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“Shit, Teddy,” I mumble.
“Come on,” he says, a soft smile on his face. We take seats, and Teddy cues up the first video. The one where he proposed.
I can’t help but laugh as I watch Teddy’s short speech for what must be the hundredth time. “How were you so eloquent while drunk?” I wonder aloud.
“Talent,” he says, winking at me and handing over a glass of champagne.
Our wedding day is next. The one in the mountains. It starts off with some video footage of the prep we did that day: Teddy getting ready with a whole bunch of rowdy porn stars, me with Niko and his sisters. Even though we watch it yearly, it never gets old.
I twine my hand with my husband’s as we sip our champagne.
The ceremony is next, although it wasn’t official. We were already married by that point, but this was us doing it right. Doing it with intention. Scott is the one who officiated.
When Teddy sold his shares of Lavoie & Lavoie, he sunk a big part of the money he gained into helping expand the LGBTQ+ community center. He works there several days a week now, having cut his hours back at the studio, and, of course, he still takes on pro bono cases whenever they pop up. As for Scott, he’s become a good friend to us both, and he even helped me convince Teddy to wear his Aquaman costume again for Halloween last year.
The man was so hot, he had to pull me away to a private room during the middle of the party because I couldn’t stop groping him. The subsequent spanking-slash-fuckfest was memorable, to say the least.
“Oh, this is my favorite part,” I tell Teddy as our onscreen doppelgangers walk down the aisle, hands entwined and the mountains in front of us. The sun was already beginning to set, the same way it is now. Teddy’s hand squeezes mine in real time as we watch our vows in silence. I mouth along, having them memorized at this point.
“Kipp. When I was young, I had this idea in my head of what I wanted my life to be. Family was important to me, and I wanted to create one of my own. To add to what I had. When I met you, I could see it. I could see us cooking in the kitchen together or lying down to watch TV. I could see us sharing a home, a life, our hearts. I was scared to go after that dream, but you broke through my fear, and not a day goes by that I’m not thankful for that.”
I wipe my face, chest squeezing tight as past-Teddy continues to speak.
“When I think of my future, I think of you. You, me, the family we’ve created. I think of jogs through the neighborhood and dancing with you next to the couch. I think of all the little alongside all the big. Most of all, I think of loving you. It’s been a privilege to call you my husband. And if you’ll accept my hand once again, I promise you, I won’t ever take the future you and I are building for granted. I love you, Kipling Delaney Lavoie. And I want to spend the rest of our lives with you by my side.”
Teddy squeezes my hand again, pulling my chin around to give me a kiss. “Love you,” he mutters.
I nod, my eyes welling as past-me starts to speak.
“Teddy. Goddamn it, I’m going to mess this up. You were so perfect, and here I am, already swearing and going off-script.”
Our guests chuckle in the video as real-Teddy snorts beside me.
“Okay. Here’s the thing. I love you a lot. Like, it’s hard to put into words. When you’re a kid, you see couples who kiss or hold hands, and you think ‘oh, that’s love.’ And when you get a little older, there’s sex and everything gets more complex than that. And holy fucking shit, I’m talking about sex in our wedding vows.”
More laughing from our guests. I groan, slumping in my chair.
“But… No matter how much you look at romantic love from the outside, you can never understand what it means until you live it. Until you feel that swoop in your chest that’s unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. Until you realize it’s about more than holding hands and kissing and sex. Love is unique. It’s not the same for any two people. For me, love is you. It’s the way you make me feel. It’s the way I feel for you. Teddy… I love you so much. It’s big, and it holds me safe, and I want you to know—I’ll hold you safely, too. Your love is safe with me. Theodore Maxwell Lavoie, I would be honored to become your husband. Again. I’d do it ten times over. Although, really, let’s just do it this once. Who knows what I’d say next time.”
I huff a laugh, watching happily as Scott leads us through our I dos. “Never gets old, does it?” I say.
Teddy’s eyes are warm as he takes my champagne flute, setting it aside. “No, it doesn’t. Dance with me?”
“Right now?” I ask, a grin on my face.
Teddy gives me a gentle tug. “Right now.”
I let Teddy pull me to my feet, and he immediately guides me close, his hand in mine, his other on the small of my back as we sway together in a slow-moving salsa. Our first dance starts onscreen, past and present colliding, and music floats over the rooftop as the sky turns a hazy shade of pink reminiscent of the mountains. I sigh, laying my head on Teddy’s shoulder, the heat of him warming me through.
“My salsa-dancing, dog-dad, Daddy-Dom, French-speaking Canadian with horrible taste in maple syrup,” I mumble happily. “You’re quite a mouthful. Literally. You know that?”
Teddy chuckles, his chest shaking against mine.
“Say something for me in French?” I request.
He hums, spinning us around. “Mon goût en érable sirop est bon, ma p’tite patate.”
I shiver a little. “Sexy as fuck. What did you say?”
