The Empty Spaces Between Us - 28. Chapter 28

Tyler arrived at the hall where the reception was being held ahead of the wedding party. The others had stayed behind, opting to get the children out of the formalwear and have them change into more casual pants and shirts once all the pictures were complete. He hadn’t expected to be included in many of the pictures, but Jacob and Kyle had insisted that they wanted everyone to be included. Once the final picture with everyone was finished, Tyler took his leave. He hadn’t said exactly what his hurry was, but Andy and Brian gave him a knowing smirk when he went to leave.

There were still remnants of that warmth in his heart from the ceremony as he walked across the parking lot to the doors and into the cool air where most of the guests were already milling about, socializing and either exchanging stories or getting to know one another. As he stepped into the ballroom, Tyler couldn’t get over the wonder he experienced the day before when he was here with Troy, looking over the final details of the reception.

Due to the July heat, Kyle and Jacob knew that their real wish of having the reception in the orchard wouldn’t be possible. So, they opted to do the next best thing.

They brought the orchard inside.

Hanging overhead where strings of white lights that led from the center of the dance floor in the center of the room to the walls. In all, a hundred strings of white lights gave the room a pleasant atmosphere. Hanging under the light strings were small apple-shaped glass baubles on their own strings with artificial leaves intertwined with them. The red apples were mostly concentrated over the dance floor and were low enough you could almost reach up and touch them. They thinned out as they got farther away from the dancefloor. With the darker strings they were attached to and the leaves adorning them, it almost felt like they were in the orchard. Where needed, standard lights also illuminated the tables and the long tables set up on one side of the room where the food was already being set out, ready for everyone to begin eating once the wedding party arrived.

At the far end of the dance floor was another long table with high backed chairs where Kyle, Jacob and the others in their party would sit. The rest of the room had circular tables with white tablecloths on them with ample seating for everyone in attendance. The main table had white tablecloths as well with rainbow bunting to distinguish it from the other tables. Every table had three apples in the center with the words, “Kyle & Jacob” etched on them. Out of everything they had planned for the day, they had wanted this place to make the biggest impression and Tyler could tell from what he saw and overheard that they had been successful.

He only had a moment to spare, taking in the expansive room when he was nearly startled out of his skin by a voice just next to his ear. “How did the pictures go?”

Tyler jumped and turned only to find Sean looking at him with a playful smile on his handsome face. “Christ,” he swore. “Nearly killed me.”

“I know CPR,” Sean replied with a playful grin.

It wasn’t the response he expected, and he didn’t know exactly what to say next, so he just giggled nervously. “Well…. Good to know.”

Sean looked around the room and nodded with approval. “They did a really nice job in here. Are they the ones who run the apple farm outside of town?”

Tyler nodded. “Orchard, yes. It’s big. Bigger than I imagined it would be.”

“You’ve been there a lot?”

Tyler smirked. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Sean stepped a little closer to him. His hands seemed to twitch as if they were wanting to grab something. Or hold onto someone. “How would you put it?”

Tyler looked back up at him, wondering where this was leading. “I’ve been there quite a bit. I guess you could say they treat me like part of the family. They had me stay with them after…”

Sean’s pleasant demeanor changed to a more concerned look. “After what?”

Tyler wasn’t sure how much to say and to not say at this point. “After my breakup with my ex.”

“I see.” Sean’s face creased in a slight frown. “Is everything alright now?”

Tyler nodded quickly to assuage him of any concern. “Oh, yeah. It’s fine. Last I heard he was in jail.”

“In jail?!”

Tyler looked down, embarrassed. “It’s a long story.”

Sean put a hand on his shoulder and said in a softer tone, “I’d like to hear it. When you have the time.”

Tyler looked in his eyes, not seeing any kind of ulterior motive or anything to give him a reason to question him. He was a little disturbed that his first impulse was to look for any kind of duplicitousness, but he figured it was probably safer to think that way now anyway. “Some other time maybe. Today is about Jacob and Kyle.”

Sean’s smile returned and let the matter drop for now. “So, where are we sitting?”

Tyler looked around. “Well, there’s plenty of places to choose from.”

Sean’s eyes looked around and pointed to a table near the DJ booth. “How about there?”

Tyler nodded and they went to take their seats. Since he wasn’t really part of the wedding party or the family, he didn’t feel obligated to sit next to the main table where Jacob and the others would be. There was still a lot of time left in the day and he knew he would likely run into all of them and likely even more people before the party was over. They sat there and politely talked about work to pass the time. It was no more than a few minutes later when he saw Troy, Andy and Brian enter with the children along with Helen and the other women. They quickly stepped up to the main table as Helen and the others ushered the boys near a small table off to the side where they could be monitored. Troy took a microphone that had been set near their chairs and nodded to the DJ who let the music fade out, leaving the room filled with murmurings of conversations among the individual tables.

David appeared in the room and walked over to join Troy and the others at the main table before Troy spoke into the microphone. “On behalf of the family, I want to thank all of you for attending this great day we have to celebrate. Before we begin eating, let’s give another round of applause to my two best friends, Kyle and Jacob Howard!”

The entire room was on their feet, applauding as the happy couple entered the room and walked towards the table, hand in hand, smiling and waving to everyone with the occasional stop for a hug or a pat on the shoulder from people as they passed. As they reached their seats, they stood there for a moment as a cheer came up from the crowd before taking their seats.

Once the applause had quieted, Troy voice came over the speakers again. “Now, everyone can take their seats. The food will be served to you and any seconds will be available at the buffet. Drinks are at the back of the room and those are on me and my dad.” With that, Troy took his seat and nearly two dozen servers came out to begin placing meals in front of each person, each one being the same thing. Five more people came out with carafes of water and began filling every glass at every table. It was a little slow and Tyler almost had an urge to jump in and help, but the staff were professional and quick getting to everyone in the hall. In a shorter span of time than he expected, Tyler had his food along with Sean and the other guests they were sharing a table with.

