Refugees - 14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

January. The coldest of months had taken hold. Not only was there snow, but ice as well. Driving had been treacherous ever since a sleet storm passed through. Luckily, it cleared up just in time for Andrew and Phillip’s ceremony.

Robert and David wore suit pants and plain white shirts to the wedding. They would stand out as it was, they didn’t want to augment it. They were promised to each other now. No one else mattered.

They arrived at the ceremony, and as expected, there were the obligatory stares, gawks, and whispers from the people who knew who they were and knew the tale of their pasts with the grooms. Fortunately, they were few in number. They sat near the middle of the hall. Luckily, it was set up to not have “sides” of the families, but consisted of one large group.

David saw Andrew’s parents in the front row and tried to smile at them, but they averted their eyes. They must be ashamed of what their son did to me. They’re such good people…I can’t blame them for any of it.

Robert saw Phillip’s parents and waved. They waved back and Mr. Marnier gave him a “thumbs-up” gesture when he saw David.

Robert saw Phillip in his tuxedo and it harkened back to his dreams of what he wanted their wedding to be. He looked up at David to comfort himself.

“Hey. Sweetie, you okay?” David asked.

“As long as you’re here, I’m cool.”

They winked at each other. David saw Andrew in his tuxedo and fell silent as well. He even avoided looking at the handsome man. Robert noticed this and knew immediately what the problem was.

“Maybe this was a mistake….”

David shook his head and took his lover’s hand. “We can’t let them get to us anymore. We’re together.”

Robert nodded. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The hall grew quiet as the crowd was hushed and the music began. It was a song they both knew, “Far Away” by Nickelback. Both men became emotional just hearing it. The lyrics told of an undying love. They kissed lightly and held hands. Their attention wavered for a moment as little Andrea walked sedately down the aisle. She was clad in a pink dress that fell to her ankles. She was six years old now and had grown quite a bit. Her blond hair was curled and fell about her small shoulders. She carried a basket of rose petals to sprinkle about where her father and step-father stood. David recognized Rachel sitting in the front; Andrea ran to her when her part was finished.

The ceremony was beautiful. Both men looked incredible in their matching tuxedos. They wore dinner jackets with matching white bow ties. Their boutonnières were pink roses. Andrew had livened up the curl in his hair. Phillip had cut his hair and grown a goatee. They looked extraordinarily happy.

Robert held David’s hand for the brief ordeal. In ten minutes’ time, all was finished. They waited to exit until most of the others had. Finally, they got their chance to say hello. Robert shuffled towards Phillip first. The very happy groomsman held out his arms.

“Rob! So good to see you here. Thank you for coming.” Robert couldn’t help but take in all the wonderful sights and aromas that were Phillip. The cologne he always wore, the freshly pressed tuxedo, even the new goatee. He looked just as irresistible as he had that day in Byerly Park when they decided to get back together.

“I wouldn’t have missed it. I thought about not coming, but with David by my side, I can handle anything.”

Phillip glanced up and saw his blond companion. They shared a firm handshake.

“David. Good to see you again.”

“Phillip. Great ceremony, was this hall expensive?”

Phillip shook his head. “No, not too high. Why?”

David grinned and pulled Robert close to him again. “Well, just for future reference ya know. Very near future I hope.” He glanced down at Robert’s promise ring.

Robert’s eyes grew wide; he realized he hadn’t seen Phillip in a while. “Oh, damn. I didn’t show it to you. See my ring?”

Phillip looked at it closely. He brushed his thumb over the ruby and Robert’s hand. He finally let go. “It’s a very nice ring. I’m glad things are working out for you two.”

“That makes two of us,” a voice interjected. Andrew walked out from behind the wall. He shook Robert’s hand and hugged David.

“Hello, Andy. Looking all healed from the last time we met.”

“Yeah, the physical stuff went away. Still working on the mental a bit.”

Robert raised a brow. “Oh?”

Andy took Phillip’s hand. “It hasn’t been pretty; let’s just put it that way. I’ve got a ton of support though. I even changed the way I dress, no more extreme cutoffs or cropped anything.”

