For Sale

Chapter 6 - JUSTIN

The gallery opening was everything my agent and the gallery manager expected it to be. All but three of my paintings had sold stickers on them by the end of the opening night, and the remaining paintings were expected to go by the end of the week, when the reviews came out in the newspaper.

Mom, Daphne and Deb were all there, too, which made Brian and my announcement of our plans much more festive than we’d expected.

Mom insisted on bringing us to Tavern on the Green on Saturday, to celebrate. She also confirmed that the advertisement for the sale of Britin would be removed from publications immediately.

Brian thought it would be prudent to remove the ad for my apartment as well, but I insisted that I had thought this out and there was no turning back. He had smiled at the phrase and all discussion of the apartment ended.

Brian and I decided to go straight to Massachusetts at the end of the weekend. We’d wait until my things were moved back to Britin before taking our honeymoon. I was anxious to return to our home, and I’m pretty sure Brian was equally as anxious.

Mom wanted to go with us to Massachusetts but we refused, insisting that we’d celebrate and have a grand reception in Pittsburgh. We wanted this to be something that belonged to just us.

In the meantime, Ted and Cynthia were assigned the task of organizing all the paperwork for our signatures upon our return. Brian had no intention of being married in name only. When he does something, he does it all the way, no looking back. That was just fine with me.

We had a simple ceremony with a judge as the officiant. She seemed pleased for us, and that helped to relax us when it was time to say the actual vows. Although I might have liked to have written something special for Brian, the fact that he wanted us legally married was enough for me. I had no intention of adding pressure and ruining our moment.

When we approached the judge she handed us each a boutonniere.

I was so surprised, “That’s so nice of the city of Cambridge to do. Do they do this for all couples that marry at the City Hall?”

The judge smiled, “Cambridge didn’t do this.” Then she looked at Brian, who looked down at the ground.

“I see.” I touched his cheek gently and guided him to look at me so he could see my gratitude.

When the judge declared that we were now spouses for life, before she could say anything else, Brian grabbed me around the waist and kissed me good and hard.

Then he smirked, “And that seals the deal, doesn’t it, Your Honor?”

“Better than anything I’ve ever seen before.” She laughed and then shook hands with both of us. “I wish you both a wonderful life together.”

“Thank you. I really believe we might just be able to make that wish come true.”

“Come on Sunshine, it’s time to get you and your hot little ass to the Cambridge Marriott and then tomorrow we’re off to the wilds of West Virginia.”

“West Virginia? What could you boys have in West Virginia that you couldn’t get in the great state of Massachusetts?”

“Britin.” I smiled broadly.

“What?”

I looked at Brian when I answered her, “Home, my life, my everything.”

“Well, then you best be going.”

Brian leaned towards the judge, kissed her on the cheek which clearly surprised her and whispered in her ear, “Thank you. This means more to me, to us, then you could ever imagine.”

She simply nodded with a look of understanding. I wondered how many gay couples she’d married who had said the same thing to her. It didn’t matter, because the fact that Brian could say those words and mean them meant the world to me.

Our wedding night was pure bliss. Brian had arranged for the honeymoon suite and had it decorated with candles. Unbeknownst to him, I’d arranged for a bottle of Dom to be left chilling near the sunken tub, with two glasses.

We made love in the tub amongst bubbles and then after we toweled off we made love again in the bed. I know Brian would hesitate to use the term making love regularly but that’s exactly what it was.

At one point he held my hand, now with a wedding band on it, in his hand with his ring on it. “It’s about time these two were given their rightful places.”

“It’s about time both of us took our rightful places.” He held me tighter after that, and we slept, clinging to one another throughout the night.

Traveling home the next day was tedious. Every moment seemed like a year. I hadn’t been to Britin in so long. All I wanted to do was get inside and never leave again.

Britin, my sanctuary, my home with Brian.

When the taxi pulled up there was a sign across the front door. It was obviously made by the less than talented hands of Debbie Novotny, and almost certainly with coaching by the ubiquitous Jennifer Taylor and her sidekick, Daphne Chanders.

It read, “Welcome Home Newlyweds”.

They were right, we were finally together. We were finally home.


[The End]
 

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