As they ate, Tyler engaged the others at the table in conversation. One of them he knew as a friend of Jacob’s from the gym and his wife sitting next to him. The other two were people from Harrisburg who had worked with Kyle. The conversation was upbeat, and everyone seemed impressed with the ceremony. Those who had worked with Kyle openly commented on how different he seemed now that he had left the DA’s office. All around them, they could hear other conversations much like their own.

Tyler almost felt as if he had the upper hand on the lawyers as far as conversations went. It was a new feeling to have people interested in hearing about him and living here. They asked questions about Jacob and the orchard, local sights in the area and about himself personally. He explained what he knew about when the season usually started and what all they offered when it opened. That they all seemed interested in him personally as well was a pleasant surprise. He’d always seen himself as no one important. Someone generally overlooked in a crowd and forgettable after they parted. As he sat there talking, his eyes would go to Sean and back occasionally. Each time their eyes met he would see that smile light his face. That smile and those eyes encouraged him to talk more and share his opinions on whatever topic that came up and he found to his surprise that the others at the table listened to him.

After most of the meal had been eaten, conversations around them started to lull and Tyler looked up in time to see Kyle and the others stand and begin moving around the table towards the wedding cake. He also noticed Helen and the other women in their group stand as well. Even from a distance, she still exuded an aura of grace with her sleeveless dress, pearl necklace around her neck and diamond earrings accentuating her almost celebrity demeanor. The wait staff had cleared most of the tables as people turned their attention towards the activity near the dancefloor. Tyler could see a pair of small smiles on the newlywed faces as they stood there holding hands and waiting.

David, Kyle, Jacob and Helen went to the side where the wedding cake sat on its own table. Holding the large knife together, the couple sliced the first piece of the cake together to scattered applause before stepping aside to let Kyle’s father and mother cut their own pieces. After that was done, Brian and Stephanie volunteered to continue to stand ready to slice pieces for everyone else who wanted some as the DJ went back to playing music to get people on the dancefloor.

After some time passed to give everyone a chance at the cake, Troy’s voice once again came out of the speakers in the room. Tyler didn’t remember Troy’s part in this being planned. He had a suspicion Troy just nominated himself as Master of Ceremonies today and everyone else was just naturally going along with it. The thought gave him a chuckle and he could only shake his head.

“And now it’s time for the happy couple to take their first dance,” Troy said into the microphone. “Everyone who wants to join with them is encouraged to after the first chorus.” He smiled, stepped off the floor and waved his arm to the two of them as they both moved to the center of the floor.

Tyler and Sean were on their feet so they could see what was happening. Tyler grinned and brushed up against Sean’s ear and whispered, “watch this.”

The room went silent as Kyle and Jacob stood in the center of the dancefloor. On cue, half of the strings of lights overhead went dark. For half a breath, a surprised murmur floated through the crowd before the apples suspended above everyone began to glow with their own inner light, casting a warm red glow around the room and the two men standing there underneath them. Another breath of silence and then an old familiar song they shared so long ago began to play over the speakers. Kyle and Jacob stared into each other’s eyes as Kyle’s hand went to Jacob’s waist. Jacob’s hand rested on Kyle’s shoulder and they began to slowly move to their familiar music. The song, the feel of their touch and the emotional impact of the day was enough to transport them to another place and time, when love was still new and innocent.

If they exchanged words, no one heard them. They heard nothing but their song and saw nothing but each other. David watched them as a proud if protective father while Helen stood next to him.

“David,” Helen murmured.

He leaned his ear towards her. “Hm?”

Without taking her eyes off her son and son-in-law she commented, “I paid three thousand dollars on this dress. I didn’t wear it just to stand and look pretty.”

He looked down at her with a silent laugh and took her hand in his. When the second verse started, David and Helen broke into radiant smiles as they swung together onto the dancefloor next to their sons. Troy and Elizabeth were only a breath behind them with Andy and Brian following behind. The three couples formed a kind of ring around Kyle and Jacob as other couples began to dance along with him.

But for the couple in the center, they were teenagers again dancing their first dance. Only this time, they knew now how the song would end for them. That all their imperfect pieces were what filled the emptiness inside each other. There was no fear of rejection and no fear of misunderstanding. They were together now, in this moment and forever. The emotions filled Jacob’s eyes as he looked into those familiar brown eyes with tiny gold flecks in them and couldn’t stop the tears of a remembered childhood spent in fear and pain. Fear and pain the person in his arms had put an end too. That took him and protected him and loved him for who he was. Jacob leaned his head in to rest on Kyle’s shoulder, not unlike their first dance and felt the familiar feel of Kyle’s love giving him comfort. When he raised his head, Jacob discovered his were not the only eyes with tears trickling down from them. As they went into the final chorus, they broke into silent laughter before leaning in to kiss and seal that old memory in their hearts forever. It was how all of this started. That memory would be their light to shine forever through life.

When the first chorus ended, Sean impulsively grabbed Tyler’s hand and looked at him with an excited look in his eyes. “Come dance with me?”

Tyler’s eyes bulged. “I, ah…”

“Don’t tell me you can’t, because I know better.” He grinned and gave him a small tug.

Tyler allowed himself to be led to the dancefloor and take the lead as they turned and swayed to the music along with the others. If David or any of his friends were watching them, he didn’t care in that moment. Sean was looking at him and holding him close. Beyond that, he couldn’t think of anything else.