David reached his arm and brushed his ex’s shoulder. “I can’t even imagine.”

Phillip kissed Andy’s hair. “We’re living through it. What keeps us going is our love and we’re looking at buying a house!”

“That’s wonderful!” Robert said with a smile. “Hey, Andy, I was telling your hubby here we really liked your ceremony.”

The brown eyes glinted with happiness. “Oh, well. Thank you. We planned it in a flash, but it worked out. I guess winter’s the slow season, we were able to get a lot of this stuff done in just the last two weeks.” Andrew looked over at Phillip and the two smiled at each other. Robert gripped David’s hand tighter. Suddenly, Andrea bounded out from around the corner and ran straight to her Daddy. Rachel followed behind quickly. Andrew picked her up and held her close. Such a lovely child! Her brown eyes emulated his perfectly. Her blond hair had a few streaks of brown starting in it already. She’d be a mini-Andy.

“Andrea, you remember David and his friend Robert don’t you?”

“Hi! How are you?” the little girl asked.

“You look so pretty.” David said.

“Thank you,” she replied in her tiny voice.

“We’re great, Andrea, how are you?” Robert blurted out. The little girl cuddled against her father’s shoulder.

“Fine. I miss your patio, it was huge!”

David cracked a smile, as did all of the men. “Well, maybe someday you can come back over and play again.” Robert and Phillip shot a look at the tall blond.

Andrew smiled and kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Hear that? Once it’s all hot again in the summertime.”

Andrea smiled and reached over to hug David. He held the child for a long moment. “I’ve missed you, Andrea. You really livened up the place.”

Andrew grinned and took back his daughter. “Hey, I think we’re due for pictures. Come on, let’s go see Mommy.”

“Okay. Bye David! Bye, Robert!” Both men waved goodbye.

Phillip ran his hand over his goatee. “Sorry about that. Little bit awkward. David, you don’t have to feel obligated….”

“Don’t be silly. We’d love to have her over and you too.” Robert blurted out.

David shot his lover a truly surprised look. “We would?”

“Absolutely! If we’re gonna move on, let’s do it the right way. Let’s just all be friends.”

“Are you sure we can?” Phillip asked innocently. “We all have such a jagged history.”

Robert sighed aloud. “Phil, we need to move on. I love David now, we’re promised. Yes, it hurt a lot to do it, but I moved on with my life. I couldn’t be happier!”

“David?”

“I always loved little Andrea. She’s a joyous child. Yes, her father and I were involved, but he’s moved on and so have I. We can at least try to be adults about this.”

Phillip nodded. “I agree. Well, shall we? The photographer needs us for a little while, but the reception starts soon. Are you two coming?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Robert exclaimed happily.

“Awesome! Well, we’ll see you there. David, Rob.”

“Later.” The two left the hall.

They returned home and didn’t speak of the ceremony much. It had been trying for both of them. To watch the two men who should’ve been their husbands get married was, to say the least, draining.

“You know I love you with all my heart, don’t you?” David asked Robert.

“Yes. You know I do too, right?”

“I do. Then why was it so weird watching them get married?”

Robert shook his head. “I dunno. For me it was like watching the first train wreck all over again. It was supposed to have been me by his side, ya know?”

David nodded. “I know what you mean. They both looked so handsome and happy. I hope we looked well enough to them.”

“I think we did.” Robert held his lover’s hand tight and kissed it. “I promise you, I love you with all my heart, David Griffin. You have been invaluable in helping me get past all that drama. I want to be with you and only you forever.”

Happy tears started in both sets of eyes. David kissed Robert’s promise ring and they embraced for a long time. “I love you, Robby.”

After the embrace, they kissed deeply. They decided to curl up together in bed until it was time for the reception.

At the reception, they danced happily alongside the new duo and focused solely on each other. They ate and didn’t feel a twinge of nausea at all. They actually struck up conversations with Andrew and Phillip’s parents and found it all very amiable. They returned home, happier than they’d ever been.