Page 67 of Friendly Skies
Shaking off those morbid thoughts, Darius got into the car and took hold of Luis’ hand to give it a quick squeeze before he fastened his seat belt.
“Seat back in an upright position?” Luis asked as he started the car.
“Yup. And all items are securely stowed. Ready for takeoff.”
As Luis pulled out of the parking space, Darius reflected that he’d probably be able to recite the safety speech until he was old and wrinkled. He didn’t regret the years he’d spent flying. It had kept him and Luis close, and that was how Darius always wanted it to be. Side by side. Sharing everything that happened in their lives. Forever.
“I love you, mi amor,” Darius said.
Luis reached out and took hold of Darius’ hand. “I love you, too, cariño.”
Half an hour later, they pulled into a parking space and walked the block to the Herreras’ hand in hand. Over the past year, they’d done this many times, but today, it was something special because it was their first time as spouses, and Darius couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Life was so good right now, and he was happier than he’d ever been.
The gate was drawn across the driveway when they got to Luis’ house, and the reason for that became apparent as soon as they stepped into the yard. A giggling, dark-haired toddler ran across their path, followed closely by a sandy-haired guy who scooped him up and held him upside down, both of them laughing until Cart lifted him right side up.
Darius instantly knew it was Ry’s husband, Cart, and their son, Xian. He held out his hand. “Cart? Hi, I’m Darius.”
“Oh, hey!” Cart shifted the struggling toddler to one side and shook Darius’ hand. “Nice to meet you in person. Xian, can you say hi?” The toddler went instantly shy and buried his face in hisfather’s shoulder. Cart shrugged, then turned to Luis. “And you must be Mr. Herrera-Williams.”
Luis’ shocked face made Darius laugh. “He is,” Darius said to Cart, “but we’re still getting used to the new names.”
“Yeah. I remember that feeling. Same thing happens when you have kids and they start calling you Daddy. Or, in our case, babí and babá.”
“There you are.” All of them turned as another man came around the corner of the house. His face was very familiar to Darius after spending hours on Zoom calls with the lawyer. “I was wondering where this little monster had gotten to.”
Xian held out his hands and started saying, “Babí. Babí. Babí.”
Ry laughed and took Xian from Cart’s arms, then turned toward Darius and Luis. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Ry.” He held out his hand.
Darius grinned. “Sorry, man, a handshake isn’t going to cut it.” He opened his arms slightly. “Can I?”
A moment’s hesitation on Ry’s part, a look that passed between him and Cart, and then Ry nodded and accepted a hug from Darius.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Darius said to him as they stepped apart.
“Me either,” Luis said. He held out his hand, and Ry took it. “What you did for him…for us.” Darius watched Luis’ eyes tear up as the front door to the house opened.
“Ay. There you are!” Rosa said, motioning with a hurry-up gesture. “Come on. Come on. Everyone is waiting for you.”
Darius put a hand on the small of Luis’ back. “You ready, chico?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Luis said, but he was smiling as well as he reached for Darius.
They followed Rosa into the house and through the living room to the kitchen. Once again, Darius was struck by how manytimes his feet had walked this same path, how much of his life had been spent within these walls. He squeezed Luis’ hand and took a deep breath as Rosa opened the door to the backyard and announced them.
“They’re here,” she said. “Mr. and Mr. Herrera-Williams.”
Darius thought his heart was going to burst as everyone in the backyard clapped and cheered. His eyes blurred their faces into indistinct shapes, but it didn’t matter. The love and joy he felt coming from all of them was exactly the same, and it was perfect. Just like the man standing next to him. Without thinking, he pulled Luis into his arms and kissed him, which made their friends and family go nuts with catcalls and whoops, plus showers of confetti and streamers that draped themselves over Luis and Darius’ heads, but that was perfect as well. He bent Luis backward in a swoony, romantic kiss.
A few hours later, Darius was feeling very content. The party was in full swing, friends and family were mixing well, and, best of all, Luis had been by his side the whole time. When Micah performed a few romantic ballads for them, Darius took Luis into his arms and swayed with him in the center of the people they loved the most, but he only had eyes for Luis.
“I love you,” he said.
“Love you, too,” Luis answered and lifted his chin while tugging Darius down for a kiss. Like Darius was ever going to say no to anything with this man he’d loved his entire life.
A little while later, Luis went into the house to use the bathroom. Darius continued talking to Greg and Holden about their new place and the inn Greg’s parents owned near Aspen.
“You guys should definitely come visit,” Greg said, and Holden agreed.
