Millennium Love Scott 47

Our flight was finally called and we boarded the plane. After a short ninety-minute flight we landed in Kentucky. Harold Jr. was waiting to drive us to the farm. By the time we got there, it was late and we were exhausted. Brian and I managed to greet Jackie and Harold, before excusing ourselves to go up to our bedroom and crash.

I woke up the morning of Christmas Eve happier than I had ever been. Brian was in my arms and just starting to wake. He rolled over to face me and we just smiled at each other, before he leaned closer for a quick kiss.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you," I whispered back.

The alarm beside the bed suddenly went off, making both of us jump slightly. I rolled over and turned it off.

"Did you set that?" I asked Brian as I turned back to him.

He shook his head. "No. Maybe Mom did for some reason?" he suggested.

Before I could comment, there was a knock at the door. We both sat up in the bed and made sure the blankets covered us.

"Come in?" I called.

The door opened and I was stunned as Jackie, Harold, my Mom and Dad walked in.

"Surprise!" they said in unison.

I had no idea what they were up to. A glance at Brian showed that he was confused too. He was probably wondering why my parents were there. I hadn't expected them at the house until later. Dad and Harold were carrying trays with food that they brought over to the bed and set on each bedside table.

"You two are wonderful sons and smart men, but we decided to let you both in on the big secret," my Mom said.

I was confused. I knew about the secret, since I planned it. I looked at Brian again. He looked just as confused.

Jackie laughed. "Boys, you really shouldn't keep secrets from each other! Now, eat your breakfast and talk!" she instructed. The four parents left, closing the door behind them.

"Um, I was going to talk to you after breakfast," Brian said softly. Talk to me?

I looked at him and had a growing suspicion. "I was going to talk to you after breakfast too," I admitted. Brian looked up at me startled.

Then he began to smile. I started to laugh. "You didn't?" I managed to say.

He started to laugh too. "I think I did," he replied. "Tuxedos, decorations, and rings," he added.

I shook my head. "And all our friends and families! They must be killing themselves laughing at us. Everyone knew but us!" I pulled Brian into a hug. "When did you start planning?" I asked curiously.

Brian turned so he was tucked under my arm, but could still see my face. "Right after your birthday," he replied. "I realized how much I wanted to be 'married' to you."

"That's when I started to make plans too. I called Jackie when you guys were at rehearsal in Tulsa," I told him.

His eyes widened. "I called her when we were in the limo on the way to that rehearsal!" he exclaimed.

I kissed his nose. "Well I guess great minds do think alike," I commented lightly. "So what are we going to do? Do we have two completely different sets of plans?" I asked.

Brian shook his head. "Let me guess. Mom offered to make all the arrangements for you?" Brian said.

I nodded, then realized what he was saying. "And she offered to make all arrangements for you too," I said. He nodded.

"Your mother is one scheming ..."

"Hey!" Brian protested.

I grinned. "Beautiful, wonderful woman!" I finished.

Brian laughed and hugged me. I glanced over at the bedside table when I finally smelled the breakfast we'd been brought.

"Why don't we eat, before we go down and face the embarrassment?" Brian suggested, obviously smelling the wonderful food as well.

We both turned to our respective trays and lifted them onto our laps. Then I noticed the ring box sitting on my tray. A quick glance showed that there was one on Brian's tray too.

We looked at each other. "Jackie didn't happen to send you a picture of anything, like rings, by chance?" I asked.

Brian smiled ruefully. "Yup." He picked up the box on his tray. "Shall we?"

I picked up my box. At the same time we opened them. Neither of us spoke immediately as we stared at the rings. Each ring had the yin and yang symbol. The one in my hands had white gold with a sapphire for one half of the symbol, and yellow gold with an emerald for the other half. I glanced at the ring Brian held. The ring was the same.

"Beautiful," Brian whispered. The two individual rings had been joined with a flawless seam so that if you didn't know they had been two rings, there was no way to tell. I knew instantly that the emerald and yellow gold were the ones Brian had picked out. The redesign joining the two rings together was incredible and very unique.

"I think we owe your Mom a gigantic thank you," I said as I leaned closer to Brian.

He turned his head and kissed me. "No kidding." He looked back at the ring in the box. "I can't wait to slip this on your finger, Scott," he murmured. "Then everyone will know that you are mine, just as I am yours."

I kissed his cheek. "Why don't we eat, then go thank a few people?" I suggested.

Brian agreed. We each closed the box we had and set them on the bedside tables before turning back to the food.

After devouring the bacon, eggs and waffles, and drinking the fresh orange juice, we finally got out of bed.

