Justin

“Oh, Justin,” Daphne gushed. “You look beautiful.”

Justin stared at this reflection in the mirror and smiled. “Thanks, Daph.”

“What if your mom doesn’t get here in time?”

Justin's stomach twisted with nerves. “She’ll be here. Dad says she’s raising holy hell, insisting it shouldn't take so long to fix a dislocated shoulder and a scratched cornea.”

It had been hard to talk to his dad on the phone without confronting him, but he’d forced himself to set his anger aside. A new heaviness had settled over his heart. His father wasn’t the perfect man he’d always believed him to be.

“Do you think she will really wear an eyepatch?” Daphne asked.

“Maybe she’s wishing she’d picked a pirate wedding theme instead.”

Daphne laughed. They were silents for a few minutes and Justin started to pace. They were still waiting for Molly. He turned to Daphne. “Aren’t you wondering why Brian and I are going through with this wedding?”

“No.”

“Really?”

Daphne smiled. “No, this feels right. You feel it too, or you wouldn’t be here right now. You and Brian are perfect for each other.”

Justin sighed. “Molly would say”-” He lowered his voice to a growl, “-It’s so stupid, Justin, marrying someone you barely know.”

The door swung open. “I don’t sound anything like that,” Molly said, marching through the doorway. “My voice isn’t anything near that deep. Although the rest is reasonably accurate.”

“Mol!” Justin clutched his hands in front of him, feeling like he was about to puke. They hugged, and eventually, Justin searched his little sister's eyes. “Molly? I think...I’m ready to hear the story now.” He took a deep breath. “I know you have something important to say, Brian told me that much, but not the details. You investigated him, didn’t you?”

Molly sighed, suddenly she looked more vulnerable than Justin had ever seen her before. “What would you have me do, Justin? I wasn’t willing to stand by and watch you get hurt by another jerk, especially when the last one still can’t seem to take no for an answer...”

Justin's eyes narrowed. “Wait, how do you know about that?”

Molly cast down her eyes. “Ethan’s been calling me nonstop since Friday morning. Finally, after the rehearsal dinner last night, I told him you were back in Pittsburgh, which meant you couldn't go out to dinner with him so he should stop calling me. He seemed very surprised to hear you were here. To scare him off I said the only way you would even fathom going out with him was if he hopped on a plane, found you here in Pittsburgh, and groveled at your feet. Thank god, that seemed to do the trick, and my phone has been mercifully silent ever since.”

“Why would you tell him that? I wouldn’t go out with him if he were the last man on earth. Especially after meeting Brian.”

“Yeah...well, you shouldn’t put Brian on a pedestal just yet.” She put a hand on her hip and cocked her head. “What did he tell you?”

“I told you. He didn’t tell me anything.”

Molly frowned. “You spent the whole night together. I can’t believe he didn’t tell you everything before I could get to you. I thought that was why he wanted go away with you after the dinner yesterday.”

“No, Molly,” Justin said, his tone brisk. “He told me to listen to what you had to say, then make up my own mind.”

Molly sighed. “He’s playing you.”

“He isn’t, Molly. He trusts my judgment. He said if I decide I don’t want to see him again, he’ll respect my choice.” He took another deep breath. “So tell me.”

Molly cast a glance toward the still-silent Daphne.

“Daph can stay,” Justin said. “She’s part of this too.”

“I think you should sit.” Justin obeyed and fought his rising nausea as Molly told him about the patent, Brian searching the house for proof that his patent had been stolen, Brian’s business, and how she wasn’t sure it was a coincidence that he’d sat next to Justin on the plane. And when she was finished, all three of them sat in silence.

Justin stood and wandered over to the window, looking out at the flowering gardens. Parts of it made sense. He knew Brian’s company was in trouble. Brian had told him that he had two choices- either his employees would lose their jobs or he’d hurt someone he cared about.

