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Steve was shifting uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the Camaro. One might think he was uncomfortable because he wasn’t driving, and this would usually be right if he wasn’t, in fact, on his way to the airport to pick up his future mother- and father-in law. Driving was the last thing on Steve’s mind right now. Impressing Danny’s family, that was on his mind. The possibility of Avery having grandparents in her life, that was sure on his mind. Making a fool of himself in front of the in-laws two days before the wedding, yup, on his mind too.
Letting Danny drive was purely a safety precaution; Steve fancied himself Superman most of the time, but even he couldn’t focus on driving with the number of anxiety-provoking thoughts running through his head, especially with two of the most important people in his life strapped into the backseat.
Steve felt Danny’s hand squeeze his thigh, and Steve looked over to see Danny give him a reassuring smile.
“It’s going to be fine, babe,” Danny began as his thumb rubbed small circles over Steve’s jeans, “Really. They hated Rachel so you can honestly only go up from there.”
Danny whispered that last part for Steve’s benefit only, Grace was in the backseat after all.
“I’m not worried,” Steve was not under any misconception that Danny was buying the lie at all.
“Sure, sure, and I’m the Queen of England.”
Steve quirked his eyebrow at Danny, waiting for Danny’s brain to catch up to his mouth.
“I meant King.”
Steve laughed as Danny blushed a deep shade of crimson and locked his eyes on the road in front of him. “Thanks for calming me down, babe.”
Danny forced a small smile out. “Glad I could be of assistance.”
Steve couldn’t control himself around an embarrassed Danny. Really, he couldn’t. So, he didn’t. He leaned across the center console, ignoring the stick shift that was digging into his pelvis, and planted a kiss on the side of Danny’s mouth, “I love you.”
Danny’s face broke out into a smile and the blush disappeared from his face as his tense posture relaxed. “Love you, too.”
They arrived at the airport just as Danny’s mom called to tell them that their plane had safely landed and they would meet at baggage claim. Steve’s heart rate increased significantly and he gripped Avery’s hand in his, under the pretense of keeping her safe in the slew of hurried travelers, but in reality, her presence had a grounding affect on him. She smiled up at him and pulled at his arm, a signal for him to stoop down so she could whisper something in his ear.
Since stooping down for a shared whisper was an effective means of prolonging the trek towards baggage claim, he obliged without much prompting.
Avery brought her hand up to his ear and whispered, “Do you think they’ll like me, Daddy?”
Steve felt all the worry that had been building up fall away as he took on the weight of Avery’s fears and pulled her around so they were standing eye-to-eye. “Sweet pea, they will love you. You have nothing to worry about at all. They raised Danno and Danno loves you so that means that Nonna and Papa Williams will love you too.”
Avery’s green eyes stared back, wide-eyed and glassy with tears, as she nodded her head in a solemn gesture of acceptance. Steve pulled his daughter in for a hug as he looked up to see Danny waiting a few steps away, a questioning look on his face. Steve tried his best to communicate through silent eye movements what Avery was nervous about. Apparently Danny knew Steve better than Steve realized because seconds later Danny was crouched down with them, rubbing a consoling hand across Avery’s back.
Steve glanced over Danny’s shoulder at Grace who was standing a few paces away, a concerned look on her face. Steve motioned for her to move forward, and before he had time to process, the four of them were in a huddled group hug on the floor of the airport. Yes, this was his life, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.
“Munchkin, Nonna and Papa Williams are going to be ecstatic when they meet you. They’ve been talking about how excited they are to meet you for weeks. Plus, I talk about you and Daddy all the time; they know how important you are to me, and they always ask me for new pictures of you, especially Nonna. She always likes to know what her girls are up to.”
Avery sniffed a little into Steve’s shoulder, her dark curls blocking her face from view. Danny continued to rub her back as Steve whispered soothing words into her ear. Soon, Steve felt Avery’s breathing return to normal and her head leave his shoulder. She wiped at her teary eyes and turned in her father’s arms towards Danny. “Danno, do you promise they will like me?”
Danny smiled at the simplicity of her question and replied, “Sweetie, I know they are going to love you!”
“Yeah,” Grace chipped in, “Nonna is seriously the best grandma ever! She bakes the best cookies and she will even let you eat the cookie dough if you help.”
And because Avery was only six years old and the bad in this world never seemed to last for very long, she smiled through her tears, straightened up, and grabbed both Steve and Danny’s hands and began leading them towards baggage claim. Steve reached out and took hold of Grace’s hand as they began their procession.
