Addison Albright - Snippet - Now and Forever

Blurb:

Darryl and Warren have been together for twelve years. Can Warren plan a wedding reception that’ll make them both happy?

Excerpt:

Monday, June 16, 2008

“I don’t want to be part of the media circus.” Darryl was adamant on that point. “There’s no reason we can’t wait a few weeks, or a month to do it. We know we have at least until November.”

“I know.” Warren's disappointment was evident in his voice. “It’s just that we’ve waited so long for this day to come.”

That was an understatement. They’d been together for twelve years, through thick and thin -- heavy on the thin in their early years. Darryl tried to soften the blow. “Look at it this way. If we wait, you’ll have time to plan a killer wedding reception for after the ceremony.”

Warren perked up at the suggestion of a party to be planned. His smile was back, and so was the sparkle in his eyes. “That’s a great idea, hon. How big can it be?”

Darryl hoped the reflexive mental cringe he felt at the thought of a huge formal party didn’t show on his face. If he left it up to Warren, even their remotest acquaintances would receive an invite. “My preference? Only our close friends and the family members who do more than tolerate us. What I’m okay with?” Darryl sighed. “You can expand that to include any non-hostile family members and friends who are friends and not just anyone whose name we know.”

Warren was clearly going to run with the latter option. Darryl could practically see the wheels spinning in Warren’s head as he started planning. “We’ll have to rent a place for sure.”

“Don’t get too carried away, Warren. Please?”

Warren's face took on a more serious demeanor. He nodded. “Okay, hon. I’ll compromise. Promise.”

Darryl didn’t want to take the wind out of Warren’s sails, but it was important that Warren understand what this wedding would -- and wouldn’t -- mean for them. “Sweetheart? Do you understand that if the November referendum overturns the court’s ruling, it might mean that all of these same sex marriages will automatically be voided?”

“Really? Like they never happened?”

“Yes, really. And even if the ruling stands, our marriage still won’t be recognized by most of the states or by the federal government, which means that for tax and social security purposes we’ll still be considered single.”

Warren stared blankly into space for a moment before looking back at Darryl. “Yeah, I know. But it’ll still mean something to us. We can still wear wedding rings and tell people we’re married.” The cheerful smile was dimmed, now, but Warren had still managed to put a positive spin on the news. That was one of the many reasons Darryl was hopelessly in love with the man.

Darryl gathered Warren into his arms. “And we will be married, Warren. It’ll be a huge leap forward, even if we are still reaching for the finish line. I think of you as my husband now, sweetheart, and I want, more than anything, for you to be my legal husband in fact.”

Warren’s arms snaked around Darryl’s waist and held on tight. Darryl lifted Warren’s chin and kissed him. Just soft, nibbling I-love-you kisses rather than hard, searching let’s-get-naked-I-want-you-now kisses.

Warren rested his head on Darryl’s shoulder and heaved a sigh. Darryl rubbed circles on Warren’s back until Warren pulled back, and his usual sunny disposition was once again evident.

“You’re right. It’s a step forward and we will be legally married, at least in the state of California.”

“Absolutely.” Darryl smiled. Warren meant the world to Darryl, and he was thankful for any steps they could make toward protecting themselves financially as a couple and legitimizing their relationship to the world.

* * * * *

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Warren hummed to himself as he flipped through the caterer’s brochure. Simple, he told himself. Keep it simple. He passed on the Teriyaki Grilled Salmon with Fruit Salsa and even the Chicken Cordon Bleu. They sounded delicious to him, but Darryl wouldn’t like them. Darryl liked his food simple, and Warren placed Darryl above the guests as he pondered the options.

He settled on Grilled Chicken Chardonnay and Sirloin Beef with Burgundy Mushroom for the entrées; fairly simple, yet elegant. He put the menu aside and looked over the invitation options. He paused at one that caught his eye. Darryl would like its unfussy design with plain masculine lines and coloring.

A whisper of warm breath at the side of his neck brought Warren out of his reverie just a moment before Darryl’s lips began a trail up to that sensitive spot behind his ear that never failed to thrill him. Warren closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side.

When the tantalizing lips pulled away he opened his eyes and turned to smile at Darryl. Darryl was looking over his shoulder at the invitation he was holding. “That’s a nice one, sweetheart. Is that the one you’re going to use?”

“Maybe, I just started looking at them. That one caught my eye because I thought you’d like it too.”

“I do.”

Warren followed Darryl’s eyes as they moved to the pricing sheet. Warren hadn’t looked at that yet himself and was appalled when he saw the price. A box of one hundred of those invitations would cost $469.00.

To his credit Darryl’s reaction was no more that an abrupt intake of breath. He paused a moment, probably biting his tongue off, before commenting with remarkable restraint. “How large is the guest list, Warren?”

Uh oh. He was trying to pare it down, but couldn’t decide who to cut. “About a hundred and twenty? I’m working on cutting it back.”

Darryl’s face was an unreadable mask. Darryl was good at that, to Warren’s frustration. Warren wanted to know how Darryl felt about the plans so far. His worry was that Darryl’s lack of emotion was a big ole red flag signaling an aversion to the whole she-bang and that Darryl was merely indulging him.

Fuck.

Warren was completely out of the mood for party planning now and scooped the scattered documents into the file folder. He turned to Darryl and beamed a smile. He was definitely not out of the mood for Darryl.