Rob glanced at his watch. “Only about a half hour. He’d been playing, but as soon as I sat down, he lifted his arms and said ‘up,’ so I picked him up and started rocking. He was out within a minute.”
“I can take him if you want,” Kyle offered.
“That’s okay. I don’t mind. If you’re hungry, there’s some chicken salad in the fridge.”
“That sounds good. Wanna sandwich, sweetheart?” Jon asked Kyle.
“Sure. Thanks.” Kyle smiled. “We can get ready after lunch. Folks will start getting here soon.” Kyle’s Uncle Mike and Aunt Ellen were flying in that morning and were scheduled to land any moment. They, along with Neil, Matthew, and Sam, would be showing up by one o’clock, and the rest of the guests—just a few close friends of Rob and Ben—would start arriving around two.
“The caterer will be here between one thirty and two,” Rob told them. “They’re doing most of the prep work at their facility and will just need to do some last-minute heating and arranging once they arrive.” They’d decided on a simple buffet of hot-and-cold hors d’oeuvres along with a self-serve bar of beer, wine, and soft drinks.
“It sounds like everything’s under control,” Jon concluded. “Yeah, it’s a perfect day for a wedding!”
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 upon 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, Iamyour husband, after all.”
“I really like the sound of that. Thanks for this.” Kyle lifted the glass and sipped.
“My pleasure.”