It wasn’t hard to pick out Danny’s parents in the crowd; they were the shortest and the loudest, but in a good way. Steve could hear Danny’s mother chastising her husband in a good-natured manner as he tried to take their luggage off the conveyer belt. Steve didn’t have time to dwell on why it was the familiar genial grumbling that put him at ease because Grace was already sprinting over to her grandparents, Danny not too far behind.
Avery gripped her father’s hand a little tighter and edged quietly behind his tall frame, wrapping her free hand around his leg.
“C’mon, Aves, it’s going to be fine. We will meet them for the first time together, how does that sound?”
“Okay, sounds good.”
Steve moved her out from behind his legs, took a deep breath, and made his way over to his future in-laws. He made it to Danny’s side and was about to extend his hand when Danny cut him off. “Mom, Dad this is Steve.”
Danny was beaming and it took all of Steve’s self-restraint not to kiss him senseless in that moment, but that would probably not have been the best first impression.
Instead, he managed to muster up every ounce of control and extended his hand. “It’s great to finally meet you. Danny talks about you all the time.”
Carol Williams’ face mirrored her son’s as she broke out in a toothy grin that spread from ear to ear. “Oh, Steven, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you.” She enveloped him in a hug, grasping him tight, just like a mother holds her son.
Steve hadn’t felt so loved in such a maternal way in years and he bit back the tears threatening to spill. He hugged her back and when they pulled away he nudged Avery to the forefront to introduce her, but Carol beat him to it.
“Oh this must be Avery,” she said as she knelt down so that she was eye-level with the little girl. “I’ve heard so much about you, but I can’t wait to hear more. And I’m hoping I get to see you swim while I’m here; Danno says you’re just like a fish in the water.”
Avery took a few deep breaths, calculating the sincerity behind Nonna Williams’ words. Her appraisal must have been satisfactory because she launched herself into Carol’s outstretched arms and hugged her tight. “I can show you how I swim in the ocean like a seal. I swim like a seal because Daddy is a SEAL and I’m good at swimming, just like him. And I can show you how to build a sandcastle and the best place for shave ice on the island. Gracie will come too, won’t you Gracie?”
“Of course I’ll come. Nonna and Papa, Kamekona’s shave ice is the best on the island! Just ask Uncle Steve, he advertised for him for a whole month while he was wearing a cast.”
Carol laughed as the two girls burst into a fit of speech as both tried to explain the intricacies of what makes Kamekona’s shave ice the best on the island. As Carol listened to the two girls, Danny’s father, Michael, stood behind his wife, holding onto their luggage and awkwardly shifting his weight from side to side.
“Dad, come meet Steve,” Danny urged as he took the luggage from his father. Steve extended his hand and Michael grasped it firmly, but dropped it rather quickly and moved towards his wife.
Steve looked over at Danny who was looking crestfallen; apparently his father wasn’t any more comfortable with Danny’s relationship than he was a year ago when he first told his parents about it. Steve reached over and gave Danny’s hand a small squeeze.
Danny just nodded and began to usher his family out into the bright sunshine of Honolulu.
Grace and Avery each held one of Carol’s hands as she listened to them with rapt attention as they talked about their dollhouses, Barbies, and the brand new fort shaped like a naval ship that Steve and Danny were building them. Michael walked a few paces behind his wife, watching her with the two little girls; Steve and Danny took up the rear as they carried the luggage. Steve heard Danny sigh. “It’s going to be okay, babe. He’s here, that’s what matters.
Despite what he had said, Steve wasn’t sure how to process Michael’s reaction, but for Danny’s sake he decided it was best just go with the flow and try his best not to get offended. Danny’s mom, on the other hand, was warm and welcoming and she had already put Avery at ease, something Steve was grateful for.
*H50*
The next night Steve was packing a few items into an overnight bag as he was going to be staying at Chin’s the night before the wedding. Carol knocked softly on the bedroom door, opened it, and stepped into the room. “I’m sorry to bother you, Steven; I just wanted to give you something.”
“Oh, you aren’t bothering me, Mrs. Williams,” as he gestured for her to sit on the bed.
“Oh dear, you can call me Mama, you are about to be family after all.” She patted the bed next to where she had sat down.
Steve obliged with a look on his face that Steve was sure Danny would classify as “goofy grin #3.”