David hadn’t danced in ages and dancing with the mother of his son only felt like the right thing to do. As he led her on the dance floor, she looked up at him with remembered love and affection they used to share. “I knew you couldn’t resist me.”

“Not in three thousand dollar dress,” he said with a grin. “So, you haven’t shared your opinion on the day yet. That’s unlike you.”

“The day isn’t over yet,” she replied with a smirk. She spared a glance towards Kyle and then looked back up at David. “You’ve done a remarkable job, my dear.”

“Thank you.”

“So, when are you going to finally get a new love of your own,” she asked him with a playful grin.

He chuckled. “I’m a little past my prime, I think.”

“Nonsense,” she declared. “You are as handsome as you were when you and I were married.”

“You’re just full of compliments today, aren’t you?” His smile widened as they danced.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t make what I said any less true.” She looked in his eyes and said to him, “you’ve spent most of your life focused on Kyle. It’s time you find your own happiness.”

“Who says I’m not happy,” he asked with a slightly defensive tone.

“You know what I mean,” she scolded. “We may no longer be married but you are still my friend and I want you to be happy. Time for you to find someone of your own you can hold at night.” As she let her gaze drift over to her son, she caught sight of something else. Helen’s eyes narrowed for a moment before it passed almost as if it was never there.

“What’s wrong,” her watchful ex-husband asked.

“Nothing,” she said with a smile.

“Bullshit,” he chuckled. “You looked like a hawk that found a mouse in an open field.”

She rolled her eyes. “Nothing for you to worry about, dear. Worry about our son. And grandson. And future grandchild.” She smiled up at him and continued dancing to the music.

Troy and Elizabeth smiled at each other as they danced next to their friends. The morning had gone so well. Better than they could have hoped. He felt a sense of accomplishment as he held his wife in his arms and marveled at her beauty. It wasn’t the dress Helen bought her or how she looked. In her eyes he could see her own memories of their life together over the last eight years and how special they knew this day was for their friends. “Do you ever regret it,” he asked her as he leaned his head closer to her.

“That we never did the whole wedding thing and just ran off,” she asked with a smirk. “No. It may have been nice, but what mattered to me was who I was hooking up with.” She gave him a playful grin that he shared at her wording.

“You always did have a way of getting me to do things I would’ve never considered. Like eloping.”

“Do you regret it,” she asked him.

He stared into her eyes and smiled softly. “Not once.”

“Are you having fun yet,” Brian asked Andy as they glided around the floor near their friends.

“Any time I’m with you is fun,” Andy replied as he leaned in to kiss him tenderly.

Brian smiled and stopped himself from swooning so he could keep his mind on the matter at hand. “I was referring to your little plot regarding you-know-who.”

“My little plot?” He grinned as he arched an eyebrow.

Brian rolled his eyes. “Okay… our little plot.” He looked around but the number of couples dancing on the floor, not seeing who he was looking for.

“There’s still a lot left to do with that,” he replied. “And most of it isn’t in our hands.” He held Brian a little closer as they turned and danced. “Right now, all I can think about is you anyway.”

Brian’s eyes shined just a little brighter hearing those words. “When do you think we should go ahead and do our own thing?”

Andy smiled and let his nose brush against Brian’s hair. “When the time is right.”

By the time the song ended, Tyler felt out of breath, but not because of the dancing itself. When he felt Sean’s arm around his waist, a stirring deep inside him began to build up. They didn’t speak the entire time and he was grateful for that because he had an inkling that if Sean had spoken to him, whatever came out of his mouth would have made no sense.

They stepped off the floor together and Tyler reluctantly released Sean’s hand. When they got back to the table they had been sitting at, Sean said to him, “Tyler, I have a confession I need to make.”

Tyler stared into the sparkling eyes and suppressed a note of dread. “What?”

Sean smirked a little and said, “I don’t really like baseball.”

Tyler blinked, wondering where that came from. He thought back to when it may have come up and then the memory of Sean’s invitation to go see a Pirates game came to him. “Wait. Why did you--?”

“Because,” he interjected gently, “I could tell you weren’t comfortable talking about some things at work when we were together and I thought that if I could get you away from work, then you’d be more interested.”

“So, you offered to take me to a baseball game,” Tyler said sadly. “And I was too wrapped up in… that asshole or whatever at the time to notice. I’m so sorry.”

Sean shook his head, unconcerned. “That’s not important. I’m telling you because I want you to know… that I really do want to get to know you better. I want us to spend some time together and talk and… see if…”

Tyler was unable to keep the smile from his face as he watched Sean’s entire face redden. “It’s okay. I get what you’re saying. Maybe we just play things by ear and see how it goes, okay?”

Sean didn’t hide his relief. “Sounds like a good idea. I’m not going anywhere. I just didn’t want to come off as some kind of creep.”

Tyler snorted in derision as he headed to the back to get a drink. “I’ve seen up close what a creep looks like. Trust me, you’ll be fine.”

He took that as a good sign as he followed Tyler up to the bar.

After their first dance was over, Kyle and Jacob decided to take some time to walk around and socialize more with the guests. While they had shook hands with many who attended the ceremony, they didn’t have much time to talk and they didn’t want people to feel their presence had gone unnoticed. Whenever they came to a table of people or a small crowd, they would insert themselves and get reacquainted with old friends from school, local neighbors and some of Kyle’s old colleagues from his time at the DA’s. office. They were about halfway through the room when Helen appeared and grabbed Jacob by the arm and said, “you owe your mother-in-law a dance, my dear.”

Kyle just smiled at Jacob who seemed helpless as Helen guided him to the dancefloor where he did the only thing he could do and acquiesced to her demand. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware you had wanted me to dance with you,” he said by way of an apology.

