Chapter 8

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Emmett, Sean and the minions rolled in a beautiful white cake trimmed with fresh flowers. Emmett personally went to several florists within and out of the city limits to find the most perfect and freshest flowers to adorn the simple cake. Molly had won another victory in regards to her cake, Sharon Brenner and Sarah Kingsley be damned. Molly wanted a simple look, and chocolate. She got it. The cake was elegant and without pretense. The lights were dimmed, a spotlight lit the way for the cake then Molly and Owen did the bride cuts the cake thing. No one got too silly or too embarrassed, and no clothes were ruined.

Briana enjoyed one forkful of cake then promptly fell asleep in Brian's arms. Patrick had a similar experience; however, he managed at least three forkfuls before passing out in John's lap.

"That's all folks!" John quipped as he gazed at his peacefully sleeping son. "I was hoping for one or two more dances with my partner before I turned into a human pillow. I guess I missed my chance."

"Not necessarily," Brian stated.

"Um, not sure if you're aware of it, little bro, but you have your own sleeping child in your lap."

"Ah, yes, but I also have a plan."

"And when were you going to let us mere mortals in on your plan?" Bobby snarked.

"Just about now," Brian said confidently.

"Hey, Pop! Aw, out cold, isn't she?" Gus commented about his sleeping sister.

"Yes, and so is he," Brian said, indicating Patrick.

"Not a problem, I bring reinforcements." Lindsay and JR joined them.

"Brian, I'll take Bree up to your suite. Gus can take Patrick. JR's sleepy too," Lindsay said as she held her arms out to receive Bree.

"Oh, Mom," JR groused with a yawn. She wouldn't admit that it had been a very long day.

"Thank you for booking that suite for us too. I wasn't looking forward to the drive home."

"That's my Pop, always coming up with something," Gus bragged, winking at his dad.

"That's enough, Sonny Boy. So you're cool about baby sitting?" Brian asked his son.

"I'm cool, Pop. Besides, too many female body parts flashing at me, you know what I mean?" Gus lowered his voice as he revealed his discomfort to Brian.

"Oh yeah, I know just what you mean. You call me if you need anything."

"It's all under control."

"What do you mean, Gus?" John asked the boy.

"Emmett found out you booked the suites. He made sure that the refrigerators are well stocked. We'll be fine."

Brian stood to hand over the sleeping flower girl to Lindsay. John handed Patrick to his nephew.

"You're a good kid, Gus," John said as he bussed his son on the cheek. Bobby gently caressed his son's cheek before Gus took him up.

"Thank you, Gus," Bobby said.

"You're welcome, Uncle Bobby. Okay troops, head 'em up and move 'em out," Gus said cheerfully, sounding so much like his father. Lindsay and JR rolled their eyes but followed the young Kinney out of the ballroom. Four pair of eyes watched as the flower girl and ring bearer left the room.

John finished the rest of his coffee then held out his hand to Bobby. "May I have this dance?" John asked his partner. Johnny Mathis was crooning out a romantic song.

"By all means," Bobby replied as he took his spouse's hand. Brian and Justin watched as John led Bobby to the dance floor.

"Shall we?" Justin asked Brian as he held out his hand. Brian smiled serenely as he took Justin's hand.

The stunning brothers impressed the guests by dancing their beautiful partners around the floor.

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"May I have this dance, Mrs. Brenner?" Brian asked sweetly.

"Oh my, why yes," Sharon Brenner replied. "It's very nice of you to ask."

"Not at all," Brian said gallantly. Justin had told him to ask Sharon to dance while he went and asked Sarah Kingsley to do the same. This wasn't Brian's favorite thing to do, but he supposed he needed to make nice with Molly's new in-laws. He'd rather dance with Justin, but they'd had a few good dances already, and Brian was more interested in the horizontal dance he and Justin would be doing in the suite later on. The least he could do was make sure Justin was happy until then. After that he planned to make his young lover ecstatic. He smiled to himself thinking about it.

"You have a lovely smile, Mr. Kinney," Sharon said, noting the expression on his face.

"Thank you, and please call me Brian."

"I'd like that … Brian."

"It's been a lovely wedding," Brian said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice as he attempted to make small talk.

"Very! Molly and Owen made most of the decisions, and choosing Emmett Honeycutt to be their planner was a stroke of genius."

