Cards on the Table - 38. Chapter 38 Holding a Golden Hand

Cards on the Table

Chapter 38

Friday afternoon at work, and for Kendall, the weekend loomed brightly. It had been a satisfying week. According to Janine, Candy’s morning sickness had abated, with no episodes since she’d started taking the anti-nausea medication after the hospital visit… the one that had turned everything around. Janine also informed them Candy was actually in fine spirits for the last two days, which was a positive development since they would be returning her repaired car on Saturday, and had no interest in dealing with a cranky Candy.

Even with Pop’s discount on parts and tires, the bill had topped three grand, and Kendall, like Michael, was torn. On the one hand, they were pleased it was a substantial amount, as it gave some solid insurance as a back-up to their custody agreement. But on the other hand, Pop still insisted on reimbursing them for the amount of the repairs. Even an offer by the boys to split the cost had not flown. He'd ignored their objections, and insisted it was his right as a grandfather, and of course his wife had backed him up. He’d even had the car detailed, and Colleen had confirmed the car looked and smelled brand new. All that was left for them to do was to pick it up from Markham and deliver it.

Last night they’d had Janine and Lanny over for pizza and beer, and it had been an enjoyable evening. The Christmas tree was a big hit, as were the multi-colored lights they’d decided to string around the kitchen and living room windows. Kendall still hadn’t been able to look at the special ornaments on the tree without feeling strong emotions. Janine’s instant tears when she first saw them had Kendall finding an excuse to go to the den for a few minutes. He knew he hadn’t fooled Michael, and when he’d returned after regrouping, his partner had smiled knowingly. Even Lanny, who’d avoided looking at Kendall for a few minutes, as if giving him time, seemed to have caught on. Score one for Lanny on the sensitivity scale. Kendall had been impressed.

There had been nothing crass or out of line from Lanny last night. In fact, he’d been funny and quite charming. He had never once reverted to the old Lanny. It was easy to tell he was more at ease with the budding friendship between them all. Kendall had watched with interest at the way Janine and Lanny interacted. It was readily apparent there was intimacy there, and they no longer acted cautious and reserved with one another. But the best part of all was when they were leaving. As they were going out the back way to walk to their building, Lanny had taken Janine’s hand in his like it was the most natural thing in the world. Janine gave Kendall a little smile when it happened, and Kendall’s face had erupted in a grin that made Lanny blush.

“Is there anything you two kids want to tell us?” Kendall had teased.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lanny had replied with a red-faced grin, obviously trying hard not to look too pleased with himself, and failing miserably.

Michael had laughed at Lanny’s response to Kendall. “Okay, well you guys be careful walking through that snow. Make sure you have a good grip there, Lanny-boy.” He'd looked pointedly at their hands and chuckled again. Leaning in, Michael had given Janine a kiss goodbye on the cheek, while Kendall waited his turn.

“You don’t mind, do you, Lanny, if I give Janine a kiss good night?”

“As long as it’s only on the cheek,” Lanny had shot back with a grin that couldn’t seem to vacate his face.

“You know, at some point you have to tell us what’s going on here,” Michael had interjected.

“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Aceto? Are you ready to go, sweetie?"

“All set, honey, let’s go."

“Just one more thing.” Lanny had looked at Michael and Kendall, before leaning forward and giving Janine a soft and loving kiss on the mouth. He'd turned back to the two men standing there enthralled, and smirked. “See, I’m the only guy that’s allowed to do that now, right, sweetie?”

“Right, honey.” Janine had giggled as they headed out the door with their goodbyes returned by two taken aback men.

“They played us. What the hell is it with everyone playing us, Michael?” Kendall remembered whining. “First Chet and Arron, and now them.”

“Maybe because it’s fun when they know how much it means to you."

It was then that Kendall had grabbed Michael and planted a big kiss on him.

“What was that for?.

“Because they’re together… like really together, and that makes me so happy.”

“Of course it does, Babe, of course it does. Two more people have boarded Kendall’s happiness train, and all is right with the world.” He'd pulled Kendall back in for another kiss, this time one he initiated, and it was such a scorcher that even the next day, sitting at his desk, Kendall’s dick got a twinge from the memory.

