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Click hereEpilogue
Marcus' heart was beating so fast, he thought it would pop right out of his chest. But then Andy squeezed his hand tightly and Marcus immediately felt his nerves settle to a manageable level. Marcus snuck a peak at Andy out of the corner of his eye. It had been two years almost to the day that Andy had confessed everything at the gay pride parade, two years of laughter and tears, of triumphant moments and of infuriating arguments. Life was messy, but Marcus was so glad that he was sharing his mess with Andy.
And now as they stood before their family and friends, they were about to make that bond permanent in the eyes of the law and of God.
Father Sullivan was going on about commitment in marriage, but Marcus found it difficult to pay attention. Andy was glowing and Marcus couldn't take his eyes of him. Andy squeezed his hand again and looked over at him expectantly.
Marcus shook himself out of his little daze and looked back and forth between Andy and Father Sullivan. Both of them were grinning at him in amusement.
"Love, I need my hand," Andy whispered.
"Oh, sorry," Marcus reluctantly let go of the tight grip he had on Andy's hand.
Andy's grin widen before he turned and went to sit behind the keyboard set up on the side of the stage. Marcus frowned, this wasn't part of the program—at least, not the program that he knew about.
Marcus racked his brain to see if he had overlooked something. The wedding had been a lot more work to plan that he had anticipated, especially after his mother got involved. She had taken charge of almost everything—flowers, decorations, even Marcus' and Andy's suits had to be approved, much to both men's chagrin—and Marcus had found himself spending more time managing her than doing any actual planning.
But all three had been on the same page on one thing: they wanted Father Sullivan to officiate. Thankfully, Father Sullivan heartily agreed—he couldn't officiate in his capacity as a Catholic priest, but he was more than willing to go rogue for a day and act as a legal officiant.
Marcus quickly glanced back at his mother who was sitting in the front row, beaming at him. She knew what was going on, that was clear, but Marcus still couldn't figure it out. Father Sullivan also knew what was going on, if the big smile on his face was any indication.
Then Andy's fingers settled over the keys and his hauntingly beautiful music flowed through the speakers.
Your love... is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
Marcus' heart stopped beating as Andy's voice rang out, serenading Marcus in front of their family and friends. Every time Andy sang—and Marcus had learned during the past two years that Andy sang often—Andy's voice always made Marcus stop whatever he was doing and listen. This time was no different; and yet this time was so much more.
I find I'm moving
To the rhythms of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating
In our secret place
Your love... is extravagant
Marcus recognized the words as so much more than a love song; they were a reflection of Andy's heart, a declaration of who Andy was. He was a man grounded in his faith in a loving God; he was a man carried away by his love for Marcus.
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
When You considered me Your friend
Captured my heart again
Marcus couldn't stop the tears that filled his eyes and then rolled down his cheeks. Andy had traveled an astonishing journey, and Marcus felt so privileged to have been able to witness it, to have taken part in it. Marcus had watched as Andy left behind everything he knew to be true about his role in the world and forge a new identity grounded in a new understanding of who God is.
Marcus had time and again been amazed at the bravery Andy displayed as he struggled with theological truths and found ways to reconcile them to what he felt in his heart. The journey hadn't been smooth, but Marcus found that the rough patches actually brought them closer together, forcing them to put the other person first.
The journey wasn't over; it wouldn't be over until they were both dead and gone. But Marcus wanted nothing more than to continue down this path with Andy by his side.
As the last notes of the melody faded, Marcus wiped the tears off his cheeks. When Andy returned to him, Andy raised his hand to catch a stray tear that Marcus missed.
"I love you," Andy whispered.
"I love you, too," Marcus whispered back.
Father Sullivan cleared his throat before continuing.
"Stephen, rings, please?" Father Sullivan asked.
Marcus turned to Stephen, who he was pleased to see also had tear rimmed eyes. Stephen fumbled in his pocket to pull out the rings as his sniffled. It had taken a while for Stephen to come around to Andy. But once Stephen was finally convinced that Andy had come out of the closet for good, Marcus frequently found them teaming up against him.
Marcus took the matching rings and grasped Andy's hand.
"Marcus, would you repeat after me?" Father Sullivan prompted.
