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Adam woke up suddenly, as though an alarm had gone off and he was late. As he glanced over at the bedside clock, he realized it was in the wrong place. Actually he was in the wrong room. As his mind adjusted to being awake, he finally realized where he was, and more importantly, why. He and his friends had booked a few rooms in the local hotel in Tishomingo because Blake’s (their, Adam corrected himself) place was overcrowded as it was. Adam wasn’t sleeping in their bed because, as Blake said, it would be bad luck to see each other before the wedding, and they have already had enough bad luck with love for a lifetime.
Adam smiled to himself as the excitement and anxiety for the rest of the day flooded through him. Giving up on sleep entirely, he threw his legs over the side of the bed, sinking his toes into the carpet and walking towards the window; the sun was just peeking through the trees now. Adam rubbed his hands through his hair and over his face; the cool silver ring on his thumb making him laugh as he realized it was still there for safe keeping until he got to give it to its rightful owner. He thought about Blake lying in bed at home, wondering if he was up, if he had slept at all, if he was nervous or wishing they’d just fucking eloped like they had talked about so many months ago.
Glancing at his phone, he saw a number of texts, mostly from Blake in the middle of the night.
Can’t sleep without you hogging my covers.
Can anyone in the hotel sleep with your snoring?
Can’t wait until tomorrow.
Love you.
Adam smiled, and checked the time. 6:45am; it was going to be a long day for everyone, the ceremony not due to start until 4:00, and the party likely to last for most of the night. Adam wasn’t sure what the hell he was going to do all day in the meantime; eventually he’d wake up Mickey and James and they’d do their best to keep him from bouncing off the walls, and his Mom and Dad would be arriving soon for breakfast. He knew the day would crawl, and it would kill him; there was only one thing he wanted to do today. He just couldn’t wait to put on the suit and walk down the aisle on his way to marry Blake Shelton.
***
Blake tossed and turned in bed; he never had this much trouble getting to sleep, but then again, it had been a long time since he had slept without Adam beside him before such a big day.
Neither of them had toured in well over a year, deciding that it was time for a break, Blake wanting to focus on writing and producing, Adam working on everything from movies to fashion, both of them partners in everything they agreed to take on. It wasn’t perfect, and sometimes they both missed the live shows, but if they were going to make this work, they needed to strive for a little normalcy.
It was the day they decided to stop touring that Blake knew he wanted to marry Adam. He told him so, right there and then, lying in bed blissed out of his mind with Adam on top of him.
“Say that again,” Adam had said, sitting up, straddling Blake’s hips.
Blake could have taken it back, but the weird thing was, he didn’t want to. Impulse had taken over rationality, and he said again, “Will you marry me?”
With a face-splitting grin, all Adam could do was nod, and that was that (and after that came the best sex of Blake’s life, which was a pretty awesome bonus). After that, the time off was needed to plan the best (and absolute final last ever) wedding for the both of them. It’s true, eloping had been on the table; they had gotten really close, booking a week off to disappear down to Mexico without anyone knowing. Their moms weren’t fooled for a second, and threatened severe bodily harm if they didn’t get to be at the wedding. They compromised – a top-secret ceremony at the ranch, just their parents, and a few friends to manage the whole thing. It was without a doubt the most ridiculous thing Blake had ever done, treating his own wedding like a secret mission. Adam didn’t make it any easier – last night as they’d been decorating, carrying all their stuff in from the truck, Adam wouldn’t stop singing the Mission Impossible theme song, hiding tea lights and candles under his shirt.
“On your six Blake on your six,” Adam cried, tossing the cargo towards him.
“Will you stop that?” Blake said, exasperated. “No one knows we’re here, you’d need a twenty foot long lens to see anything worthwhile from the goddamn road anyway!”
“Google Earth,” Adam said, pointing up, striking a pose. “Always takin’ pics.”
“That’s from Parks and Rec, you’re not that funny,” Blake grinned
Back in bed, Blake gave up on sleep altogether – it was just before 7:00 anyway, he would have to get up sooner or later. He breathed deep, the air already starting to warm up as the sun and morning breeze blew in through the window. He wondered if he should send another text to Adam, but decided to just get up and will the day on until he could see him face to face again.
4:00 could not come fast enough.
***
“Hey guys,” Adam greeted his family as they arrived, his mom, dad, and respective stepparents piling into the hotel lobby en masse. It was good to have everyone together again; they all led such busy and different lives. His mom and dad had divorced so long ago that he had finally made his peace with their separation, knowing that it was never something he wanted.
It took certain situations to make you understand what you never could before.
During breakfast, they talked about everything, how his little brothers and sisters were doing in school, how the stores were doing, how the rest of their work was going. It was generic enough to keep Adam’s body still, though his mind flashed with a reminder “You’re getting married today” every so often, sending shivers down his spine.
Later, as he’s pulling his brand new, immaculate suit out of the closet, it all started to feel completely real. This is the suit he’s going to marry Blake in. These are the socks he’s going to wear when he marries Blake. This is the shirt and pants and jacket Blake is going to see him in when they say, “I do.” It was hitting home, and he didn’t feel the least bit scared.
He was ready.
***
The wedding was in Blake’s repurposed barn, the one he’d restored and renovated to be a party and performing space. A large, canopied huppah stood at the end of the aisle (for Adam), surrounded by chairs for their friends and family. No one would be standing with them – they were going into this alone, just each other to lean on, like they had for so long before this moment. The rest of the space was filled with lights, white twinkling lights and tea lights in jars hanging from the ceiling. Rich, dark fabrics covered the wooden walls, as though creating a cocoon for the ceremony, an impenetrable bubble from which they would emerge stronger.
