Thanks for visiting! This is the last chapter of this story, I hope that you all enjoy it! I'll be starting a new story in the fall.
"What time will your dads get here on Saturday night?" Marty asked as he sat at their kitchen table and shuffled paperwork from their months of wedding plans.
"Well, they've been talking about doing the drive in one day, so if they can get up at around 5 a.m. like my Pop said they would, and get out of the house by six...maybe they arrive by six or seven in the evening, if things go OK," Peter replied. "Dad won't let Pop drive for too long, and he'll probably make him take naps while they are driving, so I guess it will be pretty much up to Dad if he wants to gut it out."
"And Pop probably won't want him to push so hard, so we'll see it doesn't end up being Sunday. But that gives them a week to help us with stuff before graduation and then the wedding, so they don't need to stress too much. They should both just take their time."
Peter empathized with his Pop. He was the first one to step up to do his share, but his Dad was adamant about Mike getting enough rest and not doing too much night driving, especially with the potential for distractions by flashing lights. Peter knew first hand that it could be frustrating for his Pop, but there was never arguing with his Dad when it came to these kind of things.
"In any case, we're going to need the help," Marty said. "This is a tiny wedding by the standards of some of these things. We're looking at about 50 people, what with our families and friends, but with so many from out of town there's a lot more logistics involved. There are the hotels, airport transportation arrangements, local transportation, where to eat, park, sleep, on and on. Lots of stuff."
"But you've got it all organized," Peter said as he moved over from the kitchen and put his hands on Marty's shoulders, digging in with his fingers to make sure none of the muscles had gotten tight from the tension.
"Well, I've got all the instruction out," Marty groaned out, "but it still all needs to actually happen. It's still good that your dads are coming early and can get familiar with things that need to be done, so that they can help everyone else when they come at the end of next week."
"...OH, that feels good, Peter!"
Peter continued the pressure as he bent his head down and rubbed his forehead into Marty's hair. "We would be in deep shit if you weren't doing all this prep work. You're so organized. Making all those maps, getting hotel deals for everyone and lining up the hall after the ceremony. That was a ton of work!" Peter praised.
"Glad I'll only have to do it once," Marty said, raising his head and looking up at Peter. He was expecting just a smile, but was a bit startled when he felt a tongue quickly invade his mouth.
"Hey Mart," Peter called out from the kitchen, hoping that he could be heard in the bathroom where Marty was scrubbing the sink. "Bik and Robert want to come over and talk to you."
He didn't get an answer until Marty was standing next to him, carrying a pail of dirty water to be emptied out. "Huh. What do they want to talk about?" he asked. "We just saw them at the restaurant last night when they got in."
"I don't know, but he said Rhonda and Laura were taking the kids to the park and they wanted to chat with you about something."
"Hmmm...I have no idea what it is, I guess we'll see."
A few minutes later Marty heard footsteps on the outdoor wooden stairway that led up to their apartment and went to open the door.
"Hey!" he called out to his future brothers-in-law as they arrived at the landing.
"Where's the elevator?" Bik answered as he wiped his feet. "Not that I don't mind the exercise. But Robert here, he doesn't like the strain, it messes up his hair."
"I'll mess up more that your hair if you don't get going," Robert retorted, as he reached the last stop and pushed a grinning Bik through the door ahead of him.
It only took a minute to give them the grand tour of the soon-to-be vacated apartment before he asked them all to have a seat in the living room, which pretty much filled up the tiny space. As they had come specifically to talk to his partner, Peter let his brothers sit on the couch and then brought everyone drinks before he sat on the arm of Marty's chair.
Bik and Robert looked at each other. "Who should start?" Robert asked.
"Let's tag team it. Why don't you go ahead and then I'll chime in."
"OK," Robert replied. He took a swig of his beer then put it back on the table.
"Well..." he said, pausing and looking at Bik for a moment before focusing Marty. "Bik and I and Laura and Rhonda have been thinking a lot about the future. What we want to do, where we want to be, how we want to raise our families, all that kind of stuff. And we've realized that we have a lot of the same attitudes and goals. Not that that's a surprise," he added, "but it just confirms our directions in life, even after going to school and starting our own families."