Helen smiled politely as she expertly fell into step with him. “In truth, dear, I wanted to compliment you on your work and how wonderful you looked today at your wedding.”

He was a little confused. “Well, thank you, but I don’t understand what that has to do with us dancing.”

She grinned and replied, “partly because I just wanted to see and talk to you without your husband hovering round you. And because I wanted to talk to you privately about your wedding present.”

He began to shake his head. “Ma’am, you don’t need to get something just for me.”

“I can and will. I’m getting Kyle something as well and something for the both of you. Please, do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot spend my money on.” She kept her smile on as she playfully admonished him. “Now, I will be having a web designer coming to the house in a few months so make sure everything you want to be seen is there for him so that you can put your best foot forward.”

Jacob grinned and tried not to laugh. “I’m just a carpenter, ma’am. I really don’t need a big website just for me.”

She tilted her head slightly in thought as her grin softened a little. “I wonder if Christ Himself was as modest a carpenter as you are?” She chuckled at her own joke before she went on. “Darling, you are no ordinary carpenter. You are an artist. You have an artist’s eye and an artist’s heart. I’ve been here for barely three days now and even I can see that. You have a gift. And people who have gifts like yours should never be relegated to obscurity just because of where they live. I promise you it will be worth it. Within a few years you’ll have a building all to yourself and mentoring other artists like you.”

Jacob could see in her eyes she meant every word she was saying. “Then I’ll go ahead and thank you for the gift now, I guess.”

“There is one way you can thank me now,” she said with an amused smile.

“What’s that?”

“Don’t call me ‘ma’am.’ You’re part of my family now, darling. Call me mom. Or mother, however you like.”

Not long after his mother took off with Jacob, Kyle ran into Stephanie who was watching the room with a curious look. “What are you doing,” he asked her as he came up.

She shrugged, continue to scan the room. “Crowd watching. Mike is here. So is Jeff, his wife and a couple others from the office.”

“I just saw Jeff a minute ago,” he replied as he came up behind her and put his arms around her. “Did I ever thank you for pushing me out the door to come back home,” he asked before kissing her cheek.

“No, but you’re welcome,” she replied with a happy smile. “You need a swift kick in the ass once in awhile. I’ll have to remind Jacob to do when I’m not around.”

He laughed quietly as he watched the crowd with her for a moment before asking, “so what have you noticed so far?”

“A few guys have subtly hooked up in the bathroom,” she said in an offhanded tone. “So have a few women, I suspect. Andy and Brian are probably going to send the kids home with us so they can celebrate in their own special way. Your father is cock of the walk and he can’t help being so proud of ‘his boys’ I suspect he might explode before the night’s over. A few married guys look jealous of you and I think Tyler’s getting laid tonight. As long as he, you know, stops being Tyler for five seconds.”

Kyle laughed quietly. “And how long have you been here so far?”

She shrugged and smirked. “About ten minutes, give or take.”

“You know what I’ve noticed?”

“What?”

He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “whenever your head is turned, a certain someone is checking you out.”

She rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Wondering if I’m pregnant or just fat.”

“No,” he said with a little sarcasm. “This guy already knows you’re pregnant.”

She looked around in confusion. “Who?”

“Nathan.” He knew he’d struck something when she silently looked around the room with an uncomfortable grimace on her lips. “Uh, huh. That’s what I thought. How long has this been going on?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “There’s nothing going on. We got along well at your dad’s house over Thanksgiving…”

“And…?”

She kept her eye on the crowd and she continued. “And… we texted back and forth a few times…”

Kyle grinned brightly. “…And…?”

She started to look annoyed. “And we met each other here and sat together. What’s the big deal?”

“He’s a good guy,” Kyle said to her plainly. “He’s had bad dating experiences in the past from what Andy’s told me. If you want him, you’re gonna have to make the first move. And I know you want too.”

“And why are you so sure of that,” she asked with a smirk.

“Because, if you weren’t, you would’ve told me all this awhile ago,” he replied.

Stephanie was silent for a few moments before she finally turned and smiled sweetly up at him. “It’s amazing that ego of yours can fit in that little head.”

Kyle grinned in triumph. “Seriously. Do it. I know you still got a baby going on and all, but that shouldn’t stop you from dating.”

She was silently for a moment, examining his face before speaking again. “What’s this rumor I heard about a ‘dildo incident?’”

He blanched and backed away. “Alright. Fine. Don’t listen to me.”

She giggled and shooed him away. “Go mingle with your other guests.”

Tyler was just coming out of the bathroom and ready to get some water to drink and find Sean again when he turned, and Andy’s grinning face was inches away from his. He halted his steps and gave him hard glare even as his lips spread wide in a smile. “You are evil.”

“Me? What did I do,” Andy asked as he suddenly changed his face to seem completely innocent.

“You know what you did,” he said unable to stop from giggling.

Andy’s grin returned full force. “You can thank me later.” Tyler stared at him for a moment, unable to speak before hugging him impulsively. Andy’s grin softened as he hugged his friend and said in a hushed voice, “you’re welcome.”

Sean was standing at the bar, nursing his drink and holding onto Tyler’s while he waited for him to return. He was smiling to himself, imaging the places he wanted to take Tyler and the things they could do together in the future if things worked out well.

From behind him, a graceful and familiar voice tinted with amusement said offhandedly, “isn’t it simply amazing how, no matter how far away from home you may be, you always manage to run into someone you know at a wedding?”

Sean lost his smile as a cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He carefully turned his head and saw one of the last faces on Earth he had expected to see. “Oh… Mrs. Stratford.”

She nodded politely in acknowledgement. “Helen, dear. No need for formalities.” Her gentle smile and bright eyes gazed at him for a silent moment before she spoke again. “What brings you here?”

