Page 41 of Gideon’s Gratitude (Love in Mission City #5)

Archer

Gideon begged for a small affair, but Clementine Chamberlain insisted upon a large gathering for her eldest child.

I, not wanting to be caught between my fiancé and my mother, remained neutral. I saw both sides of the argument. I liked intimate. A small day with just me, Gideon, and the kids appealed.

On the other hand, I’d never live down the harassment if I didn’t invite all my siblings.

At least my mother was willing to cap the guest list at forty.

My former receptionist, paralegal, and Jean-Michel were in attendance.

He tried to evade my sister Chelsea for all he was worth, knowing that way lay trouble.

To my exasperation, she was attending the wedding, with permission from the court, while wearing another ankle bracelet.

The judge had issued a stern warning for her to behave .

She’d promised and had been given leave to attend her big brother’s wedding.

Just this one time.

Probably helped the woman was a friend of Dad’s. The latest hijinks involved a blockade to prevent the pipeline from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia.

I didn’t bother to explain how futile her efforts were. At least she hadn’t blown anything up.

This time.

As for me, I’d landed well at the law firm of Herrington, Herrington, and Son.

None of the lawyers specialized in divorce, so my unique skill set was appreciated.

And I was already making a name for myself in Mission City as well as the entire Cedar Valley.

My colleagues had become friends, and so I’d invited them today—as a way to balance out my family and because, to my delight, my coworkers had become good friends with Gideon as well.

My new law partners, Everett, Gil, and Nicole were all here. Everett’s partner Rayne was as well and, frankly, the guy was a hoot. And a huge hit with our kids—especially when he brought his German shepherd rescue Champ to visit.

Champ and Lucky adored each other—and loved the kids even more.

Gil—the son in the Herrington firm—and his husband Cullen had two kids of their own who also enjoyed spending time with Melodie and Trevor.

Nicole was alone today. The most reserved of the four of us, she tended to hold things close to herself. That said, she clearly loved attending barbecues at our house and had taken a particular shine to Trevor, who found her unique, strawberry-blonde hair fascinating .

I’d tried to encourage Gideon to reach out to old colleagues and friends from his times at the docks.

He’d gently turned down the offer. Instead, he’d cultivated relationships with Maddox and Ravi, Justin and Stanley, as well as Dean and Adam.

We’d become good friends with the other gay men on our street, and so the six of them were invited.

When Gideon asked me if he could invite Rainbow and Kennedy, I’d been more than happy to agree. Despite Mother’s protestations, we weren’t going for traditional seating at the ceremony, thank God, because my side still would’ve outnumbered his.

Leo plus one would’ve made the even forty, but the surgeon had been called away for an emergency and hadn’t been able to make it. We’d become…friendly. Sometimes he just hung out so the kids could see the adults all acting…adult. Modelling good behavior.

It worked.

I was disappointed the man, and his potential plus one, hadn’t been able to attend. For the kids’ sake, it would’ve been nice. And not as awkward as I might’ve first thought.

Would Leo find his own happily ever after? I hoped so. These days, I wanted everyone to be happy. Heck, even Channing was bringing a date. A nice transwoman he’d met at the university. Who’d promptly been adopted by the entire Chamberlain clan.

Melodie presented herself before me. “When can I have cake?”

I eyed the three-tiered monstrosity. “I think Grandma might not approve.” I spotted my mother.

“Why don’t you ask her about a cookie?” I didn’t like doling out treats, but it’d be another five minutes before the ceremony started.

Most of my family still mingled, but Pia sat in the front row, holding baby Belinda, while Lucky sat at her feet.

The dog was fascinated by this new human. Another creature to wrap around his enormous paw .

Chad approached me. “I won’t ask you if you’re sure, because I know you are.”

“Six months seemed long enough to wait. We wanted things to be settled.” Today was sunny and, happily for June, not too hot.

My brother nodded. “And the fact you’re sneaking in a honeymoon?”

I glared.

Chad held up his hands. “I didn’t say anything. But maybe you shouldn’t have asked Cherry for help.” He held his hands higher. “She only told Cherish…and that was that.”

In other words, the entire family knew.

Our officiant, Lolita, took her place at the top of the aisle, and my family wandered toward their seats.

Chad and I approached the woman.

She gave us a benevolent smile. “Nervous?”

I shook my head. “No. This feels right.”

She grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Channing hit play on the sound system, and a light classical piece filled the air.

Gideon stood at the end of the makeshift aisle.

Melodie came first, throwing rose petals as practiced. She was adorable in her little pale-blue gown. She’d declared pink was for girly girls and she was mature now.

At seven.

She was going to be a handful.

Trevor followed, with the rings securely bound to the pillow he carried. His pale-blue bow tie was already askew, and Dad, the benevolent grandfather and child wrangler, rolled his eyes.

I, however, only had eyes for my groom.

Mother wanted tuxedoes, but we opted for suits .

At Melodie’s insistence, Gideon wore a pale-blue shirt with a navy-blue suit.

I’d chosen black with a crisp white shirt and a pale-blue tie that matched Gideon’s. I ran a hand down my collar.

“Nervous?” Chad whispered the word.

“Warm.”

“You’re the one who chose June.”

This date was a compromise. I hadn’t been willing to wait longer. I’d have done it in January if I thought Gideon would agree. The man’d wanted to wait a year. We’d split the difference.

As Melodie and Trevor arrived at the aisle, they took their appointed seats between Pia and my mother. Both kids were fascinated with their new little cousin. Melodie had declared she would be the next to have a child.

Gideon hadn’t bothered to explain that was unlikely.

Chuck stood at Gideon’s side. The two had bonded, with their children being so close in age. Heck, anyone in this room would have stood with Gideon. Unconditional support. Unconditional love.

The officiant’s words floated over me, and I spoke at the appropriate times. I even managed my little speech without choking up. But I made Gideon cry, and that made me uncomfortable. I didn’t mind his emotional nature, but I hated to cause distress in public.

“All good.” He whispered the words before he gave his speech.

His heartfelt sentiment of love lit something within me. I hadn’t known I could be this happy.

When the ceremony ended, Chuck took Trevor’s hand while Chad took Melodie’s, and they headed back down the aisle.

Gideon and I followed, to raucous applause from the Chamberlain crew and the other assembled guests .

My father had taken me aside and confided he never liked the previous choice of marriage partner, but that Gideon was a damn fine man, and I better not screw this up.

I didn’t intend to.

The party went on throughout the day and well into the night, only winding down when the younger kids had reached the end of their ropes.

Chad and Pia were the first to leave this time, Cherish and Maris the last.

“You did good.” Cherish slapped me on the back. Hard.

High praise.

“Yeah, I did.” I waved as my sister loaded the kids into the car and Maris drove their family away.

Adam and Dean had taken Melodie, Trevor, and Lucky over to Gideon’s old house, where the group was staying the night. Making a playdate of it. Giving the newlyweds privacy.

They all planned to come over for brunch.

Gideon made noises about selling the old house, but I encouraged him to keep it. For now, at least. His family history was in that home. And he needed to have security.

Not that I ever planned on letting him go. No, this was a forever thing.

He sagged against me.

“We did it.”

“We did.” I pulled him close. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you.” He glanced toward our house. “Now please take me inside, make love to me, and let’s sleep for twelve hours.”

“With pleasure. My forever man.”

He pressed a kiss to my lips. “Yep, forever. ”