Chapter 17
Kyle
“By the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss your husband,” Judge Sampson said, smiling.
Kyle and Jon kissed, and the small group of family and friends cheered.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Kyle and Jon Rockingham-Rivera.” They hadn’t told anyone that they’d decided to go with a hyphenated last name, so more cheers ensued.
Ben appeared before the couple and hugged his son. “Congratulations, Kyle. I love you.”
“Thanks, Dad. I love you too.”
“You too, Jon.” Ben hugged his new son-in-law. “Sure you want to be part of this crazy family?”
“It’s a little late now, isn’t it, Dad?” Jon joked.
“Hey, hey, now. None of that dad crap. We discussed that, remember?” Ben grinned.
Rob stood where Judge Sampson had been moments before and announced to the group, “Food and drinks are available up on the deck, folks.” Slowly, the group moved across the lawn toward the multilevel deck at the back of the house.
Sam was waiting on the stairs with glasses of sparkling wine for Kyle and Jon, and they spent some time visiting with the various groups of people as music played softly in the background.
“Congratulations, guys,” Mike said to his nephew and his new husband. Mike was carrying Wyatt, so he one-arm hugged both men, and they took turns kissing Ellen. As they chatted, Ben walked up to them, and Wyatt immediately reached for him.
“How’s my handsome guy?” Ben asked, hugging the child and kissing his cheek.
“Hi, Pa,” Wyatt said, giggling when Ben lifted him to plant a kiss on his belly.
“That’s new,” Mike said, surprise in his voice.
“Yeah, the last time we were on the phone, and Wyatt heard Dad, he said ‘Pa’ a couple of times,” Kyle explained. “I don’t think the two of you sound that much alike, but apparently Wyatt does.”
“Wyatt’s a lucky boy to have three amazing grandpas, isn’t he?” Mike smiled.
“He most certainly is,” Kyle agreed, touched that his uncle remembered to include Rob as one of Wyatt’s grandfathers. He and Jon moved on to chat with other guests while Ben stayed with his brother and sister-in-law.
A couple of hours later, Kyle was standing off to the side of the top deck, gazing at the family and friends who had come together to celebrate this special day.
He saw his husband amble across the deck, carrying a glass of red wine and a bottle of beer.
Kyle grinned at the sight. How he loved this man. How did I get so lucky?
“I thought you might like a glass of wine,” Jon said, kissing Kyle.
“It’s like you could read my mind.”
“Well, I am your husband, after all.”
“I really like the sound of that. Thanks for this.” Kyle lifted the glass and sipped.
“My pleasure.”
“I was just looking at everyone and thinking how lucky we are to have such amazing friends and family.” Before Jon had a chance to reply, Rob and Ben sauntered up to them.
“How’s everything going?” Rob asked.
“It’s great,” Kyle said. “This day has been perfect. We can’t thank you enough for doing this.”
“It’s our pleasure, really.” Rob said.
“Guys, there’s something I’ve been meaning to mention to you,” Ben said.
“That doesn’t sound good.” Kyle stared at his dad.
“Um, not to toss a bucket of ice water on your thoughts about possibly moving, but you do realize that you need to say something to your aunt and uncle, right?” Ben asked.
“Oh sure, I plan on telling them,” Kyle replied. “But the way you say that makes me think that it could be an issue.”
“Stop and think about it, son. Mike and Ellen have been able to spend lots of time with Wyatt for the past few months or so. I’m pretty sure they’re not gonna be thrilled at the prospect of all of you moving away.”
“Shit!” Kyle exclaimed, looking around frantically in hopes that no one had overheard him. “You’re absolutely right. I didn’t give that a second thought. How can I fix this?”
“First of all,” Ben began, “you’re not exactly sure what’s gonna happen yet.
But I’d let them know it’s something that you and Jon are considering.
And make sure they understand that you’re not trying to take their grandson away from them.
Assure them that you’ll make arrangements for them to see Wyatt regularly if and when you guys do move. ”
“Do you think we should say something to them today?” Jon asked.
“You can probably wait until you get back to DC,” Ben replied. “They know you’re going to Hawthorne Bluff for a few days, but they just think it’s your honeymoon. But don’t take too long. Give them a chance to get used to the idea before it becomes a reality.”
“Thanks, Dad. I’m glad you mentioned this to us now.”
“It looks like a few folks are getting ready to leave,” Jon said, scanning the area. “We should go and say goodbye.”
All the guests had departed by six o’clock. Mike, Ellen, Louisa, Bernie, and Sam were in the family room chatting with Neil and Matthew when Kyle and Jon joined them. Earlier, Ellen had offered to put Wyatt down for the night. The little guy had had a big day and immediately fell asleep.
“I just chatted with the caterers; they’ll have everything cleaned up within the next hour or so,” Rob told them. “Can I get anyone anything to drink?”
“Is there any of the prosecco left?” Kyle asked. “I’d like to say something to everyone here.”
“There’s still a bottle or two in the fridge. I’ll get them.” Rob gathered the bottles, and once everyone had a glass, they all turned to Kyle.
“I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being here to celebrate our special day. Even if some of us aren’t related by blood, you’re our family, and we love you very much.
It means so much to us that we’re together as Jon and I start a new phase in our lives.
” Kyle raised his glass, then drank, and everyone followed suit.
“We’ve told a few people,” Jon added, “but we wanted to make sure that you all know that when we get back to DC in a week, we’ll be filing the necessary paperwork so that I can adopt Wyatt. We want to be a full and legal family.”
Louisa squealed. “Oh, my hijo! You’ve finally given me a grandchild. And what a sweet boy he is. Gracias.” Everyone chuckled at her remarks, and folks started chatting amongst themselves.
“I love you.” Jon turned to Kyle and spoke quietly.
“I love you too, husband.” They kissed.