Justin had thought that someone was Ted. Turns out it was him. So why had Brian continued with his charade? Because he hadn’t stolen the information he needed. Justin felt like an idiot when he realized he’d given his father’s password to Brian, providing him with carte blanche to all of his father’s electronic files. What had he done? He was going to throw up.

Then he thought about the man he’d gotten to know- a man who would never steal something for personal gain. Brian had too much integrity. It might not look that way, since he’d helped him for reasons that weren’t on the up and up, but he couldn’t ignore how Brian had refused to have sex with him that first night. He’d wanted to, badly, but he’d stopped because he was afraid of hurting him.

But what about his feelings now? When Justin examined every minute they’d spent together, he kept coming up with the same answer. What he felt for Brian -what they felt for each other- was genuine.

“Why was he so upset with you?” Justin finally asked, turning to face Molly.

“How should I know?”

Justin stared at her, lifting his eyebrows. “Try again. I know you had a part in it.”

“Why would I interfere with your relationship?”

“Tell me.”

Molly released a sigh. “You know how much I love you, Justin. I figure actions speak louder than words, so I acted.”

“What did you do??”

“I made a suggestion. After I presented my evidence, I gave Brian an out. I promised to find him another investor to save his company. I knew a few of Dad’s business contacts who would have helped him in no time...but if he wanted my help, he had to promise to leave you and never speak to you again.”

Justin felt lightheaded.

“You did what?”

“He refused to do it, Justin. I know he wants that patent, but if he doesn’t have the money by next week, he’ll have to shut down. For all his whining about his employees losing their jobs, he never even stopped to consider it.”

Justin put his hand on the back of his chair to help support his shaking legs. “He gave up his business for me.”

Molly scowled. “I know it looks that way, but you don’t know that.”

Justin shook his head slowly. “But I do know, Molly. I know how desperately he wants to save his company. He came on this trip for no other reason. And give me a break, there’s no way he could’ve arranged to sit beside me on that plane unless he hacked the airline. He cares about me. I know it.” His voice was shaking. “If all he cared about was his company, he would've agreed to your plan.” He pressed his fingertips to his temple. “He wouldn't do all that if he didn’t want to be with me.” He looked up at his sister and saw that she reconsidered her words. “I admit that his reaction to my plan confused me. I expected a half-hearted denial, okay, but I didn’t think he would act so offended.” Justin sat in the chair, feeling even more lightheaded. He glanced at Daphne, who was sitting on the other side of the room. There was a strange look on her face and Justin scowled. “You already knew?”

Daphne nodded. “I talked to Ted. Remember, he was staying at your parent's house and I was still there. Brian sent him a message, warning him in case Molly would try to offer him her help finding another investor and telling him not to go along with it. Ted says there’s no way Brian wouldn’t grab a last chance to save his business...unless he’s in love with you.”

Molly cleared her throat. “Well, about that...Brian’s already told me he’s in love with Justin.”

Justin bolted out of his chair. “What?”

Daphne's eyes widened and a grin spread on her face. “Oh my god!” She clapped her hands. “I knew it was true!”

Molly blinked. “I didn’t buy it when he told me, thinking it was some way to outmaneuver me. But now I’m reconsidering, and I mean, what man gives up his own company for someone he kind of likes?”
“Oh, God. I have to talk to him!” Justin bolted for the door. “Wait!” Daphne screamed. “He’ll be here in a few minutes anyway, and I want you to see my beautiful dress.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Only because it’s you.”

Ten minutes later, Molly and Daphne were dressed in their pink bridesmaid dresses, and arranging Justin's tux.

Tears filled Daphne's eyes. “I can’t believe you’re getting married.” She smirked. “Besides, I always though I would be the first to get married. Asshole.” They burst into laughter.

“If it helps, I’m not really getting married,” Justin said.

“It looks like you are from where I’m standing,” Molly remarked.

“It’s not real. It’s for Mom, and she’s not even here to enjoy it.”

Daphne squeezed his arm. “She will be here, Jus. Wild horses couldn't keep her away.”

