. And wow, I was surprised at how cheesy I was getting. I didn’t hate it.
I barely heard Joel say, “You may now kiss your husbands.”
Jackie grabbed my shoulders and I jumped. But he smiled and we kissed. Foggy Basin cheered.
“I present Mr. and Mr. Corbin.” Joel ended the ceremony and Henry played the song of our choice as we walked back down the aisle. It was A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. I’m sure he would have rather played something else, but he made the love song as grand as Chopin or Beethoven.
We were only down the road from Books Beans and Buns, and the day was crisp and cool, so we all walked over. That was a sight, and I hoped someone was getting pictures as half the damn town walked down Main Street.
When we arrived at the bookstore, Percy from Don’t Go Bakin’ My Heart was already there. He’d set up a cake on the coffee bar, along with other treats. And of course, Brock’s coffee.
The reception was as informal as the wedding was supposed to be.
People were mingling and rubbing elbows, and I forced myself to live in the moment and enjoy it.
My silly brain kept wanting to jump ahead to the honeymoon.
We were going to Seattle. I wanted to see all the things Jackie told me about, including the Crumpet Shop.
The ones Jackie ordered were fantastic, even though he said they weren’t quite as good as the fresh ones he’d had at the store.
Everyone enjoyed the refreshments from the bakery, of course. And the camaraderie as they wished us the best, hugging us both, and before it was over, Jackie was practically in tears. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and maneuvered him to the back room. “Baby, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m good. The best.” He made a noise kind of like a non-humorous laugh. “I didn’t think these people even liked me. Most of my life, it felt like they put up with me for Brock’s sake, but…”
“They just showed you that it isn’t true. They care about you, deeply. You’re family.”
“Yeah. Family.”
We hugged, both feeling so full of love. I kissed his cheeks where the tears had snuck out when he squeezed his eyes shut. We’d found each other in this little town. Found our family. And learned a few things that we hadn’t realized.
I deserved happiness, and Jackie was loved.