Ash's Marriage Trigger - 16. Chapter 16- Wedding

Though their wedding was a simple affair that involved legal papers, an exchange of rings, and witnesses…their reception was more massive than expected. They had a procession with all the guests, including the Barren family members, Leslie, and the Butlers. Cove's surviving family member, the great-aunt that raised him, also flew in to represent the Mitchells.

Ash's work companions, including his old boss and his new boss, the Director, showed up. Even Mike's brother Seth and his husband Liam were in attendance. Both men had been kind enough to allow Ash and Mike to crash on their couches whenever they were too drunk to make it to their own respective apartments when they'd initially started working and drinking together when they were younger. The turnout was so impressive that Ash was an emotional mess, and Cove had to carry around a box of tissues to every table of guests that they greeted.

Meanwhile, Ashley was dressed in a lavender dress with a sparkly bodice and fluttering skirts of so many layers that the bottom looked like an upside-down rose in full bloom. She was granted a basket full of fake velvet petals that she threw at the guests' tables as decorations before they had their meals. Ashley was making her rounds when she came across a pretty lady wearing an elegant purple dress that was darker on top and faded to lilac near the bottom. The woman also held a teal-hued mini purse.

“My name’s Ashley Mitchell,” she greeted. “You’re wearing all my favorite colors!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ashley,” the woman replied. “I am Dr. Inessa May.”

“Doctor? So, you help people get better?”

“Yes, though not the way medical doctors do.”

“Then, how?”

"Psychologists try to help others cope with their own difficulties mentally and emotionally."

Ashley was quiet as she recalled how her mother, Leslie had to see a psychologist often and how her mother had gotten better bit by bit because of it. She made a mental note to ask Ash for further detail later. Before she could ask Inessa anything else, a boy her age appeared with a glass of water. Inessa took the cup and thanked him.

“Ashley, this is my son, Ijon.”

"Hi!" Ijon greeted her with a grin. The boy was dirty blond and freckled with hazel eyes. He wore a sea-green dress shirt, another of Ashley's favorite colors.

"You're so pretty," Ashley declared. All thoughts about psychology fled her at the sight of the boy's smile.

“Th-thank you?” Ijon responded. “I think you’re pretty, too?”

“Can I marry you?”

“Oh my!” Inessa’s laughter was like a bell. “Only time will tell.”

“There you are, Ashley,” Ash said when he caught up to the table. “It’s time to eat, sweetie.” He then sent Inessa a smile in greeting, which she returned. “Thank you for coming.”

“Seems like we have a couple of additional wedding crashers, too,” Cove warned as he approached. “If we don’t head for our seats, they’ll be stolen.”

“Then let’s eat and move on to cutting the cake before there’s a riot,” Ash suggested.

When they were all finally seated and some fold-out chairs were added for the additional guests, Todd, seated between Brittany and Leslie, held a glass of champagne and addressed Cove and Ash.

"A toast to the man I've considered my brother for nearly a decade now, Cove Mitchell, and his husband, who I used to call Barren Solo for how he kept trying to isolate himself. Ash, you couldn't be far less isolated right now. We've got the Barrens in attendance," he said as he held his glass towards the tables the Barrens were seated. Siena and Sage stood up and cheered, prompting the others to cheer. "We've got the great Mrs. Mitchell and all of the Butlers plus two," he said, and they cheered even louder. "We've also got all the friends that joined us along the way."

“That’s right!” Brittany cried out as the other co-workers cheered.

"Thank you all for sharing this momentous occasion with us!" Todd concluded. "As for Ash, you're a Mitchell now and my brother by extension. You're Barren Solo no more."

Ash and Cove raised their glasses toward Todd and finally took a sip. The copper-eyed man and Todd had clashing personalities. Still, they'd found common ground and got along better as time passed. Still, Ash couldn't have imagined that his toast would bring tears to his eyes. Cove handed him a tissue, and Ash made a petulant face as he dabbed the corners of his eyes.

"Alright, he's grown on me," Ash admitted as Cove chuckled.

"I had a feeling he would," the silver-eyed man agreed. He then leaned in to whisper into Ash's ear. "He's even arranged to watch Ashley all week. So, after cutting the cake, we can escape."

Ash nodded without hesitation. “Yep. Sounds like a plan. I’m liking Todd more and more these days.”

Cove snickered in response. He had never seen Ash more honest with his expressions and reactions than when Todd was around. The man drew out the child in Ash faster than Sage and Siena, and those were his real siblings! Their interactions endlessly amused Cove.

Unfortunately, their plans were derailed after the cutting of the cake. Siena dragged them both onto the dance floor to get the party started. The Butlers then had a tradition of breaking out into a merengue dance number as a group. They ushered forth their 'hora loca,' which really got everyone going. Ash could have sworn he saw someone passing out shots to anyone who wasn't dancing.

"If you two were thinking of escaping, now would be time." Ash turned to find the voice and realized it was Liam Lux, Michael's brother-in-law. The auburn-haired man was one of the kindest people he'd ever met. He wasn't even angry when Ash and Mike threw up on his favorite rug once.

“Go,” His husband, Seth, nodded in agreement. “We’ll cover for you.”

"Thank you!" Ash grinned at them as he took hold of Cove's hand and ran for it.

::::

Cove and Ash removed their suit jackets before getting in the car. Their ties were entirely undone by the time they opened the door to the house. They slipped off their shoes at the entrance. Ash gave a hop because he was trying to unbutton his dress shirt simultaneously. Cove was still working on tugging off his vest.

