Chapter 43
Even after Sam and Wyatt left, the party took a while to wind down. Grandma kept the food coming and the booze flowing, so it was no wonder. She entertained Judge Ron while his older brother dozed in a lounge chair.
By the evening the last of the stragglers had gone home and the party was officially over. Rico, Mitch and Sammy stayed over at his grandmother's so Sammy could watch the decorations being dismantled and taken away. Every few minutes she would go, "Oh, no!" and "Bye bye."
Though the guests had cleared out and most of the decorations were gone, Rico felt like he was under the influence of the whole amazing day, sort of drunk on it. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the green of that orchard, smell the scent of peaches, hear the vows while his eyes strayed to Mitch. The memory made Rico's heart feel full all over again.
While Rico was leaning on the veranda railing and basking in the post-wedding glow, Mitch came over. Stepping behind him and putting his arms on either side of Rico, Mitch gripped the railing and whispered right in his ear. "How would you liked to go somewhere so we can be alone?"
"Always," Rico said immediately and turned to give him a beaming smile.
Grandma and Sammy were taking some of the flowers inside to decorate the house, so they were going to be busy for a while. Mitch and Rico checked in with the two of them then they were free to go.
"Where to?" Rico asked.
"Let's go to our bell tower," Mitch said.
"Our bell tower?" Rico said as they headed toward the abandoned church.
"Yes. I want to watch the sunset," Mitch told him.
Rico was all for it. They climbed up just in time to see Peach Tree Hill start to glow with the coral and gold of the setting sun. Sitting on the rough bell tower floor, they arranged themselves just like last time, with Rico sitting between Mitch's legs and leaning back against his chest. The view shifted very slowly, becoming more beautiful though it would all soon go dark.
"I feel like I should make a wish," Rico said with a chuckle. "Here goes. I want Sam to be happy and Wyatt too."
Mitch kissed him on the cheek and Rico could feel him smile. "The hill looks spectacular," he said as the sun lit it up from behind and they could see the trees outlined against the deepening red.
"That's why Sam and Wyatt had their hearts set on having their wedding there," Rico told him. "But they hit a snag. They didn't allow weddings in the orchard, too disruptive or something. Then grandma worked her magic and got the owner to agree to make an exception."
"The owner didn't have a problem with a gay wedding, I guess," Mitch said and held Rico tighter.
"That might have been the deciding factor actually. Turns out the owner of the orchard is gay too," Rico said and dropped his head against Mitch's shoulder. "He decided to make a new rule. Weddings on the hill are for locals only. Too bad they didn't have the wedding in the spring. Wyatt wanted a wedding when the peach trees were in bloom, but he couldn't wait that long."
"Good," Mitch said for some reason.
"Good?"
Mitch didn't explain himself. Instead he asked, "Do we count as locals?"
Rico started to answer without thinking. "If you stick around and I..." Then it hit him. "What? Why...?" Rico trailed off, dumbfounded. He fought to catch his breath and just stared straight ahead while Mitch spoke in a deep, mellow voice like something out of a dream.
"We can have our wedding at sunset under the peach trees in bloom. That is, if you think you might like to get married."
"Mitch?" Rico gasped then he swallowed. Slowly he turned to face Mitch then just blinked at him. He had to say something, but words just wouldn't come. Hell, he wasn't sure if he was even breathing.
Watching him struggle to speak or at least breathe, Mitch took his hand and stopped him. "Hold on. First, let me tell you something. I love you. That's why I want to marry you. Even if you don't feel the same way, I just want you to know how I feel, how much I want to be with you."
"Do you have wedding fever?" Rico blurted out. He touched Mitch's forehead and then let his hand drop like he didn't have the strength to hold it up.
Staring into his eyes intently, Mitch grabbed his hand again and brought it to his lips. He gave it a soft, lingering kiss that made Rico lose all sense of time as the reflection of the sunset colored the rough wood and peeling paint. Everything was so unreal and beautiful.
But this wasn't a dream, Rico reminded himself as he realized he couldn't space out like an idiot. Not when he hadn't answered Mitch yet.
Before that, he had to confirm that he didn't imagine the whole thing after all. "Hey, did you just ask me to marry you?"
"I did," Mitch said, his voice gravelly.
"And did you mean it?"
