Page 114 of Love Unlimited

Landon had to laugh. If it weren’t for Ash’s stipulations, he would have tumbled them into his bed ages ago.

But Ash had been right, too. What he felt for them was so much more now. Something real, even if he was afraid of what it might mean.

Daddy booped Ash’s nose. Agreements can be changed. He glanced at something behind them, presumably the clock, then turned back to Ash. But right now it’s time to get ready. Go wake up your Daddy. It’s getting late.

Agreements could be changed? Were they going to? Landon felt himself buzzing with hope. He wanted Ash… but even if that didn’t work out, he would always have Daddy. Right? It was just that there was the possibility of so much more.

He turned around so he could watch Ash bounce over to the other bed. They hopped onto it and nuzzled into Zhong’s chest. He didn’t even open his eyes as he wrapped his bronzed, muscular arms around their pale, lean frame, squeezing them tightly.

The two of them were gorgeous together. It was hard for Landon to look away.

Ash wriggled against Zhong’s arms, then poked him until he finally blinked up at them. Time to go, Daddy! Get up!

He grabbed their hands, cutting off their words. You are too cute for this early in the morning.

Landon couldn’t agree more.

But we’re going to the best wedding ever! And there’s going to be a parade! And what else?

You’ll find out.

Landon chuckled at Ash’s pout as he hauled himself out of bed and made it to the bathroom first. There was enough to do and so little time, that he put all his complicated thoughts away and just focused on getting ready.

Usually he wasn’t the biggest fan of weddings. He’d been to dozens in the past decade, both family and friends, and in his opinion they were usually meaningful but exhausting for the people getting married and long for everyone else. He’d cringed when he heard this one would last all day. He’d expected it to be hours of sitting and watching a ceremony he couldn’t hear, followed by a reception with a bunch of people he didn’t know.

But helping Zhong put the decorations together last night had been a window into an entirely different culture. He’d realized that, because Zhong typically followed so many American traditions and conventions around him, Landon hadn’t thought much about his Chinese heritage. It was one thing to eat the delicious soups Zhong prepared, and quite another to attend a wedding where even the smallest details were completely foreign to him.

They’d been hanging paper lanterns and tissue-paper cut-outs of lucky words in the banquet hall yesterday where everything was decked out in red and gold. Literally everything, to the point where there was hardly a speck of any other color to be seen. It was beautiful, and a reminder that even the smallest things, like what colors were considered lucky or prosperous, were so deeply culturally ingrained.

When they’d finished the job, they’d driven back to Zhong’s parents’ place. Mei Ling was showing off the necklace she’d be wearing for the event—an enormous twenty-four karat gold pig with dangling piglet charms suckling underneath, that had been passed on through the generations. Zhong explained that it symbolized happiness, wealth, and fertility, since pigs were so cute and chubby, making it perfect for a wedding.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine it having a place in white American or European culture, where pigs were considered dirty, lazy, and fat. But that made him love it all the more.

Now he was really looking forward to today. There would be the parade Zhong had promised, but even more, this was an unexpected opportunity to observe a new culture and maybe get to know more about Zhong himself.

When the four of them managed to dress in their finest and arrive at Zhong’s parents’ house, there was already a crowd gathered on the lawn. It was clear the wedding festivities were well on their way. Everyone looked expectantly toward the street, chatting while they waited. Zhong explained that the groom’s family was supposed to make a show of coming to pick up the bride.

Landon knew that Mei Lin’s fiancé, Dave, was white, so he was curious how this would go. The wedding was supposed to be a mix of both family’s traditions, but Zhong had joked that there were so many Chinese traditions that the American ones might get lost.

Everyone clapped and cheered at some invisible signal, looking toward the street. A moment later, two men banging golden gongs came around the corner. They were dressed in elaborate red costumes, and between them walked a child, perhaps five or six years old, holding up a red paper lantern on a stick. Zhong explained that he symbolized the children that Mei Lin was supposedly going to have, though snorted. I can’t even imagine Mei Lin having children. Definitely not now.

Walking behind them, Landon spotted Dave, along with four guys in tuxes who were presumably the groomsmen. They each carried banners, the writing all in Chinese, and walked in a straight line. Behind them was a less organized crowd of people who were probably family, with an assortment of decorations. Landon’s general sense was that most of them had no idea what they were doing, but everyone was happy to be there.

Zhong beamed, explaining that it was a small parade, but had the right spirit to it. He told them he’d show them pictures of the parades from his other siblings’ weddings later, though.

At the end, three more of the men in the red costumes supported a long paper mâché dragon on poles over their heads, making it bob and weave. Like the gong-holders, they seemed to be hired for the event rather than family, but they made it feel like a true parade. They danced up to the house, their motions sinuous like the streamers on the dragon overhead, and put on a show. Landon wasn’t sure whether to watch the dancers or the dragon, as both were stunning.

Not as stunning as Ash, however, who clapped their hands in delight. They wore a peach dress with pale pink flowers on it, looking delicately feminine and not at all like their usually artistic self. The dress flowed loosely around their hips and down to their ankles, bouncing with their motions.

Landon already planned to borrow it from them, but he was glad he wasn’t wearing anything similar today. He was much more comfortable around all of these strangers in a boring blue suit with his hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Dustin and Zhong were dressed similarly, and he couldn’t help but swoon a little, seeing everyone dressed up.

Landon thought the show would be over after that, but Zhong hurried the four of them inside, into a side room just off the main entrance to watch the base of the stairs. Four young women dressed in pastels were blocking the way up, while Dave and the groomsmen waited at the bottom. There was an unmistakable feeling of ritual and performance to the scene, but it was so different from anything he would have expected.

What’s happening? Ash asked.

Zhong answered, already laughing. The bridesmaids aren’t going to let Dave upstairs until he proves that he’s worthy of marrying Mei Ling. He has to beat the challenges.

Landon watched, fascinated. Each of the bridesmaids held large cards with questions about Mei Lin. If Dave got any of them wrong, all the groomsmen had to do push ups, amid much teasing and applause. When Dave missed the third one—out of about a dozen increasingly obscure facts, they made him make up a song on the spot. Chu Hua, Zhong’s sister, interpreted for their little group, so they booed and cheered with everyone else.