A shared shower was definitely in order. I started the water running, while Brian pulled out two large fluffy towels from the cupboard. I stepped in under the water and waited for Brian to join me. I stepped back so he could get wet, then poured some shampoo into my hands before massaging it through his silky blond hair.

"What were you planning on us wearing tonight?" I asked as I worked the shampoo into lather.

Brian laughed softly. "Well, based on everything else, I imagine we're wearing black tuxedos with a green cummerbund for you, and a blue one for me," he said.

I turned him back under the spray to rinse the shampoo. "Sounds about right," I agreed. That was exactly what Jackie had promised to get when I suggested tuxes.

I quickly worked the conditioner through Brian's hair, then waited while he rinsed. He then shampooed and conditioned my hair. In order to prevent delays we decided to wash ourselves. Once done, we rinsed again, dried ourselves and went back into the bedroom to dress.

We both decided on jeans and sweaters for the time being, knowing we would be changing later in the afternoon. Once dressed, Brian grabbed my hand and led the way downstairs. We followed the sounds of voices into the living room and discovered another surprise.

Our friends and many family members were there setting up chairs, blowing up balloons and hanging up streamers. When Sheri noticed us first, she nudged Kevin beside her. They started to applaud, making everyone turn. Soon they were all cheering and applauding. Brian and I simply stood there and grinned.

When the noise quieted down, Kevin spoke up. "Does it scare anyone else, how much these two think alike?" he asked. The rest of the people laughed.

"Ha ha, Kev," Brian said. "All I can say is I'm truly impressed how everyone managed to keep this a secret. Now, what can we do to help?" he asked.

Brian was pulled over to help Kevin and Tim hang streamers while Drew and AJ dragged me over to where they were blowing up balloons. I noticed Nick and Nora working on decorations to put along the aisle chairs. Nora noticed me and smiled so I waved at her, happy to see her. We worked for a while helping put the decorations up. Then Jackie asked that Brian and I join her in the kitchen.

We sat at the kitchen table where some freshly baked muffins were sitting. Neither Brian nor I could resist having one.

"Is everything okay?" Jackie asked as she sat down with a cup of coffee.

I looked at her. "Everything is perfect Jackie," I said honestly.

She smiled and looked at Brian. He agreed. "It's wonderful Mom."

"Good. I didn't want you boys to think I was trying to take over. Its just when you both called within about ten minutes of each other, with the same plan.... It was just easier for me to make most of the arrangements so we only had one set of plans," she explained. I could see that she had been seriously concerned about us not liking the plans.

I put my hand over hers. "Jackie, everything is amazing. It's perfect. I mean, the most important part to me was having friends and family here. Everything else is a bonus," I told her.

"What about the rings?" she asked.

Brian and I looked at each other and smiled. "They were a bit of a surprise, but they look wonderful Mom. Whoever worked on them did a beautiful job joining each of the two rings into one. I would say they are two of a kind and fit our personalities perfectly."

Jackie looked relieved. "Thank you. It was the rings I was most concerned about. I had seen the design in a magazine, then when you both talked to me about your plans, I thought I would send the pictures. I was hoping you would both select the same material and gem. It threw me when you didn't. I asked the jeweler if he could merge two of the rings into one. I thought he did a great job, but was afraid you would be disappointed it wasn't what you had asked for."

"Well, stop worrying Jackie," I said gently. "You worked wonders with the mess we gave you. And I love the rings. I think this is going to be a wonderful night for everyone." I looked at Brian and reached for his hand, bringing it to my lips. "I know I'm going to love it," I said softly.

"Okay. That relieves my mind," Jackie said. "Now I'm going to check and make sure the caterers are going to arrive on time. I booked them to bring in the food for lunch and for tonight, but we'll be responsible for putting it all out. And Marcus promised to be here to make sure there are no hidden cameras or recorders, just in case," Jackie explained.

The rest of the day flew by. Lunch was a variety of sandwiches, cheese, crackers and dessert squares. Everyone simply wandered through the kitchen when they were hungry and grabbed a plate. Brian and I mingled, telling people more about our condo and the plans we had. I found I didn't want to be too far away from him. I was enjoying simply watching him and listening to him talk. How I managed to get so lucky I'll never know. It amazed me that we were so in tune that we had both planned commitment ceremonies.

After lunch I grabbed Brian and pulled him up to the study, ignoring the catcalls and laughter that followed us.

I closed the door and turned to pull him to me, kissing him passionately.

"Mmm, I needed that," I murmured when we separated.

Brian smiled and kissed my chin. "Me too." He kissed my throat and along my collarbone. "I was wondering...did you write vows for tonight?" he asked softly.