Their night hadn’t ended there. The inner jubilation over the newly-learned commitment of Janine and Lanny was interrupted by a phone call from Kendall’s mom. Agnes was in such a state of excitement she had all the men busting up, but she didn’t mind. Carson had just told her the news during a candlelit dinner he’d arranged to be catered, and Agnes was beside herself with the anticipation of living so close to them. Once they had convinced her that, yes, it was what they wanted, she was full-steam-ahead. She talked about the timing and the construction plans, and getting to meet Colleen and Big Mike, and of course, the baby. Kendall had been stunned when she said she wanted to apply for the job of nanny, her services offered free of charge of course. Michael had left it to Kendall to respond to her.

“Mom, are you sure you’re up to something like that? It’s a lot to take on, even for a young person.” Kendall had realized his mistake when he saw Michael slowly shake his head at him.

“Why, Kendall Douglas Dooley, I’m only forty-seven years old, and I’m not ready to be put out to pasture yet.”

“Mom, I didn’t mean you were too old,” Kendall had backtracked, “but with Dad and his treatments, I just worry that it might be too much, that’s all.”

“Don’t you worry about me,” Carson had smartly backed up his wife. “If I need to, I can hire a part-time nurse. You know your mother is more than capable.”

“I know Mom is capable, Dad.” Kendall had sighed loudly at his not-so-amusing predicament. “I was just saying I didn’t want her to have too much on her plate.” Looked to his partner for help, he'd been surprised by what followed.

Michael had shrugged at him before diving in. “Mom, personally, I think it’s a great idea, but you should know my mom wants to help as well, at least a couple of days a week, because she’s getting bored working at my dad’s store. So you’d have to work that out between the two of you. We were going to hire someone for five days a week anyway, and I’d rather have you two look after our kid than someone I don’t know. And with Mom helping, we wouldn’t have to worry about you being overloaded.” He'd turned to Kendall with a smug grin. “What do you think, Babe?”

“I think you’re still working on being the favorite, that's what I think." That had gotten him a laugh from both Agnes and Carson, and a snicker from his partner. “I have to agree with Michael though, Mom. I didn’t know about Colleen,” he'd said, shooting Michael a weak glare, “so that changes everything. If it’s both of you taking turns, then I’m all for it. I think our child would be blessed to have his grandmothers looking after him. Do I have any chance of being the favorite now, Mom?” Kendall had then proceeded to show Michael the tip of his tongue.

“Let’s just say you’ve moved back into a tie right now, lad, but dear Michael does give you a good run for your money.” Agnes’s happiness had shone through her words.

After Michael had mouthed the words 'dear Michael,' it was his turn to stick his tongue out. “Okay, it’s settled then. You and my mom can talk, and we can adapt to whatever we need to,” Michael had said, bringing the matter to a close as he'd kept an eye on Kendall, who was slowly moving in for his revenge.

Thinking back, Kendall was satisfied with how it had turned out. His parents were happy, and so were he and Michael. It would likely end up being a good fit for their lives, having his mom and dad so close. They wouldn’t be the interfering kind of parent, so he could see no downside, and he had a strong inclination to believe Colleen and Agnes would get along like a house on fire. In many ways, they were alike. Coming back to the present, he was anxious to finish up the few remaining details so he could head home, and start his weekend. It was never a dull moment with Michael, even when they were just snuggled on the couch, watching TV or listening to music. Thinking of the man made him miss him. They hadn’t talked since this morning, and that was too long by far. It made him wonder if they were in the honeymoon stage or if it was how he would always feel when they were apart?

He walked in the door to the sound of soft music playing. It was something he hadn’t heard before. A soulful voice was singing, and he heard the lyrics ‘kiss me’ in the song. It was beautiful. “Michael?” he called.

“In here,” the man replied softly from the living room.

Kendall called out his appreciation for the music as he put his coat and shoes away before heading for the living room. As he cleared the hallway wall, he saw the curtains had been drawn and the tree lights were augmented by a few scattered candles. Michael was crouched down on his knees in front of the tree, facing Kendall with a nervous smile on his face.