"I'm glad you think so," Brian replied.

"Oh, why's that?"

"Emmett's a friend and neighbor. He always does his very best to fulfill the wishes of his clients."

"He certainly was very accommodating to me," Sharon added.

"Emmett's a good guy."

"Yes, yes, he is," Sharon agreed as Brian propelled her across the floor.

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"Mrs. Kingsley, may I have this dance?" Justin asked the elderly woman.

"Oh, that would be lovely, dear. A woman of my age and status doesn't get asked to dance too often," Sarah replied. "Usually Owen Sr. condescends to dance once or twice with me at these affairs, but that's it." She stood up and extended her hand to Justin. They made their way out onto the floor.

Justin held Sarah in the traditional dance hold and started moving her around the floor. "Let me know if I'm stepping on your toes," Justin informed her.

"You dance very well, Justin."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kingsley."

"Please call me Sarah. Mrs. Kingsley makes me feel so old.

'And you are old,' Justin thought to himself. "You move very well yourself," he said aloud, surprised at how easy she was to dance with. Perhaps her society training had included extensive dance lessons.

"I loved to dance when I was younger. Still do. My husband and I used to cut a mean rug," she laughed. "But I don't get too many opportunities anymore." There was genuine sadness in her voice.

"That's too bad."

"Justin, may I ask you something?"

"Of course." Justin braced himself expecting to be asked to paint Sarah's portrait.

"Is Brian Kinney your … your…?"

"My partner? My lover? My husband? The answer is yes to all of the above." Justin had ceased to beat around the bush about his sexuality years ago, and he wasn't going to start covering up his relationship for Sarah Kingsley.

"Husband?" Sarah asked stopping in mid step. It was all Justin could do to keep from tipping them both over.

"Yes, Brian's my husband."

"But … that's not legal, is it?" Her eyebrow arched sharply.

"Not in the eyes of the state of Pennsylvania, but it may be one day. We were married in a ceremony that many choose to call a commitment ceremony. I choose to call it a marriage ceremony," Justin stated, trying to keep his voice level and calm.

"And was Molly there?"

"Of course she was. She's my sister."

"And your mother?"

"Yes, Brian and I have her blessing."

"And your father?"

Justin knew that was coming, but he still hated the answer he had to give. "My father and I have had little contact for many years."

"He doesn't approve of you and Mr. Kinney." Sarah stated the obvious.

"No, he doesn't. How about you? Do we have your disapproval too?" Justin challenged her.

"I … I don't know," Sarah said honestly.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Justin started them moving to the music once again.

"I will admit that I had no idea you were … gay. Is that the correct word?" Justin nodded. "I commented on your dancing with Mr. Kinney to Ethan Gold. He's a protégé of mine, you know." Justin nodded again. "Anyway, he informed me that you and Mr. Kinney were gay. I was surprised to say the least."

"Surprised?"

"Yes, I thought you were friends, acquaintances … without attachments. You know," Sarah said, helpless to explain any better. "And nobody bothered to tell me otherwise," she added huffily.

"But didn't you realize that Bree is my daughter … and Brian's?"

"I knew she was your daughter. I just assumed her mother was someone you had divorced or never married," Sarah explained.

"Well, her mother was someone I never married. She was a surrogate."

"Oh my! I've never met anyone who used a surrogate before."

"You might be surprised how common it is. Not all couples admit it though."

"You are a source of many surprises," Sarah told Justin.

Justin smiled slightly. He couldn't be angry with her when she seemed so genuine in her lack of understanding. "That has more truth than you might think."

"I think I won't pursue this topic any further," Sarah stated. She didn't want to get into unmapped territory that might make them both uncomfortable. She was enjoying the dance too much to wish it to end abruptly by making Justin mad.

"That might be wise."

"Is your … husband a good man?" Sarah asked.

"He's the best, Mrs. Kingsley." Justin's face lit up with one of his radiant smiles as he looked across the dance floor and saw Brian dancing with Sharon Brenner.

Sarah couldn't help but notice the love that radiated from Justin's eyes as he looked at his husband across the room. "You have a lovely smile, Justin dear," Sarah said, genuinely enjoying the look on her dance partner's face. "You … you love him a lot, don't you?"

"I love him more than life itself."

