Page 47 of Elite Connections: an LGBTQ Romance Charity Anthology

Seven months later

It’s our wedding anniversary.We’re standing beneath the shade of palm trees, wearing matching linen suits. The white sand warms our bare feet, and a traditional French Polynesian band plays music quietly as we get ready to reaffirm our wedding vows. We kept the guest list small. My parents, older brothers and sisters and their families, Clive, Otis, and Maria, who now works with Bailey at Hope House, and a handful of other friends. Okay, so the guest list isn’t that small.

My mother sobs and dabs at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. I hope this makes up for missing our wedding ceremony when I got married on a whim.

We’ve opted not to have an officiant or anything like that. Why bother? We’ve done the legal bit. We want to show our family, friends, and each other that we’re committed to staying together.

I hold Bailey’s hands and stare into his eyes. “One year ago today, I made the best rash decision of my life—marrying you.”

“Aww.” Mum sobs harder.

Dad rubs her shoulders and hands her a fresh handkerchief.

“And while I don’t regret rushing off to get married the second I laid eyes on you, we did deprive my mother of the grand wedding she’d dreamt I’d have.”

Everyone chuckles, including Bailey. His ocean-blue eyes are a little watery.

“This isn’t that wedding either, but I can’t think of a more perfect place to renew our vows than Bora Bora.”

“Nor can I,” Bailey whispers.

“I promise from the bottom of my heart to love, honour, and cherish you throughout everything life throws at us. I love you.”

His chin trembles. “You realise I can’t top that speech, right?”

“You can try,” Otis says.

Bailey laughs. “Try.” He takes a breath. “Here goes.”

I squeeze his hands. “You’ve got this.”

“Meeting you turned my life upside down.”

“For the better?” Clive asks in a teasing tone.

I resist giving him the finger.

“Yes, for the better. Not only did I get the most amazing, caring, thoughtful husband in existence, but I also got a family.” He glances at my parents.

Mum sobs against Dad’s chest.

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it, Harper. I love you. I’m glad you chose me to be your husband.” He steps closer so our chests are touching. “Here’s to many more years together.”

“And many more trips to Bora Bora.” I wink.

“You’re the best husband ever, Harper Carr.”

“Nah, you are.”

“Nope. You.”

“Kiss already before you make us all throw up from your insufferable cuteness,” Clive says.

Our lips meet, and we kiss like we’re alone.

“Maybe you should go back to being sickeningly cute. Or, you know, get a room,” Clive says.

“Get a room. That’s a good plan, don’t you think?”

Bailey grins and nods.

I wave my hand towards the nearby tables and beach barbecue. “Enjoy the rest of the celebration. My husband and I are going to get a room.”

We don’t wait for any objections. Holding hands, we run across the sand towards the jetty, which leads to the bungalow we spent our first honeymoon in. We run all the way there, collapsing onto our bed, laughing as we fight to get our breath back.

Once our breathing has calmed, we lie on our sides, facing each other and caressing each other’s cheeks.

“Should we have run off like that?” Bailey asks.

“We’ll see them in the morning for breakfast. Unless we decide to blow that off too.”

“Hm, blow. There’s an idea.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Is that an offer, husband?”

“Yes.” He snuggles closer to me. “I meant what I said, Harper. Thank you for choosing me. You could have had your pick of all the male escorts at Elite, but you chose me.”

“All the male escorts who were crazy enough to get married to a stranger for a year.”

“Are you telling me I was the only one?”

“No.” I peck his lips. “But you were the one who caught my eye.”

“Lucky me.”

“No. Lucky me.”

He chuckles. “We’re in danger of becoming sickeningly cute again.”

“Do you care?”

“Nope.”

“Do you miss it?”

Bailey frowns. “Miss what?”

“Working for Elite. Getting wined and dined by a new person every night.”

“I never worked every night. Between you, Hope House, and painting, I don’t have time to miss it.”

Hope House has been open for three months. In that time, Bailey has created a hub for the homeless. As well as providing food and beds at night, it’s a help centre during the day. He’s forged links with the job centre, which sends staff once a week to offer advice. He’s also created links with local colleges and businesses and has put a tutoring programme in place. The walls have been covered in artwork created by Bailey and several of the people who use the shelter. Running Hope House and fundraising for it takes a lot of Bailey’s time, but he thrives on it. I help out where I can, mostly by doing what I do best—advising him on how he can make the charity’s money go further.

I put my hand on his hip and pull him closer still. “Those vows we just exchanged, I’m going to remember those as our wedding vows.”

“Me too. Today counts as our wedding.”

“In secret at least.”

“In secret.” Bailey kisses me.

“Which means this is our real honeymoon.”

“Yes.”

I roll onto my back, tugging him on top of me. “And you know the first thing that has to happen on a honeymoon, don’t you?”

He laughs as he presses his lips to mine. “Gay couples don’t need to officially consummate their marriage.”

I wriggle beneath him. “Does that mean you don’t want to?”

“I do.”

“Great. Flip fuck?”

“That will be the perfect way to start the rest of our lives together. I love you, Harper.”

“And I love you. Husband.”

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