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Thanks to the unrelenting love and support from my partners, I actually believed they were pretty good.
When Andreas worked out I was serious about maybe trying to self-publish one, he insisted that I quit the gardening and treat writing like a full-time job. He sorted out a proper office space for me, encouraged me to keep steady hours, helped me set up a social media presence, and naturally designed me a logo. A really good one.
My first book came out three months ago, with another one dropping soon and two more in the works.
Sometimes…dreams really do come true.
Thanks to our marriage giving him permanent residency here, Jalen was able to leave the boring office job, instead getting a junior position in an events management company that he’s thriving in. One day I can see him putting on major events like televised awards ceremonies or something, but for now, he’s helping make corporate Christmas party dreams come true. He gets to glitter and shine every single day, as he should.
Andreas proposed on Christmas Eve last year. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, but Jalen and I still both cried our eyes out. What did surprise me was that I thought he’d do something classic and super romantic like a picnic on the beach or at a candle-lit dinner.
Nope.
Jalen and I arrived at the apartment after he’d sent us out grocery shopping. In a few hours, he somehow managed to turn our living room into a replica of the Jurassic Galaxy ship’s bridge with custom-printed backdrops, working props, and cutouts of some of the characters. It was so cheesy but at the same time the most incredible, romantic, perfect setting ever.
The best thing, though, was that hedressed up as Bucketsfor when he dropped to one knee, a ring in both hands for each of us. The silver bands had crushed, multicolored gems set in them so they kind of look like sparkling galaxies on our fingers.
It’s a matching ring that he now slips on his left hand, and my breath catches as all three of them dazzle in the sunshine.
“I now pronounce you husbands,” the officiant declares happily. “You may now kiss each other!”
A cheer rings out from all our family and friends. Nai Nai is front and center, waving her order of service like it’s a royal standard and she’s charging into battle. Anisha raises her glass of Champagne while Isla and Esme fly the same progressive Pride flag we took photos with two years ago. Tianna and Yuen hold each other as they both shed a tear. Chloe, our flower girl, is currently guarding Jalen’s bouquet in her arms as if it’s the crown jewels.
Gregory was not invited. In fact, the girls haven’t seen him since that day.
I can’t believe how many of our family and friends made the epic journey out here to celebrate with us today, our third Christmas Eve together. Now the day has tripled in significance for us. It’s the day we got together, the day we got engaged, and now, the day we got married.
It’s not lost on me that Jalen’s family have come from America, and Andreas’s from the UK, Jamaica, and Hong Kong.
Yet my own family lives a couple of hours away, and I didn’t even think to invite them.
I wish I had relatives who loved me, but the truth is, I have all the family I could possibly wish for right here with us. The extended Laus and Garcias have effortlessly accepted me as one of their own, and seeing them here today makes me feel more loved than ever.
Buckets the dog barks his approval as we messily kiss each other individually and at the same time—basically any way we can. Then Andreas turns us around with his arms wrapped around my and Jalen’s back. The cheering just gets louder, so we take a little bow, laughing the whole time as people take photos of us with our dog on the beach.
It couldn’t be more perfect.
I don’t think I could feel luckier if I tried. I spent my whole life feeling like I was this disgusting, unlovable thing. Now I have more kinds of love that I know what to do with. Love for my men and their families. Love for my job. Love for our dog and our home, which is soon going to upgrade to a house with a garden…and maybe a nursery? Andreas joked thatThree Men and a Babywas a movie back in the eighties, but we’ve talked it over a lot.
One day, when we’re a little more settled, the idea of raising a child together feels like it might be the next step for our already perfect family. Maybe more than one.
When I was a teenager, I was told that my future was going to be fire and brimstone. But now I know it’s going to be overflowing with happiness and community and hope.
And that all officially starts today, with my two husbands by my side.
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