“First, I want to thank you for how well you treat my son. I’ve never seen him this happy before, and as a mother all you want for your children is for them to be happy. I could tell right from the start that he wasn’t happy with Rachel, and though that relationship gave him a very special little girl, I’m happy that he’s finally found someone who makes him smile and laugh the way you do.”
“Thank you, ma’am, I mean Mama,” Steve blushed, “Sorry, it’s going to take some getting used to; I haven’t had to someone to call Mom in a long time.”
“Well, now you have someone to call Mama again, but with that comes some unfortunate responsibilities. It means that you have to keep me updated on your life, come visit as often as you can, and send pictures of your two beautiful daughters.”
“I think I can manage to do that.”
“Well, then you and I are going to get along fine, as long as you always eat way more than your fair share of whatever I cook.”
Steve tried really hard to hold in the groan that was threatening to escape; he knew from Danny’s stories that Mama Williams’ food was legendary, but all of Danny’s favorite things seemed to be high in calories and fat and were a lot of the things that Steve tried to stay away from.
Carol laughed, “I’m just kidding, sort of. Danny told me that you tend to eat really healthy, but I do think that it’s okay to give yourself a break every now and then, like the holidays.”
“I think I can make that compromise.” Steve smiled at the woman who was going to be his mother-in-law.
“Good, now my present.” Carol placed a navy blue ring box into Steve’s hand, “My mother passed away many years ago, and when she was getting along in her years she gave me her engagement ring. She wanted me to give it to Danny to give to the girl he fell in love with and found happiness with. She and my father were happily married for over 50 years, and she wanted to share that happiness with her oldest grandson.”
Steve smiled, though inside he was crestfallen. Was this her subtle way of disapproving of him? He knew that he isn’t what Danny’s parents expected for their son. He didn’t have much family anymore and sometimes he forgot what revealing their relationship to his parents meant for Danny. Steve knew that Danny’s family meant everything to him, and Steve could not be the reason that they were never close again.
“You know, Daniel was right,” Carol said, interrupting his thoughts. “Your face is very expressive; it gives away everything you are thinking and feeling.”
“I think that’s only true if you have Williams blood because nobody else has that capability.” Steve forced out as genuine a laugh as he could muster.
“Just let me finish before you freak out, okay?”
Steve nodded.
“Danny does not know about this ring because I didn’t want him to give it to Rachel. Maybe that was wrong of me, but a mother always knows best and I knew my son wasn’t going to be happy
with her. My mother specifically requested that he give this ring to the person he found true happiness with. The first time he mentioned his new homicidally-crazed partner, I knew. I knew that he had found true happiness with you, but it was just going to take some time for him to realize that. I know that you are worried about how Michael and I view your relationship, but I want you to know that all we’ve ever wanted is for Danny to be happy and have a family of his own. Michael may be struggling a bit with viewing Danny in a different way, but he loves him and he would never abandon him because of who he fell in love with. And I’m a mother and a mother always knows her child. I knew that Danny was different, but I didn’t push the fact. I knew he would come to me when he was ready to reveal that part of himself, and I’m glad he did it after he found love with you. So, I took my mother’s ring to a jeweler. It was a very simple ring, a half carat round cut diamond solitaire in a simple gold band. I had the jeweler take the diamond and make it into a pendant.”
Carol pulled out a second, longer box from her pocket and handed it to Steve. “I had them put the pendent on a small chain because I want to give this necklace to Avery. You have a wonderful daughter, Steve. I know that you have not had it easy, and that you’ve had to raise Avery on your own while still serving your country. But, I want you to know that you are no longer alone, and Avery is as much our granddaughter as Grace is, and we are so proud to say that. And you don’t have to worry about Grace being jealous; I gave her a locket that used to be mine for her birthday last year. So, you can just tell Grace that this is Avery’s big girl jewelry from Nonna.”
Steve opened the jewelry box and gasped at the beautiful necklace within the box, “Oh, Mama this is beautiful. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, Steven, and you also don’t have to tell Grace or Avery that this necklace was really made from my mother’s engagement ring; they can just think it was a necklace I’ve had for a long time, just like the locket. I just wanted you to know that you and Avery are my family and you will always be my family.”
“I…I,” Steve’s voice broke and his eyes began to water.
Carol patted his shoulder. “I understand, and now for your gift. I had the band placed in the center of a man’s white gold wedding band for you.”
Steve opened the box and looked at the simple, yet elegant wedding band – a gold line through the center of the white gold. “I’m speechless.”
