A Tattoo for Lex - 34. Chapter 34

Despite the late night Lex and Ian were both awake by seven. Knowing they had several hours to kill they decided to go for an early morning walk along the resort’s grounds. The air was crisp and the early morning chill brought with it the smell of fall. The trees were at full peak, the early morning sun making the reds, oranges and yellows shine brightly. Every once in a while a slight breeze would send a cascade of colors swirling through the air. They enjoyed the beauty of the season for a couple of hours before heading back to the resort. They went straight to the main dining room to have breakfast as they had worked up an appetite. They took their time and enjoyed a leisurely meal.

They had only been back in their room a few minutes when there was a knock on the door. Lex opened it to find a member of the hotel staff holding a courrier’s envelope. Lex took it and thanked him, closing the door softly behind him.

Ian came over and seeing the look on Lex’s face, merely said “It’s one of your Mom’s letters, isn’t it?

Lex could only nod as there was a large lump in his throat.

“Do you want to be alone?” Ian asked.

Lex swallowed down the lump and said “No! I need you here.”

They sat down on the bed and propped themselves with their backs against the headboard, cushioned with pillows, their shoulders touching. Lex opened the outer envelope and pulled out another letter sized one. He recognized his Mom’s flowing handwriting and smiled as he read: To Lex on your wedding day, read this together. He slowly opened the envelope and taking a deep breath he unfolded the two sheets of paper and read aloud.

My Dearest Lex,

Out of all the letters I’m writing for you this is the hardest so far and it’s because I really, really wish that I could be there with you to watch you marry the man of your dreams. Yes, I said man. Don’t be surprised Sweetheart, I’ve known since you were six or seven. If by some chance I’m wrong {and I doubt that I am}, please apologize to your wife and change all the pronouns to she/her.

How do I know, you ask? A mom always knows Lex, always. The first hint I had was when you were in first or second grade and Cassie was planning your wedding and you told her you wouldn’t marry her because you were going to marry the red Power Ranger. Then when she told you you should marry Steve from Blues Clues, you told her you’d never marry someone who wore stripes all the time. I’m willing to bet that the man beside you right now doesn’t have many striped shirts in his closet. Just like I’m willing to bet Cassie is still your best friend and is your maid of honor or best person or whatever she decided to be called. Tell her I love her and I’m happy that you’ve had her to help you get through all this.

I’m hoping that by the time you’re old enough to commit yourself to getting married it will be just as legal and accepted as it is for a man and a woman. I see the world changing and I truly hope the changes are for the better.

I am positive you have become an incredible man. I am also positive that the man who won your heart is incredible as well. I imagine finding him was hard and something tells me your ability to see auras was no help. When it came to finding love you couldn’t cheat and had to figure it out yourself didn’t you? That makes it even more special.

My heart breaks a little more when I stop to think of everything that I am going to miss, but this is the day that I pray that if there is an afterlife then my ghost or whatever gets to stand next to you and the love of your life and whisper ‘I love you’. I’m sure that I would have loved your husband because you love him, and when you love you do it with your whole heart.

You know how people say that family is not always the ones you have blood ties with? It’s the family that you choose that tends to become the family closest to your heart. I made a lot of mistakes and while I can’t change anything I really do hope that you’ve found happiness with the family that you’ve chosen.

Love is a gift to treasure. Treat each other well, keep the lines of communication open and above all else love each other with every fiber of your being. Make beautiful memories, touch each other, laugh until you can’t breathe, cry until you have no more tears. Share the pain and the joys of all life has to offer. Watch the clouds roll in and the lighting flash with the approach of a summer storm. Feel the thunder shake the ground beneath your feet. Taste the rain on your tongue and hear the sound it makes as the wind blows strong through the trees. Smell the air when the storm has passed and do it together, holding each other’s hands.

You are strong, he is strong. Together you are stronger. Know that your love will change from day to day and on the days when you have self doubts, and believe me, you will have those days, the strength of your love is what will hold you up.

I only have a few more letters to write. I need you to know that I will always be in your heart just as you are always in mine. I hope that someday you will know the joy of wrapping your arms around a child of your own and know the happiness a child’s smile can bring. I’m going to miss your smile most of all. You are mon fils, ma fierte, ma joie.