Marcus repeated after Father Sullivan, a huge goofy grin on his face. His voice was shaky as he recited the vow he and Andy had drafted together. His hands shook as he slipped the platinum ring onto Andy's finger. When the ring settled into place, Marcus felt his heart soar in knowing that this man was his.
Then it was Andy's turn. Marcus didn't think his could be any more amazed by his soon-to-be husband, but as Andy recited those same words back to him, the sincerity and conviction in Andy's eyes stole Marcus' breath away.
"I give you this ring as a symbol of my abiding love, my eternal faith, my undying devotion, my everlasting friendship, and the promise of all my tomorrows," Andy's voice was steady and strong, the words spoken clearly and with pride.
"I choose to share my whole life's journey with you, knowing that with you I can become so much more than I am. I promise to love, honor and respect you through life's joys and life's tragedies. With this ring, I bind my life to yours."
Marcus' eyes dropped to their clasped hands as Andy took his ring and placed it on Marcus' finger. Marcus gazed at their intertwined hands, the shiny rings binding their souls together. When Marcus looked up into Andy's eyes, he saw the wealth of love there. This man is his other half; and now he was whole.
"And now, I pronounce you married!" Father Sullivan declared. "Gentlemen, you may now kiss your husband!"
Marcus smiled as Andy's eyes grew wide. There was the big innocent doe eyes that had been Marcus' downfall. And now those doe eyes were his forever. Marcus grinned as he leaned in, and growled deeply as Andy melted against him.
Forever. Yes, he liked the sound of that.
Absolutely wonderful writing. The storyline is good but the real strength of this is the way the author sets out complex emotions in such a way that the reader feels them rather than reads about them. This is a gift that few writers possess and makes this one of my favourite stories on this site.
Thank you so much for creating and sharing this work.
Wow. Just…wow. This is definitely my favorite story on here! It was so unique from the usual stories and you developed Andy and Marcus’ characters so well. Amazing.
I love how you intertwined two things which is an extremely sensitive topic even in this generation, and how you resolved it. Definitely one of my all-time favorite stories.
I commented on the final chapter anonymously—too lazy to log in. This story is simply beautiful. It’s in my top 5 for this genre. You’ve treated a sensitive topic with grace and love. I’m adding it to my favorites so that I can come back to it. I’m a sucker for a great love story. Thanks for sharing your talent.
I have read this story many time and it still gets deep into my heart it brings out all my emotions thank u for such a wonderful story
Great HEA, but IMO Andy's nature will likely resurface in 7 to 10 years and he will abandon Marcus and run back to putting his own endless Mia Culpas ahead of Marcus.
Andy and his Ego will flee back to God wrapped in his own selfricheous, selfish regrets at his "Sin" of abandoning God for "lusts of the flesh" in the first place. Marcus will be left alone, broken, older, sadder, and disillusioned by love.
And if you couldn't see that coming a mile away, you don't know the depth of Catholic conditioning.
May Marcus eventually find a man also broken by a cowardly lover, who is worth of his love. May they come together on common ground with love, compassion, tenderness, passion and joy.
May Andy rot in hell, or be reborn repeatedly as a gnat.
Ab
That was sweet, romantic and touching. Thank you for this beautiful story.
I enjoyed reading this. I grew up very religious and it took me years to get to a place where I was able to accept myself and not feel like Andy did.
Great job!
TM
This story is a good one!! I'm a Closet gay,and Catholic!! Love the new features that make the most of their love!! Very,touching,and sensual!! Thnx!!
To even start to express how amazing this story is. I live in the bible belt of SC and struggle daily with how foolishly people disregard God's main message, love. Please continue to write, God has truly blessed you with a girt for it.
I can't believe this is your first story. This was such a great story throughout. The story of the guys was wonderful and I also liked how it makes you think about religion and its view of homosexuality, whether you're Catholic or Christian or something else. I really hope you write more and soon. You have a talent. Those vows at the end were so beautiful. I'd be happy to use them if I ever were lucky enough to get married. You are a talented writer and I look forward to more of your work. I didn't expect the epilogue but it really tied it all together with a bow and gave us a little extra of the couple we came to love.
Im so glad u decided to write about there wedding it was so sweet crying so much thank u for your wonderful writing