He motioned almost helplessly at the crowded room behind them. “A wedding.”

A delicate eyebrow rose as she kept her eyes on him and her smile looked even more amused. She wasn’t fooled and he knew she wasn’t fooled. “Your parents…?”

Sean looked down at his glass. “They don’t know.”

She nodded in a way that told him she understood more than he thought she would. “I see. We’ll just call this our little secret, my dear. I hope you enjoy yourself.” Without another word she smiled and departed, walking gracefully back into the crowds and the music.

Sean did a quick check of the crowd and hoped the encounter hadn’t been noticed. When he saw no faces pointed in his direction, he sighed in relief and finished his drink.

Kyle had lost sight of Jacob in the crowd, so he went back to the front of the room and saw Liz and Cindy with the boys at their designated table off to the side. As he got closer, he noticed Blake was holding Matt’s hand whose face was tilted down in a forlorn gaze. Liz was leaning down as if she was saying something to him. Kyle’s smile dropped and he quickened his steps. Cindy saw him just as he came around the main table and she tapped Liz on the shoulder.

When his eyes met hers, he marched up and asked, “what’s going on?”

Liz seemed relieved to see him. “He’s a little confused, I think.”

Kyle leaned down to pick his son up and held him close. “What’s wrong, Baby Boy?”

Matt looked up at him with brimming tears in his eyes. He looked tired and he hadn’t had a nap all day and Kyle felt he was likely suffering from fatigue more than anything else. “I don’t want you to go,” Matt said in a heartbreaking voice.

Kyle looked to Cindy and said to her, “go find Jacob and tell him there’s something wrong with his son.”

The young woman nodded and headed into the crowd as he turned his full attention on Matt. “What do you mean, sweetheart? I’m not going anywhere.” Matt gulped down air as his sobbing started and Kyle knew then that his pride and joy had been taxed too much for one day. He held his little boy while at the same time, not letting the words Matt had said bother him. Whatever Matt thought he heard he was sure he was mistaken. “Oh, my little boy,” he said as he carried the child in his arms further away from the noise of the crowds. “You had such a big day today did you know that?”

Matt raised his tear streaked face up, confused about what he heard. “Huh?”

Kyle made himself smile as he stroked Matt’s hair. “Remember what I said about you getting two daddies? Me and Jacob?” The boy nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on his father. “Well, that was today! When we were at the church this morning, Jacob officially became your daddy just like me.”

His tears seemed to stop and his sniffled. “Really? Today?”

Kyle nodded. “Really. Want me to prove it?” Matt nodded. Kyle thought about it, hoping it wouldn’t spark a riot and decided to just go with his gut. “All you gotta do is scream out real loud, ‘I want my daddy!’”

Matt wiped his face with his sleeve and looked around and then back to Kyle as if to double-check that he meant it. When he got a nod of approval and a smile he turned towards the crowd and scream as loud as he could, “I want my daddy!”

Kyle held Matt as they both watched the crowd. Within seconds there was a small commotion as people were pushed and jostled to the side as a rushed apology repeated over and over until Jacob burst through the crowd, looked around until he saw Kyle holding Matt off to the side. Knowing he couldn’t run in his dress shoes, he trotted over much to Matt’s amazement.

Jacob looked a little taller for a moment and Kyle privately wondered if his shirt wasn’t going to rip. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Kyle looked at Matt and smiled. “See, I told you so.” He then said to Jacob, “he’s okay. He just hasn’t had a nap today and he’s tired and a little confused. He thought we were leaving him or something like that.” Matt reached his arms out for Jacob wordlessly.

“Oh,” Jacob’s heart melted in his eyes for the little boy as Kyle passed Matt over to him. “We got so busy and forgot about our Baby Boy…”

“You’re my daddy now,” Matt asked him. “For real?”

Somehow, in the midst of his vows, exchanging rings and feeling like half of his heart was inside Kyle’s chest now, Jacob had forgotten about the other new official title he had other than “husband.” When he looked into those eyes that contain so much hope, he found he had to fight back tears of joy as he kissed Matthew Jacob on his forehead and said to him, “for real. And forever.”

Kyle smiled lovingly as he watched that final bond made between them as they hugged each other. “We need to get him home so he can lay down and take a nap. Blake and Carter might be on the verge too. So, that’s a problem. Who do we get to take them back?”

Jacob wasn’t sure what to say but he didn’t need to worry. Just as Kyle finished asking, help arrived in the form of grandparents as David and Helen appear alongside Cindy who, after finding Jacob, went above and beyond and found Helen as well along with David nearby. Neither of them bothered to hide their concern as they approached the boys. “Is everything alright,” David asked as they walked up. Helen’s hand went to Matt’s hair and stroked it lovingly.

“He’s tired,” Kyle explained. “He missed his nap today and he got a little confused.”

“Oh, the poor dear,” Helen said sadly before leaning in to kiss her grandson’s cheek.

“He really should go home and go to bed,” Jacob decided. “We might have to cut the party short.”

David frowned and shook his head. “That’s out of the question. I’ll take him and the rest of the boys home with me. They’re all spending the night anyway.”

Kyle and Jacob exchanged looks. “Matthew,” Jacob said to the boy whose fatigue was evident on his face. “Grandpa’s gonna take you and the others home so you can go to bed.”

Helen didn’t seem to like that idea. “Why not have Cindy take them home?”

“Because he’s tired and he doesn’t know Cindy,” David said in a voice that let them all know that debate was closed. “Come on, Baby Boy. Let’s go home.” David quickly got Liz and Helen to help him take all five boy’s home and Kyle and Jacob said they would make sure that Andy and Brian knew where they had gone so they wouldn’t worry.

