I know. Mark’s eyes flashed back.
You better not change your mind, he warned.
“I’m keeping you,” Mark said aloud. “And yeah, I’m ready.”
“Me too.” Isaiah tried to calm the galloping zebras in his stomach. This is really happening.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Mark couldn’t believe it was real. They really did it. Stood up there in front their friends and family, said the right words at the right time. Maddox’s pastor had had some beautiful things to say about creating families and did a great job including the kids in their big day. Late last night, lying in Isaiah’s bed, they’d written some vows together. Not poetry or even close. But heartfelt promises. Promises to trust. To talk. To work together. A blueprint for the future they wanted together.
“I promise to never forget that you’re my person. My everything.” Mark managed to deliver the final lines without his voice breaking, which was something of a miracle. Next, they did the standard vows too, and that was easier, just saying “I do” at the right intervals, trying not to look at Isaiah or the audience as his eyes were already burning and he was not going to cry.
But then he did have to look at him to do the rings and it was a close thing, not crying. Given how much work they both did with their hands, they’d decided on simple titanium bands that would stand up to the abuse they were sure to dole out. And picking them up had been on Isaiah’s share of the to-do list, so Mark hadn’t seen them until that instant, hadn’t had it really sink in that he was going to wear this the rest of his life. For the rest of his life, he’d be able to look down, see this and know he was Isaiah’s.
Dust. Pollen. Rogue raindrops from a cloudless sky. Not crying. Not him.
“It’s okay,” Isaiah whispered as he slid the ring on, his own eyes shining.
Finally, the officiant said, “You may kiss.”
Oh crap. Maybe they should have rehearsed this. Was he really going to kiss Isaiah in front of Isaiah’s father? His teammates? Rogers?
Yes. Yes, you are. If you don’t you don’t deserve Isaiah, don’t deserve those rings, don’t deserve this family. And besides you really want to.
Yeah, he did. He pulled Isaiah to him, the quickest of kisses, a bare brushing of their mouths, which Isaiah was apparently on board with, pulling away fast. But then Bacon coughed. “Seriously dudes? You guys like each other, right?”
And okay. Mark was a teeny bit competitive. So he tugged Isaiah back again and kissed him. Really kissed him. Six years of waiting for that first kiss. The certainty that Isaiah was the one. The worry that Isaiah would never forgive him. The joy at sharing this moment together. The audience whooped and applauded.
“Stubborn SEAL.” Isaiah laughed and shook his head.
Someone hit play on the music—their song playing as they made their way back down the aisle, collecting the kids as they went, letting the girls dance in front of them.
Afterward, they all had the cupcakes Maddox had brought and made plans to catch the hotel-provided shuttle over to the theme park after changing out of their dress uniforms. He was feeding Liam crumbs of cake when a contingent of Dylan, Tovey, Horvat, and Bacon came over to where he sat on the bench.
“We know you want lots of pictures at the park with the kids,” Dylan said. “But after that, we’ve made dinner reservations for the two of you. We’re taking the kids tonight.”
“What? We’re fine. They’re kind of a handful and you’ve got the twins already.”
“That’s why I recruited help. Apollo’s coming up tonight after he’s off duty. And until then, I’ve got help.” Dylan indicated the other guys. “Ben’s got nieces and nephews. Maddox has treats. And Bacon’s here for damage control. It’s your wedding night. You need to enjoy it.”
“And don’t feel you have to come get them too early tomorrow morning either,” Tovey joked, winking at him.
“Doubt they sleep,” added Rogers, who happened to be nearby. Mark still wasn’t quite over him showing up. He didn’t know what sort of magic Tovey had worked on him, getting him and most of the rest of the team there.
“Don’t I know it.” Tovey chuckled. “We needed a vacation just to recover from the honeymoon.”
The guys all laughed, shoving at his shoulders, and making the sort of wedding night jokes Mark supposed were standard. Sex. Of course, that’s what everyone assumed they’d be doing tonight. Wild, freaky, exhausting sex, of the sort Mark had a hard time visualizing. Was that what Isaiah was expecting too?
Crap. In all the wedding preparations, he hadn’t thought about this, hadn’t let the old worries that maybe he wasn’t enough for Isaiah back in, but now they returned full force and stayed with him even as they headed for the shuttle. They stuck to the little kid rides for Daphne and Zoe, exploring at their pace, making sure their friends got lots of pictures of the five of them together.