"There's lots of stuff that goes with this, and we can give you all sorts of background and all that, but the big goals are that we both want to return home to be near Dad and Pop and we both want to start our own business."
"That's good hear, guys," Marty replied. "Pete and I want to go back too, so that will be great."
"The first part of that plan is the easy part and is a no-brainer. You just get up and move. But the second part is a little more challenging," Robert continued. He looked over at Bik who picked up the conversation.
"Yes, the hard part," he continued as he put down his own drink next to Bik's. "We want to start a consulting business. Robert and I have pretty complimentary markets, and we think we can develop a pretty good business back home. A lot of our clients will stay in New York and Chicago, but we both think that we've got enough folks who will follow us to give us a good start."
"Wow! that sounds great, guys! You're pretty responsible and successful already, so I'm sure you'll be a success. But what does this have to do with me?" Marty asked.
Bik looked at Robert.
"We want you to join us after you graduate. You've been accepted at a great school, so you'll have excellent training. There's much more to learn of course, but we'll teach you," the second brother replied.
"What? But I don't know anything!" Marty protested."
"We didn't know anything when we graduated from college, either," Robert replied, laughing. "But both Bik and I know that you're smart and that you want to succeed for the same reasons we do. And we both know that we'd enjoy working with you."
Marty looked stunned, but before he could even ask another question, Bik threw another plan at him. "We've even got a name. Kovar Landis Kovar Consultants, LLP, "Or KLK," Robert said, pronouncing it like click.'
"But how can you know that I'll be any good? I mean, don't get me wrong. I can't image anything better. But how do you know it will work, that I'll work out? That I can even do this stuff?" Marty pleaded.
"There are no guarantees in life, Marty, we all know that. But we think that we know you, too. And what we know, and like, is that you are driven, motivated, and very well organized. Even looking at this wedding, Wow! Besides maps, you even had schedules printed out. It's all awesome and the best organized wedding I've ever been too!"
"But everyone does that, don't they? I mean people hire consultants for this kind of thing."
"No!" both Robert and Bik answered at the same time, then laughed. "Even with consultants – NO!"
"But seriously, we have thought a lot about this. We know that you're anxious about the future and frankly, that's one of the best signs. You're thinking about all the ways that you can fail, and that's what you need to do to keep sharp. And we also know that you will do whatever needs to be done to support your family. And there is almost no better motivation," Bik added.
"Hey guys, I really appreciate it, the thought, and the confidence. I...wow, it's just a surprise, that's all. I still don't know what I could contribute, I mean...what would I do?"
"At this point, of course, we don't know exactly what you would do either. But I don't think that we know exactly what we'll do either, I mean day to day and all that. But we know what kind of business we want and what kind of people we want to work with," Robert said.
"You just need to spend the next two years not only getting the necessary technical skills, understanding accounting, get into the case studies, all that. But you'll need to get to know as many people as you can. Get friendly with people you can trust, and even ones you can't. Just get to know as many people as you can. Because you'll all be handy for each other to use in the future."
"You're probably a bit less outgoing than Robert and I," Bik continued, "but it's something that you'll have to adjust to. I think you're the type who has either strong friendships or no friendship. But in business you'll have to develop a lot of relationships in the middle zone. People you might have lunch with, say, and talk about football or soccer, but not necessarily invite over to the house. Acquaintances."
"I know what you're saying, and I think that's true, I mean, about me not being so outgoing. Pete's better at it than I am. But I also know that I need to do what I need to do," he replied before looking up at Peter.
"There never seemed like a need to do that these past few years. During school it was all us, and the close friends that we had from the beginning or that one or the other of us already had, and that was all we needed."
"And it's still all you really need, at least in your personal life," Bik added. "But in business, you have to know a lot more people. You're going to be married, so that will be different for you, too. There won't be much of the carousing that some of the single guys can do to help their networking.
"And your personality is different, too. You're not a bullshitter so you`ll probably never be a great... schmoozer."
"Unlike you, Marty, he can lay it on thick with anyone," Robert interrupted, nodding at Bik and chuckled.
