Page 5 of With You

And now here I am, ready to profess my undying love to his son. Because Deacon is welcome, he is wanted, he is loved.

Releasing his hold on me, Bill grabs Deacon’s hand and places it in mine.

“I love you both,” he says firmly.

“I love you, Dad,” Deacon manages to whisper. “Thank you.”

Bill squeezes our shoulders and moves himself to the side, outside the aisle and to a seat beside Victoria. When everyone’s seated, I bring my gaze to Deacon and lace my fingers with his.

“Hi,” he says softly.

“Hi.”

“Ready to get married?” he asks.

Offering him a wink, I turn my head to Wade and give him a subtle nod.

Smiling back at me, our officiant and best friend straightens his back, standing proudly, as he brings the microphone to his mouth. “Friends. Family. Welcome to the wedding of Deacon Sutton and Julian Reid.”

DEACON

Unintentionally, I drown out Wade’s voice, my attention too focused on Julian; enraptured with the man before me. Dressed in all black, his tuxedo fits every inch of him like a second skin, his satin bowtie now perfectly placed at the base of his throat. His hair is slicked back, and despite his red-rimmed eyes, I don’t miss the smile stretched across his face or the flush of his cheeks.

Happiness radiates off him, and I try to breathe through the tight feeling in my chest. Between missing Rhett, gratitude for my father and sister, and the absolute disbelief that I get to live the rest of my life loved by a man like Julian, it’s almost too much for my heart to contain.

There have been many times in my life when I’ve sat amongst the crowd, happy to remain quiet and go unnoticed. For the most part, the background is where I enjoy being. Little or no attention is perfect.

My house. My bubble. My man.

But like all of our life-changing moments, today, with all of our friends and family watching me, I don’t care about all the attention. I’ll stand here boasting about and praising the best man there is till my voice is hoarse and my legs give out.

Julian’s hands squeeze mine, and I find myself matching his wide smile. It’s almost impossible to contain the jittery feeling inside my stomach, my patience waning, wanting to race ahead to the part where we say “I do” sooner rather than later.

“I have known Deacon my whole adult life,” I hear Wade say. “And I have never seen him happier than he’s been these last five and a half years. I have never seen him fuss and fawn the way he does over Julian.”

A low rumble of laughter sweeps through our guests as Wade continues talking. “I’ve had the pleasure of having a man like Deacon by my side; my best friend, my business partner, my brother. I’ve borne witness to him in every stage of his life, and by far this has been the best one.”

Wade pauses, clearing his throat, visibly trying to avoid getting too emotional in front of an audience. “Life can be tricky,” he continues. “There are real highs and even worse lows, but with Julian by his side, these two together know how to weather a storm.

“Julian and Deacon, it is an honor to be able to celebrate your love and your union, and I know I’m not the only one here today who feels this way.”

Wade gestures to my sister, who is once again dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Victoria rises up off the seat and makes her way to the nearby lectern. Instead of asking Victoria to go the traditional route and read a romantic poem or sonnet, Julian and I told her she had free rein to speak from the heart.

“Hi,” she says nervously into the microphone. “I’m just going to go ahead and warn everyone that there will be tears, and please just bear with me.”

Everyone laughs.

“For those of you who don’t know, Deacon and I had a brother, Rhett. And he died almost seven years ago.”

Her words stun me, especially after our earlier conversation, and I feel my hands instinctively tighten around Julian’s. His gaze bores into mine, reassuring me, because he knows without the exact words just how muddled up I can sometimes feel inside. But I trust him. Holding his gaze, breathing in and out, I give my fears and anxieties to the man I love, because I trust him to take care of me when I need it most.

And like all those years ago, when we were navigating our initial feelings, I trust us.

I trust what we have, what we’ve built, and what we’ve promised.

Implicitly.

“Unfortunately for Rhett, he knew the end was near,” Victoria continues. “So in his free time, he wrote us all some letters.”

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