I shook my head. "No," I admitted. "I didn't think it would be fair to have something written, while you only had a few hours to come up with something. Now I wish I had."

Brian pulled back and smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't even think to write something down. Do you want to do that now?" he asked. "We could sit here, or go to separate rooms and put something on paper," he suggested.

"I don't know, the idea of saying what first comes to mind has some appeal," I thought aloud. "Maybe write down a few thoughts, but when it comes to the moment, I'd rather just let the words flow."

I glanced down to gauge his reaction. He grinned. "Sounds good to me Angel. Do you know if Mom has anyone doing readings or poetry? I really don't know what she has planned," he added.

I shrugged. "Neither do I. Why don't we find her and see what the plan is? She has done such a good job so far, I'm sure she has the rest planned perfectly too."

Brian took my hand and led me back downstairs. We found Jackie in the library, talking to my Mom and Dad. The three looked up and smiled happily at us. I was again reminded how truly lucky Brian and I were.

"Hi parents!" Brian said happily. They laughed at our giddiness. "We have a question for you Mom," he said, looking at Jackie.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We were wondering about the rest of the plans. We don't know if you have someone leading the ceremony, or if anyone is doing readings. That type of thing," Brian explained.

"Well, I think I'll see what else needs to be done and let you four iron out details," my dad said, before leaving the room.

Our Moms, Brian and I sat down.

"Well, when I knew that both of you wanted the same thing, I called Louise and talked to her. Then I did some research. I'll tell you the plan, but if there is anything either of you don't like, it can be changed or dropped, okay?"

Brian and I nodded, and Jackie continued. "In my research, I found a number of ministers from different religious denominations that will marry same sex couples. And I found one here in Lexington, to my great surprise. You both expressed a wish that the ceremony could be validated somehow so I thought having a minister would help that, even though it isn't legal as far as the government is concerned."

Brian and I smiled. "A couple of days ago, Brian and I changed most of our legal documents to name each other, for things like power of attorney. And we jointly own the condo and have a joint bank account. That's about as legal as things can get until governments recognize gay marriages," I told them.

"That's wonderful!" Mom said.

"I definitely like the idea of a minister. It makes it feel that much more official," Brian said, looking at me for my reaction. I agreed with him.

Jackie continued. "Okay. So the minister is a go. I had also asked a couple of people to do readings either from the bible or poetry, their choice. I wasn't sure if you were going to have best men?"

Brian and I looked at each other in surprise. "I never really thought about it because it was supposed to be a surprise," I said.

Brian nodded. "But, now that we know, having best men stand up with us might be nice," he commented.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," I added. "Who do you want?" I asked Brian, although I had a good idea.

Brian thought for a moment. "Harold and Kevin," he stated. I hadn't really thought about two, but why not? "What about you Scott?" Brian asked me.

My turn to think. Drew was automatic, but who else? "Drew and Nick," I replied.

Jackie smiled. "Great. So for readings I was thinking about your sister Sheri, Scott, and Howie or Alex," she added.

Brian shrugged. "Whoever wants to, is fine with me."

I agreed with that. I looked at Brian. "Guess we should inform our best men eh?" He grinned. We left the moms to their planning and went to find the guys.

We found the gang in the kitchen standing around talking and munching on food. "Kev? Could you, Harold, Drew and Nick come here for a minute?" I asked.

The four men joined Brian and I in the dining room where about fifteen card tables had been set up for dinner later.

"Well, we were just talking to our Moms about the plans. We discovered that one key element had been overlooked. So, Harold, Kevin, will you stand up with me tonight?" Brian asked his brother and cousin. Both men grinned and nodded. Harold stepped forward and pulled his younger brother into a hug that Kevin quickly joined.

I looked at Drew and Nick. "So I guess you know why you're here?" I said lightly. They grinned and quickly enfolded me into a bear hug.

"Thanks Scotty," Nick whispered.

I grinned. "You're welcome Nicky," I replied.

Once the hugs ended the six of us returned to the kitchen. I decided to talk to the others about the readings. I found Howie, Melissa, Nora, AJ and Sheri sitting at the kitchen table talking.

"Hey guys!" I greeted them. "So who actually did their 'homework' and found a reading to do tonight?" I asked with a grin.

Sheri, Howie and AJ raised their hands. "Great! Since the other guys are standing up with us, you three are elected," Brian said as he walked up beside me.

"Actually, I was going to sing a song if that's okay?" Howie spoke up.

Brian and I looked at him. "It's perfect D. Thanks," Brian said sincerely. "Now lets go back to our mothers and see what else is planned," Brian added. "Oh, and best men? Do you guys have suits or tuxes? If not we have a few hours to run into town before the stores close."

