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The McLaughlins are seated at table 2, along with his parents.
Not because they’re blood relatives, like the other aunts and uncles at the table, or anything of the nature, but because they’re not sure who else they’d even know to talk to with the guest list as it is.
And he’ll never hear the end of it if they have a bad time.
Not that he wants them to. He wants to be a good host.
This whole wedding thing has become a lot more stress than anticipated and Link would sooner elope in a field or a courthouse somewhere if it meant escaping the rigmarole whole cloth.
The way Christy was going back and forth with the florist right up until the night before makes him think she’d be inclined to agree, if they’d had to go through even one more week of preparation.
But it’s important for his family, new and old.
When he stops by during the reception to sit with his dad, they have a good talk about not screwing this up and putting Christy first after God. It’s a lot of the same warnings that a lifetime of observation has already taught Link to not do, but he smiles and nods.
His mom is up dancing with her new husband and Rhett’s mom is up with a set of Christy’s older cousins. When Link’s dad excuses himself to get more pork from the buffet and a cigarette (he says he’s not yet decided the order), it occurs to Link that he and Rhett’s dad are now the only two left at the table.
The same thoughts seem to occur to Rhett’s dad, as well, who shifts politely over to meet Link where he’s sat. Link stills, warily, but knows he can excuse himself shortly after to avoid any prolonged awkward conversation. First, he does need to pay his respects. He’s host, after all.
“Did a great job today, out there, Lincoln. Your pop’s been going on and on about it, all night.”
“Oh, well, thanks —” Jimmy, is what Link knows he should say. He’s always struggled being that casual with Mr. McLaughlin and has even opted for "Jim” in other such occasions that called for him to address him directly. It has earned him looks.
But it feels strange to call someone who’s that big of an authority figure to you by their first name. Like running into your biology teacher at church. In Link’s defense, he even is a professor. There’s a certain air of seriousness that settles over every conversation they have.
Much like what is happening to this very one as Link starts to squash it. He tells himself that this is as good a time as any to start acting like a real adult, even if he’s just pretending to be one.
He leans into the expected exuberance of being the groom and hangs on his last word with a big smile. He’s not in the mood to figure out what to call Rhett’s dad, so he doesn’t call him anything.
Mr. McLaughlin merely nods.
“And thanks for putting up with the rest of table number 2’s antics,” Link jokes, trying to lighten the tension at his tongue-tied response.
“’S a good bunch,” Mr. McLaughlin answers, dismissing the presumption with a hand wave and a smirk. “All very proud of you and Christy, tonight. Everyone’s in good spirits,” he points out, motioning to the dance floor where one of Link’s cousins is dancing a little risqué for this crowd. Link cringes. “Extra good spirits, some.”
He reminds himself that, yes, they do have good reasons to be here.
It’s been hard to shake the feeling of the stressful event being anything but a burden as of late.
This is supposed to be a party.
“Just glad I didn’t screw it up,” Link jokes. “Say the wrong name, something stupid.”
“Say the wrong name?” Rhett’s dad laughs at that and Link blushes. He's proud that he got him to chuckle, since it’s not easy to do. “I think you have more to worry about than just screwing your marriage up, if you’d have said the wrong name up there.”
Link laughs. Then it hits him. “Gosh, I’m married.”
Mr. McLaughlin laughs and gives a knowing head shake at the bewilderment. “Welcome to the club. We all get matching rings and keys,” he jokes, wiggling his finger and patting his chest pocket. “Now, you just gotta work on your golf game.”
Link stares off, wanting to laugh, but mostly just flabbergasted that he has more in common with Rhett’s dad than Rhett when it comes to their marital status, at the moment.
Mr. McLaughlin can tell.
"We’re happy to see you settle down. Hope my other son will, too,” Mr. McLaughlin says, eyeing where Rhett is dancing with his beautiful date. They both know it’s only a matter of time.
“Definitely. Any day now,” Link assures him.
“Well, you’re a lucky man. She’s a beautiful bride.”