Five minutes later, after seeing them all safely packed into the back of Helen’s Rolls Royce, Cindy drove them home and the others went back inside to rejoin the festivities.

As they walked back in, Kyle put an arm around Jacob’s waist, kissed his neck softly and whispered, “welcome to parenthood.”

Tyler was moving through the crowd slowly when he felt a hand on his waist stop him. He turned to look and smiled as Drake seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Hi!”

“Hey there, Stud,” Drake said with a friendly smile. “How’s everything going?”

“It’s going good. Having a lot of fun.” He turned his head around as he scanned the crowd. “I’m wondering where Sean ran off to though.”

Drake’s smile widened. “I saw him over on the side talking to Troy.” He helpfully pointed the way for him.

“Thanks,” he replied before he then did a double take and looked at him with an incredulous look starting to show. “Wait. That’s why you didn’t come sit with me at the wedding, wasn’t it?”

Drake started to chuckle. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit!”

They were both laughing before Drake finally said, “okay, okay, you got me. Andy mentioned something about a ‘special guest star’ at the wedding and said I should keep my eye on you but leave enough space to not scare anyone off.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “Everyone plotting against me, I see. So, he’s really interested. But, there’s still a lot to learn about each other.”

Drake nodded his agreement. “Probably. But I can tell you one thing.” He reached his hands out to cup Tyler’s face and leaned in to kiss him softly. “I told you a long time ago that your first usually isn’t your last. I said that because I wanted you to find someone special and I think with Sean, you’ve done that. Make the most of this.”

“What makes you so sure,” he asked as their gazes met. He felt a slight sting in his chest as if something special just ended and he couldn’t understand why.

“Because I saw him with you today,” Drake said softly, “and I know he’s serious about you.”

“He told you?”

Drake smirked. “No. I know because he was looking at you the same way Max used to look at me.”

Tyler nodded and smiled a little, understanding what Drake was trying to tell him. “I should go find him then.”

“Stay in touch,” Drake said to him. “I’ll be around.”

“Why not come with me and we can all hang out together?”

Drake grinned. “How about you let me find myself someone to go home with tonight since you already got yours?”

Tyler laughed and blushed. “Okay. Text me later.”

Stephanie had moved to get some punch when Brian stepped behind her and said smugly, “you owe me twenty bucks.”

Stephanie spared him a half glare before reaching into her purse. “I should’ve known better than to make a bet with you.”

Brian smiled, reveling in his small victory. “I can’t believe you thought Kyle was going to cry first on their first dance.”

“It’s not that I thought he’d cry first,” she explained, “it’s that I thought Jacob wouldn’t cry at all.”

“Ah,” Brian said wisely. “That’s where you screwed up. You look at him and see a big ol’ tough guy. Thing is, he’s muscle on the outside, but all mush on the inside.”

She handed him his money with a grumble under her breath which just made him snicker. “I’ll remember that next time.”

“What next time?”

“At your wedding,” she said with a smirk. “I wonder what the odds are between you and Andy?”

Brian giggled at the idea. “You’d wanna ask Troy about that,” he replied. “But don’t take his word as gospel truth. He lost to me as to who was going to stutter on their vows during the ceremony.”

“You took Jacob,” she asked.

He nodded. “I distinctly heard him pause in mid-sentence in the middle there, didn’t you?

She chuckled and nodded. “Yes.”

He tucked her twenty bucks into his pocket and nodded. “Glad we agree. I gotta go get his fifty now.”

She grinned with an almost admiring look. “If he gives you any flack, tell him I’ll subpoena every person in the church to testify.”

Brian nodded and walked off giggling to himself.

Sean had coaxed Tyler back onto the dancefloor and they were enjoying themselves. He loved it when Tyler wasn’t so careful about everything. The first few times Sean got to see his guard drop he was smitten. If only he’d been more direct himself then. Now, knowing more about him, Sean just had to start deciding what he could and couldn’t tell him for now. “Are you having fun,” he asked as they danced around the floor with a crowd of people around them.

Tyler grinned, looking up at him. He’d never noticed how sexy Sean’s grey eyes were. “Of course, I’m having fun.”

Sean felt a little emboldened. “I’m glad to hear it. So, what about tomorrow?”

“What about it?”

“Would you want to spend the day with me tomorrow?”

Tyler could stop himself from blushing. “If you wanted to, sure. What did you have in mind?”

Sean grinned. “I dunno. How about we just hang out and watch a movie or something like that?”

“Kinda sounds like a date to me.”

“Good,” Sean said. “Maybe it’s about time you have a real one.”

Tyler gave him a confused look. “What’s that supposed to mean.”

“It means, I know a little about what happened with Alex,” he replied. “If I’d known what he was like, I never would’ve left.”

“Why did you leave?”

Sean leaned in closer to him and said, “I had some obligation I had to follow through with. I’ll tell you more later. Right now, just tell me you want to spend the day with me tomorrow.”

“What about tonight,” Tyler asked with a smirk.

Sean was caught off guard. Images of everyone in the reception line earlier after the wedding filled his thoughts before he answered. “As long as you want me to, yeah, I’d love to spend some time with you tonight.”

Tyler held him a little closer as they danced, feeling like he had that night at the club so long ago. Maybe the two of them can go together at some point?

Kyle was leaning against the wall next to Andy when he heard the voice from his past he’d been dreading. “Hi, Kyle. It’s good to see you again.”

Kyle’s head turned along with Andy’s as he straightened himself and smiled politely. “Hey, Jason.” Andy suppressed a smirk and moved to stand a little closer to his friend and started sizing up this Jason person. In some ways, he could see the attraction. He had a nice voice and an attractive face.