The four best men started to talk. We decided to leave them to that and went back to the library, to join our mothers.

"So what time is the minister coming? What time is the ceremony planned for?" Brian asked excitedly.

Jackie and my mom laughed. "The minister should be here by four, and we thought seven would be a good time to start," Jackie replied. "That will you give you time to speak with the minister and decide exactly what words you want used and any other details you can think of."

"Thanks Mom," Brian said, walking over to hug Jackie. "Thank you too, Louise," he added, hugging my mom. "You two have really done a great job and this is going to be a wonderful night."

I stood and walked over to Brian. "I agree. Everything has worked out better than I could have imagined. I know I'd originally thought of just Brian and I standing up in front of everyone and saying a few words. But this is better. It feels more...real, I guess."

"I'm glad," Jackie said. "I think most people are going to be heading out soon. They are booked in at the hotel. Now that we have the decorations up, everybody can go back and get ready. I've told them to come back for just before seven."

"Okay. Thanks Jackie," I said. I grabbed Brian's hand. "We'll go see people off and make sure the guys have figured out what to wear. Then maybe we'll wander out to the barn for a while," I suggested, looking at Brian.

He smiled. "Sounds good. We'll see you both later. We'll be around, but definitely be here at four for the minister."

Jackie and my mom nodded as Brian and I left. We thanked everyone as they left, letting them know how much we appreciated all the help. Our best men were going with Harold Sr., into town. He and Jackie had obviously anticipated the dilemma and contacted a rental store earlier so they were expecting the four men.

Brian and I put our coats and gloves on, and wandered out to the barn, hand in hand. Brian led us to a spot in the hayloft where we could sit on bales of hay and look out over the gently rolling hills of the farm. I sat down on a bale and leaned against another. Brian sat in front of me between my spread legs and leaned against me. This was our favorite position.

"Can you believe all this?" he asked quietly as he snuggled against me. I wrapped my arms across his chest.

"It's incredible and wonderful," I murmured, leaning in to kiss his ear. "I can't believe that we're actually getting married today."

"Me either," Brian agreed softly. "But now that the day is here, Scott, there is no where else in the world I would rather be."

I squeezed him tighter. "I feel the same Bri. Today has turned out to be much more than I expected, but I wouldn't change a thing."

We sat out there for a couple of hours, talking occasionally, but mainly enjoying the quiet and each other's company. Finally Brian stirred and looked at his watch. It was a quarter to four. He stood and stretched then offered his hand to me. He pulled me to my feet. I stretched too having gotten a little stiff from sitting for so long.

I pulled Brian into a hug. "Love you," I whispered.

Brian returned the hug forcefully. "Love you too. Now lets go get married," he added.

I laughed and grasped his hand. We walked back to the house. I was secretly glad we hadn't planned everything out too far in advance because I knew our best men would have forced us to keep apart right up until the wedding. While I found some traditions sweet, I don't think I could have stood being separated from Brian.

Exactly at four PM the gate buzzer rang and Jackie admitted the minister. Brian and I waited in the library with growing excitement. We both rose when Jackie led another tall, regal woman into the room.

"Brian, Scott, I'd like to introduce Reverend Ellen McGrady," Jackie said. "Ellen, my son Brian and his fiancé Scott Waters."

Brian stepped forward to shake the woman's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Reverend," he said formally.

The tall redhead smiled. "Please call me Ellen, Brian. And it's wonderful to finally meet both of you." She turned to me and held out her hand, which I accepted. She looked to be a woman about forty years old, red hair and bright green eyes. Jackie indicated the two couches so we sat, Brian and I on one couch, and the two women on the other. "Jackie has told me much about both of you, but I'm glad we have this chance to talk before the ceremony."

Brian and I both smiled. "We're glad too. Things are a little different than what either of us expected first thing this morning, so we've had some serious thinking to do," Brian told her. He glanced at me. "I think Scott and I would both like to hear what you have planned."

Ellen smiled. She gave us a run through of the general order of the proceedings and the wordings she had selected. She handed us some sheets of paper with options for parts of the ceremony. Brian and I read through the choices and selected the ones we felt suited us.

The four of us walked into the living room that had been re-arranged for the ceremony. Rows of chairs had been set up, with a beautiful flower arrangement set on a small table in front of the fireplace at the front of the room. We decided we would walk down the aisle in the center together, entering from the sunroom. Our best men would precede us.

"Scott?" Jackie spoke up. "You're Mom had a suggestion earlier that I forgot to mention. She wondered if you would like Andre to act a ring bearer?"

I glanced at Brian and he smiled, knowing I would love the suggestion. I nodded. "I'd like that. We'll see if he wants to do it when they come back. If not, no big deal, but it would be nice for him to have a part."

