Page 40 of Only Time Will Tell

“No need to be embarrassed. I’m Daniel and I’m pleased you like the food. You and Alex’s mom did all of this?” He waved his arm around.

“We did. It was a bit nerve-wracking towards the end, but we somehow pulled it off without breaking the bank.” I felt like a proud peacock fluffing his feathers.

“This is my fiancé, Hector.” He pointed to the man beside him and we exchanged pleasantries. “We may need to pick your brain when it comes time to plan ours. Working seventy hours a week hasn’t allowed either of us time to breathe, let alone plan our wedding.”

Hector added, “I agree. Not too over the top, low-key and comfortable.”

“I love how Charlie threw in the Cowboys touches for me,” Alex told them. I wondered if he’d caught that.

“Well, when time allows, we’d love to get together with you guys. I’ve taken a hiatus from teaching, so when we get back from our honeymoon, maybe we could have dinner?” Having never had any friends aside from Charlie and our family, let alone friends that were a couple, this felt like a great start to a potential new friendship. Would be fun to have another couple to do stuff with.

The clanking of metal against glass quieted the conversations. Mom and Dad stood in the center of the dance floor with Tyler’s microphone. The waiter was passing out champagne flutes to everyone.

“Today we come together, old friends, new friends, and family, to witness our son’s marriage. Alex, Charlie,” Dad held his glass up and the rest of the guests followed suit, “we love you, boys, and hope you have a long, healthy, and happy marriage as Anne and I have. Congratulations!”

“Now, it’s time to cut that gorgeous cake,” Mom said.

I hadn’t noticed the photographer running around taking pictures until he appeared beside us at the cake table. Up until then, I hadn’t thought too hard on this moment, and it just now hit me that Alex was probably going to shove cake into my face.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warned him, having seen the smirk on his face.

“What?” He tried to feign innocence but failed miserably.

“You know what. Don’t even go there.”

“Okay, party pooper.”

We cut the first slice then linked our arms together and fed each other a bite. Neither one of us shoved it in the other’s face, thank fuck for that. This cake was too damn good to be wasted.

The wait staff removed the top layer for us to save before slicing and handing plates to everyone.

“Did you get this cake from my boss’s wife’s bakery?” Alex asked, shoving a big bite in his mouth.

“Yes, it’s fantastic, isn’t it?” I snagged a second piece, having barely breathed while inhaling the first.

“We are getting all our baked goods from her from now on,” he said, forking the last piece off my plate.

I pouted and all I got for it was a kiss on the cheek before he walked away.

Just before midnight, the staff once again handed out champagne glasses as the countdown began.

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Three.”

“Two.” Alex and I wrapped our arms around each other.

“One. Happy New Year!” everyone yelled.

“Happy New Year, baby,” Alex said.

“Happy New Year, love.”

Our lips locked, and the world around us ceased to exist. The muted sounds of the party became background noise as we lost ourselves in a timeless embrace, ringing in a new year and our new life as husbands.

The party wound down and one by one, our guests left. I’d met so many people I doubted I’d ever remember their names. We changed into regular clothes and headed home, leaving the tuxes so Mom could return them while we were gone. Our flight the next morning was at ten a.m., and we wouldn’t be able to do that ourselves.