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Garrett pulled up his slacks and fastened his belt. His brother stood behind him, on the phone, and already in his suit. Garrett was sure that Marley had for-gone a dress and was also in a suit.
“Alright, thanks,” Drew hung up the phone and came to help Garrett with his tie seeing as the man had no idea despite how many tutorials he watched.
“How’s he doing?”
“Nervous,” Drew laughed, smoothing out the collar of his brother’s shirt, “just like normal.”
“Yeah,” Garrett allowed himself to smile through the nerves that had been making his hands shake since he woke up that morning. The bed had been empty and it would have surprised him if it hadn’t started out that way.
Drew set a firm hand on his shoulder, “You’re gonna do fine.”
Garrett smiled appreciatively at his brother. His words, however barely, did help and he felt a little better as he shrugged on his suit jacket.
There was a knock on the door.
“Decent!” Drew yelled. Marley peeked her head in before whistling.
“Damn, Watts. You clean up nicely.” She grinned and Garrett felt a little better knowing that his friends and family were able to joke at a time like this, “You ready?’
Garrett took another breath, making sure the paper he needed was in his pocket as he spared himself one last glance in the mirror. He was wearing a dark blue suit, nearing the color black but if you caught him in the right light, you could see the navy threads. He turned back around, scared he’d start pointing everything that he thought was wrong with his appearance if he didn’t step away from the mirror.
“Yeah.”
Garrett tried to make himself seem confident as they walked through the building. Marley stood to his left on the phone with Amy who had been with Andrew all day. Drew was to his right on the phone, checking in with the chef to make sure everything was prepared.
Marley went in first to make sure everyone was seated before she motioned for the DJ to start the music. As the sound swelled, Marley came back out and gave Garrett a hug and Drew a pat on the back.
“Good luck,” she whispered before she headed off to meet Amy.
“Alright,” Drew placed both his hands on his little brother's shoulders, “Let’s go.”
There was light chatter when they walked in, nothing too serious as Garrett and Drew walked in, taking their places at the altar. Here and there, people looked up to give him a supportive smile. Garrett returned them with a nervous one before turning around to shake hands with the minister. They exchanged pleasantries until Drew patted Garrett’s shoulder and motioned lightly to the doors. Marley was peeking her head in, much like earlier, and Drew took that as the signal to motion the DJ to start the next track.
The music shifted the atmosphere as it blended from one song to another that was a little more on the nose for a wedding. People shifted in their seats to watch as the door opened. Garrett and Andrew had thrown some things out the window when it came to their wedding, so first down the aisle were Amy and Marley. They smiled and laughed lightly, wrapped up in their own little world. They kissed before they separated’ Marley going to stand behind Garrett and Drew and Amy to stand behind the small bit of tape on the floor that signaled Andrew where to stand.
Next was Marianne, Garrett and Drew’s sister along with their other brother, Randy. They hugged before they separated. Finally, Andrew and Garrett's good friend Caleb along with Drew’s wife, Marilyn. Caleb gave her a kiss on the cheek like the gentleman he was and nodded at Garrett before going to stand behind him. Garrett’s hands shook as the congregation stood up. Drew’s kids had been granted the title of flower girls and looked adorable as they sauntered down the aisle with their little baskets.
Garrett’s breath caught as his eyes landed on Andrew. Along with Marley standing with the men, both grooms had decided that neither of them could wear white, but they weren’t allowed to see the other’s suit until the wedding. Marley had assured them that their suits went well together.
Andrew walked down the aisle in a burgundy suit. He was beautiful and Garrett brought his hands to his face as his eyes welled up. God, neither of them could quite believe this was happening. Garrett’s mom had cried and agreed when Andrew asked her to walk him down the aisle. Unfortunately, Andrew’s family, aside from his cousin who was in the first pew on his side, wasn’t supportive and had refused to even acknowledge the wedding invitation.
Garrett leaned down to kiss his mom on the cheek as he took Andrew’s hand from hers. She patted his shoulder before going to stand next to her husband.
Pastor Mike raised his hands and motioned for everyone to be seated, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
.