“Good. I’m going to give this to Danny so that he can put on your finger tomorrow. I wanted you to hear the story from me because I knew that you were insecure about our feelings concerning your relationship; I wanted to allay those fears before you walked down the aisle tomorrow. I’ve never been happier to welcome two amazing people into my family.”
Steve didn’t say anything, but he wrapped his arms around the small women, gripping her tight.
“I love you, Steven.”
“I love you too, Mama.”
*H50*
Today’s the day. Steve is pacing back and forth through Chin’s living room; he’s already tried everything he knows to calm his nerves – swimming, running, and a shower. Nothing’s worked up until this point and he has devolved into wearing a hole through Chin’s carpet. Maybe he could convince Chin to spar with him; he could really use the opportunity to beat out his frustration. He mentally slapped himself as Danny’s voice filtered through his mind, ‘Really, you want to have a sparring match with your best man on our wedding day? That will do wonders for our wedding photos.’ Danny, as always, is the voice of reason in Steve’s life.
“Brah, relax, come have something to eat,” Chin said as he placed a calming hand on Steve’s shoulder and pushed the taller man towards the kitchen.
“I’ve already eaten.”
“Well, today you are going to need your strength; you are marrying Danny after all.” Chin laughed as he made quick work of whipping up an omelet for Steve, egg yolks and all.
Steve moved to stop him, but Chin held up his hand in a gesture that said, ‘Don’t argue with me, crazy healthy food has no place here today.’
Chin finished up the omelet with some shredded cheese, peppers, tomatoes, and a few pieces of ham. “If it was me, I would have had bacon or sausage, so at least be happy I chose a relatively healthy meat.”
“Mahalo,” Steve said as he cut into the perfectly cooked omelet. Steve knew the omelet was cooked to perfection, but his mouth was drying up and the food tasted akin to sawdust. He forced the food down for Chin’s benefit, but tasted almost nothing.
Chin cleared the plate as soon as Steve placed the last bite in his mouth. “Now, go upstairs and get dressed.”
“Mom, do I have to?” Steve whined as Chin gave him the ‘look of doom’ as Danny liked to call it. Steve knew better than to mess with that look. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”
“You would think you were getting ready for your execution not your wedding.”
“Well, I’ve never been married before,” Steve said before he realized what was coming out of his mouth, “I don’t want to screw this up like I’ve screwed everything else up.”
Chin’s ‘look of doom’ softened into ‘why are all of my friends so fucked up’. “Steve, there are a lot of things that you’ve done right in your life – your outstanding career, the wonderful ohana you have built here with 5-0, and most importantly, the beautiful little girl you’ve raised – you and Danny are going to be happy for a long time. Trust me, neither Kono nor I would ever let you guys go through with this if we didn’t know it would work. A divorce would sure make for some rather awkward work days.”
Steve tried to laugh, but what came out of his mouth sounded more like a nervous moan. He made his way up the stairs into the spare room where he had hung his dress blues. As he began to pull on each piece of official clothing he allowed his thoughts to drift to Danny. As much as Steve was well aware that Danny supported Steve’s military career, he felt awful that it was forcing them to have an “unofficial” wedding ceremony, even though civil unions were legal in Hawaii. This unfortunate schism between his career and his relationship had forced him to wait a lot longer to ask Danny to marry him. Steve knew he wanted to commit to Danny for a lifetime soon after the Jersey man moved in with him, ties and all, but he held back, fearing that he wouldn’t be able to give Danny exactly what he deserved – the opportunity to proclaim their commitment for the entire world to see. When Steve finally plucked up enough courage, Danny laughed and told him that his worrying was all for naught because Danny was well aware of what it meant to fall in love with a military man. Danny also made the very logical point that just because they couldn’t have an official ceremony doesn’t mean they couldn’t wear rings and show the world that they had someone, the world just didn’t necessarily need to know who that someone was.
Steve sighed as he buttoned up his last button and stood in front of the full length mirror, examining himself. Everything was in place and he was about as ready as he would ever be.
Today he was gaining a new family.
Today Avery was going to gain a second parent to love her.
Today he was going to become a married man.
Oh fuck, what a terrifying thought. Steve laughed as he heard Danny’s voice of reason follow the curse loud and clear, ‘You are going to be great, you big lug, now get your ass over to the house and make an honest man out of me.’
