Page 80 of Forever We Embrace: The Later Years
Luther looks at each of us before speaking. His thumb moves once over Grayson’s wrist while his other hand remains against his mark.
“I promise to protect you without deciding for you. I’ll stand between this family and anything that comes for it, but I won’t mistake love for authority over your choices.”
I look at the cane in my hand, Luca’s full stomach, and the three men holding the circle with us.
“I promise to build a life with room for everybody and every limitation. Nobody in this family has to hide pain, fear, need, or desire to remain part of what we create together.”
Luca’s fingers tighten around mine. His voice shakes only once before strengthening.
“I promise to keep choosing openness without sacrificing safety. I’ll tell you when fear is changing what I do, and I’ll trust you to hear me without taking my choices away.”
Grayson smiles through the tears already moving over his cheeks.
“I promise to keep creating a home where care moves in every direction. I’ll give it, accept it, and leave room for joy that belongs to each of us.”
Maceo’s gaze moves from James to Luca before settling on the rest of us.
“I promise to stand beside you without closing my hand around your choices. I’ll remain steady when the ground shifts, and I’ll trust this family to tell me what support looks like when I can’t see it alone.”
The officiant begins the closing words, but Rosalie recognizes the part she has been waiting for.
“You can kiss now,” she says, gripping Luther’s lapel.
Rosalie’s announcement draws warm laughter from the guests. I cup Luca’s face and kiss him while Luther presses his mouth to Luca’s temple. Grayson kisses my cheek before leaning across to kiss Luca’s other one. Maceo bends to press a lingering kiss against Luca’s forehead, then draws Luther and Grayson closer with an arm around each of them.
The children push into the center before we can separate.
Samuel wraps both arms around my waist, careful of the cane. James presses himself against Maceo’s side, and Rosalie reaches toward Luca from Luther’s arms until she can kiss his cheek again.
Luca begins crying harder as the five of us bend around the children. Grayson’s hand slips into mine, Luther keeps Rosalie supported between us, and Maceo rests his palm against Luca’s back.
The officiant waits while we hold the children between us, then quietly directs the guests toward the reception.
The reception room is loud before the first course is served. Oliver is already crying against Nicholas’s shoulder by the time we reach our table, and he makes no attempt to deny it. Nicholaseventually passes him a handkerchief, then unfolds a napkin covered in his own handwriting when it is time for the toast.
“I didn’t write this in advance,” he says, holding the napkin between two fingers. “I wrote it during dinner because rehearsed speeches have never survived this family.”
Nicholas looks from the five of us to the children gathered beside the cake. “You’ve made a home people know they can enter and a family they know will answer. I’m grateful Bartholomew and I get to stand inside it with you.”
He folds the napkin and raises his glass. Oliver presses another handkerchief to his eyes while Wilson reaches across to squeeze Nicholas’s shoulder.
Lorenzo stands near the catering table, correcting the placement of one serving spoon before admitting the food is good. He speaks quietly with the staff, adjusts a centerpiece by half an inch, and later rests his hand against Nicholas’s back as they watch Bartholomew dance with the other children.
Rosalie spends most of one song standing on Luther’s shoes. She keeps one hand wrapped around his finger and checks his tie repeatedly to make certain it still matches her crown. Luther bends to kiss the top of her head whenever she looks up at him.
Samuel guards the pink dragon cake until Wilson agrees to serve as his assistant. James remains beside Maceo through half a dance before climbing onto his shoes and placing both hands against Maceo’s shoulders.
“Don’t go fast,” James says.
Maceo adjusts his hold around James’s waist. “I won’t.”
He moves slowly enough that James begins smiling after the first few steps. Luca watches them from his chair, one hand curved over his stomach while Grayson kneels long enough to remove Luca’s shoes.
By late afternoon, Luca’s ankles are swollen and the lower buttons of his jacket remain open. One foot rests across Luther’sknee while Luther massages the arch through Luca’s sock. Grayson moves another chair beneath Luca’s other ankle, kisses his forehead, and waits until Luca drinks several swallows of water before returning to the dance floor.
I sit for part of the reception too. When the ache in my legs begins to sharpen, I use the cane to return to the chair beside Luca’s table. Grayson notices from across the room, brings me water and a plate, and kisses my hair before returning to the children.
Luca turns his face toward me when I settle beside him. I kiss the corner of his mouth, then his cheek, and finally the warm skin beneath his ear.
