Page 61 of Subtracting the Heart

He pulled away and smiled. “You’re welcome. You ready to surprise Uncle Ford?” The excitement coursing through him was evident in his voice.

She nodded, so Cade ushered her and her mother behind Jax’s large frame. He gave the doll to Griff who was standing nearby, and he led the brigade forward. When he stopped in front of Ford and the woman with whom he was deep in discussion, he cleared his throat.

Ford looked up and smiled, seeing Jax. “Ah, my groom. Let’s get his show on the road.”

Cade winked at Jax, who stepped aside to reveal Sela and Carlotta.

The surprise on Ford’s face wasn’t really a surprise. The fainting, however, surprised everyone.

When Ford’s beautiful, blue-gray eyes opened, Cade smiled. “Maybe we underestimated how you’d take the surprise?”

Ford laughed as he sat up. “I… as we grow old together, Kincade, please don’t do that to me again. I’m nowhere near ready to die.” Ford’s shining eyes said it all. He was happy.

Cade offered him a bottle of water and followed his gaze over to the large chair where Sela and Carlotta sat with Jax standing behind them.

Ford hopped to his feet and hurried over to the chair, dropping to his knees to wrap his long arms around his sister. Jax walked over to the couch and sat down next to Cade, taking his hand. “I think we made a touchdown with this one.”

Cade laughed and kissed his cheek just as Katrina walked in with a lovely woman following behind her. “Jackson, this is my friend, Dr. Penelope Fellows. She’s an Episcopal minister, and she’s been kind enough to agree to marry you and Branford. We need to get upstairs for the rehearsal so the caterer can begin the setup down here.”

“Of course, Rina. It’s a pleasure, Dr. Fellows.” Jax greeted the woman with a hearty handshake.

After that, Cade’s mother moved around the room as the consummate host, ushering everyone to the elevators so the rehearsal could commence. He could see Ford hadn’t left his sister’s side, and he was thrilled. It was everything he and Jax hoped the reunion would be.

Once everyone was in the rehearsal space, the reverend clapped her hands for attention. She had a sweet smile which fascinated Cade. She exuded kindness and love, which made him happy she was the person marrying Jax and Ford. It was perfect.

“I’d like to thank you all for coming to support Branford and Jackson. I like to have two run-throughs if that’s agreeable. Of course, I’m a traditionalist, so I’m going to ask Kincade to stand in for each of the grooms as we go through it. So, let’s get started.”

Griff lined up the small number of people who were part of the ceremony. Sela stood at the back with Ford while Cade’s mother took his arm as she would Jackson’s for the ceremony the next day. The music playing was the song they used to kick off the fundraiser for Rainbow House,Somewhere Over the Rainbow,but Cade knew it wasn’t the traditional song Ford and Jax had chosen.

Carlotta walked slowly down the aisle with her doll before Sela followed behind with Ford. When they reached the end of the makeshift aisle, Rina hooked her arm through Cade’s elbow. “Well, come on.”

When he glanced up to see Branford Thomas in all his handsome glory, standing there waiting for him, he couldn’t stop the tears. Once he reached the end of the aisle with his mother, she kissed his cheek and turned to Ford. “You take good care of him.” She dabbed her eyes and stepped away. Ford nodded and grasped Cade’s hands, settling the two of them to face the minister.

“Dear friends, we gather here today to join these two in the blessed union of souls. I was given a few practice texts to estimate the time for the actual reading at the ceremony, so bear with me. This is a paraphrase from the official ruling of Judge Vaughn Walker in California when Proposition Eight was overturned.

“They seek the mutual obligation and honor that attend marriage… seek recognition from the state that their union is ‘a coming together for better or for worse, hopefully enduring, and intimate to the degree of being sacred.”

“Join hands,” the Reverend instructed the men standing before her.

Cade turned to face Ford and smiled, taking his hands. She continued. “Repeat after me. I Branford Xavier Thomas, take you, Kincade Seiler-Hayes to be my spouse. I promise to honorand cherish you. I promise you my fidelity and my love until the end of my life, so help me God,” the minister said. Ford looked into Cade’s eyes and said the words, rocking Cade to his core.

“Kincade, repeat after me,” the minister said and repeated. He obediently, but quietly, repeated the vows, feeling the tears fall. It was like it was his own wedding.

“Rings?” the minister asked after Cade finished. Cade saw Carlotta walk forward with two rings, handing them over with a bright smile.

Dr. Fellows took each ring, smiling at the child. “These rings are a symbol of God’s never-ending love for us as these two will have never-ending love for each other.”

She held out her hand and Ford picked up a ring Cade had never seen. It was a thin band, as was the other one the minister was holding in her hand. “With this ring, I thee wed,” Ford told Cade as he slipped the thin band onto his finger.

Dr. Fellows turned to Cade and offered the larger, thin band. “With this ring, I thee wed,” Cade repeated.

“I’m pleased to pronounce the two of you eternally joined. Blessings to you both. You may kiss your spouse.”

When Ford swept Cade up in his arms, it was a total surprise. He returned the kiss and when they pulled away, everyone clapped as they headed back down the aisle. Once they reached the back of the club room, Jax walked over to kiss both of them.

“Okay, my turn,” he stated. Cade slid off the ring to hand it to him, but Jax stopped him. “I have my own.”

That was totally puzzling, but Cade felt too damn good to question it. He felt like he was floating on air.

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