Jason smiled a little wider and stepped closer. “I wanted to congratulate you on today. You looked wonderful.”

Kyle’s cheeks flushed slightly. He wanted to say something but didn’t know how. “Thanks. I really appreciate that.”

Jason’s eyes went to Andy as he asked, “this is one of your friends?”

“Oh! Yeah,” Kyle suddenly realized Andy was still there. “This is one of my best friends since I was a kid. Andy Stewart.”

Andy smile politely and extended his hand to Jason. “More like a brother from another mother.” They shook hands as he kept a polite smile on his face.

Jason smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m an old friend of Kyle’s from college.”

Kyle looked at his face and had a sudden insight. “Andy knows you and I dated. Jacob does too.” His hesitancy left him as he stepped closer. “You came by yourself?” Andy leaned against the wall and watched silently, trying hard to not roll his eyes. It was always equal parts amusing and frustrating when Kyle would get nervous with someone.

Jason nodded, keeping his smile in place. “Yeah. I just… I just wanted to see…”

Kyle looked at Andy who met his gaze before shrugging and walking away. “Jason, look, I need to apologize to you.”

“No, you don’t,” he said with a shake of his head. “He’s the one? Jacob? The guy who… I don’t even know how to say it.”

“The guy who I’ve loved for years before you and I ever met,” Kyle said. “The one who I had a very very bad falling out with that made me leave all of this behind. He’s the one I’ve always been in love with.”

Jason nodded in understanding. “I’m glad you found it in yourself to try again. What changed?”

“My son. My life at the time.” He shrugged and give him a half smile. “I had a really bad case about an accidental death of a kid and in the middle of it, I was interviewing this mother and father who’d lost their child and dealing with other things and it just wore me down. Thinking I’d been without my dad and he’d been without me. Then he got sick and I kind of had to come home. After that, things just… I dunno. Jacob and I just started getting closer again and here we are.”

Jason nodded. “Good. I am really happy for you. I already ran into Stephanie. She said Jacob is as cute in person as he looks. And she’s pregnant with his child?”

Kyle smiled. “Yeah. My son, Matt, he’s her child too.”

“Wow.” Jason seemed to look at him a little more impressed. “You’ve really got it all.”

“You should stop by the house sometime,” Kyle offered. “Could meet everyone else. Dad took Matt home because he was getting fussy so they’re not here now.”

Jason nodded. “It’s okay. I’m just here for tonight. I’m staying at a hotel in Pittsburgh and then flying home in the morning.”

“Where’s home now?”

“Denver,” he replied. “I took a position as an associate there about two years ago.”

“Didn’t you bring someone with you,” Kyle asked. “I seem to remember you having someone else on your RSVP.”

Jason grimaced. “Yeah… I ah… he and I kinda broke up a couple months ago. I almost didn’t come but I wanted to see you.”

Kyle started getting uncomfortable again. “I’m sure you’ll find someone someday. But, still, the invitation stands if you wanna come visit.”

Jason nodded. “I’ll keep it in mind.” He closed the distance between them and hugged Kyle warmly. “Congratulations again.”

Kyle thanked him and they parted ways.

Troy grumbled as he reached in his pocket. “Here. I can’t believe after two hours of psyching him up for it that he’d forget how to talk for two seconds.”

Brian chuckled as he took the offered cash. “Well, live and learn. So, I’m still wondering when did the two of you find time to get his hair cut this morning anyway?”

Troy smirked as he remembered. “We were talking before bed last night. He talked about that night they first shared and remembers how David had him get his hair cut beforehand. He said, he kind of wanted that spontaneous reaction from Kyle again. I had a picture of him from that day so as soon as the barber shop opened up, we ran in and showed the lady the picture and she got it done with a few minutes to spare.”

Brian smiled. “I think it worked. Wish someone would make Andy cut his hair.”

“What’s wrong with his hair?”

He shrugged. “I dunno. He looked cuter with short hair, I always thought.”

Troy frowned slightly. “He mentioned to us that he kind of didn’t like how he looked when he got out of the marines. That’s part of why he changed his look.”

Brian grimaced. “Looks like I’m stuck with it then.”

Troy gave him a warm smile and put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Give it time. I think there’s still something going on he’s not sharing. What’s been the word with the doctors?”

“He has an appointment next week. They’re probably going to try another medication.” He seemed cautiously hopeful. “Do you think he’ll ever… be who he used to be?”

“No,” Troy answered with a shake of his head. “None of us are who we used to be, Bri. We’ve all gotten older and maybe a little smarter, except for you that is.”

“You realize I’m taking that a compliment on my youthful looks, right?”

Troy chuckled. “Bri. Andy will be fine. He knows you love him. He’s got his kids who he adores, and we love him with no limits. He just needs to be reminded once in awhile.”

Brian gave him a half smirk. “Your optimism makes you sound like a total dork, but I love you for it.”

They two friends smiled and hugged. “You’re welcome.”

After hours of dancing, laughing, sharing stories and celebrating the happy couple, people slowly started leaving. Kyle and Jacob along with the others, made sure to thank as many people as possible for coming. By the time the DJ’s time was through, nearly everyone was gone.

Kyle looked at Jacob as they held hands and said quietly, “well? That’s it.”

“Time to clean up,” Jacob said with a smirk.

“No, darlings,” Helen said as she came up behind them. “Time for you to get changed and go enjoy the rest of the night by yourselves. I’m sure Troy and the others are more than capable of cleaning all this up.”

Troy nodded with a look on his face that said there wasn’t to be a debate. “This is your night. We can handle this. Go get changed.” He tossed his keys to Jacob. “Your clothes are in the back.”