Bik laughed, then continued. "But you have qualities that will make people trust you and believe in you. And that counts for just as much. You'll still have to cast a wide net."
"And we both think that you will do all those things. And would love to work with you!" Robert added.
Marty could hardly believe his ears. It didn't lesson his anxiety – in fact it almost increased it in the sense that he would have to live up to the faith that his future brothers-in-law were having in him. He couldn't let them down. But getting a vote of confidence from them gave him a sense that he really could do it.
"Wow...this is... really great. I have to say, Thanks! But even if I can do all these things, and I'm still not exactly sure that I can," he said as he looked up at Peter, "it's not just me in this. We both need to talk it over. It might mean that Pete has to work longer, because the company you're talking about would be kind of a startup and there probably won't be much money coming it at first."
"I'm OK," Peter responded without hesitation. "We'll just make it work. As long as it's what you want to do, we'll figure out a way. I'll be OK working for however long it takes to help this get off of the ground," he said as he put his hand on Marty's leg and squeezed it gently.
Marty didn't say anything at first, just kind of sat there, looking stunned for a moment before he finally stirred.
He looked back at Bik and Robert, then out the window. "Let Pete and I sleep on it you guys." As you know, we have a lot going on right now," he said, getting a chuckle from both of them. "But I'll tell you, to be honest, I can't imagine a better situation and with a better set of partners."
It was late into the night on Thursday and the day had been a constant stream of greeting their out-of-town family and friends, showing them to their hotels, orienting them in town and filling them in on the next couple days of events. By the time they had made it home it was past midnight and both of the guys were exhausted.
Marty scooted over next to Peter and looked into his tired eyes.
"You OK?" he asked, brushing the hair across his forehead.
"Yeah, I'm all right. Long day. We can't continue this pace for tomorrow, you know. We've got to get ourselves ready for Saturday. I think that most everyone is pretty much on their own tomorrow, except for the stragglers."
"You're right," Marty responded, his fingers intertwining with Peter's hair. "They'll all be fine. We'll field questions and eat together and all that, but we can't commit to more than that with folks."
"Hey...that kind of tickles, when you touch my forehead like that," Peter said, giggling as he reached up and grabbed Marty's arm.
"Oops, sorry, "he responded. "Just kind of mindlessly playing."
"Are you thinking about something?"
Marty laid back on the bed, but kept his shoulder in contact with Peter's. He was silent for a moment, then got back on his side and propped his head on his arm and looked down at his boy.
"I was really touched by what your brothers talked about. I mean, that was a really nice thing for them to ask."
"Yeah, it sure surprised me. I mean, I always thought that at least Bik would go out on his own, but not so soon. And now it's the two of them, and they want to nab you right out of school!"
"Me too. It...he responded, looking lazily at the clock before jerking up his head. Wow! Oh shit!" Marty exclaimed, looking beyond Peter at the bright, luminescent numbers. It's almost 1:00!"
Peter looked up at him, nonplussed. There was a full moon outside and the light softly spilled into the room. "I suppose you're going to insist that I go to sleep," he declared before yawning and smiling back at him.
Reaching into Peter's ear to remove his hearing aid, he shook his head up and down in the affirmative. "Like you said, it's going to be a long day again tomorrow and we don't want to burn out before Saturday."
"I guess you're right," Pete responded as he reached up underneath Marty's tight T-shirt and stroked his torso, softly gliding his hands up and down along his sides as Marty stretched over to the nightstand to deposit the hearing aid. The muscles were taught and flexed as he made the maneuver.
As he returned planting both hands on either side of his prone partner, Marty felt one hand digging into his left armpit, the other moving across his rippled stomach before tweaking a rapidly hardening nipple.
He let out a gasp of air. "You..." he gasped.
"Yes?" Peter responded, gently raising his hips to meet Marty's crotch. "What were you trying to say?"
"You...you need to get to sleep..."
"Oh, I will, real soon," Peter answered, raising his head to speak into Marty's ear before sticking in his tongue and exploring the cavity.