“Thank you.”
“Here, I was startin’ to think you were hung up on my son, before I saw a picture of the two o’ you together.”
Link laughs because there was nothing else he could say. Then, unthinking, he responds, “Same.”
The answer lingers in the air for a second.
Then Link realizes it suggests something he did not mean and certainly not the kind of thing he felt comfortable even erroneously implying to Rhett’s dad.
‘Cause he wasn’t. He couldn’t be.
“I mean… not. That’s not even legally poss… well, you know that,” Link stammers out in a rush to find a point before he finally gives up. He looks for something far away that would be reason enough to get up and leave this conversation.
Mr. McLaughlin has known him just as long as Rhett, however, and can see the unease run steady through him. The older man’s rosy cheeks stay upturned.
“Well, of course. But I’m sure you’ll make a great son-in-law to anybody lucky enough to getcha as one. You’ll be glad to hear, tonight, Christy’s folks seem to know so. We certainly made sure of it, if they didn’t.”
Link looks forward, out past the empty table before them.
He sees Rhett dancing with Christy and a few friends.
His heart and mind are blinded by the compliment, especially given the source.
His eyes slam shut while he bares his teeth, like he’s laughing, but he’s not really. It’s a different kind of joy, though equally radiant. Beyond any kind of filter he could have by this point in the long day, he nearly cries, feeling overwhelmed with happiness.
He breathes in deep.
“I hope they’re nice. They seem real nice,” Link explains, barreling past the high praise in hopes of not getting any more emotional tonight than he already started out.
“They do.”
“You know how I can be. I worry they might not know what they signed up for.”
Mr. McLaughlin smirks because he does know.
“Well, can’t say they did. But, even if they have a hard time at first, they’ll come ‘round.”
Link nods, looking at the older couple in question who are also up on the dance floor.
“We’re always gonna be here, though, so if you ever run into any trouble with them. You just come to us. Marriage, the new house, any of that. Well, Rhett’ll tell you that, I’m sure.”
“Oh, you don't—” Link begins, trailing off speechless. He’s startled by the show of generosity from the same man who used to scold him for eating their bacon bits supply out of house and home. "You don’t have to do that. We’ll be all right.”
Rhett’s mother arrives suddenly, sitting back down in a rush. She takes a large gulp of ice water and jostles her feet around under the table to relax her heels off after so much dancing. Link’s mom does the same thing when she dresses up.
“Was telling Lincoln, here, how proud we are of him and Christy, today. And to come to us if he has any issues. Not that we’re marriage experts or perfect at it, but we got a decent track record. I think he’s worried that’s asking too much of us.”
Rhett’s mom smiles at Link, shooing at his sleeve with a loving slap of her palm. “Nonsense, sweetheart! You’re family. That’s what family does. You’ll know soon enough, what with startin’ your own.”
Mr. McLaughlin nods. Link knows that she speaks for them both. Always has.
Link extends an open palm and shakes first Mrs. then Mr. McLaughlin’s hands in parting.
“Thank you both for coming. Truly. I care for you deeply and I’m glad that you’re here.”
“Oh, honey, aren’t you — it’s our pleasure, darlin’ and I hope you remember to dance the night away,” Mrs. McLaughlin says back, beaming.
Link waves as he makes his way towards where the rest of his friends and family are on the floor.
.
“Did my dad say you were like a son to him?” Rhett asks, carefully taking the shimmering tuxedo off so the beaded design doesn’t snag his hair (beard or pony). “Or am I making things up in my head?”
“Think he did, yeah,” Link confirms, dreamily.
“Then he said he loved you very, very much?”
“Sure did,” Link hums back, smile huge.
For a long time, Link has blocked out the memory of something similar happening before.
A misspoken joke that haunted him anytime he brought strife into Rhett’s life that he knew the older man would be there to witness or pass judgment on. In his defense, more often than not, it was usually Rhett bringing strife into his life and Link merely trying to maintain something resembling calm. At least that’s what it felt like.