“Cindy.” Helen called out. When the young woman came up to her, she continued, “once my two sons are finished getting changed, I want you to take them wherever they wish.” She turned her attention to Kyle and smirked, adding, “within reason.” With that seemingly settled, she clasped her hands together and looked at the boys around her. “Let’s get to work.”

The only people left by the time they were finished cleaning up were Troy, Andy, Brian, Helen, Stephanie, Liz, Tyler and Sean. Between all of them they managed to pack away the remaining wedding cake and made sure all the trash was properly disposed of. Kyle and Jacob left soon after they finished changing. Where they went, Cindy only smiled and said she wasn’t allowed to tell. Troy made sure he was the last one out.

Helen stood a few feet away watching him with a small smile while Cindy stood nearby. “I’ll be leaving in the morning to get back to New York before flying home,” she said to him. “Tell your father that it was lovely seeing him again.”

He smiled and nodded. “I’ll do that. It was good to see you again.”

“I’m sure it won’t be the last you see of me, either. Though, admittedly not for a long time.” She had a sudden thought. “Unless you are ever in Los Angeles. Well, I don’t actually live there, just in Santa Barbara nearby. If you ever want to bring the children with you to Disneyland or anywhere else, just mention it to David and we’ll set something up.”

Troy blinked, not having thought of that before. “That could be a good idea. I wouldn’t want to put you out though if you were busy or anything.”

She laughed and waved her hand dismissively. “Put me out? Darling, my home has over a dozen rooms. You couldn’t possibly impose on me, especially if I’ve invited you. It would do you good and your children as well to see more of the world.”

Troy and Liz seemed a little shocked. “Well… thank you. We’ll definitely take you up on it when we can.”

Helen gave him another hug. “Excellent. I’m so pleased to see how well you’ve grown and matured. She really would have been so proud of you, my dear.”

Troy felt a warm little tug on his heart hearing that. “I can’t thank you enough for that.”

She let him go and stepped away again. “Elizabeth, you looked stunning today, dear. I dare say you are the perfect match for him.”

Liz chuckled. “It’s nice someone finally notices.”

Helen laughed at her joke. “Trust me, my dear, men frequently are lost without their wives. Straight ones at least. Have a safe trip home, darling.” She waved as she walked back to her car, getting in the back seat before Cindy drove away.

The two of them watched her leave. “You think she’d adopt us if we asked,” Liz asked quietly.

Troy shrugged. “Wouldn’t hurt to try, I guess.” The two of them linked arms and chuckled as they headed out to their car.

Sean walked Tyler to his truck, holding his hand the entire way. “I’m really glad we had a fun day together,” he said as they came to a stop.

“Me too,” Tyler replied smiling up at him.

“So, you’re gonna text me tomorrow?” Sean leaned down a little closer to him.

Tyler lean away a little bit. “I… ah… This is going to sound odd.” He started to chuckle. “I think you want to kiss me goodnight and while that’s awesome and I’d love you to kiss me, I don’t want to do it here.”

Sean blinked and turned his head. “Um… Okay.. I’m sorry. I thought –”

“No, no,” Tyler said quickly to avoid any misunderstandings. “I just don’t want another guy kissing me in a parking lot again. That seems to be bad luck for me or something.”

Sean chuckled and nodded, straightening back up. “I’m cool with that. So, if I don’t get to kiss you now, I guess I can wait until tomorrow.”

Tyler got a little playful look on his face. “Or, you could just follow me home…”

Sean looked in his eyes and saw what Tyler was thinking. He thought about it for a moment and then said with a shrug, “I guess I could follow you home then…”

Tyler grinned and opened his door. “Try and keep up.”

Sean’s eyes brightened along with his smile. This was turning into something better than he imagined.

 

****

 

David was still sitting on the couch with his tuxedo still on, leaning back and relaxing after putting the boys to bed. As usual, he snapped a picture of all of them in their pajamas after he got them all changed and bathed. For once, they were all sleeping upstairs in Matt’s bedroom. Carter and Blake sharing the bed with him while the two older boys laid in sleeping bags on the floor. It was a great way to finish the day. After that, he just sat on the sofa and relaxed as he relived the best moments of the day in his mind. He felt a sense of relief that everything worked out so well and he felt truly blessed that his family has grown so large over the years. Thinking of that made him remember to talk to Tyler about the young man he saw him with after the ceremony. He wanted to hear more about him.

He must have nodded off because the next thing he heard was the back door opening and the sounds of high heeled shoes clicking across the kitchen floor. He looked up and saw Stephanie, Cindy and Helen all return. The first two went directly upstairs while Helen came in slightly behind them with a bottle and two glasses in her hands as she walked into the living room. David smiled as he looked up at her. She looked lovely as she always used too. Even after decades, she still knew how to carry herself in any situation.

Helen sat the glasses on the small end table near him before she slowly sat down near him with a sigh. She sat the bottle down then set to work removing her heels. “What a remarkable day this has been,” she said as she set the shoes on the floor and sat back up to look at him.

He smiled as she poured two glasses half full. “How’re my boys?”

She tilted her head and rolled her eyes a little. “Probably somewhere in the orchard. I recall spending a few evenings out there myself with you. Best not to disturb them.”

David silently chuckled. He knew very well if they were in the orchard somewhere when it was after or near nightfall, it was best to just wait for them to come back. “What’s all this for?” He motioned to the glasses giving her an amused look.

“Well, we toasted the boys all day long,” she said. “I felt it was only fitting that we toast you.”

David’s cheek tinted only a little. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t lie,” she said. “We both know how far you went for them.” She held up her glass, smiling at him and said, “to my dear, beautiful ex-husband and friend. You accomplished your mission.” They took their drinks before she added dryly, “now, go find yourself a man and get laid.”

He tilted his head back and laughed.