"Right! The door should be locked," Ash muttered aloud as he locked it before both forgot. They'd failed once before, and Siena promised never to visit before calling again after the flashes of skin she'd seen that day.

Ash speed-walked to the hallway to catch up with Cove, and the two of them were eventually naked when they got into the shower. They could barely keep their hands off each other long enough to dry themselves properly. Ash was about to walk through the bathroom door when Cove stopped him.

“Wait, give me a minute. I have a birthday gift for you,” Cove confessed.

"Oh? How did you manage to even get me anything with how crazy the last couple of weeks has been?" Ash questioned. When they'd chosen the wedding date to fall on his birthday, it was partially so the copper-eyed man wouldn't forget their anniversary. The other reason was that Ash was greedy. A birthday and an anniversary gift meant he'd get laid at least twice.

Cove had a conflicted expression on his face. “I actually had some help with it. Michael was the one who…anyway, you’ll see in just a bit. Just wait until I call you in.”

"Got it," Ash replied, patting his hair dry with a towel.

In less than a minute, Cove called him in, and Ash was treated to the sight of Cove lying on the bed on his side with a black apron on. The apron was a new one with white lettering with the phrase 'I'm one sexy Daddy" on it. Ash let out a snicker.

"Yes, of course, Michael would go for the apron with a phrase," Ash said as he held one of his hands to his forehead. "Him and his crazy shirts."

“Should I take it off?” Cove asked.

“No!” Ash responded immediately. “I mean, it’s not wrong. Not to mention you look so good in it.”

"Then, you get the first choice since it is your birthday."

Ash grinned as he clambered onto the bed and laid on his back. "You'll have to straddle me upside-down, then, cowboy. I want to see you in that apron at all angles, starting with that one.”

:::::::::::

“Are you sure about this?” Cove questioned.

“Yeah, it says it right here on the manual that we have to use the Allen wrench for that part,” Ash responded as he tapped the pamphlet with the back of his hand. “We’ve been going page by page…for the most part.”

Ashley married at twenty-four and moved into a house right in the middle of the area codes between the Mitchell household, the Barrens, and the Butlers, along with her precious Ijon. Just who the hell named a child Ijon? And here Ash thought the name Saguaro had been bad.

"Dads, are you sure you didn't skip a whole part in the assembling process?" Ashley prompted as she leaned against the doorway.

“Why do you say that?” Cove asked.

Ashley motioned towards their handiwork. “I may not know much about building furniture, but I’m pretty damn sure the heart-shaped cut-out on that convertible crib is upside-down.”

"You're fucking with me," Ash responded dryly as he glared at the piece and glanced at the manual again.

Cove reached for the cover of the box and looked at the completed image of the crib. “I think she’s right, love.”

“Oh, fuck that!” Ash griped as he dropped the Allen wrench in his hand and got to his feet slowly. “This has now become an Uncle Todd and Ijon project. I’m officially out of it.”

“That’s my grouchy older-me,” Ashley teased.

"I don't want to hear it, preggie younger-me," Ash countered as he helped his husband get off the floor. "Todd can still bend his knees and Ijon's…well, he can hold and read the manual. I doubt his bony ass is strong enough to lift anything into place."

“Hey, that bony ass is the love of my life,” Ashley huffed as she rubbed her stomach. “And the father of my baby boy.”

“You know he means nothing by it, Ashy,” Cove pointed out. “He knows-” The silver-eyed man stopped talking when he saw the expression on Ashley’s face shift from annoyance to pain. “What’s wrong?”

“Might be nothing,” Ashley hissed. “Constipation…”

“Or labor pains!” Ash suggested. “Only one way to find out.”

Though they had gone to the hospital for false alarms before, that time, it was really happening. Cove called Ijon, and Ash called Todd. Family members that began to trickle in ended up taking up almost every waiting room seat. Cove and Ash took turns getting snacks or going to the restroom as the hours passed.

Then, visitors were finally allowed in. Ash clutched Cove's hand tightly as they walked in. Neither of them had ever seen Ashley so weary before. But she was awake. Ijon held the blue-bundled baby near her so that she could see him. The tall young man's glasses were askew.

Cove reached over to carefully fix the glasses on Ijon's face and took hold of his grandson for the first time. He again had that dopey expression of warmth and love as he looked down at the baby. Cove then handed the baby boy to Ash, and Ash swore that he felt his heart stop.

Ashley's son was round, pink, and asleep. He didn't so much as stir as Ash held him. Ash took every detail in- the tiny mouth, the ears, and the fuzzy top of his head. His throat was tight with an emotion he couldn't quite describe.

“What did you decide for the name?” Cove asked.

“Asher,” Ashley whispered. “He’s my mini-me…and dad Ash’s tinier-me.”

Ash could no longer see the baby through the tears streaming down his eyes. Why was he so moved when it was one of the most ridiculous things he had ever heard coming out of his daughter’s mouth? Were the three of them a damn Matryoshka set or something?

Cove retrieved Asher and returned him to his father when he realized Ash couldn't stop crying. "There we are. We don't want him to be covered up in grandpa Ash's snot, now do we?" He joked.

“That actually was a valid concern,” Ash responded with a sniffle as he wiped away his tears.

Twenty years ago, Ash had been scared shitless of steady relationships and any more significant commitment. He was worried some of that paranoia would have rubbed off on his daughter, but he couldn't have been more wrong. And there he was, hoping to live long enough to see little Asher get married…or would the little boy grow up with the word 'marriage' as a trigger like his grandfather?

Watch the tiny brat prove him wrong.

THE END