“Hey, why are you kneeling there?” Kendall’s first instinct was to be concerned. “Should you be on your knees like that?” He walked over, and leaned down for a kiss. “Are you okay?” Kendall felt a repressed excitement when their lips met. He knew all of Michael’s kisses, and this one was somehow different.

“I’m better than okay. I saw the physiotherapist today, and he told me my knee no longer has any restrictions on it. All I have to do now is build the strength back up… it’s at around 90% right now.” He grinned, and Kendall got it.

He returned the grin with a beaming one of his own. “That’s great. So you being on your knees is my horn-dog partner’s way of saying we can finally make love with no worries?” Kendall chuckled and blushed at the same time.

“Well, yeah, that’s true, but it’s not why I’m on my knees. I’m not being a horn-dog… just a man in love.” His voice had a noticeable tremble.

Something was different, and Kendall stopped chuckling. “Ace, what’s going on?”

“Just let me say something here, please?”

He nodded, extremely curious about his partner’s behavior.

“Remember when you said you were gonna find a man with two good knees, so he could go down on one of them?”

Kendall only needed a split second to recall the conversation. “Do you mean when you asked me if we’d just gotten married?” he asked, his heartrate beginning to climb.

“Yes. And I said I’d hold you to it when the time came. Well, now I’m a man with two good knees, and I’m holding you to it.” Michael went from two knees to one as he continued to kneel before him. Pulling a small box from between his legs, he opened it and held it out.

Before he could stop himself, Kendall blurted out, “Holy fuck.”

“That comes later.” Michael pulled off a wink even as he gave a painfully nervous smile. “Kendall….” His voice made a choking sound and he took a few seconds before trying again. “Kendall Dooley, will you marry me and be my partner forever?” His eyes glistened in the shine of the tree lights, and the hand gripping the little box was shaking.

Kendall struggled to come to grips with what was happening. “Oh my God… you’re serious? Yes! Of course yes, Michael Aceto… I will marry you… I'll marry you and I will be your partner forever. Yes, yes, yes!” He was laughing, but tears started to come as he accepted the offered box and pulled the unique looking ring from its slot in the velvet.

“What do you think?” Michael’s voice had become a whisper. “Do you like it?”

“Oh... hell, yeah, I do. It’s incredible.” In his excitement, Kendall went to put it on.

“Wait! Give it back. I should….”

“What? Oh... yeah. Sorry,” he apologized, realizing his almost faux pas. He handed it back with some reluctance at letting go.

“Give me your hand, Babe.”

Kendall realized then that his hand was shaking too. He complied, and watched the man steady his own hand enough to awkwardly slide the ring on his finger. Perfect fit. Michael managed to rise gracefully from the floor while still holding his now-fiancé’s trembling hand.

“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, Deuce, and I’ll cherish this moment for the rest of my life. Are you as happy as I am? Cause I gotta tell you, I am about ready to burst, I feel so good.” He glowed with some inner light as he asked the question, and Kendall could see that the nervousness was leaving, replaced with the happiness he’d referred to. It was radiating from him, and Kendall felt the impact. The guy he loved from almost the day he met him, the only guy he’d ever loved, had just asked Kendall to marry him. This guy was looking at him now like the world revolved around him, and he wanted to know if Kendall was feeling the same? Tears started running a couple of different courses down his face. How do you do that question justice?

“Goddammit, Ace, what do I say to you after this? I can’t imagine anyone in the world being happier. I don’t know if I can handle being this fucking happy… who'd have ever thought.. every day, you blow me away, and now you go and do this.” A sob forced its way out. “Fuck, I’m a blithering idiot, and the tears won’t stop. Yes, I’m as happy as you… happier than I could ever imagine being. Don’t just stand there. Can you please hold me till I stop shaking?” He laughed-cried as he held his arms out to his accommodating man. They stood as close as two people could, planting little kisses on each others' necks. Holding on tightly, Kendall took in the familiar scent while savoring this moment and all it meant.

