"Mom, Paulie, I think we're gonna call it a night," Avery said. Kane stayed pretty much glued to his side, holding Avery tightly with both arms wrapped around him. He leaned over and kissed Kane's upturned, tired face.
"The night's still young. You've got an entire life ahead of you two. Stay," Paulie teased. Kane started to agree they shouldn't leave, but Avery put a stop to that nonsense.
"It's midnight, and I've barely had five minutes alone with him since the nuptials," Avery said, tightening his hold as Kane began to untangle himself.
"I'm real proud of you, boy." Paulie stood and shook both their hands, giving Kane another giant hug.
"Thanks, Paulie. Thanks for helping get all this together tonight," Kane said. Avery's mother was up, too, hugging Avery and then Kane. Kennedy Adams had become a staple in their lives.
"You two go. Don't worry about anything. We'll close everything down," she said.
"Mom, you don't have to stay. I've got it all arranged to let everyone be here as long as they want." Avery kept Kane close as he leaned down to kiss his mom's cheek.
"Thank you for being here and doing so much to help pull this off. It was perfect. Today was perfect," Kane added. The huge grin on his face lit up his eyes, causing them to twinkle. That smile made Avery feel like a million dollars. All the work, every bit of planning he'd done, had been so he could see that smile on his Kane's handsome face.
"It's not every day your son gets married to such a fine man. Where else would I be?" There were tears in her eyes and she hugged them both tightly. "I'm very proud."
Avery enjoyed the few moments with his mom and Kane, but ended the conversation as quickly as possible, tugging Kane along with him when it looked like he might try and stay with his mom and Paulie a little longer. The party was still in full swing, but there had been enough of an exchange between the four of them that the room finally clued in they were leaving. They got a thundering round of applause and Avery didn't do anything more than turn and wave as he ducked out of the tent, pulling Kane right behind.
"Thank God it's over," Avery said, bypassing the waiting shuttles. The warmth of the tent hid the crisp April breeze blowing off the St. Croix. Their new house was a few hundred feet from the reception tent and Avery willingly wrapped Kane back in his arms to help fight off the cold as they headed toward the back door.
"You're cold. We should have grabbed our jackets," Avery said, holding Kane a little tighter against the side of his body. He ran his hand up and down Kane's arms, trying to build warmth.
"It's not far," Kane said, dropping his head back on Avery's shoulder, letting the moonlight guide their path.
Avery bent down to kiss the top of Kane's head and looked back out over the distance. "I love the view. It's too dark to see, but you can hear the river churning. I sat out here for hours last night, wishing you were here. I couldn't wait for today. I hated being away from you. You've changed my life so completely, Kane."
"It's a beautiful place. You did really well, Avery," Kane said, looking up at Avery. That earned him a quick kiss.
"Baby, we did well. You did this with me. I love you," Avery replied, but didn't give Kane any time to respond. "You were stunning tonight. When we were dancing, I wanted to leave the dance floor and drag you from the tent. You were so breathtakingly handsome, and we fit perfectly together."
"I loved that dance. I'm glad we took those dance lessons," Kane said, walking up the steps to their oversized back deck.
"Me, too." Avery jogged up the steps, then across the patio, holding the door for Kane as he came in behind him.
"You're my husband now," Avery said, shutting the door and gathering Kane in his arms again, keeping them right there in the back kitchen entry.
"And you're my husband," Kane added, waggling his brow as Avery began the descent to his lips. Avery stopped right before his lips touched Kane's and cocked his head, looking closer before he pulled his head back. Kane had been in the process of opening for him, and his lips were still parted, ready for the kiss. "You look exhausted. Did you sleep last night?"
A look of confusion crossed Kane's face. "Not much, I was nervous."
Avery changed his intention and leaned in for a chaste kiss. He wanted to make love to Kane like he wanted to breathe, but he didn't like the fatigue he saw surrounding those beautiful blue eyes. Avery took Kane's hand again, pulling him down the hall to the stairs in the middle of the two story colonial. "Let's go upstairs, you need to sleep."
"I'm not sleeping on our wedding night," Kane insisted, walking much slower to the point of Avery having to work to tug him along.
"Yes, you are. I can't believe I didn't notice how tired you looked earlier. We would have been up here hours ago," Avery said, taking the stairs up to their room.
"Avery, I'm not that tired," Kane started, but stopped as Avery opened the door to their bedroom. Avery watched as Kane took in the space. His face lit up, and the look made everything worth it. He had gone all out in this room in his pursuit to please Kane. Rose petals were sprinkled across the bed and table. Bouquets of calla lilies sat on every surface of the oversized bedroom, and the wine he'd picked for them had been placed in a silver bucket by the bed to chill.
"I love you, thank you for this. I seriously can't believe you remembered the calla lilies," Kane said and brushed past him, stepping inside.
"How could I not? They remind me of you." Avery smiled and followed Kane into the room. "Do you like the furniture?"