Nifty doesn't exist without donations. If you enjoy these stories please donate to Nifty. And yes ... I've donated myself! Do it! :-)
http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
Be warned. This is a story about men who have consensual sex with other men. If that's not your thing, go away. If it's not legal for you to view this material, also go away.
I love hearing from readers. It's the only reward for doing this. Please contact me at: Waynkenwriter@gmail.com
If you'd like to be on a list specifically for notification of updates to my story on Nifty, email and let me know. I'll add you on. Thanks for reading!
Daniel 23 March 2018, Friday 745 AM Our Place
I'm getting married in a little over two hours. My god ... I'm going to marry Wayne! I asked Davis to be here early. He's my best man, and he has been laughing and shaking his head at me for the last 45 minutes.
"Bro, calm down." Davis stands in front of me, and smoothes the collar on my shirt, then straightens my tie. "You shouldn't even be dressed yet." He shakes his head. "You're sweating, and you're gonna make a mess of your shirt."
I feel panic when he says that. "What?" I lift my arms and look in the mirror. Sure enough there's a small wet spot in each of my pits. "God damn it!" I blow out a breath. "Okay, you're right." I reach and pull at the tie Davis just fixed.
Davis looks nice himself. He's wearing a light blue button up shirt, same as Wayne and I. The only difference is we also wear a nice light brown vest too. All of us have dark blue ties, brown slacks that match our vests, and each of us have a silver tie tack. All of our tie tacks are in the shape of a yin and yang symbol. That's Wayne's choice ... mister balance.
He presses his lips into a thin line and shakes his head. "Okay, here. Give me all of that." He takes my tie, and I remove the vest along with the shirt and give them to him too. Then he puts it on a hanger. He turns around to see me rubbing my face. I guess I must have looked terrified to him. "Daniel ... man, what is wrong with you?"
"Fuck." I sit on the edge of our bed. I rub my hands on my slacks until Davis reaches down and gently grabs my wrist.
"Daniel," he sits beside me and his brown eyes search my face, "are you having second thoughts?"
"No!" I shake my head, unable to even express how much I disagree. "No, not at all." I inhale, and I let it out. "I just know how important this is to Wayne." I continue trying to calm myself and take another deep breath. "I want it to be perfect, you know?" I look him in the eye. "I don't wanna fuck it up."
Davis laughs and shakes his head. "Dude ... Wayne took a BULLET for you." He puts his hand on my back. "You could roll around in dog shit, and he'd still marry you." He smirks. "Though, you may not wanna test it."
I think about what Davis said. He's right. I know he is. I take another breath, and this time I actually feel a little more calm. I look at him, and I nod. "I know." It's still an enormous pressure, but it's not quite as bad. "I need it to go right. I need it to be perfect." I shake my head. "Not for me." I think of Wayne, and I can't help but smile. "But for him."
Davis nods. "Yeah, I get it." He stands up. "Okay. We've got time. Let's hear those vows again."
I smile at Davis. He's already heard them a half dozen times this morning. I stand up, and I surprise him with a hug. "You're a good friend Davis. Thanks."
I let go of him, and he smiles. "You too man." He reaches and puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm honored to be here you know."
Fucking emotions! I tamp them down and nod. Davis sees me struggle and grins. The ass. "Okay. Vows. Here we go."
Wayne's Journal 23 March 2018, Friday 815 AM Our Place
Today's the day.
I'm in Martha's cottage, and have been since early this morning. Apart from waking up with him, I've not seen Daniel at all today. Though tradition demanded we not even see or speak to one another, Daniel had an important question about Antonio, and if he could stay on and work for us in Martha's place. Why would I ever disagree with that? After that was settled I showered, threw on sweats and came over here to the cottage.
It's almost two hours before the ceremony, but I'm already dressed. I can admit, I look pretty nice! I'm careful to avoid sitting too long though, lest I get wrinkly.
Saul is in here with me, and he has helped me practice my vows. Anna was here earlier and I went over what I had planned with her too. Daniel has no idea what's coming, and I think it's going to be an awesome surprise. I can't wait to see his face when it starts. :-D
I think everybody but Daniel and Davis have been in here at some point, even the kids. They're so cute! Miranda is dressed in a beautiful light blue dress that matches our shirts, and Josh is dressed in a handsome light brown suit that's the color of our vests. He also has a light blue handkerchief folded in his breast pocket. He looks like a little gentleman!
Grayson came in earlier. He already visited Daniel, and he wanted to come see me before things kicked off too. "Hey." He was dressed nicely - a peach, button-up shirt, and some dark slacks, with a brown belt and shoes. "I wanted to say thank you. For everything you guys have done for me." He has filled out since I first met him. He's still lean, but no longer lanky. He stands straight, and he looks us in the eye now. He nodded at me. "I'm glad to know you Wayne." He gave me a hug, careful to avoid my injury, and I smiled against him.