After a couple of minutes of calming connection, Kendall raised his left hand to look at his new ring. Blinking the few remaining tears away, he studied it more closely. He’d never seen the like of it before, and he had looked at a lot of rings. It was beautifully shaped and vintage in appearance, with what appeared to be white gold on the outsides, and yellow brushed gold in the middle. A pattern of stylized leaves on an intricate vine, carved quite deeply into the yellow gold, encircled the entire ring. This exquisite carving caught the lights of the Christmas tree behind them from all kinds of angles, similar to faceted jewelry. Kendall’s breath caught as he moved his finger, fascinated by the subtle but captivating display. It was masculine in both its form and design, yet it had a spectacular beauty. There was a step-down in levels on the white gold edges that also caught and played with the light, adding to the overall perfection.

“Are you staring at your ring?” Michael spoke into Kendall’s ear, and Kendall could hear some nervousness creep back into his voice as he heard and felt him swallow.

“Yes, I am, and it’s perfect. I can’t imagine a more beautiful ring ever existing. You know it catches the light… the carving does, I mean?”

“Yeah, I’ve been staring at it most of the day.” Michael gave a relieved-sounding chuckle. “I was so worried about making the wrong choice. I’ve been a nervous wreck about it, to tell you the truth.”

“Trust me, you needn’t have been. I couldn’t love it more, and I couldn’t love you more.” Kendall pulled back to look into Michael’s eyes, and saw the evidence that tears had made their way down his face as well. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say thank you at a time like this, but I’m going to anyway. Thank you, Ace.” Kendall showed his appreciation with a kiss… their first real kiss as an engaged couple.

“Wow, that’s definitely the way to say thank you. But I think I’m supposed to be the one that says thank you to you for saying yes. So, thank you, Deuce. Thank you for loving me.” Michael’s mood was buoyant to say the least, and now that Kendall had calmed down, so was his.

“Okay, so how does this work? What about your ring? I want you to have the same ring as me… so how do we do that? Do you have one on hold? Can we order it, now that I have mine, or did you order it already?” Kendall’s frantic excitement was bubbling over, and Michael started to crack up.

“Calm down, or you’re going to blow a gasket,” he warned. Reaching into the boughs of the tree beside them, he pulled out a little box that matched the first one. “Do you mean you want me to have a ring like this one?”

Kendall grabbed the box from Michael before he could say anything else, and opened it to see the duplicate to his. It pleased him to no end to have it in his hand, and he looked from the ring to Michael. He wanted them wearing the same ring, and he was so glad he wouldn’t have to wait for it to happen.

“Don’t just stand there,” Michael returned Kendall’s words to him with a grin, “Put it on my finger.”

Kendall’s hand became unsteady again as he pulled the ring from its black velvet berth. Meeting Michael’s eyes for a few seconds while he held his offered hand, Kendall said, “I love you”, and then proceeded to perform one of the most meaningful acts he had done in his life to this point. His heart pounded as he slid the ring on, but the rhythm was strong and sure, beating out his love for this man... his man.

“I love you too, and now we match.” Michael was looking at their rings as they brought their left hands together.

“Yeah,” Kendall agreed with a contented sigh. “Just like we’re supposed to.”

“So, you’re going to be my husband,” Kendall’s words were dreamily spoken.

“And you’re going to be mine… my ball and chain for life,” Michael said, rubbing his finger lightly over Kendall’s ring. He shifted so he could pull his partner’s back against his chest as they lounged on the couch, slowly coming down from the incredible high they were on.

“What do we do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, do we call people now or have a party or something? This is my first time being engaged, so I don’t know what’s expected.”

“Hey, it might be your first time being engaged, but it’s your last time too.” Michael nuzzled the back of Kendall’s neck, sending shivers through him. “I don’t know what’s expected either, but what we’re doing right now feels about as good as it gets. I have my fiancé in my arms, and he likes the ring I picked out, and he loves me as much as I love him, and that’s all I care about right now.”

“Correction—he loves the ring you picked out. This works for me too. I’ve never been happier than I am right now. It’s funny how a ring puts a new light on everything, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it feels different… more… I don’t know… more something. I guess it just feels… right. I don’t know how else to say it.”

“I think you nailed it, Ace. It does feel right. It always did, but this is like a new step forward. I don’t know why making us official matters, but it does.” Kendall was contemplating the words as they left his mouth.