We let the minister know we had two people doing readings and one song being performed during the ceremony. We also told her Brian and I wanted to say a few things when it came time for the vows. She readily agreed.

The four of us talked for a while. I could tell the minister simply wanted to find out how Brian and I were together. Get a sense of us. When the best men and Brian's Dad returned we did a very quick run through so the guys would know when to enter and where to stand.

We decided to use the music from My Angel, My Heart as we entered. It was the first song Brian had written for me and meant a lot to both of us. Neither of us knew what song Howie was planning to do, but we knew it would be appropriate.

By six our best men escorted us upstairs to separate rooms to get ready. Brian and I tried to object, but they wouldn't listen. I quickly showered and shaved, throwing on a little aftershave before returning to the bedroom to get into my tux. Drew and Nick were both getting ready in the room with me. They looked good, and had managed to find tuxes matching mine with a similar green cummerbund.

I grinned at them as they tried to figure out the bowties. "Looking good guys!" I said.

"Thanks Scott," Drew said then yanked the tie undone again. "Now hurry up and get dressed so you can ties these damn ties for us!" he said.

I laughed and grabbed my tux from the closet. Jackie had done a great job of lining everything up, and the tux fit me nearly perfectly. I hoped Brian was having just as much success.

"Hey Scott?" Nick said hesitantly. I looked at him to find he and Drew giving each other strange looks.

"What's up guys?" I asked curiously.

"Well, when we were in the city, someone mentioned the old tradition, something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue," he said.

I refrained from groaning out loud, wondering what they had planned.

Drew laughed at my expression. "Never fear, Scott I wouldn't let them get too sentimental." He pulled a box from a bag on the floor and handed it to me.

I looked at it and reluctantly opened the lid. Coming from Drew I should have been prepared. Inside was a picture of Drew and I from university when we went in drag to a Halloween party. Under the picture was a box of assorted lubes, a pair of worn padded wrist cuffs, and a blue scarf, obviously for use as a blindfold. I laughed out loud and looked at my two friends, the old one and the new.

"Thanks guys!" I said sincerely. I held up the box of lube bottles. "I'm sure I'll get good use from these." Nick blushed.

"And I seriously want those cuffs back at some point," Drew stated. "Alex and I like them!" he added with a leer.

The three of us laughed and finished getting ready.

When there was a knock at the door, Nick walked over to open it. Liz was there with Andre.

"Uncle Scott!" Andre exclaimed and rushed over to me. I leaned down and hugged him.

"Hi Andre, how are you?" I asked.

Andre smiled. "Great! Mommy said I could be in the weddin'. Can I?" he asked excitedly.

I grinned. "Yes you can. What you will need to do, is, when we tell you, walk down the aisle between the chairs carrying two little boxes. Can you do that?" I asked him.

He nodded solemnly. I hugged him again and walked over the dresser I'd put the ring box on. I closed the box and handed it to Liz. "We'll let Mom hold it until we're ready okay?" He nodded again. "Good. Now you need to go down the hall, to where Brian is and get the same little box from him, okay?"

"Okay Uncle Scott! Thanks!" He turned and grabbed Liz's hand. I smiled at my sister as she led her son out.

I finished getting dressed and tied my bow tie, then moved on to tie Nick's and Drew's. Finally we were ready. I had always thought that if this day ever came I would be nervous. But I wasn't. I was excited, thrilled, impatient, but not nervous or afraid.

Howie knocked on the door letting us know it was time. The three of us walked out into the hall, at the same time the door down from us opened and Kevin, Harold and Brian stepped out. My eyes immediately found the eyes of my soul mate. We smiled at each other and walked forward. We instinctively grasped hands and I leaned over to kiss Brian's cheek.

"You look incredible, Love," I whispered.

"So do you," Brian whispered back.

Howie herded the six of us down the back stairs through the kitchen and into the sun room. AJ was waiting there talking with Andre. I glanced into the living room and saw that the room was full, about fifty people had come. Howie walked to the doorway and looked in, I'm guessing at the minister. He must have got the signal because he walked over to Andre and talked to him for a minute. Andre nodded and AJ handed him a small pillow with the two ring boxes on top.

AJ started the CD player and the music began. I smiled as Andre looked at me. I winked and he grinned before walking into the living room and down the aisle. When he was about halfway down, Harold and Nick started followed by Kevin and Drew.

I glanced at Brian and smiled, not quite believing we'd actually made it to this point.

"You ready?" he asked softly.

I smiled. "Absolutely." I raised his hand to my lips and kissed him before we started to walk down the aisle.

To be continued...

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