"I'm glad to know you too Grayson." We separated and I clapped him on the shoulder. "You've come a long way from when I first met you." I smiled as I looked at him. "I'm happy to have been some help ... but man," I motioned at him, "this is your work. All of it."
He grins. "We'll have to disagree on that point." Then he nodded. "Anyway, thanks. For everything." He returned back to the main house, and the encounter left me smiling. It has been amazing to watch him grow into the man he is now. And I'm so glad I got to be a part of it.
Saul and I both feel less pain today. And our wound care this morning went well. His head is healing up, and he said my back is too. Saul even said he's entertaining the idea of getting a tattoo of some sort either over, or around the scar once it's completely healed. "It's going to be noticeable no matter what. It might as well be nice to look at." That was his logic. Personally, I like how he's thinking.
Saul's and Davis' outfits are both mirror images of mine and Daniel's. Except they don't have the vests. Saul looks sharp, even though he's self conscious about his head. "Saul, man don't worry about it." I put my hands on his shoulders. "You're my best man for a reason." I grinned at him. "And it isn't for your perfectly coiffed hair."
That got him to laugh, which was exactly what I wanted. He sighed. "Yeah, okay." He frowned. "I'll just show my left side to pictures."
I shook my head. But if that's what it'll take for him to be comfortable, then that's fine.
We also talked a little about he and Martha. Yes, they're really engaged. Yes, Martha is wearing her engagement ring Saul gave her. And ... yes, Laura and Anna both oohed' and ahhed' over it. Miss Lopez blushed mightily at the attention, but she looked pretty pleased at the same time.
"Man, I just wanted to say," Saul began, "that I really appreciate what you did to get Martha and I started." He nodded at me. "We're both pretty private, and I'm not sure it would have happened if you didn't make things so easy for it to take off."
I thought back to my "... he likes sci fi ..." comment to Martha and I laughed. "Saul, I didn't do much." I grinned at him. "Though I'll never forget catching you in your boxers at the fridge that first day back from San Diego."
He laughed. "Don't remind me!"
I love Saul. He's such a good friend, and I'm happy he has found someone. More, I'm happy that someone is Martha.
Speaking of Miss Lopez ... she is in the kitchen with the rest of the bunch. I have no idea what they're doing apart from the cake. But I do know I'm not allowed to even go into the house. This is my wedding but they're bossing me around! The injustice is unfathomable! :-)
And I'm so thankful for all of them.
Okay. I'm gonna close up the journal for now. Next time I write, I'm going to be married to the man I love.
Till then.
Daniel 23 March 2018, Friday 1000 AM Our Place
All I know, is I'm supposed to walk from the kitchen slider the the middle of the path. And there I'm gonna meet Wayne. Then we'll walk the path to a spot between the hot tub and the cottage. There's a level, grassy area there. And that's where Anna, our officiant is gonna be. That's where I'm going to get married.
The music just started. Oh man ... I love this song. The Broken Road. I already feel my face trying to screw itself up into an ugly cry, and I fight hard against that. I barely manage to keep from it.
The cottage door opens, and there he is. He smiles, and I feel myself do the same. God, he's handsome. His eyes are so brown and deep. And we take the few steps between us, till we meet in the middle.
We're supposed to pause here, and I'm glad. Because I lose myself in his gaze for a moment. It's not part of the script, but I reach up and I touch his face. He frowns, and I can tell he's trying not to cry. He holds it together and he reaches for my hand. "Shall we, mister Ison?"
I grasp his hand, and I nod. "Definitely, mister Hawkins."
We turn, and continue slowly up the path. Davis walks behind and to the side of me, while Saul does the same to Wayne. I can't see Davis, but I catch a glimpse of Saul as he walks behind Wayne. He has the most genuine, content smile on his face. I look forward to the day when I get to be a part of his wedding, so I can return the favor to him.
We round the corner of the cottage, and both Wayne and I audibly gasp in surprise. There's an incredible arbor made of large redwood beams on the lawn. Red and white roses adorn it all over, and it stands over 8 feet tall. It's both a work of engineering, and one of art. I know by Wayne's reaction that he didn't plan on that. And I know Matt's work when I see it. He truly is a master of his craft. I look over and Wayne wipes at his face. His lip trembles, and he tries hard to push back on his emotion. I've managed to hold it in, somehow.
The rest of our path is framed by our friends and family, standing to either side of our path to the arbor. The first we come to are Josh and Miranda standing together on our left, and Matt is on the right. As we come even with them Wayne stops us, and smiles over at me.