There’s plenty of years and states between then and now.
Back then, the exchange ended on a polite note where Mr. McLaughlin wished him well. He editorializes the rest in his head. For all he knew, his slip-up wasn’t even fully understood by the older man.
Last time he saw Rhett’s parents, they were gushing over something to him, even. They’ve come a long way to now give high praise over how casual he was having met someone they watch every week on CBS. It’s still hard, however, for Link to separate the two different versions he has of them. Three of four versions, really, if he includes the iterations before then.
It’s hard to imagine the stern authoritarian figures they were to him growing up being so kind and gentle with him, in adulthood. It’s not something he ever expected to get from them and so he’s surprised time and again to receive it.
Either way: today was different.
Today was public and honest and a little blurry, but that could have been due to the pixel count, not his tears.
And he’s on cloud nine.
Rhett whines, “I don’t even get that kind of talk from him.”
“He said he loved both of us,” Links exclaims.
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, really!”
“How did I miss that? Did my ears just turn off in the middle or somethin’? I totally missed that.”
“Maybe you were as hung up on him calling me a son as I was. As I am. I remain.”
Rhett pauses. He doesn’t answer and that’s essentially confirmation to Link that it’s true.
"He’s never did that before,” Link says flatly.
“No,” Rhett says, simply. He puts his hands on his hips, below where his untucked dress shirt tails have fallen, and looks hard at the far wall, like he’s working on a math problem.
“It was nice.”
Rhett’s quiet for a little while longer, then he adds, “You are, basically. His son-in-law, that is. For all intents.”
“Right?” Link agrees, chipper. Rhett’s been teetering in and out of “about to cry” all day and Link’s trying to keep him right side up. They still have meetings after this. “Got a ring to prove it and everything!” Link adds, wiggling his finger in Rhett’s face like that might help snap him out of the seriousness of his stilted posture.
Rhett looks over, finally tearing his gaze from the wall, to focus on the new ring Link has. Not the matching one from before. The new… also… matching one. A uniquely matching one, actually.
All that seems to matter in Rhett’s gaze is that they are identical rings, just as Link teased.
It’s not meant as a joke, necessarily, how he says it. Just as the original comment about being hung up on Rhett wasn’t, if he’s honest with himself, which is something he’s been trying to do more of lately.
Something in Rhett’s expression let’s him know they’re on the same page. His eyes brighten.
“You know he told me I’d be a good son-in-law before I even really was one. Still not sure I’m living up to that with Christy’s parents, but lord knows I try. I think he knew I would. Helped to know he thought that of me, back then, that I could be. Especially helped when it was a lot harder. Startin’ out. If he thought I could do it…”
“I’m sorry he’s been such a hard ass on you, too,” Rhett interrupts, gently.
“Hey, don’t talk about my dad like that!”
“Link…”
“I’m serious!” He sticks out his tongue.
“You can’t honestly say he hasn’t annoyed you, too, in the past?”
“Of course! But everybody’s capable of change, Rhett. Aren’t you the one always telling me that?”
Rhett sighs.
“Besides, I think he was worried I had a crush on you growing up and took it out on both of us. Probably thought he was protecting you or me or us both. He didn’t know any better. Should have, but… he didn’t. It was a different time.”
Rhett blanches. “Link. What in the hell comment section did you get that idea from? You even hear what you're sayin'?”
“He said it himself,” Link tells a stunned Rhett. Then continues to shock, by specifying, “At my wedding.”
Rhett puts a palm to his forehead and drags it down to smush his whole upper face. “Oh, god. That's… I had no idea he did that. I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, it’s fine. What’s there to be sorry about?” Link asks, nearing Rhett slowly.
“My dad making assumptions has always been… and on your wedding day? I can’t begin to… I don’t know why he’d even have a problem with it, it’s not right that he did.”
Link pauses. “Did he?”
“What?” Rhett asks, visibly abandoning his earlier train of thought in an attempt to follow what Link means.