Before Marty knew it, the tongue retreated, but the respite was only temporary. Soon, Peter's mouth was swallowing his entire ear, gently licking and chewing it as his hands continued to stroke and manipulate Marty's chest.
"Just one final fling as a single man," he whispered into his ear before pulling Marty down on top of him and joining their mouths together in rough, wet kisses.
"I don't want to hear any excuses about how tired you are today, OK?" Marty stated, as he straightened Peter's tie and raised the collar of his white shirt just a bit. Marty had picked the dark charcoal suit to set off his hair and eyes and was pleased with the choice, even if the wearer still seemed to be waking up just hours before their wedding.
He got a yawn in response, then Peter gave a sleepy smile. "I think that I might remember last night more than today," he said, reaching down and cupping Marty's crotch as he spoke.
Slapping his hand away, Marty, continued to adjust his partner's suit. "Well, after last night I think both of us will be going on adrenaline today, but it was your choice. I was just an innocent bystander."
Peter reached up and held Marty's face. "You didn't exactly resist!" he claimed while his fingers rubbed his cheeks, his eyes darting between his body and his face.
`God, this guy is such a fucking stud!' he thought to himself. He himself had picked out Marty's dark blue suit to contrast with his blond hair and pick up the blue in his eyes, and couldn't help congratulating himself on the choice. He looked good enough to eat. He always did.
Spontaneously, he pulled Marty's head toward his and pressed their lips together.
He was going for a wet slurpy kiss, but before he could even breathe he felt Marty's tongue invade his mouth. Not to be outdone, he instinctively tried to trap it with his teeth and suck it in.
They continued this battle until Marty suddenly pulled away. He stood for a moment, trying to catch his breath before he spoke. "Hey," he started, clearly aroused but trying to get his head in another place. "We really should...get going. We do have a wedding to attend, and it is ours, you know. People will be expecting us to show up!"
Drawing a deep breath, his hard dick aching against the stiff suit pants, Peter reluctantly agreed. "We can continue this tonight," he said before giving Marty another hard kiss.
"Let's head over."
"Ready, son?" his Pop asked him as they waited in the foyer of the college chapel.
"Yeah, I am. I actually can't wait. I've been ready...for a while. He tried to stifle a yawn.
"You look ready, but you also look tired. Everything okay?" His Pop asked. They were standing in the foyer, preparing Chessie for her role as Flower Girl and Brady for his job as the Ring Bearer.
"Oh yeah, it's all fine. Didn't sleep much last night, though. We just had lots to do and didn't get to bed until late."
"Liar!" Bik whispered loud enough Peter to hear but hopefully not to distract Chessie.
Mike looked at him quizzically.
"Christ, Pop! That collar can hardly cover all the sucker bites on his neck. He was supposed to be in thoughtful, contemplative prayer the night before his wedding, reflecting on seriousness of the vows that he's about to make. But it looks like he was just a rutting animal," Bik cackled.
"Bik!" his Dad retorted, rolling his eyes.
Peter smiled and just raised his eyebrows a couple times to his brother.
They had opted for a very simple ceremony in the historic college chapel. After the guests were seated, they walked up the aisle together holding hands and took their place at the front of the chapel, facing the college chaplain. The only other people with them were Chessie and Brady, who were enthralled to be up front at the center of attention.
There was silence in the building the moment that they reached their destination.
Closest to them, in the front row, were Marty's mother and Angie, along with her now fiancé Kurt, and Peter's parents along with Robert, Bik and their kids on the other. Other relatives, friends and classmates were in the next few rows of the whitewashed pews. Expect for some fidgeting by Chessie and Brady, there wasn't even much motion until the chaplain spoke.
She gave a greeting to the congregation, welcoming them to the campus and to the event and thanking them on behalf of Peter and Marty. "Nothing makes them happier than having you all here to share this moment with them," she stated warmly.
"This will be a very short ceremony. Both of them know that you really all came for the food," she said as a laugh came from the crowd. "But they both look forward to welcoming and thanking you personally as the best part of this entire event."
After a few more words explaining the ceremony and the importance of what they were doing, she then turned to the guys and had them face each other, hand in hand. They had written their own vows, but asked her to read them.
