Four Months Later
I stood in front of a full-length mirror and adjusted my mismatched cufflinks. One was inlaid with a smooth square of onyx. The other was borrowed, and engraved with the initials “E.K.” It had seemed fitting to include something from both of my dads on my wedding day.
Ed held my tuxedo jacket for me, and when I slipped it on, he said, “You look very handsome, Son.”
I turned to him with a smile. “Thanks, Dad. And thank you for everything else, too. Kit and I are so grateful to be getting married in this beautiful hotel, and we’re blown away by our wedding present. That trip is going to be amazing.” He’d booked us a first class all the way European vacation for our honeymoon. Kit was so excited for his first trip abroad, and I couldn’t wait to experience it with him.
“That’s not your wedding present. I’m planning to buy you two a house when you get back from Europe.”
“That’s so kind, but you don’t have to do that, Dad. You’ve already done so much for us.”
“It would mean a lot to me, though. I really want you and Kit to have a home of your own, someplace you can put down roots and raise a family. But no pressure! You two are still young, and you have all the time in the world to decide if having kids is right for you.”
“We probably will adopt a child someday, but that might be five or ten years down the road. In the meantime, we want to focus on each other, and on our careers.” I was working on some new songs with the plan of recording an album, and Kit’s career as a drag performer and designer was just starting to take off. He had a regular gig every weekend at a club here in San Francisco, and he was also designing incredible works of art for three new clients. “Can we talk about the house after Kit and I get back from our honeymoon?”
“Of course. I wasn’t actually going to bring it up until later, because right now you have something much more important to focus on. You’re about to marry the love of your life!”
“That I am.” I turned back to the mirror and checked my reflection. I felt like I’d made the right call with my vintage 1960s midnight blue tux, which had a certain Rat Pack pizzazz.
I couldn’t wait to see what Kit was wearing. Actually, I couldn’t wait to see him, period. I asked, “What time is it?”
Ed glanced at his watch. “The ceremony’s supposed to start in about eighteen minutes.”
“That’s too long. Do you know where Kit is? I want to see him.”
“He’s getting ready in a suite at the other end of the hall. Are you sure about that, though? There’s a superstition about fiancés seeing each other before the ceremony on their wedding day. It’s supposed to be bad luck.”
I grinned and said, “I’m not worried.”
“In that case, go have fun. I’m going to join your mother. Last I saw, she and your landladies were raiding the champagne forthe reception, so she’s probably pretty jolly by now.” He gave me a hug and said, “I love you, Dev. See you out there.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
After he left, I paused for a moment to look out the window. Kit and I were getting married in the rooftop garden of one of the nicest hotels in San Francisco, and the view from the top floor was pure magic.
It stirred up a memory of myself at ten years old—a lonely kid staring out the window of a tiny apartment while my mom was at work. Back then, I never imagined my life could be this good. But now I had a beautiful future ahead of me, and I got to share it with the sweetest, most wonderful man I’d ever known.
And I really couldn’t wait another minute to see him, so I left the room and hurried to find Kit. When I knocked on his door, Hal answered and blocked my way, repeating the same thing Ed had said. “Isn’t there a superstition about fiancés seeing each other before the wedding ceremony?”
“Stand back, dude, and let me at my soon-to-be husband.”
I heard Kit chuckle in the background and call, “Let him in.”
His dad was with him, and as I entered the room Armando said, “Come on, Hal, let’s give these two some privacy.” He hugged both of us before sweeping Hal out the door with him.
Kit turned to me with a smile, and I murmured, “My god, you’re beautiful.”
He was wearing all white, and he looked like an angel. His jacket was belted like a trench coat, and the pant legs were cut slightly wide, giving the suit a soft look. He’d paired it with stiletto heels, and he wore a delicate wreath of tiny white flowers like a crown.
“You’re beautiful, too, Devon. Wow. Look at you.”
“Thanks. I thought my suit was a gamble, so I’m glad you approve.”
As I crossed the room to him, he said, “Hal’s right, you know. There’s a well-known superstition about not seeing each other before the wedding, because it brings bad luck.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No, not at all. But it seems like something you might believe in.”
