The ceremony was short and sweet. We gathered around while the two men exchanged vows, and a few of my friends snapped into action as photographers and videographers.
It was a good thing I hadn’t been called on to take pictures. They all would have been of Hal and not the grooms, because I couldn’t tear my attention away from him. He stood by with a serious expression and produced the rings when they were called for. After that, he seemed to relax a bit.
Soon after, the officiant announced that Embry and Bryson were married and instructed them to kiss their husband. That was kind of funny. If I had to guess, I’d say they’d never actually kissed before. There was definitely a moment of slight panic and hesitation, but then they went for it, and the kiss ended up seeming pretty darn real.
Afterwards, Hal and Vee went to take care of the paperwork with the officiant and the newlyweds. Meanwhile, a few of my teammates went to the outdoor bar and started making cocktails, and someone turned on what we’d taken to calling party mode. Dance music started to play in surround sound, and the pool and backyard came to life with vivid colored lights. There was even a disco ball, which began spinning and tossing its reflection across the patio. It was a lot, but the team seemed to enjoy it.
Once our guests returned, the grooms cut the cake, and then Hal took over, cutting slices and passing them around. This was followed by a champagne toast. All of us raised a glass and drank to the couple.
Apparently that concluded the wedding portion of the evening. The newlyweds seemed relieved. They went back inside, and Vee started dancing with three of my teammates.
Hal cut a few more pieces of cake, neatly lining up the plates on the patio table. When he finished, he looked around and smiled when he spotted me. I was standing a few feet away, and he circled me like a jungle cat. I grinned and asked him, “What are you doing?”
“Admiring you from every angle in those form-fitting shorts.” He came to a stop right in front of me and traced the word on my chest. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as an otter. How’d you come up with that name?”
“It fits half the guys on the team. Besides, Austin Otters has a nice ring to it.”
“You’re right, it does.”
His dark eyes sparkled with mischief as he took off my cowboy hat and put it on. I told him, “That looks great on you.”
“And it matches my outfit.”
“I’m curious, is there a reason why you always wear black?”
“Yes, and I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s go have a seat.” He tilted his head toward the gazebo.
I put my arm around him, and we made our way across the yard while dodging partying rugby players. There were benches inside the gazebo, lining its half-walls. After I took a seat on one of them, Hal straddled my lap and set aside the hat. I slid my hand around the back of his neck and gently pulled him to me. As soon as our lips met, the rest of the world fell away.
A few minutes later, we were pulled back to reality when Bryson announced that dinner was served. He’d ordered pizza for the team as a way of saying thank you, and he and Embry were about to take off.
A chorus of goodbyes and congratulations rang out, and my teammates began to make their way inside for some food. At the same time, Hal pulled his phone from his pocket and read a text. “Embry’s tired,” he said, “so he and Bryson are going back to the hotel. He told me to stay here and have a good time.”
“You should definitely listen to him. It’s his wedding day, after all.”
He pulled up another text and murmured, “Aww.” Then he turned the phone to show me a photo of two women in fancy dresses. “These are my landladies, Yolanda and JoJo. They’realso good friends of mine. Yolanda is a nurse, and tonight is her hospital’s Christmas party. I made their dresses, so they sent me a picture of themselves all dolled up.”
“They look great, and those dresses are gorgeous. Is that the kind of clothing you like to design?”
He sent a reply and pocketed the phone before saying, “My personal aesthetic isn’t that traditional, but I love making dresses for JoJo. She’s the tall, full-figured blonde in that photo. I’ve made several things for her over the last couple of years, and it always means so much to both of us.”
“Why is that?”
“Because she’s trans, so it’s more than just clothing. It’s a way for her to express who she is. Obviously, that’s what fashion is meant to be for everyone. But it takes on special meaning when I get to make something for someone like JoJo, who spent the first part of her life not being able to wear what she wanted.”
“I can see how that’d be rewarding.”
“It really is. It makes me feel like what I’m doing matters. I do this other thing too, where I donate prom dresses to trans, gay, and nonbinary kids who can’t afford to go out and buy something.”
“That’s really cool.”
“If I had the time and money, I’d design and sew extra special dresses for these kids. What I do now is scour thrift shops for vintage dresses, update and improve them, and donate several of them to the local LGBTQ youth center during prom season. Someone else in the community donates suits, so between the two of us we’re able to make a lot of kids happy.” He lowered his gaze and sighed. “I wish I could do more, though.”
“It always feels like that. I wish I had the resources to take in a hundred horses at a time, but I max out at about eighteen. No matter how much I do, it never seems like it’s enough. But we can’t let ourselves get discouraged, or lose sight of the fact thatwe’re still making a difference. Even if you can’t make custom dresses, I bet the kids really appreciate the ones you donate.”
Hal murmured, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
