Authors: Renae Kaye

Loving Jay (25 page)

Maybe it was fate. Who knows? But with his arms wrapped around the baby, Jay wasn’t able to shake hands. So he simply looked up and smiled, giving a little wiggle of his fingers from where they cradled the baby. “Hello. Pleased to meet you both.”

And that was it. Dad didn’t have to decide whether he could shake hands with the poofter boyfriend of his fourth son, and I wasn’t humiliated because my father wouldn’t touch the man I loved. Mum hardly cared about the makeup as she was too busy gushing at the sight of a man with her darling grandbaby, and Dad didn’t have to do anything other than pretend to smile in Jay’s direction.

And, as there were fifty people waiting to greet them, neither of them got a chance to say something stupid before they had gotten over their shock. Friends and relatives called them away, and before long the groomsmen had arrived, bringing the slightly nervous white-faced groom. The clocked ticked down to the appointed hour of 3:00 p.m., and we all gathered, shooting expectant looks to the road, waiting for the bride.

Finally, she arrived in a bright-white stretch limousine, its hood decked out in the required white bridal ribbons. We took our places in front of the celebrant, on the right side of the length of red carpet, and stood quietly. Jay was at my side, and with the crowd’s tight confines around us, I groped for his hand, and squeezed it tightly. He turned to me, smiling his understanding, and giving me little squeezes back.

Ben breathed deeply and watched exultantly as his bride made her way down to him, clutching the arm of her father and following the perfectly turned out pink bridesmaids. And fifteen minutes later they were joined in holy matrimony. The day was perfect. The bride was stunning. The ceremony was idyllic.

We stepped forward to offer our congratulations and Alison met Jay for the first time. She gave him a huge hug, and whispered that she was happy that he was making me happy. He blushed adorably and told her she was the most gorgeous bride he had ever seen. I was thrilled.

Immediately after the ceremony, we took the required photos overlooking the lake, and Jay took his place proudly at my side in each of the “family” shots.

Alison insisted on photos of each of the couples in attendance, so Jay and I, along with my brothers and their wives, gathered around the photographer, smiling and laughing with each other as we waited for our turn. The photographer was infinitely talented and managed to capture everyone in unique and beautiful poses: Mum and Dad stood stiffly in their new clothes; Dale and Candice stood together holding their son with linked hands; Anita was caught giving Cameron a loving kiss on his cheek; and John and Jackie smiled together at the camera with their heads bent toward each other. Finally it was our turn. I tried to refuse, but Alison insisted, and Jay pulled me over to the posing spot.

And there we were immortalized on film, and it turned out to be my favorite photo of all time—blown up and proudly hung in the living room of our apartment for everyone to see. Jay had pulled me into position, and wrapped his arm around my waist. When the man I loved was so close to me, what else could I do but put my arm around his shoulders in response? Then Jay had looked up at me and said, “I love you, Liam.”

I had looked down at him and said, “I love you, too.”

He’d smiled at me with devotion and I had responded with a look of complete adoration. And the photographer had snapped the picture, capturing that instant—two men gazing at each other, utterly in love. Jay loving me, and me… loving Jay.

About the Author

R
ENAE
K
AYE
is a lover and hoarder of books who thinks libraries are devilish places because they make you give the books back. She consumed her first adult romance book at the tender age of thirteen and hasn’t stopped since. After years—and thousands of stories!—of not having book characters do what she wants, she decided she would write her own novel and found the characters still didn’t do what she wanted. It hasn’t stopped her though. She believes that maybe one day the world will create a perfect couple—and it will be the most boring story ever. So until then she is stuck with quirky, snarky, and imperfect characters who just want their story told.

Renae lives in Perth, Western Australia, and writes in five-minute snatches between the demands of two kids, a forbearing husband, too many pets, too much housework, and her beloved veggie garden. She is a survivor of being the youngest in a large family and believes that laughter (and a good book) can cure anything.

You can contact her at [email protected]

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