In the silence between there was only Chessie tapping her feet, until Marty reached over and gently touched her shoulder.
"Do you Peter Kovar, take Marty Landis as your lawfully wedded husband, to love him unconditionally, to raise a family with him and to spend the rest of you lives together?
"I do." Peter replied. Suddenly he was starting to breathe heavily
Quickly, Marty reached over and put his hands on Peter's shoulders, gently massaging them.
"Easy, okay?" Marty said. "I'm here... I'll always be here," he whispered. The crowd wasn't sure what was going on, except for Peter's family, especially his Dads, who were now on the edge of their seats.
"Always..." Marty continued.
Peter squinted his eyes and took one deep breath to try to get control. There was no motion for a moment, but then his breathing started up again, slowly, with more confidence.
The Chaplain waited until it looked like Peter had recovered, then looked at Marty. He waived her off but lowered his arms and was back to just holding Peter's hands.
"Are you okay now?" He asked. "No rush take your time." There was no answer at first, then Peter just looked up and shook his head. "Yes, um...sorry," he whispered softly.
Marty just squeezed his hands. "No apologies, remember?"
The Chaplain waited for a few moments before again looking at Marty, who then nodded back to her so she could continue.
"Do you, Marty Landis, take Peter Kovar as your partner, to love him unconditionally, to raise a family with him and to spend the rest of your lives together?
"I do," he replied. Peter could feel Marty's thumb and forefinger massaging his own clammy hands.
"Can we have the rings?" she asked gently, bending down address Brady. He didn't reply, just smiled and raised up the small box with the rings.
Without a word from any one, Marty took out the ring meant for Peter. The hand was still a bit shaky, so Marty paused and stroked it for a moment. "Doing okay?" he whispered again.
Peter just shook his head and squeezed Marty's hand in return. "I'm okay."
After Marty had put the ring on his finger, Peter reached down to pick up the other one. Little Brady got on his tiptoes to put the box as high as he could.
"Thank you," he said to Brady as he patted his head before taking the ring. Brady just giggled and then looked over at his parents.
Slowly getting his strength back, he took a deep breath to steady himself, and then put the ring on Marty's finger. He noticed that it wasn't shaking at all.
He was lost in thought but was suddenly brought back to realty when he heard the chaplain's voice.
"By the authority vested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I pronounce you married together."
"Congratulations," she said, reaching out and shaking each of their hands.
Stepping to the side of the guys, she motioned for them to turn toward the congregation. "Family and Friends, I present to you Marty Landis and Peter Kovar. Together for life."
"Are you okay, Peter?" Angie asked, as she and Kurt approached the newlyweds at the back of the chapel. They became the first people to greet them in the somewhat long reception line.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine, had a little relapse, that's all. But I'm okay now," he said. He knew it was of his own doing and hoped that Bik wouldn't be too much of a loudmouth about his late-night carousing. He couldn't get off the subject soon enough.
"Congratulations, cousin!" Kurt said as he wrapped his arms around Peter, and then Marty. "I guess I wouldn't be here in this position if it weren't for you two, you know," he said, as he looked at his fiancé. "So we've got our own reasons for an extra celebration here," he declared, beaming.
"We do," Angie replied, "and we'll do more celebrating later. But right now we should move ahead so that you guys can get through this line!" she said as she pulled Kurt's hand. "We'll see you at the reception."
Before Peter could wave goodbye to them he was embraced by his Aunt Hanna. "Oh, I'm so proud of you both," she said as she pulled Marty into a three-way embrace. "I think that you're both so lucky."
"I agree," he husband chimed in patting both guys on the shoulder at the same time. "By the way, Peter, are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine, just felt a bit light headed for moment up there, that's all. But all is well now," he replied.
"He's a trooper. Just a little hiccup and we were on our way," Marty replied. His smile was ear-to-ear and hadn't let up since the vows were exchanged.
They went through various family members like this, first a congratulations, then sometimes an inquiry after Peter's episode during the ceremony. But as time went on and Peter's recovery was clear the questioning faded away.
