Page 167 of The Forever Vault

I wished him luck, and Luke kissed me goodbye. I still couldn’t get over his hair and smiled, remembering his face that morning. I wandered the grounds a little as more people arrived, waiting to see a familiar face. With my hands in my pockets, I felt my phone vibrate immediately.

Grant: Y’all here yet? I haven’t seen anyone I recognize other than Tom Hanks.

Graham: Jake and I just got here, coming up the steps now.

Cam: I’ll meet you there.

Alex: Have fun, guys. Wish I could be there, but I’m at my sister’s wedding!

I sent another one to the newer guys, letting them know where I was headed. In a matter of minutes, I had been updated on the twins’ lives, and when the others arrived, I introduced them to Ezra, Miles and Hudson. Ezra and Miles both fanboyed over the twins, especially Grant, who they had several questions for, mostly about his Netflix show and updates for the next season.

I saw Hudson place and then hold his hand on Miles’ back, which caused a memory to resurface from the bachelor party of a very public kiss, but I’d have to ask Luke if he remembered that. Hudson’s hand placement seemed like a very boyfriend thing to do.

Orion had met the twins in London, if not before, but Austin hadn’t, so when they showed up, the introductions began again. At some point, they realized they were all at the same table for the reception, and based on Ezra’s squeal, that was happy news for at least one person. I wouldn’t be a witness to most of the rest of their night, since I was with Luke at the head table.

When the music started, the officiant went to the center of the arch, and asked for everyone to take their seats. There was a slight decline to the hill we were on, so despite being shorter, I could still see the walkways from which the wedding party would make their entrance as well as the arch.

The assistants must’ve coordinated it somehow - maybe they had earpieces - but both side doors opened at the same time, and I saw Ty’s brother, Pierce, emerge on the left in a royal blue tuxedo, and Declan’s father, Elijah, on the right in a rust-colored one. In sync - they must’ve practiced - they walked towards the arch and stood on their respective side. Quinn and Yuri were next, and then Luke and Freddie. Those on the left side were dressed in all hues of blue, and those on the right were wearing tones of red.

When the music changed, the crowd stood.

“I guess it's just a ritual for everyone to stand up since there’s no bride,” Graham whispered next to me.

“They can do whatever they want, honestly,” I said.

The orchestra, or whatever it was called - I couldn’t see exactly how many people it was - was playing a new melody. Thanks to my mother’s musical tastes and my inquisitive childhood brain, I recognized Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better right away. For this song, they were accompanied by a vocalist.

On the opening line of the second verse, the doors opened for the final time, revealing the grooms, each escorted by their mother. Ty certainly wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship in London, but he did afterward, and somehow they found each other. It was a great song, the perfect song for them, and I just completely fucking lost it.

I was an emotional kid, and based on gymnastics medal ceremonies and what was my first gay wedding, I was going to stay an emotional adult. Luckily, Luke knew this and stuffed my pockets with tissue packets, which I ripped open immediately.

“Jesus, Cam, they haven’t even got to the vows yet.”

“I’m aware, Ezra.”

Both of their mothers looked amazing in cream-colored dresses. Declan’s mom’s was shorter than Victoria’s, but she was a former model, if I remembered correctly. Victoria was a hippy librarian, so the long, flowy fabric made more sense.

Ty wore a bright teal tuxedo with black notch lapels, a dark teal vest with a white shirt, and a slim baby pink tie. He had a white iris boutonniere, pinned to the front left side of his jacket. His hair was braided in a way that made him look like a young Norse God. It wasn’t quite a French braid, since there were multiple strands on each side, but it was impressive even from a distance.

On the opposite side, Declan wore the same style tuxedo as Ty, except his was burgundy and the tie was a baby blue. He also wore an iris. I’d have to ask the significance of the flower later. He kept his hair shorter than Luke’s now was, so nothing unusual in that regard.

They came together just as Carly’s imitator was declaring their lover was the best. Both men kissed their mothers, who then took their seats in the front row. Ty and Declan immediately joined hands.

“On behalf of Tyler Patrick Hale and Declan Isaiah Moore, welcome and thank you for being here. It is my privilege to perform this ceremony today, a privilege not to be taken lightly as marriage, at its very core, is the act of two beings becoming one.”

The officiant then talked a bit about each man, and how they met in London, including Declan’s belief that Ty saved his entire career by the pool that day. Declan’s best friend, Freddie, read an excerpt from The Art Of Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson, which was lovely and exactly how I saw my relationship with Luke.

“Thank you, Freddie. Now comes the good part,” the officiant joked. “I’ve been informed the grooms have written their own vows. Tyler has elected to go first.”

Tyler coughed and scanned a small piece of paper before tucking it in his pocket. “Declan, since we found each other on that random beach in Santa Cruz, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven't thought about you. If I’m being honest, it’s probably more like since you gave me your phone number in London. I wasn’t really looking for love until you sparked something inside of me, and I tried to find it, briefly, before my accident. But it wasn’t that the other people were the wrong girl or the wrong guy. They were just the wrong person entirely. You were always going to be my person, and that was so clear after our first night together.”

Ty paused, and I could see his face redden. I resisted the urge to wolf-whistle, knowing laser beams would likely shoot out of Declan’s mother’s eyes and find me.

“I had never felt so…complete. I was a thousand piece puzzle that was missing its final piece, and you gave me that. You are that. Your love makes me feel more like myself than I’ve ever felt, if that makes sense.”

Declan nodded.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m going to spend the rest of my life being the best partner I can be because I have the perfect example of one in you. I love you, Declan.”