“I believe the grooms have written their own vows, Garrett?” Pastor Mike smiled at him and it helped put the tall man at ease. Pastor Mike was one of the people to defend him when he stopped hiding his sexuality. Garrett had never officially come out, one day he just started talking about boys the way his friends were talking about boys. People in Tennessee hadn’t exactly been welcoming him with open arms, but the tight grip on their own loosened up and Garrett was able to put himself back in the lives of the people he cared about.
“Right,” Garrett took his sweaty hands from Andrew’s knowing that the man's were probably equally if not more sweaty. He grabbed the vows out of his pocket with shaky hands and Andrew reached his hand out to help steady them.
“You alright?” He whispered. Garrett nodded and collected himself with a breath.
“Andrew Siwicki,” Garrett started. Andrew smiled at the use of his full name and he took Garrett’s breath away all over again, “wow, I love you.”
Drew stifled a laugh with a cough. He’d helped Garrett rehearse his vows almost a hundred times. That wasn’t in them.
“I, uhm, I remember when we first met and I had been told about you beforehand. Ben had told me not to come on too heavy because you weren’t too open with yourself and he was scared I was going to scare you away,
“But then you got there. You got there and I swear time stopped for just a moment-just so I could look at you. Time didn’t stop, by the way, that’s why I tripped into you; that actually wasn’t on purpose.”
The congregation chuckled and Garrett steeled himself, he had promised himself that he was going to get through at least his vows before breaking down into tears.
“I want to say that I knew from that day on that we were meant to be but that actually came later. We’d been dating for around a year and you came into the kitchen and without thinking, you placed yourself in between the counter and me and just stayed there. I realized then that I didn’t want anyone else to have that privilege, that was something that I wanted to be completely mine."
Andrew was crying silently, the hand he never removed from Garrett’s now shook along with it. Garrett smiled.
“I love you, and, hum, I promise to be by your side when you need me and give you space when you need that more. I promise to help move the spiders that manage their little way in, and I vow to make sure that even during our highs and lows, you never feel unloved. Through our time together, you have shown me what it’s like to be loved unconditionally and I promise that through our ups and downs you are loved the same way.”
Garrett sniffled and Andrew reached up to wipe his tears with his thumbs. They were both wearing smiles that could light up the whole world and put out the angriest fires that raged in Hell. Garrett slid the ring onto Andrew’s finger.
Pastor Mike nodded and quietly thanked Garrett before turning to Andrew, “Andrew?”
It was Andrew’s turn to sniffle as Garrett placed his vows back in his pocket, “Yeah, right, uhm.” Andrew patted his pockets before a memory hit him and he turned to Amy who took his vows out of the pocket of her dress. “Thank you.”
Garrett squeezes his hands and Andrew takes a deep breath, “Garrett Watts, you astound me every day. Sometimes with the way you show your love, sometimes with the things you know, and always with just how tall you are.”
Garrett’s eyes shined as he laughed. Andrew ran his thumb over his lover’s knuckles, “Wehn we first started dating, you made it feel easy. I felt as if I had dived headfirst into a pool and I didn’t know how to swim. But then you came in with your goofy smile and long legs and it was as if you threw me a lifesaver.”
Andrew could hear Amy sniffle behind him but he hurried along, excited for this man to become his husband, “You have made me the happiest man in the world by opening your life to me and allowing me to become a permanent part of it. You’re my lover, my companion, but most importantly my friend; the only man I could ever imagine in my life like the way you are now. I promise to return the love you give me in full and make sure you too, never feel unloved.”
Andrew slid the ring onto Garrett’s finger. He felt a little bad, Garrett’s vows were definitely a little more heartfelt and longer. Garrett didn’t seem to mind though, Andrew had always been a man of few words when there were more than a few people around.
Pastor Mike nodded, “Thank you, Andrew. Garrett, do you accept this ring?”
“I do,” he grinned.
“And Andrew, so you accept this ring?”
“I do,” he nodded.
“Then by the power invested in me by the church and state of California, I now you pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom.”
Garrett wasted no time in surging forward to kiss Andrew, his hand coming to cup his husband’s face. Andrew returned it whole-heartedly. The crowd clapped, the groomsmen whooped, and Marley and Amy whistled.