30. Camden #2
I wished him luck, and Luke kissed me goodbye. I still couldn’t get over his hair and smiled, remembering his face that morning. I wandered the grounds a little as more people arrived, waiting to see a familiar face. With my hands in my pockets, I felt my phone vibrate immediately.
Grant: Y’all here yet? I haven’t seen anyone I recognize other than Tom Hanks.
Graham: Jake and I just got here, coming up the steps now.
Cam: I’ll meet you there.
Alex: Have fun, guys. Wish I could be there, but I’m at my sister’s wedding!
I sent another one to the newer guys, letting them know where I was headed.
In a matter of minutes, I had been updated on the twins’ lives, and when the others arrived, I introduced them to Ezra, Miles and Hudson.
Ezra and Miles both fanboyed over the twins, especially Grant, who they had several questions for, mostly about his Netflix show and updates for the next season.
I saw Hudson place and then hold his hand on Miles’ back, which caused a memory to resurface from the bachelor party of a very public kiss, but I’d have to ask Luke if he remembered that. Hudson’s hand placement seemed like a very boyfriend thing to do.
Orion had met the twins in London, if not before, but Austin hadn’t, so when they showed up, the introductions began again.
At some point, they realized they were all at the same table for the reception, and based on Ezra’s squeal, that was happy news for at least one person.
I wouldn’t be a witness to most of the rest of their night, since I was with Luke at the head table.
When the music started, the officiant went to the center of the arch, and asked for everyone to take their seats. There was a slight decline to the hill we were on, so despite being shorter, I could still see the walkways from which the wedding party would make their entrance as well as the arch.
The staff coordinated it so that both side doors opened at the same time, and I saw Ty’s brother, Pierce, emerge on the left in a royal blue tuxedo, and Declan’s father, Elijah, on the right in a rust-colored one.
In sync, they walked towards the arch and stood on their respective side.
The process was repeated with Quinn and Yuri were next, followed by Luke and Freddie.
Those on the left side were dressed in all hues of blue, and those on the right were wearing tones of red.
When the music changed, the crowd stood.
“I guess it's just a ritual for everyone to stand up since there’s no bride,” Graham whispered next to me.
“They can do whatever they want, honestly,” I said.
The orchestra, or whatever it was called since I couldn’t see exactly how many people there were, was playing a new melody.
Thanks to my mother’s musical tastes and my inquisitive childhood brain, I recognized Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better right away.
For this song, they were accompanied by a vocalist.
On the opening line of the second verse, the doors opened for the final time, revealing the grooms, each escorted by their mother.
Ty certainly wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship in Brisbane, but he did afterward, and somehow they found each other.
It was a great song, the perfect song for them, and I just completely fucking lost it.
I was an emotional kid, and based on gymnastics medal ceremonies and what was my first gay wedding, I was going to stay an emotional adult. And Luke knew this so my pockets were stuffed with tissue packets, which I ripped open immediately.
“Jesus, Cam, they haven’t even got to the vows yet.”
“I’m aware, Ezra.”
Both of their mothers looked amazing in cream-colored dresses. Declan’s mom’s was shorter than Victoria’s, but she was a former model, if I remembered correctly. Victoria was a hippy librarian, so the long, flowy fabric made more sense for her,
Ty wore a bright teal tuxedo with black notch lapels, a dark teal vest with a white shirt, and a slim baby pink tie.
He had a white iris boutonniere, pinned to the front left side of his jacket.
His hair was braided in a way that made him look like a young Norse God.
It wasn’t quite a French braid, since there were multiple strands on each side, but it was impressive even from a distance.
On the opposite side, Declan wore the same style tuxedo as Ty, except his was burgundy and the tie was a baby blue. He also wore an iris. I’d have to ask the significance of the flower later.
They came together just as Carly’s imitator was declaring their lover was the best. Both men kissed their mothers, who then took their seats in the front row. Ty and Declan immediately joined hands.
“On behalf of Tyler Patrick Hale and Declan Isaiah Moore, welcome and thank you for being here. It is my privilege to perform this ceremony today, a privilege not to be taken lightly as marriage, at its very core, is the act of two beings becoming one.”
