Page 69 of Binding Their Hearts

How fortunate they were to have crossed life’s paths when they did, at a time when entertaining the notion of spending eternity with someone grew—for each of them—from a distant wish or a seeming impossibility into a certainty. Doubly fortunate to have those who loved them here to witness their triumph.

He dressed methodically, ritually, from the skin out, leaving the formal vest unbuttoned and his tie dangling. His mother would enjoy the opportunity to mother him, as it were. And in serendipitous fashion, her presence would distract him from his stubbornly silent phone.

As he opened the door, she rose from a seat beside the second-floor bag check and extended a parting hug to the brunette stationed there before allowing him to usher her inside.

“A few finishing touches, and your darlings will be so distracted by your charm that they’ll forget their vows.” Light danced in her eyes, the pale gold of her classic cocktail dress accenting their spring green to vivid effect. The vintage piece—undoubtedly one that had hung in her closet for fifty years—flattered her form. His mother had been young and girlish once, preparing for her own wedding. She laughed, gently. “Though perhaps not so flustered as you. I’m glad to see you’ve regained your composure; I know how you value appearances. Jay was absolutely delighted to have surprised you.”

“I had not even the faintest inkling.” Hopefully his own surprise would go off so well. That, at least, was safely in Will’s hands. “It didn’t even occur to me to ask. A garden party in the spring, you said.”

“And we will, dear—I’ll still want to make proper society introductions for Alice and Jay.” Examining his silver cufflinks, she nodded approval. “But today is the day my son is getting married. Where else would I be?”

“I confess, I may have been expecting something different.” A collaring ceremony would have been quite different—and not at all an event for his mother to attend. Jay’s design thus far hewed more toward a traditional wedding, which perhaps spoke to the needs he sought to fulfill and the direction Henry ought to prioritize in their relationship. A reflection of the desire for the societal approval Jay lacked, rather than Henry’s ownership, in which he already felt secure? That would be gratifying. “I wasn’t certain this would be an appropriate venue for family to attend our exchange of vows. It’s not the most conventional of weddings.”

Mother turned a sharp-eyed gaze on him and tapped his breastbone with surprising strength. “You have never been my conventional son, Henry. I’m proud of you for sketching your own way through the world.”

He bore no doubts about her sincerity. His mother had encouraged him to explore the world with an open heart and mind, to search for the elements that spoke most loudly to him. “Father would not have approved.”

She cast a flurry of glances at him as she fiddled with his tie, accomplishing nothing so much as busying her fingers. Fluttering to a halt, she smoothed his shirt sleeves instead, smiling as she brushed her father’s watch on his wrist.

“Fathers can be complicated, can’t they?” She squeezed his hands and rubbed her thumbs across his knuckles. “Your father loved us, Henry. I don’t think he quite knew what to do with two artists or how to express his affection—” Glancing away, she found the mirror, and he stood still, mindful of her gaze. “He never learned the tools for that. But I know he loved us.”

Much too late to ask him now, and love was not a word that passed his father’s lips easily. His father had almost certainly loved him beneath his stern exterior, but their relationship had never been comfortable. Not since the day he’d lost faith in his father’s infallibility. He lifted her hand and kissed the wedding band she yet wore, several years after his father’s passing. “Of course he did.”

He tucked away a thought for later—he and Alice had somewhat committed to meddling in Emma and Will’s romantic entanglements, though Emma daily wore her own wedding ring and pearls. His mother had been alone longer still. Loneliness could be difficult to detect; perhaps he ought to encourage her to seek out a new romantic partner, or nudge his brother to take the children to visit more often, or purchase season tickets to the symphony orchestra and invite her to regularly stay the weekend now that he had an excess of rooms for hosting guests.

She brought both of his hands to her and curled them in a knot just below her chin. “I don’t claim to know everything that goes on in that mind of yours, but I do know that today is for you, and for Alice, and for Jay.” Under her sober gaze, he might have been a young man again, returning to prep school with her advice to be courageous and vulnerable in love ringing in his ears. “I have seen with my own eyes how loving you are with them, how open-hearted and generous. From this day forward, they will never need to question whether they are loved.”

“Thank you, Mother.” He spoke around the lump occupying his throat.

She uttered a satisfied hmph and arched an eyebrow. “Nor will any future children. A larger house, a formal commitment ceremony…” She tipped her head inquiringly. “Is there anything else you’d like to tell your mother?”

His laughter filled the room, all his nervous tension expelled. Today was only the beginning of a new phase in the parent-child bond. “Give us a few years yet, Mother. Alice is young. I don’t want to rush her.”

“You’re a good boy, Henry.” She kissed his cheek, her skin soft and fine, with delicate veins beneath the surface. “You and Robert have both brought me immense joy.”

Wholeness settled over him, the tranquility of knowing he need not chase approval or pursue perfection to receive unconditional love. Alice and Jay could use more of that peace in their lives, and his mother would benefit from having more loved ones to mother.

“Now”—his mother patted his chest—“we’d best finish getting you ready. You have quite the colorful tie.” She took hold and studied the silk intently. “Is there a story behind it?”

Three sharp raps at the door in quick succession saved him from dancing around an explanation that did not involve using the tie to restrain Alice during sex.

“It must be time.” He lifted his chin as his mother began knotting the tie. “Who is it?”

“Photographer,” came the feminine reply.

They had an official wedding photographer? A thoughtful divergence from club protocol. “Enter.”

The door swung inward, and a young woman holding a professional DSLR slipped inside. Short dark hair, tastefully subdued clothing—she appeared vaguely familiar, though no one he could place.

“Good afternoon, Master Henry.” She bowed her head, her chin touching her chest. “Ma’am.” Her nod to his mother was shallower, but equally laden with gravity and respect. “I’ll just take a few moments. Please pretend I’m not here.”

Candids. He refrained from tracking her with his eyes as she circled them, clicking away. His mother executed an unexpected number of crossovers as she knotted his tie. Pulling the fabric snug at his throat, she fiddled a bit more before moving on to the vest buttons.

“There now.” She backed away and gazed at him, her mouth upturned and her eyes watering. “You’ll do quite nicely, darling.” With a wave she gestured him toward the valet stand. “The coat, too. Let’s have the full effect.”

He slipped into the morning coat with its angled cut and swept-back tails, the legacy of mounted aristocracy. The last time he’d donned such formalwear had been for his brother’s wedding. He tugged the sleeves into place and turned toward the mirror.

The cornflower blue tie stood out as the only pop of color against the blacks and grays, but more than that—the knot wasn’t a traditional Windsor. Three equal curves of fabric, in gorgeous trilateral symmetry, formed the knot at his throat. He traced the edges, following the lines in the mirror. “It’s lovely, Mother.”

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