*H50*
The details of the wedding ceremony had been Kono’s doing; she had taken over as wedding planner with full force, the same way she did everything else in her life. She allowed Steve and Danny the last say on a few details, namely food, music, and what they were going to wear, but other than that she had the final say in every detail. Steve wanted to be upset, but it wasn’t like he was going to sit down with wedding magazines and plan his nuptials, so someone had to do it. And Kono did a great job keeping the two men in mind as she planned every last detail, even allowing Grace and Avery to add their own input here and there.
Avery and Grace were going to be flower girls. Kono had graciously declined Avery’s suggestion for one of the wedding colors to be pink cammo (a suggestion that Steve was glad hadn’t come to fruition), but let Avery decide the wedding flowers: orange calla lilies. Grace decided that she and Avery should wear white dresses while carrying the pretty orange flowers. Kono agreed because there had to be white at a wedding, and since neither groom was going to be wearing white then why not the flower girls!
The decision of what Steve and Danny were going to wear had been a tough one. Steve wanted them to have a semi-traditional Hawaiian wedding, which meant leis and Hawaiian shirts. Danny had never been more adamantly opposed to anything in his life. Well, he was adamantly opposed to a lot of things on a daily basis, but this opposition was definitely stronger than most. Plus, Danny had said, he was marrying a Navy man and said Navy man was going to wear his dress blues like every other sailor that gets married. Steve tried to explain his concern that he wasn’t sure he wanted to wear his uniform since it was his military career that was forcing them to have an “unofficial” ceremony with only their closest friends and family, the people they trusted to keep their secret. Danny agreed that if Steve would truly be uncomfortable he didn’t have to wear his uniform. It wasn’t until a week or so before the wedding that Steve decided he wanted to wear his dress blues, for Danny and for himself. Steve was proud to be a Navy man, and if Danny wasn’t uncomfortable with Steve wearing the symbol of the organization forcing them to marry in relative secrecy, then Steve was going to wear his uniform proudly.
“Daddy, Daddy, do you like my pretty dress,” Avery yelled as she launched herself up and into Steve’s arms.
Steve barely registered the flying six year old before grabbing hold of her for a long hug. “Sweet pea you are always beautiful, but today you are exceptionally beautiful. Thank you for being our flower girl.”
“You’re welcome, Daddy,” she said as Steve placed her sandaled-feet on the floor, “But you have to get ready to marry Danno! The wedding is going to start any minute, c’mon.”
Steve allowed the small girl to pull him towards the lanai door. The wedding music began to play as Avery pulled at Steve’s hand some more, “Daddy it’s your turn to walk down the aisle.”
Steve swallowed the bile that was beginning to rise in his throat and straightened his uniform, ‘Oh shit, here we go.’
He began to move forward as Avery slipped her hand back into his, holding her small bouquet of orange calla lilies in her other hand, and they walked out the door and down the aisle, towards the ocean, hand in hand. Father and daughter.
They made it to the beach where Kamekona was waiting to “officiate” the ceremony. Chin was standing on Kamekona’s right side and Kono was on his left. It had been very important to Steve and Danny that their Hawaiian ohana play a role in their ceremony. Chin was his best man and Kono’s was Danny’s best woman, as she liked to refer to herself. Steve smiled at his three friends and bent down to give Avery a kiss on the cheek. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and said, “I love you Daddy, now go marry Danno,” causing the gathered guests to laugh. She skipped off towards the front row that held Nonna and Papa Williams. The rest of the Williams clan had flown in the previous day, and were taking up the rows behind the matriarch and patriarch of the family.
Steve stood up and straightened his uniform just in time to see Danny walk through the door with Grace holding tightly onto his hand. Steve’s heart stopped, his breath caught in his throat, as he watched the man he loves walk towards him, tears already glistening in the sunlight. Steve felt the familiar sting of salty water in his own eyes as Danny bent down to give Grace a kiss before she joined her grandparents as well. Steve held out his hand as Danny took the final steps towards him and their future together.
Danny squeezed his hand as Kamekona began the speech that Kono had made him rehearse, “Ladies and gentlemen we are gathered here today…”
And Steve stopped listening because all he could focus on was the beautiful, most caring man standing opposite him, pledging to spend his life with Steve, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And, Danny laughed, he knew that between the two of them there would be a lot of sickness. Steve could feel Carol Williams’ soft smile as Danny slipped his grandmother’s ring onto Steve’s finger, and Steve couldn’t stop the shake in his hands as he placed Danny’s wedding band on his finger. And as their guests stood and clapped, Steve brought Danny into a soft, sweet kiss that held the promise of more to come. Not just tonight, but for all the years in the future.