“Have a problem with it. Did he?”
“Well, I mean… you just said…”
“I used to think that, too, but… after today? Even then, when I told him I was nervous about being good enough for Christy’s mom and dad, he said l would be. Kind of like how someone would say it if they already knew from experience. Like you said. For all intents and purposes, I am.”
“I guess it’s a hypothetical, then, because I’m sure he’d have a problem, if you had… you know, if you actually were hung up on me.”
There’s a long pause.
Something about the way Rhett looks — shy, young, embarrassed — forces Link to be brutally honest with him. If only because a part of him remains haunted that it’s a secret he and Mr. McLaughlin haven't shared with Rhett until now. He wants to be open with Rhett, fully, for the rest of time.
“I told him I thought I might be,” Link says.
Then, at Rhett’s speechlessness and staggering look of disbelief, he lets out something that until moments ago was secret even to himself, “I think I maybe still am.”
“Link…” Rhett trails off, deeply unsure.
Link shrugs.
“And you don’t think he had a problem with it? Even back then?” Rhett whispers, breathless.
Once again, Link’s shoulders raise up, dismissive. “He said what he said, yeah. But, I married you anyway, didn’t I? Who had the last laugh?” Link asks, wiggling the finger with the black band again. “Or 'ye shall hold your peace’ is how it goes, right?”
Rhett stares at Link and then the ring then back at Link.
“We’re not…”
Link smiles. The weight that’s lifted from his shoulders makes the rest of the words tumble out with confidence and joy.
“I’m like a son to him,” he crows.
Rhett breaks down, finally. Acknowledging those were the actual words he heard earlier makes it impossible not to. Tears shatter his composure and he looks away as they sting his eyes. “And we used to joke about how annoyed he would get at you.”
Link nods, he remembers probably better than anyone short of Rhett what it’s like getting yelled at by Mr. McLaughlin.
Everyone fell as short as they would next to Rhett’s actual height when it came to that.
But Link put up numbers. So, it does feel astounding to think that they may have inadvertently turned a corner on a lifetime’s worth of derision in the span of an hour. Really only a tiny little clip.
“I know,” Link confirms.
Rhett sniffs as he tries to calm himself. Link’s near enough now to reach out a hand and pat Rhett’s right arm.
“I-I never thought I’d hear him say it like that, just all normal, and stuff. Just like that,” Rhett explains. “Right in front of everybody. It’s just — it’s — it’s just…”
Link reaches over and pulls Rhett into a firm hug. He rubs Rhett’s back along his shoulder blades. “He loves us, just like he said. Of course he does, Rhett. Same as we do any of our kids.”
When Rhett pulls back it’s only for a second long enough to touch his forehead to Link’s. “You tryin’ to tell me we’re married and I never even kissed you?”
“Technically…” Link starts, putting a hand up like he might argue the point, and he leans in close to emphasize the word.
Rhett catches him off guard and joins their lips, transcendent. Softly, they press together.
When they pull back there’s only enough space for their foreheads to remain flush. Rhett is leaning down at the right angle so that Link doesn’t have to do more than look upward to remain rested against him.
“You have, yes. We’ve kissed,” Link finishes his earlier thought more accurately with a cheek-bursting grin.
“I love you, bo. You already know that, right?” Rhett asks, pressing a palm to cup the length of Link’s jaw.
“I do,” Link confirms. His eyes soften as he realizes his words. He pushes forward to offer Rhett the same in return. “I’ve loved you since forever… ’til forever. You get that, now?” He adds the question purposefully.
Rhett instantly catches his meaning, pulling him back in for another kiss, one that Link was anticipating even less than than the first. This one has tongue and teeth with a hint of warm sugar. A buried mewl escapes from deep in Rhett’s chest as they squeeze together for a final lip smack before parting.
Once he pulls back to take a breath, Rhett boasts proudly, “I do.”
.
Next time they shake hands, Link greets Mr. McLaughlin, “Dad!”