After their family members had passed, including Marty's mom who appeared slightly tipsy, they started to encounter their friends. Wei was in the front of the group, giving each of the guys a big hug, followed by their other school and soccer buddies, including Jason
He had brought his girlfriend of six months, a woman that he had actually met through Marty.
After offering his congratulations, Jason put his arm around Marty. "I have to tell you, I knew this was going to happened back in sophomore year. Didn't I Peter?" he stated, squeezing Marty close.
Marty looked at Peter, then Jason, whose face was only inches away. "What?"
Jason just stared over at Peter and smiled. "You remember what I said, don't you, Peter?"
By this time Peter's face had turned red. "Well, sort of," he mumbled.
"Sort of!" Jason protested. "Well, to cut to the chase, I noticed him staring – staring straight at you even before you all had been properly introduced, before that first fateful soccer match.
"I wasn't staring...just...um looking, that's all. He had, you know, good foot skills and all that. I was just admiring...you know..." he stuttered.
Jason just rolled his eyes, reached out his hands to his side and gazed at the ceiling. "Foot skills my ass!
"Foot skills!" Jason repeated, shaking his head up and down in disbelief.
Then he turned and whispered into Peter's ear. "Well, does he still have good foot skills?" he inquired, as he took his girlfriend's hand and left the chapel, laughing louder than Peter and Marty had ever heard him laugh before.
I have one more thing that I'd like to say tonight," Peter called out as he gently hit his spoon on the crystal glass in front of him. The reception had been going on for several hours and the caterers were removing the last dessert plates.
It took a few moments for things to quiet down, with Marty waving his hands to the guests at the tables around them.
"Marty has already spoken for both of us in thanking you for coming to our wedding. As he said, we are truly grateful. But there is one more special `thank you' that we want to express," he said, looking out at the crowd, then over to the table with his parents.
"We wanted to give a special thanks tonight to two people whose support has been unwavering, both for Marty and I as a couple, and long before that for me as I was growing up.
"They gave up and sacrificed so much for me, and... for my brothers," he said. His voice was starting to shake, not from his breathing problem but now from something else. Peter paused, as Marty gently touched his hand.
"Not only were they a couple who were true and devoted to each other before people could even dream of two guys getting married, but they both did everything they could to make sure their kids had the best life possible, no matter what some people thought of them or the fact that they had to do a lot of it alone."
"I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them. I didn't come out of the gate quite so perfect, but it didn't matter a bit to them. I was their son, and no sacrifice was too great. I wish it wouldn't have been so hard on them at the beginning, but I can say that I've tried my whole life to make them proud of me," he said as he rubbed his eyes.
"And lastly, they have so warmly welcomed Marty into their lives and into our family. I had no doubt that they would love him and make him part of us, but the embrace that they've given him...has been...so good for both of us."
"These people, of course are my Dads, Brad and Mike. When they were young they never had the opportunity to do now what their son has done, and both Marty and I want to take this opportunity to honor what they've done and really dedicate this day to them."
Brad and Mike just bowed their heads and waved back at their son, until a spontaneous roar from the crowd convinced them to stand up.
At that, everyone in the hall got out of their seats as the two patriarchs of the family smiled. Brad put his arm around MIke's waist and pulled him close. He dabbed his own eye with his hand before his partner handed him a tissue.
"Speech!" Bik and Robert, called out, their pleas seconded by voices from the crowd, including Aunt Hanna and their cousins.
The two guys looked at each other, each trying to get the other one to do the talking until Brad was finally convinced to speak.
"Thanks everyone," he started, before pausing and wiping his eyes again.
"You know, people think we had it hard. Sometimes, I guess we thought we did, too."
"Especially with Bik!" one of the cousins called out, to laughter from the family members."
"Yes, we have kids of diverse talents," Brad answered, to more laughter. But he let the crowd quiet down again before he continued.
"But I think I can speak for both of us when I say that our kids and our family have been...special. Being two guys didn't matter a lot in the end, as long as we could spend time with our children and great family and friends.
"And each other," Mike added, looking at Brad and putting his hand on his neck.
"And each other," Brad replied as he leaned over and embraced his partner, with Marty and Peter leading the applause.
The End