“A lot has changed since then. Our family has grown. New partners. New babies and new friends to share our lives with.And most of us have believed for years that it’s all because of our resident matchmaker. But maybe we were wrong, since Ken told me a few hours ago that it absolutely wasn’t true.”
The crowd is now a sea of confused frowns. And I’m biting my nails to keep from clapping or shouting or ruining the moment.
Seamus smiles. “Come on up here and explain it to them, Tanaka.”
When I glance toward Ken, Michael is still staring at me, but he’s moved a little closer to the door. If he wants to talk in private, he’s not the only one. I need to apologize. To tell him why I reacted so badly and ask for another chance. But I can’t leave just yet. Not after Bex had shown me the video and I knew what was about to happen.
It was less than a minute long. In the recording, he and Brady were holding up a marriage license so the camera could zoom in to verify its authenticity, and then it pulled back so Ken could look deeply into the camera and whisper, “I am the night.”
I can’t believe they got him to say the Batman catchphrase on camera. Or that they left the lodge for a few hours and got married while everyone in Brady’s family was right here. Completely oblivious.
“Thank you, Shawn and Ellen, for letting me speak tonight,” Ken starts smoothly, drawing my attention. “I have something I need to say to your nephew in front of all the people that love him.” He takes Brady’s hand and my vision gets instantly blurry. “Before I met you, I spent most of my time in the dark. It was my job to be there. To see into those dark corners where people hide things they don’t want anyone else to know about. It left a mark on me. I don’t think I realized the extent of it, until you came along and made me want to fightforsomething instead of against it. I had people I protected, but you gave me a family to love. I was Uncle Necky. I was Batman. I was yours.” He takesa shaky breath and Brady steps closer, as if to shield him from his own emotions. “Even after all these years together, I still only want to be yours. Tied and bound to you in every way possible. I lost the plot for a while. But you’ve always been my light, Brady Finn. I swear I’ll never lose sight of that again.”
Ken looks out at the family, at us, with such fierce adoration on his face my heart stutters. “I know you’ve all been waiting for a while, but tonight, I wanted to officially invite all of you to my wedding to Brady, exactly four months from today. A summer destination wedding. Location TBD, but I’m voting for an island.”
The dining hall erupts with stomping and whistling and shouts of “Finally!” and “About time!”
Ken holds up his hand. “I’m almost done. This morning, I told Shawn about our plans. I also told him that I couldn’t wait another minute to make things legal, even if it meant getting married before the wedding and on his anniversary. He agreed and gave us his blessing, so we went down the mountain to find a justice of the peace to do the deed before lunch.”
“Wait, are you saying you’re already married?” someone shouts in confusion.
Ken nods. “Bellamy’s brother reminded me about the state of the world we’re living in today, and we didn’t want to wait. But there is no way I’m not making a huge spectacle out of finally marrying the love of my life.”
Brady is crying and…I admit it. I’m tearing up too. Four months means I’ll still be on sabbatical. Even if I can’t afford the flight and have to hide in someone’s luggage, there’s no way I’ll be missing that ceremony.
“Holy shit,” Connor says. “That’s where everybody was today?”
“Ken called and asked me and Val to be their witnesses,” Bex admits. “It was beautiful.”
I’ve got to say, as an olive branch, that was the perfect one for Bex. She’s been vocal for years about wanting those two to finally tie the knot.
“Win, come up here and sing a song for us to dance to. Dealer’s choice.”
I look toward the open doorway, my eyes seeking out the one person I’ve been thinking about all night. Where is Michael?
“We all deserve to be happy, Win. Our problem—yours and mine—is getting out of our own way so it can happen.”
Ken took his own advice today. I think about how long those two have been in love with each other. About the fifty years Shawn and Ellen spent together, supporting each other and raising children who wouldn’t accept anything less than everything. That kind of love is real and the proof is all around me.
Hearing the gossip about how they came together is different than witnessing their devotion for myself. All of them had obstacles. Pasts and scandals and prejudices to overcome. But they were still together. All still happy and still so in love it makes me ache with something I’ve never experienced before. Hope.
I’m scared, but I know what I need to do.
I have to tell Michael how I feel about him and see what happens next. Get out of my own way and trust what my heart is telling me.
Shit. Am I really going to do this now? Declare myself after a single weekend? In front of my friends and all those Finns?
Where the hell is he so I can do this before I lose my nerve?
“Nineteen thirteen,” I blurt.
“Uh-oh,” Val mutters, sending a panicked glance to Bex.
“What is he mumbling?” she asks.
“That’s the year. The first time the federal government officially recognized marriage in the Revenue Act,” I explain shakily.
“Okay, man. That isn’t even a funny anecdote. You’re just throwing out test questions now. Take a breath and tell us why you’re nervous,” Connor says soothingly. “You don’t have to sing again if you don’t want to.”