As Blake looked around the room, he felt calm; everything felt right. There was no anxiety, no second-guessing. He just wanted everything to be perfect.
“Hey.”
Blake whipped around to see his mom walk through the open door, smiling at him fondly. “Oh Blake,” she said, looking around at the room. “This is so beautiful!”
“Thanks mom,” Blake smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He knew his mom had been a little disappointed in how his other relationships had panned out, but ultimately, he knew she only wanted him to be happy. Since he couldn’t remember another time where he felt this good about himself, about his life, this calm and safe, he figured she would be cool with that.
“How are you feeling, really?” She asked, knowing that Blake had a nasty habit of hiding his emotions from view. There was no need to hide today, he thought, smiling.
“I feel ready to get married.” He said, sincerely. His mom smiled broadly.
“Well then,” she said patting his arm. “We’d better get you ready for your man.”
Blake grinned, and walked with her back to the house, arm in arm.
***
Adam was shaking; everyone was here, milling around the barn, waiting for the ceremony to start, but there was one thing left for Adam and Blake to do.
Their friend Gene stood, poised to capture the moment on camera as it happened, as Blake walked down the side of the barn; as soon as he turned the corner, he would see Adam there, waiting for him, for the first time since yesterday when this day had felt like a million years away. Adam could hear the faint strains of music from inside the barn, strings playing popular hits, a mix of traditional and the contemporary. He wanted to close his eyes, make the moment last, but ultimately the urge to see Blake’s face was too tempting.
Adam heard the crunch of gravel underfoot and finally, Blake came into view, dressed in black pants, a crisp white shirt, and a black satin vest. As soon as he saw Adam he grinned from ear to ear, picking up the pace to reach Adam, who was also smiling broadly. It was happening; as Blake wrapped him up in his arms, he couldn’t resist kissing him, not caring for once that the camera had caught them. This was a moment he wanted to relive again later.
“Where are your jeans,” Adam said, laughing, tears falling in spite of himself.
Blake shrugged, still grinning, looking misty-eyed himself. “Little bit of you,” he pointed to the pants, which matched Adam’s in colour and fabric. “Little bit of me,” he said, lifting the pant leg to reveal cowboy boots because of course he would. Adam laughed, and couldn’t really argue with that.
As they faced the barn doors, they waited for Gene to signal James and Jesse; the music changed from strings to their chosen song, an obscure cover of Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” played on banjo and sung softly. It was the most appropriate song to walk down the aisle to that they could both agree on. Now, in the moment, it seemed like the only choice.
Ooh, you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me
It's you, you're all I see
Ooh, you make me live now honey
Ooh, you make me live
You're the best friend
That I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
You're my best friend
They walked down the aisle together, hand in hand, smiling, tearful faces on either side of them. It wasn’t until they reached the front that they looked at each other again, the song fading away as they beamed brightly. As the officiant stepped forward, Adam gave Blake’s hands a squeeze. They were finally here.
The ceremony was short and sweet and to the point. They didn’t write their own vows, opted for what the county deemed appropriate because really, who cared. As they exchanged rings, Adam taking Blake’s off his thumb and placing it on his left hand while Blake fished Adam’s out of his pocket and put it on him in turn, they realized that that was the turning point; that highly visible symbol of their commitment on display for the world to see made it all real, and in the end, so damn worth it. No one could take that away from them.
“By the authority vested in my by the state of Oklahoma, I now pronounce you partners for life. You may kiss.”
Their first kiss as husbands (because they had always been partners, since the day they had met and decided to go on a crazy ride that would define so much of their lives) is like their first kiss all over again. It was as though the whole barn had blown away and they were caught up in a storm of emotions; Adam felt the cool tears on Blake’s cheeks, could taste the saltiness on their lips, knew Blake could feel him shivering with excitement that this had really happened. Coming back down to earth wouldn’t be bad at all with him by his side.
***
The party did go on for ages, they had been right about that. The truly heroic amount of booze in the house had toppled even the biggest lushes in the wedding party, and most everyone was passed out on whatever surface they could find in the house.
It was almost daybreak again now, the entire previous day having come and gone in such fanfare and celebration that it seemed like a dream. As Blake stroked the new silver band on his finger he was reminded that it had been real, and he couldn’t be happier. He and Adam had retired to the front porch to watch the sunrise, their first as honest to god husbands. They curled up together on the padded bench, heads rolling every now and again only to jerk back awake.
Both he and Adam were exhausted, but had stayed up most of the night. They could both use a good night and day’s sleep, but couldn’t bear to move from their spot.
Music still played inside the house, the playlist switched to more slow acoustic fare now that everyone slept (“Always be prepared,” Adam whispered to Blake). As they listened to the cool, jazzy tones of Norah Jones, Blake felt completely content.
“Hey husband,” Adam said, grinning at Blake
“Hey husband,” Blake laughed.
“That’s not gonna get old anytime soon is it?”
“Nope,” Blake said, leaning in for a kiss. As the sun made it’s way over the fields, he gave a heavy sigh and rested his head on Adam’s. As Adam’s breath evened out into sleep, Blake continued to watch the new sun, looking inexplicably brighter than it did before. It was the first day of his new life – of their new life. It would be hard, a little weird even, but they could handle it.
Come away with me and we’ll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
and I’ll never stop loving you
And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me