I love you forever,

Mom

XXOO {one for each of you}

Lex’s voice had broken several times while reading the letter. He was whispering by the end and tears were falling steadily down his cheeks. When he finished reading he buried himself in Ian’s arms and let the dam burst. Ian held him until finally the tears tapered off. Lex pulled his head off of Ian’s chest and looked into his lover’s eyes, wet with their own tears. He managed to gather his wits about him and finally spoke.

“I miss her so much.” he whispered.

Ian pulled him in tighter and replied “I know you do. God, she loved you so much. She’ll be there Lex. She’s in your heart, so she’ll be there. Everything she said was spot on. I don’t have many striped shirts. I never really cared for them.”

Lex started laughing and Ian joined in. It was cleansing and when the laughter faded away Lex felt lighter again. The heaviness of missing his Mom was gone and all he could picture was her image of how she had been before she had gotten sick.

Ian looked at Lex and said “So, red Power Ranger huh?”

Lex giggled and replied “What? He was cute. But I think my tastes have changed. I prefer hot tattoo dudes now.”

Ian smiled and told him “You spend too much time with Cassie. Speaking of which. Our ‘fluff and buff’ or whatever the hell it is is in a half an hour. Let’s freshen up, wipe off those tears and pack up our stuff so we can take off right after said fluffing and buffing. We have a wedding to get to!”

Lex smiled as he scooted off of the bed. Once in the bathroom he took care of his bladder, washed his face and brushed his teeth. His eyes were still red and puffy but he figured the spa people would figure out something for that. He mentally pictured himself with cucumbers over his eyes and green goo on his face. Smiling he went back to the room and helped Ian pack up the suits from last night and after Ian used the bathroom they packed their toiletries and gave the room a final glance around to make sure they weren’t leaving anything behind. Ian grabbed the one bag and they made their way down to the spa for their appointment.

Fluffing and buffing turned out to be just that. The girl behind the reception desk took their bag and put it away for safekeeping while they were busy. They put their cell phones, wallets, the rings and the letter from Lex’s mom in a locker for safekeeping. They were led to one of the treatment rooms by two good looking male attendants who instructed them to strip down and put on the robes that were hanging on two hooks. They were then treated to a refreshing massage. They lay side by side as the two massage therapists kneaded the muscles gently, easing the slight soreness left by the previous day’s deep tissue massage. Their touch was light and Lex particularly enjoyed the foot massage.

They were then led to a room with a large shower, with two shower heads and instructed to help themselves to the any of the shower gels that they preferred. There were sample bottles for them to smell to see which scent the liked and small unopened bottles were lined up in a shelf for them to choose once they decided on a scent. Lex chose a scent for Ian, it was a spicy blend of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, allspice, with a hint of sandalwood and cedar. Ian chose a woodsy scent for Lex with an undertone of a citrusy blend. They scrubbed each other, washing away the remains of the massage oils. They both managed to keep to the task at hand and had to ignore the rising cocks seeking attention. There would be time for that later. They had been told not to wash their hair as that would be done next in the salon. They rinse, dried off and dressed in the jeans and soft t-shirts Cassie had packed for them and had been left in the changing area. Lex knew she deliberately “forgot” to pack clean underwear so they were both commando.

They were led to the salon where they had their hair washed and Lex couldn’t help but let out a small moan when the attendant’s fingers massaged his scalp. He could hear Ian chuckling from the chair next to him. They were then blown dry and styled, a light spray of hairspray given to each to hold everything in place. Both men were shaved and left with smooth, soft faces. Then their fingernails were inspected and given a light buffing to restore the shine. Finally they were done. They thanked their attendants and collected their belongings from the reception area. Cassie had left Ian’s truck for them and they had no problem finding it in the parking lot.

Lex turned to Ian as he buckled his seat belt and asked “Are you ready for this?”

Ian smiled and told him “I can’t wait, I’ve been ready since the first day I saw you.”

Lex smiled back and said “Me too. Let’s go do this!”

They were quiet on the drive back, each man lost in his own thoughts of what the rest of the day would bring. They pulled in the driveway of their house a little after three o’clock. Cassie was looking out one of the windows of the porch and waved. She met them at the top of the stairs at the entrance to the enclosed patio.

Giving each man a big hug she exclaimed “You both look amazing! And you smell awesome too!”

Lex held her at arm’s length and told her “You are amazing, and incredible Cassidy Marie. Thank you for everything. The resort was beautiful, the spa treatments incredible and the rings, Cassie, they are absolutely perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend because they don’t exist. You are the best!” Lex pulled he back in for another hug and then kissed her cheek.