“Maybe that’s the reason gay people all over the world have fought so long for the right to get married? It’s a tradition that’s ingrained in us, and without it, we don’t feel as complete?”

“That’s it. Complete. I feel complete.”

“Yeah, so do I. We deserve this, after all we’ve been through to get here.”

They were quiet for a time before Kendall finally spoke. “Are we making love tonight, Ace?”

“What? Why are you asking me that? It’s up to both of us to decide when that happens.”

“Well, we just got engaged, and your knee is all better… well close enough, and I just wondered if that was the plan?”

“Oh, Babe, there is no plan. One has nothing to do with the other. What do you want to happen?”

“I really want to make love, but it makes me a little nervous for some reason.”

“And you think it doesn’t make me nervous?”

“Does it?”

“Fuck, yeah. I worry about doing something wrong and causing you pain. I never want to hurt you.” Michael’s voice broke and Kendall shifted around to look at him.

“Hey, I know that. I would never want to hurt you either, but I think there will be some pain, no matter what we do. It doesn’t stop me from wanting it, though.” Kendall blushed, and Michael seemed to melt to mush as he pulled his fiancé closer so he could kiss him… and he did, passionately and lovingly.

Once they came up for air, Michael spoke. “It doesn’t stop me from wanting it either. How about we do some actual talking about this over the next day or so, and take it off the table for tonight at least? We have a lifetime together, so there’s no rush. What do you think?”

“That… that sounds like a good idea. I mean, I really want us to make love, but I want to get back to feeling mellow about what just happened between us, and I don’t want to start fixating on anything else just yet.”

“Okay, then that’s what we’ll do.” Michael hesitated. “It doesn’t mean we can’t do other stuff though, does it?”

“There’s my horn-dog partner. I wondered where he went,” Kendall teased.

“Fiancé.”

“Huh?”

“You said horn-dog partner. I’m your horn-dog fiancé.”

“Oh yeah, right. So I can’t call you my partner anymore?”

“I’m just teasing you. Of course you can… but maybe just for tonight we can say fiancé. I like the sound of it.”

“You’re a romantic guy, Michael Dooley.”

“Yes I am. What? Michael Dooley?”

“I was just trying it out,” Kendall said with a snicker.

“Aren’t you the funny one? I’m kind of partial to Kendall Aceto, myself,” Michael teased.

“We could hyphenate? Or just leave our names the same?”

“Yeah, but we want the same last names as our kids, so I think we should hyphenate.”

“Good point. Okay, so Aceto-Dooley?” Kendall chuckled. “Oh, please don’t tickle me,” he gasped out at Michael’s retaliation tactics.

“Okay, no more tickling. We don’t want you peeing on the couch.”

“How did you know I had to pee?”

“I’m a cop, Babe. I am very perceptive.” Michael said with mock authority.

Kendall extricated himself from Michael, and stood up. “Yes you are, Officer Aceto-Dooley,” he said before taking off at a run for the bathroom, followed closely by a cautious but charging Michael.

“You know I’m just kidding you, right?” He was watching Michael’s stream mix with his as they stood at the toilet bowl. “I will gladly be Kendall Dooley-Aceto, or even Kendall Aceto. As long as I’m with you, it doesn’t matter.” He raised his eyes to look into the dark blue ones of the man he loved with all his heart.

“I know you’re kidding. I feel the same way. I’d be happy to be Michael Dooley, and I wouldn’t think twice about it.” He grinned as he shook his dick, drawing a glance downward from Kendall. “We can decide later, okay?” He continued to shake his plumping-up dick.

“You’re teasing me with that thing, aren’t you?”

“Yup. Have I got your interest yet?”

“You always have my interest,” Kendall said as he shook his own cock before putting it away and zipping up, laughing at a disappointed Michael. “Sorry, but I’m starving. What do you want to do about supper? I could whip something simple up, or we could order in?”

Michael reluctantly followed suit, stuffing his semi-filled cock back into his pants. “Already taken care of. We have reservations for seven o’clock at Pieterangelo’s. We are celebrating, fiancé of mine.”