The officiant then talked a bit about each man, and how they met in Brisbane, including Declan’s belief that Ty saved his entire career by the pool that day.
Declan’s best friend, Freddie, read an excerpt from The Art Of Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson, which was lovely and exactly how I saw my relationship with Luke.
“Thank you, Freddie. Now comes the good part,” the officiant joked. “I’ve been informed the grooms have written their own vows. Tyler has elected to go first.”
Tyler coughed and scanned a small piece of paper before tucking it in his pocket.
“Declan, since we found each other on that random beach in Santa Cruz, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven't thought about you. If I’m being honest, it’s probably more like since you gave me your phone number in Brisbane.
I wasn’t really looking for love until you sparked something inside of me, and I tried to find it, briefly, before my accident.
But it wasn’t that the other people were the wrong girl or the wrong guy.
They were just the wrong person entirely.
You were always going to be my person, and that was so clear after our first night together. ”
Ty paused, and I could see his face redden. I resisted the urge to wolf-whistle, knowing laser beams would likely shoot out of Declan’s mother’s eyes and find me.
“I had never felt so…complete. I was a thousand piece puzzle that was missing its final piece, and you gave me that. You are that. Your love makes me feel more like myself than I’ve ever felt, if that makes sense.”
Declan nodded.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life being the best partner I can be because I have the perfect example of one in you. I love you, Declan.”
Son of a bitch!
The tears were coming again. “That was so beautiful,” I said, under my breath, to no one but myself.
“And now, Declan.”
Declan took a deep breath and smiled, cocking his head. “You don’t know what you did to deserve me?”
Oh shit, is he going off the top of his head?
Declan wore a smirk, before exhaling a little puff of air, then continued.
“That kind of question shows exactly the person you are, the person I fell in love with, the person I wake up next to every day, see beside me, and thank God that he gave me another day with. You are so selfless. You think you don’t deserve me?
I don’t know if anyone deserves you. I’ve seen you with the kids you coach - you are so good with them, babe. ”
Declan turned to the crowd, and said, “Y’all don’t even know how good he is. Who am I kidding? I know y’all know”—then back to Ty—“because you can see it. Look at this man. It’s like he’s glowing. He is literal sunshine.”
Ty had been holding back, but his head fell and I could see the tears fall.
“Look at me, babe,” Declan said, wiping Ty’s tears away.
“I might’ve been on billboards or the covers of magazines, but you’re the star.
You’re the one that caught me, and I’m the one that got swept away by you.
I’ll agree with you - I wasn’t really looking for love either, until you spent that day with me and Freddie.
You were so confident, and it felt like I had known you for years.
Comfort. That’s what love means to me, and that’s what you give me.
I know I can count on you, I can lean on you, because you’re strong, stronger than me, and what makes me love you even more is that you don’t even see it as a special quality because it’s who you’ve always been.
I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you as your husband. I love you, Ty.”
The officiant cleared his throat. “Thank you, Declan. May I have the rings?”
Oooh, here was Luke’s big part. Luke handed the rings to the officiant, who gave each man his future husband’s ring. In turn, they spoke the promises of marriage, and when Ty said “I do,” Declan slipped the ring onto his finger, and vice versa.
“By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husbands. You may now seal your marriage with a kiss.”
Declan’s hands dropped Ty’s immediately. One went to his waist, the other to his neck, and Declan pulled Ty against his body, lips connecting as soon as their stomachs aligned. It wasn’t quite a porno kiss, but it sure as fuck wasn’t a church kiss.
Declan pulled back, and yelled, “And to those in the audience who will ask us later today, we’re going to have plenty of babies. Just give us some time to make them.”
I’m sure his mom was slightly horrified at that comment, but I thought it was funny, as did the audience, if the laughter was any indication.
The officiant stepped back up to the microphone and said, “I present to you Tyler and Declan Moore.”
The orchestra kicked in again with Make Your Own Kind of Music by Mama Cass, and Ty and Declan took the walkway to the right, and each pair in the wedding party followed suit.