“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to present to you Dexter and Sloane Daley!”
They faced the crowd, their fingers laced together as they headed back down the aisle, waving at their friends and family, and everyone threw handfuls of rose petals. As they walked through the shower of colorful petals, Dex beamed up at him, his eyes glowing amber.
They kissed again, cameras going off, smartphones snapping away, and Dex let out a dreamy sigh that made Sloane chuckle. They posed for more pictures before heading inside with their wedding party and family for photos at the grand staircase. They took countless pictures with just the two of them posing, being sweet, being silly. They took photos with their friends, with family. They kissed, made funny faces, and laughed. Everyone flashed their tangerine and turquoise socks. Soon it was time for them to go to the terrace room for the reception, including Sloane and his husband. Husband. No matter what job they did, what name or title they’d end up going by, husband was the most important one, and it would never change.
DEX SAT beside Sloane at the long, elegant table set up for them and their wedding party. Cael sat to Dex’s right, with Ash next to him, then Rosa and Letty. Seb sat to Sloane’s left side with Hudson, then Calvin and Hobbs. They faced the huge terrace room filled with guests, the twinkling lights around the room and the dazzling sparkle from the crystal chandeliers giving everything a magical, fairy-tale glow, and that was almost what it felt like, as if he were in a fairy tale. A round table to their left had the exquisite wedding cake. It wasn’t six tiers; it was better. It was white with tangerine and turquoise accents. It was also nine cakes.
Six individual cakes made the base, each with a turquoise edible ribbon along the bottom and an edible tangerine rose in the center. They held a large tier stylishly decorated in white and turquoise stripes, the next tier white with a tufted design and tiny turquoise pearls, and the top tier white with swirls, the first letters of their names lovingly scripted on the side. The topper was an arrangement of edible tangerine roses. Each cake was a different flavor, because there was no way Dex could pick just one, so he’d asked each member of Destructive Delta to pick their favorite flavor.
As the salads and appetizers came, Tony stood and tapped a spoon to his glass to get everyone’s attention. There were whistles and catcalls. He shook his head at them as if they were too much, but his eyes shone with amusement.
“Yeah, all right. Enough of that now. I want to welcome you all to tonight’s celebration.”
Everyone clapped and cheered. Tony put his hand up, and the room immediately fell silent, and Dex winked at Sloane, whose brows shot up. No one could command a room like Anthony Maddock.
“Although they’re not with us today, I know John and Gina Daley are here in spirit.” He lifted a glass toward the small round table near the door that contained beautifully framed photographs of Daley-Maddock family members who couldn’t be with them but who Dex had wanted to honor. There were framed photos of Dex’s parents, of Tony’s father, and two cheetah figurines exquisitely carved from wood painted in gold and black, since no photos of Cael’s parents had ever been found. Sloane had placed a vase of pink peonies, his mother’s favorite, and together they lit several white candles. It had been an emotional moment for the two of them, but it had also been cathartic in a way.
“John and Gina were my family, and when I lost them, my world shattered. I found myself lost and terrified, not just because I’d lost two of the most important people in my life, but because they’d left me their most precious gift.” Tony turned to smile at Dex, tears in his eyes. “Their little boy.”
Dex wiped at his cheek and let out a shaky breath. He’d resigned himself to the fact he was going to be bawling his eyes out for most of today. Sloane wrapped his arm around Dex and brought him in close, kissing the side of his head, soothing.
“I was young, scared, and up to that point had never given much thought to being a father, and suddenly I had this tiny person loo
king up to me, relying on me. My actions from that point forward wouldn’t just reflect the kind of man I was, but the kind of man Dex would become. I prayed every night that I would do right by John and Gina and their little boy. Now when I look at the man Dex has become, I see parts of John and parts of Gina.” Tony held his glass up again. “Most importantly, I see a man they would have been proud of, and as our son heads off on this new adventure with the man he loves, I can be at peace knowing I did all right.”
Everyone clapped, and Dex stood. He ran around the table to where Tony was and threw his arms around him, hugging him close, both of them sniffing and laughing.
“I love you so much, Dad.”
Tony cradled Dex’s head against his shoulder. “I love you too, kiddo.”
With a wobbly smile, Dex headed back to the table. He resumed his seat next to Sloane and buried his head against Sloane’s neck to a collective aww. Dex waved his hand at them, his voice muffled, but loud as he did his best Linda Richman impression.
“Talk amongst yourselves.”
Everyone laughed, and Sloane rubbed his back. “Okay, sweetheart?”
Dex wiped at his eyes, then blew out a shaky breath. “I’m good.” He turned back, and everyone cheered.
“Yeah, yeah. Eat your salads.” That got him more laughs, and soon the staff was serving dinner. As they ate and chatted, instrumental music played in the background. Dex couldn’t wait to get his jacket off. The photographer was going around, snapping photos of all the guests at their tables and recording messages from everyone to Dex and Sloane. He couldn’t wait to watch them later. After the reception, a car would be waiting to take them to a snazzy hotel closer to the airport, their packed bags in the trunk and everything ready for their flight out tomorrow afternoon.
Cael stood, facing the crowded room, and Dex braced himself. At least he’d managed to eat something so he wasn’t weeping on an empty stomach. The room went quiet, all eyes on Cael, who looked nervous, but then that was just Cael. Ash placed his hand to Cael’s lower back, and the transformation was instant. Cael relaxed and smiled brightly. He turned his attention to Dex.
“Dex, I don’t know that I can find the right words to describe you.”
Ash opened his mouth, and Cael put a finger to his lips without even having to look at him, making everyone laugh.
“Not those words.”
Dex laughed along with everyone else and winked at Ash. Did Ash know just how full his hands would be, now that Cael was moving in? Dex couldn’t wait to see what that looked like.
“But then, that’s always been you. Larger than life, standing out from the crowd. Like a supernova whose star never dies but whose light is explosive, lighting up everyone’s life.”
Dex sniffed and wiped away his tears as Cael tried to fight his back. His bottom lip shook, and Dex stood to bring his baby brother into his arms.
“I love you, Dex.”
“I love you too, Chirpy.”