“Really? That’s awesome. We haven’t been there for ages. What a great idea. This day just keeps getting better.”

“I’m glad you think so. I wanted this day to be as perfect as I could make it, and I kept second-guessing everything I did.” They had made their way back to the couch.

“What was there to second guess? It is perfect.”

Michael looked pleased and relieved at Kendall’s words, a big sigh giving him away. “I guess the biggest thing was timing. Ever since you said that about waiting for a man with two good knees, it was like a motivation for me. I’ve wanted to marry you from the first time we kissed. I knew… well, I just knew… anyway, I started to overthink it. I found the kind of ring I wanted online a while back, and I emailed the link to the jeweller in Markham who I bought Dad’s watch from… you know, the guy who always changes my watch batteries for me? I told him I wanted the two tone with the leaf pattern, but I wanted it to look more masculine, and he came up with this version with the lower second rim on the outside.” He took hold of Kendall’s hand and rubbed the outside of his ring. “This part here. Right away I thought it was the one. That one little difference made it look exactly right. So I took the chance and ordered them for us.”

“It was absolutely the right decision, big guy. I couldn’t find one I completely liked when I looked online.”

“You were looking too?”

“Yeah, but never mind that now. Finish telling me why you were second-guessing about the timing?”

“Okay, but you’re telling me later about looking at rings, okay?

“All right, I will… now would you finish, please?” Kendall’s impatience got a grin from Michael.

“Long story short. I thought maybe asking you the first night in our new house might be more romantic… but I didn’t want to wait that long,” he confessed. “So then I figured I would ask you on Christmas Eve because that would be more memorable, and I felt good about my decision. Then... I don’t know what happened, but after I saw the therapist this morning and he told me I had two good knees again, I left and drove straight to Markham for the rings. They were keeping them there for me. I didn’t want to wait another day… I couldn't wait another day.”

Kendall, thinking it was the most romantic thing he’d ever heard, responded to Michael’s story by raining kisses all over his adorably flushed face. “I’m glad you went back to your original plan. I didn’t think today could get any more special, but it just did. Telling me that you couldn’t wait another day is the most romantic thing you could have ever said. Don’t you dare second-guess any decision you made, because they came from your heart. I couldn’t possibly ask for anything more than that.” He continued to rain kisses on the man, enough that Michael started squirming.

Kendall eventually stopped his attack, and spoke. “Besides, if you had waited until our first night in our house, you might not have been the first one to make a proposal,” Kendall revealed slyly.

“What are you talking about? What do you mean?” Michael pulled away and sat up straighter.

“What I mean, my handsome fiancé, is that I was planning to propose to you on our first night there. Or the next one. You beat me to it, and I don’t mind in the least.” He chuckled at the reaction his revelation caused.

“I’m just glad I never found the right ring, or we would have had a surplus of jewelry. I was getting desperate to find something that said 'us', you know? I looked through hundreds and hundreds… probably well over a thousand, and not one of them struck me as being right, and now I know why.” He twirled the ring around his finger, lost in it for a few seconds before peering up at a rapt Michael. “I was only looking at platinum and white gold. The yellow gold and the pattern on this spoke to me the second I saw it... the ones I looked at were missing the color of my sunshine," he said to Michael with a conspiratorial smile.

"Oh, Babe... I think that is the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"Is it? Well, stick around because I can do way better. Anyway, I was never going to find the right one, because this is the right one. The ring is perfect, and your proposal was perfect, and I don’t plan on ever taking this off. It’s a part of me now.”

“Mine too. But we do have to take them off at least once.”

“For the wedding, you mean? So we can put them back on each other?”

“Yeah, but there’s another reason. There’s an inscription I have planned for yours, but I don’t want you to see it until our wedding day.”

“Okay, you have to stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Saying stuff like that, because you’re going to make me cry again and my eyes are already puffy, and they’re going to look like crap when we go out to dinner. Shit, too late.”

Michael beamed. “As long as they’re happy tears, I’m not stopping anything. Besides, nothing could make those eyes look bad.” He drew Kendall closer still. “Are they happy tears, Babe?”

He nodded. “Nothing but, Sunshine, nothing but.”