He let out a short, soft laugh. Badass was wearing a Santa hat and sitting obediently beside Brady. His tail wagged furiously the instant he spotted Jeremy and Brady muttered something to the excited dog, pulling a treat from his pocket for good measure. Leave it to Owen to make Badass a groomsman.
Somewhere through the fog in his brain he heard the music change and his heart started pounding in his ears, nearly drowning it out. Almost there. Almost where I belong.
He stepped up onto the dais, Tasha momentarily squeezing his hand affectionately, and then Owen was facing him. They twined their fingers together and Jeremy tried to remember to breathe. He glanced down and chuckled again, loving the man beside him as he saw the shamrock cufflinks glittering green at his wrists.
“You like?”
He loved.
The justice of the peace they’d chosen stepped forward and the music stopped. The room was momentarily silent as they waited for her cue. “Who gives this man in marriage?”
For less than a second he thought about the parents that had kicked him out for being different. The aunt who’d hardly noticed his existence when she’d agreed to let him sleep under her roof. The loneliness.
“I do.”
“I do.”
“We do.”
“I do.”
Shawn chuckled. “I think we all do. We’re his family.”
Jeremy heard several soft sobs at that, unsure of where they were coming from but agreeing with the sentiment. He couldn’t have imagined… But he shouldn’t be surprised. Nothing this wonderful family did could surprise him ever again.
“You may be seated,” the justice said, beaming at Owen and Jeremy as the family found their seats.
She set down the book she’d been holding and clasped her hands in front of her while Jeremy’s gaze clung to Owen’s. “We’ve come together today to join two souls together in marriage. But I think we’ve all just seen that this union is particularly blessed, and that there are more souls involved than we can count. The couple’s family and friends have shown their unconditional love and support with their actions and their words, and I know we all join them in their joy for this occasion. It’s hard not to root for Owen Finn and Jeremy Porter when you get to know them. The city has been captivated for weeks. Personally, I don’t think it has to do with Owen’s brother or the gender of his fiancé as much as it has to do with their story. A simple, but powerful story about two good men and the close, unflinching friendship they’ve shared for more than half of their lives. Without planning or expectation, that friendship blossomed with the fullness of time into so much more than either of them ever dreamed. And it brought them here before us today.”
Jeremy had dreamed. He’d just never imagined his dream had a chance in hell of coming true. Owen’s crystal blue eyes were dark with emotion that matched his own as she continued. “There are many kinds of love—each one a gift that makes life worthwhile. The love of a parent for their child. The love of siblings and friends. And a love like the one Owen and Jeremy share. A love that demands to be acknowledged and celebrated, because it cannot be denied when witnessed.” She smiled and turned in his direction. “I believe Jeremy has something he wants to say.”
Jeremy’s throat went instantly dry. He licked his lips, feeling a flutter of panic. He’d written something he’d thought was good and memorized it, but everything had flown out of his head the second he’d gotten to the stairs. After his proposal, Jeremy knew Owen deserved a public declaration of his own. Now he only hoped he hadn’t lost the ability to speak. And that his heart knew what to say.
“Owen—” He swallowed past the frog in his throat and started again. “Owen, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. And I remember everything. That first day you invited me over to your house after school, when your mother insisted on feeding me and got out her sewing kit without saying a word after she saw a hole in my shirt. I remember when you showed your dad my sketchbook at the dinner table and he told me I had real talent. That we were having so much fun you asked if I could stay the night, and when she realized there was no one I needed to call to ask permission, your mother said I was welcome anytime, whether you were home or not.” He saw Owen’s lips subtly wobble as he glanced down at his family and he knew Ellen was crying. “I remember that you gave me the world and you didn’t even know it. Proud parents who worried about me, a little sister who was more than happy to let me spoil her rotten, and two older brothers I couldn’t help but admire. And you, a best friend who is the star of every good memory I have. You taught me how to laugh at myself, never once judged me for my life choices and always had my back, right or wrong. How could I not have loved you?”