Ian reiterated Lex’s sentiments and dropped a kiss on her forehead and added “we love you.”

Cassie’s smile was bright as she answered “I love you guys too. Now come see your wedding venue!”

Cassie led them across the patio which they now realized was adorned with lights around the perimeter. They were not on, but Lex knew it would look pretty once the sun was gone. The backyard had been transformed. The gazebo was hung with its own lights and chairs had been set up on the lawn in two rows of five chairs on each side with an aisle created between them. The tent was not needed as the weather was perfect. The autumn leaves had been cleared away from where the chairs were set up, but the rest of the yard was carpeted in bright shades of fall. All of Lex’s hard work had paid off. The bushes were perfectly trimmed, new cedar mulch added to the scent of fall. The landscaping was perfect.

Ian knew Cassie could not have done everything on her own and was sure his Dad was in on the decorating as well as his Mom. They had some time before they would have to get changed and their guests would start arriving so Ian stepped into the porch and grabbed a bottle of chardonnay from the wine cooler. He poured a glass for each of them and they sat on the patio admiring the amazing backyard transformation. The ceremony was scheduled for six and they knew that the guests would start arriving around five-thirty. Duke had said his catering crew would be there around five-fifteen to start setting up. So at four-thirty they gathered the empty wine glasses and made their way inside.

Entering through the sliders that led into the kitchen Lex stopped dead in his tracks, Ian bumping into him from behind at the sudden halt. There on the wall to the right of the living room area, right before the hallway to the bedrooms was Lex’s tattoo in almost life-sized display. The picture that Shelley had taken was framed and mounted. It was even more stunning than it had been on her computer.

Lex stammered “I-I thought you were putting this in the shop?”

Ian was just as puzzled.

Cassie giggled and told them “That’s from Casey. She made the arrangements with Shelley before the pictures were even taken. It’s your wedding present from her. There’s another identical picture that’s already been hung at the shop.”

Lex and Ian were stunned. The picture was everything they had imagined it to be. Shelley was a great photographer and the details seemed to jump off the photo. Lex couldn’t help but to feel extremely proud of the work that Ian had created. Not to mention that it was the perfect way to display the artistry without him having to drop his pants and display his ass. His ass would belong to Ian and Ian only. Lex smiled at the picture and Ian caught the look on his face.

Ian pulled him in for a kiss and murmured “You are beautiful. Let’s go get dressed and get the ball rolling.”

Cassie went into the guest room to get ready while Lex and Ian went to their bedroom. Hanging in the closet were the outfits that Cassie and Ian’s mom had chosen from them. The pants and shirts were smartly pressed and the sweaters were folded neatly on the shelf ready to be worn. Lex reached over and pulled Ian’s T-shirt out from his jeans and slowly pulled it over his head. He ran his hands across the hard muscles, pausing over the freshly inked skin. Ian reached down and pulled Lex’s shirt over his head, then turned him around and pulled the beautiful mural of Lex’s back up against his own chest, pressing their tattoos together. He placed his hand over Lex’s heart and held him close, his breath softly tickling the ear next his lips.

Ian held him close and allowed his hardening dick to press up against Lex’s firm ass. Giving a nip and a soft kiss to the neck tilted invitingly before him Ian finally pulled himself away and told Lex “Later.” in a voice that was growly with desire.

Lex hummed contentedly, knowing that ‘later’ would be mind blowing, turned around and gave Ian his own kiss that sealed his end of the promise, then said “Stop tempting me and get dressed". Ian responded by undoing his jeans and letting them drop to the floor. He turned around to take the soft wool pants off their hangar he wiggled his ass to further tempt his lover. He received a quick smack on his ass for his shenanigans as Lex stepped out of his own jeans, laughing.

Lex opened the drawer that he kept his underwear in and found that it was empty save for a small box wrapped in pink paper. 'Oh shit', he thought. He looked over at Ian who was holding up an identical package after discovering his own empty underwear drawer. His expression told Lex that the same thought crossed his mind.

“So do we open these and see what she has in store for us or do we free ball it all night?” Ian asked, trying not to laugh.

Lex tore the pink paper and said “I know I’m going to regret this.”