"That is rare in today's world. I loved my husband very much too. Although, most people probably wouldn't believe it, I miss him greatly."

"Has he been gone long?"

"Almost fifteen years."

"That's about how long Brian and I have been together," Justin said softly, staring over at Brian.

"That's lovely, dear," Sarah said, as the song came to an end and they stopped dancing. "Thank you for dancing me around for a few minutes. It was wonderful."

"I enjoyed it too. I hope we get a chance to know each other better in the future."

"I think I'd like that," Sarah replied. Justin escorted her back to her table and then headed towards the bar. He needed a drink. He wasn't sure what had just happened. He had no intention of liking Sarah Kingsley. He had asked her to dance out of a feeling of obligation and social propriety. She was still a formidable old battleaxe. He had intended to pretend to make nice with her, but somehow that pretense had actually turned into a fondness for the elderly woman. Maybe a drink would help him figure out what had just happened.

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When the song ended, Brian escorted Sharon over to the table where her husband was waiting.

"Thank you, Brian. That was a lovely dance," Sharon told him.

"You're welcome. I'll turn her back over to you now, Owen."

"Thank you very much, Brian. You gave my poor old feet a little rest, while you were dancing with Sharon, and Justin was dancing with Sarah. I usually have to do double duty."

Brian smiled knowing and sympathetically, before walking away to find his husband.

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Jennifer and Seth were gliding around the floor, doing a very good foxtrot to the contemporary music.

"You dance wonderfully," Jennifer said.

"Thank you, my dear. Years of dance lessons," Seth joked.

"Well, they certainly paid off."

"Do you feel your ex-husband's eyes boring into my back?"

Jennifer chuckled. "Yes, I do. He's been glaring at both of us ever since you got here."

"What's his problem?"

"Who knows? He's the one who's been married for several years, while I've been alone," Jennifer explained.

"Maybe he's one of those men who doesn't want something, or in this case someone, but he doesn't want anyone else to have it either."

"That could very well be true. I never thought of Craig as the jealous type, but he always was rather possessive."

"That's not always a positive trait."

"You can say that again," Jennifer agreed. "Craig wears a good façade, but he has some real turmoil going on underneath."

"Unlike me. I'm a simple man, very uncomplicated," Seth laughed.

"Just the way I like my men," Jennifer giggled, as Seth whirled her around.

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"Mrs. Brenner, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" Brian asked.

"That would be lovely."

Brian took Molly's hand and led her onto the dance floor.

"Looks like you survived all the trials and tribulations of the society wedding of the year," Brian smirked.

"And I have you to thank for my survival." Brian raised an eyebrow. "You know it's true. That was great advice you gave me back at the house."

"It's my philosophy of life," Brian stated sticking his tongue in his cheek. "Take whatever the fuck they're offering, use it to your own advantage, and fuck them all."

"You are such a fraud," Molly giggled.

Brian's eyebrow arched up into his hairline. "What are you talking about, young lady?"

"I'm talking about you and the hardass attitude. You're just a big softie at heart, or you wouldn't have rushed to my aid."

Brian stared into her blue eyes, but did not refute her words. "When are you and Owen leaving?" Brian asked, effectively changing the subject.

Molly realized the ploy, but she was too happy that the wedding was almost over and the rest of her life was about to commence to call Brian on it. "Owen and I will be starting our honeymoon momentarily. It's a good job you asked me to dance now, because I'm going to throw my bouquet in a few minutes, and then my garter. After that we're blowing this pop stand." Brian laughed. "What?" Molly asked.

"Nothing, I've used that expression a few times myself."

Molly stared at Brian. "You don't think hanging around you so much is turning me into a female Brian Kinney, do you?" Molly asked, and she sounded serious.

"You could do worse," Brian chuckled. He couldn't imagine another Brian Kinney of any ilk. He had enough trouble dealing with one of them.

"I know I could do much worse," Molly smiled at him. "Thank you for putting up with my tirade yesterday, and helping me through it."

"I didn't put up with it, in case you've forgotten. I called you on your shit, and made you see what was important," Brian explained.

"And that's why we all love you," Molly told him. She reached up and kissed his cheek then looked into his hazel eyes. "You're a good man, Brian Kinney."

Brian didn't respond. Usually he would have denied any such thing, but there was a big lump in his throat and he was unable to say anything.