Matt clears his throat. "Wayne wanted you to know, Daniel ... what it has meant to all of us, getting to know you." Matt smiles. "But," he motions over the assembled group, "we decided that's not really very fair. So we're going to tell you BOTH what you mean to us." Wayne frowns, unprepared for this and licks his lips. Another surprise for him.
Matt continues. "Daniel. Getting to know you, I've come to realize what a wonderful, generous, and incredibly competent guy you are." He looks around. "None of you but Laura know this ... but Daniel helped me with a really painful, chronic problem with my back." He turns his eyes back on me. "Without you, I'd probably be taking painkillers, and be on the way to a surgeon's table." He steps up to me, only a foot away now. "Thanks for helping me get my life back."
I nod. I totally don't trust myself to speak right now. But I know my eyes convey to Matt how I feel. I see Laura looking at Matt, then she looks at me. She smiles, and her expression tells me how thankful she is.
He turns. "Wayne. I went from not really so sure about you, to loving you. I'm so thankful you allowed me time to see that I was wrong, and then allow me to correct myself." He steps next to Wayne, and puts his hand on his shoulder. "I'm so proud to call you my brother in law." He looks at the arbor Anna stands under. "I hope you like your wedding gift from us."
Wayne gives little happy laugh and nods. Matt looks him in the eyes, pats his shoulder and steps back to his place in line.
Josh holds Miranda's hand and they both look at Laura who jerks her head toward us. Josh steps toward me and throws his arms around my waist. "Daniel, we're so happy you're gonna be our uncle!" Miranda follows suit, and clamps onto my leg. I laugh, and Wayne grins big at all of us.
Then they move to Wayne. "We love you uncle Wayne!" He looks down at them, his face a riot of emotion and joy.
"Love you too kids." He pats their heads with his free hand as they cling to him.
They finally release him, and we take another couple of steps until we're now between Grayson and Antonio.
Grayson steps in front of us and puts a hand on both of our shoulders. He stares at us and he shakes his head. "I can't even express what you both mean to me." His face twitches and I know he's struggling. "When I first met you, I was ready to let Randy kill me." He takes a deep breath. "You made me realize that life is worth something. That I am worth something." He grips firmly. "Thank you." I hear Davis choke up behind me, and I try to ignore it otherwise I might join him.
Wayne and I both nod at him, and Grayson steps back to his place in line. Then Antonio takes his place in front of us.
He gazes at me, then he shifts his eyes to Wayne, and he smiles. "I see before me, two men who love, and are meant for one another." He steps forward and puts a hand on the back of our necks. "And after today, I see not one, but two sons." His eyes land on Wayne. "You marry my son today. And when you do, I will treat you as I do him." Antonio smiles broadly. "Welcome to our family Wayne."
I hear Wayne breathe, and I look over. He's crying now, and I smile at him. "Gracias Antonio." He manages to get out. Antonio nods and steps back into his spot.
We continue. Another couple of steps brings us to Martha and Laura.
Laura steps in front of us, and her face is lit with her joy. "I am so happy Wayne found you Daniel. I could not have wished for a better partner in this life for him." She pauses, and she gathers herself. "And Wayne ..." she swallows, "I know that mom and dad would have loved to have been here to see you marry Daniel. But I'm so very glad, that we get to share this moment with you." She looks back and forth between us. "I have come to love you both, and just like Antonio ... I feel like I'm getting another family member - a brother." She looks directly into my eyes. "Welcome the the family Daniel. So glad to have you."
The emotional impact of this is incredible. I've managed to keep things wrapped up till now, but I just can't hold it anymore.
"Tha ..." I clear my throat, "thank you Laura." I frown and wipe at my face as a tear streaks down my cheek. She steps back, and Martha takes her place.
Martha wordlessly gives Wayne a hug. And Wayne puts his free arm around her shoulders. He closes his eyes and stands while she hangs on.
Finally she speaks, still clinging to him. "Thank you for saving my brother." Wayne frowns, and nods. Then she releases him and hugs me. "Thank you for saving our dad, and for being my brother."
I put my head down and I kiss the top of her head. "Thank you for sharing our dad, and for being my sister." My tears run down my face into her black hair.
After a moment she lets go, and steps back to her place. Tears have made trails on her face, but she doesn't wipe them away. She only smiles as we step past her, her brown eyes follow us.
Finally we stand before Anna. She is beautiful. She wears a stunning dress made of the same blue cloth of our shirts. And around her neck there is a long rainbow stole. Her smile could light up a city block. We all stand under the arbor, and I can smell the scent of roses all around us. Wayne's music still plays on a loop. From here it is only background noise, but it's pretty.
When we get there, Saul and Davis peel off, and stand to our sides - nearby but out of the way. I also notice Grayson step out of line and he pulls out what looks to be a nice camera. God, I hadn't even thought about pictures. I'm glad Wayne's in charge of this thing.
