“My son is very artsy fartsy. He pretty much put the whole thing together,” Ray said with pride.
I grinned. “He did a great job. The bride must be happy not to have had too much to worry about.”
“Oh—” Ray was cut off by the officiant.
“Ladies and gentleman, please take your seats. Everyone appears to be here, and our hosts are anxious to get started with their new lives.”
A woman began playing the ukulele and singing “Rhythm of Love” as two toddler girls walked slowly down the aisle with baskets of rose petals. “Those are one of my sisters’ grandbabies,” Ray whispered.
“Cute,” I said.
“Yeah, they are little terrors.” He chuckled.
When the girls made it to the front row, a woman reached for them. I wondered why Ray’s son wasn’t standing at the front with the officiant. A bridesmaid and groomsman began making their way up the aisle, followed by two more, followed by two men dressed much like Ray except in white. They were holding hands. I blinked.
One of the men looked like a shorter, darker, thinner version of Ray. A lot thinner. I gasped. I tried to be as discreet as I possibly could, but I was shocked. Ray hadn’t told me his wife was black or that his son was gay.
“Yes, my wife was black, and my youngest son is gay,” Ray whispered, as if reading my mind. “Is that going to be a problem?”
I flushed. “No, of course not.” I thought about it for a second and wanted to make sure he knew about me. “You know I’m black, right?” I wasn’t trying to hide it; it had just never come up.
He nodded.
“You do?” I asked, surprised.
Not everyone realized that black comes in many different shades.
He nodded again. “Why? Does it matter?” Ray asked.
I shook my head.
“Good. Are you okay with one of my sons being gay?” he whispered, a hint of concern in his voice.
“No. I just had no idea. We obviously still have a lot to learn about each other.”
“Yep, we do, but we have all the time in the world.” He reached for my hand. “Now, let’s pay attention. This is the only time Lucas plans to get married.”
I nodded, but I felt a little uneasy. I wondered what other surprises Captain Raymond Jackson had in store.
Forty minutes later we were seated in the reception hall of the hotel at a table next to the wedding party.
A woman with sky-blue eyes approached. She wore her gray hair in a short bob. She was athletic in build and embraced Ray in a firm, long hug. “Hello, stranger. How’s my favorite brother doing?”
“Great, Maxi. How’s everything?” Ray asked as he released her.
“Good. I was hoping to see Junior. I take it you two still haven’t patched things up?”
Ray shook his head, then cleared his throat. “I’d like you to meet Cass.
She’s the one who had the huge rattler in her yard.”
“Oh.” Maxi’s eyes widened. She surprised me by spreading her arms open and embracing me in a strong hug. “I’m a hugger. Sorry, don’t mean to scare you off. Lord knows my brother scares the good women away all on his own.”
I wasn’t sure if I should laugh. The comment made me feel uneasy.
“Just so you know, Maxi, I don’t scare them away. I just…”
Maxi crossed her arms, tapped her foot, and raised her eyebrows.