Both men broke out into uncontrollable giggles when they held up matching boxer briefs. They were hot pink and the front had the imprint of a white horse’s head, only they both were picturing the horse becoming a unicorn when a certain appendage would poke out of the fly. The printed mane was rainbow of course and the backside revealed a matching rainbow tail imprinted on the unicorn’s ass. Cassie trumped them once again.

“Where the fuck does she get this stuff?” Lex said as he tried to control his laughter.

He watched as Ian pulled the briefs up over himself and Lex lost the battle. His laughter went out of control again as Ian pulled his semi-hard dick through the opening, creating the most warped, freakish unicorn Lex had ever seen.. He struggled to pull up his own briefs as they both chortled, snaufled, liggled and just plain cracked up. . Ian managed to tuck himself back in and it took several minutes , but at last they were finally able to control their various sounds and finish dressing.

When they were all buttoned and zipped and the underwear hidden away beneath the layers, they stood side by side in front of the full length mirror and Ian declared “We’re hot.”

Lex had to agree.

Cassie was in the bathroom doing her makeup when they passed by the open door. She paused what she was doing and smiled at them knowingly before announcing “You guys really do clean up well. I hope I remembered everything.”

Lex merely flipped her the bird as they continued down the hallway, Cassie’s laugh following them.

They had been in the kitchen about five minutes when one of Duke’s catering vans pulled into the driveway. Lex went out to meet them and instruct them where to set up. They had decided to utilize the porch for dinner. The big mahogany table had the leaves put in and could easily accommodate twelve people. The furniture had been rearranged and two folding tables were along the windows overlooking the driveway, each capable of seating six people and were covered with linen tablecloths matching the one on the big table. The counter area under the built in cupboards of the china cabinets were ideal for setting up the plates and cutlery. An additional folding table would hold food and setup so that guests could utilize both sides to make the lines move more quickly. The catering crew took over the preparation and busied themselves in the kitchen and on the porch.

Cassie came out and both Lex and Ian admired her. She wore wool pants as well, hers a deep burgundy color. Her cashmere sweater was black and the sleeves belled out at the wrists. The top part of the sweater was embellished with crystals and sequins of burgundy, rose and a soft pink in a pretty swirling pattern. Her strappy four inch pumps were the same shade of rose that was in her sweater. Her long blonde hair was partially up and the rest cascaded down her back in soft waves. Cassie with makeup on made a pretty sight and Ian told her so.

Their guests started arriving starting with Ryan, Seth and the girls. The girls wore pretty pink dresses and had their hair curled in long waves down their backs. Greetings were underway when Duke arrived with Maggie and Jase. Not long after the patio started getting crowded as the crew from Agawam arrived in two vehicles. Kathy, Rick, Rita, Sean, Jessie and the three kids all joined in the chorus of hellos and kisses being exchanged. They were followed by Jarren and Mazen. It didn’t slip by Lex’s notice when Mazen greeted Cassie with kiss that was a little longer than what casual acquaintances would exchange.

Jase was Ian’s best man and his outfit matched Cassie’s only reversed. His wool pants were black and his sweater was burgundy, with regular cuffed sleeves. Instead of crystals and sequins the top of his sweater was knitted with black, gray and rose in a similar pattern that matched Cassie’s. Hannah’s dress matched Mia and Shannon’s, obviously they had all shopped together.

The last to arrive were Casey and Ms. Helen and they saw Shelley pull in behind them. Ian and Lex greeted them and they pulled Casey into a group hug and thanked her profusely for her gift. Casey informed them that Shelley offered to take pictures and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Lex and Ian were pleasantly surprised and thanked her as well. They had figured that a lot of people would take pictures with their phones and so they had opted out of hiring a professional, but now were glad that Shelley had volunteered. Lex knew he and Ian would make sure she was compensated.

The Justice of the Peace walked up the stairs and everyone made their way to the chairs in front of the gazebo. Shelley quickly unpacked her camera and after only a few moments of adjusting some settings she was ready to go.

The sun was low in the sky behind the trees lighting up the leaves in brilliant shades of red and gold. The oranges were even brighter with the matching orange glow from the sunset. Ian grabbed Lex’s hand and as Shelley snapped a few pictures he set his beautiful blue eyes onto Lex’s vibrant hazel-green ones and merely nodded. Heads held high, hands clasped together and huge smiles adorning their faces they started walking down the short aisle toward the gazebo where Cassie and Jase waited on the stairs, the JP in the middle, watching them approach.

It was time.