Anna smiles over the group. "Good morning everyone. Welcome to the wedding of Daniel Ison and Wayne Hawkins. You all look radiant, and filled with your love and regard for both our grooms, and for one another. It is my great honor to officiate this wedding." She looks over all of us, then her eyes land on Wayne and I. "Let's begin."
"At this time the grooms will declare their intention to wed one another through vows they have written themselves." Anna's eyes twinkle. "At least, that would be the case had Wayne not asked for a beautiful irregularity in the ceremony." Anna nodded slowly at Wayne. "It's your show."
Wayne turns to me, and Anna begins to record us on her phone. I don't know what's coming, but I can sense it's important. My eyes lock onto his.
"You inspire me." He begins. "I'm going to read the product of that inspiration to you, and I hope you better understand what it's like for me to love you." He pulls out a page of paper he had folded in his pocket, clears his throat, and he begins to read.
"The hardest part of loving you, Is the total, uncontrolled, Way my heart strings along, Body, mind, and soul.
I'm frightened by the power, I marvel at the bliss, Of what is locked deep within, The gift of but a kiss.
A touch is all it takes from you, To bring me to my knees, I think you know I'd do it all, To feel you next to me.
This flame of love burns so bright, I watch for it to fade, For that is what I hear occurs, When two hearts dance this way.
But it doesn't fade, it only grows, Into a burning sun, And in my soul, mind and heart, I know you are my one. My raging burning sun."
I'm openly streaming tears and I blink to clear my vision. Most of those around me suffer the same problem, men and women both. He reaches up and puts his hand on the side of my face. "Daniel ... I don't want to live without you."
"You don't ever have to." My voice is rough, but I get out the words. I can't help but pull him to me, and I embrace him.
Anna smiles, and lowers her phone. Wayne pulls back, wipes his face, and nods at her. "Now, Daniel, you may recite your vows to Wayne."
I inhale, the breath calms and helps to center me. I block out anything else, everything but Wayne. I take another breath, and I begin.
"Until I met you, I didn't know how incomplete I was. How unfinished, and raw, and lonely. There were so many parts of me that were broken, and parts that didn't make sense. And you FIX all of it." I frown at him. "But holy hell ... you terrified me. This feeling, this need. I didn't know if you felt it too, and until I did I was so afraid." I begin to smile. "I was afraid until I knew. Now I know you feel for me what I do for you." I run my hand through his curly hair on the side of his head. "Wayne Hawkins, I ... am ... yours."
I finish. I had it memorized from so many times practicing it. Wayne squeezes his eyes shut and breathes slowly. Tears leak from his eyes and he struggles to control them.
"Wayne, when you're ready you may recite your vows to Daniel." Anna says gently.
He nods, wipes his eyes and looks up. His head is high, and he looks so incredible. I look on him, and I can't help but be enthralled by everything that he is.
"Daniel. Before you, I hadn't even realized what we have was possible for me. I had no idea how deep, how powerful, and ... consuming that love could be. When I'm not by your side I think of you. When I am, I give thanks for you. You have become everything I need in a partner, everything I could ever hope or want for in a husband." He draws a breath. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." He reaches and softly puts his hand on the side of my face. "Daniel Ison, I ... am ... yours."
Anna looks over us both, then looks down with a smile. "Ring bearers, come forward."
Josh holds Miranda's hand, and they walk down the path together. When they get to us Miranda holds her ring up to Wayne, and he smiles at her. "Not yet baby." She frowns, and puts her hand back down to her side.
"Rings are a symbol of eternity. There is no start and there is no end." Anna intones. "Let this union be as the symbols of their joining." She smiles at Miranda and Josh. "Ring bearers, you may present them to our celebrants."
Josh gives Wayne's ring to me, and Miranda gives Wayne mine. I feel my breathing pick up. God, it's really happening.
Josh tries to lead Miranda back to their spot, but the stubborn little thing stands her ground. He gives up, and simply stands there with her. Wayne only smiles at them.
"Wayne, present the ring to Daniel, and repeat after me." Wayne reaches for my hand, and he holds it as he looks into my eyes. Anna continues. "With this ring, I pledge to share my life and love with you, so long as we both shall live." Wayne repeats the words, and he slips the ring onto my finger. "Daniel, present the ring to Wayne, and repeat after me." I reach for his hand, my eyes never leave his. "With this ring, I pledge to share my life and love with you, so long as we both shall live." I repeat the words reverently, and I slide Wayne's ring onto his finger.
Anna puts a hand on each of our shoulders. "By the powers vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you Married." She grins. "You may both kiss your husband."
I feel a rush of ... god, I can't even describe it. We pull one another in and we kiss. Our gathered friends and family go crazy around us.
And that's it. I'm a married man.
Wow.