There was a knock at the door and Molly went to answer it, poking her head through the opening. She turned around with a scowl. “Brian wants to talk to you.” A tiny grin broke through her tough exterior. “And I suppose the fact that you’re wearing your tux means you want to talk to him too.” Brian stood at the threshold, hesitating. “Can I come in?”

Justin nodded, not trusting his voice.

Daphne and Molly filed out of the room, leaving the door open to reveal all of Brian. He was gorgeous. He wore the black tux he’d tried on the day before. He entered the room and shut the door behind him. He openly stared at Justin. “You look...”

Justin smiled and tried to finish Brian’s sentence. “Good? Bad? Laughable?”

Brian continued to stare at him. “...beautiful.”

Justin looked up into his eyes. “I do?”

Brian smiled. “It’s not a question. It’s a declaration.”

Justin blushed, feeling shy in the spotlight of Brian’s unabashed admiration. Brian moved closer, stopping several feet in front of the blonde. “You didn’t tell me to go to hell. I’m going to take that as a good sign.”

“I have some questions.”

Brian pressed his lips together. “Okay. Ask me anything you want.”

Justin nodded. “Did you know I’d be on that plane?”

Brian shook his head, his eyes pleading. “No. I had no idea...I didn’t have much of a plan either, I just knew Craig Taylor's son was getting married. But I freely admit that I boarded the plane with the intention of finding evidence that your father's company stole my design.”

“Your design?”

Brian’s gaze held Justin's. “I came up with it, and Ted and I were working on funding and paperwork for the patent. Ted had a spare set of plans with him at a convention and he...lost them.”

“Lost them?”

Brian smirked. “He got laid and when he woke up the next morning, the bag and the plans were gone.”

Justin couldn't believe his father would involve himself in such a thing, but two hours ago, he would have sworn on oath that his father wasn’t capable of cheating on his mother.

“How do you know this isn’t some big coincidence?”

“Because when Ted was at your father’s firm yesterday, he saw a photo of the guy.” He paused. “It was the fiancé of the partner’s son. His name’s Blake.”

Justin gasped. “I know him! So he seduced Ted on purpose to steal the plans and help his boyfriend?”

“Exactly. So you believe me?”

“Of course I believe you, but I still don’t understand how you ended up as my substitute fiancé.”

“Everything I told you is true. I carried you out of the plane, and your mother heard me telling people you were my fiancé. I did try to correct her, but then your father introduced himself, and...I figured I was being given the chance to help us both out.” Brian took Justin's hand in his. “I never meant to hurt or humiliate you, Justin.”

The blonde nodded. “So the reason you didn’t want to break up with me in the beginning was because you hadn’t found what you needed?”

“Yeah...at first.”

“And then Ted came to help.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“And then yesterday? When you used my father's computer…?”

“I was ready to let the business die.”

“But something changed.”

“When I checked my email, I got a note from my assistant, Cynthia. She told me that an employee’s had a heart attack. How will he survive if my business fails? I couldn't think of my own happiness. This business is my whole life, but thinking about giving you up...I couldn't do it.”

Justin closed the distance between them and kissed the taller man.

“You’re not giving me up, Brian.”

Brian pulled Justin into a hug, kissing him softly for several seconds before releasing him.

“Do you have any hard evidence against my father's company yet?”

“No. Just circumstantial.”

Justin hesitated, not knowing if he wanted the answer to his next question. But he was so tired of hiding from the truth. “Is my father involved?”

Brian didn’t answer at first and Justin pushed out a breath.

“It seems like it, Justin.”

The blonde shook his head, swallowing. “How’d he pay for this wedding, Brian? My parents are wealthy, but they don’t have that kind of money.”

“I don’t know.”

Justin pressed his lips together and nodded, taking in a deep breath. “So we need to get the evidence to save your business, right?”

“You want to help me?”

“You have people depending on you, don’t you?”

“Well, yes…but...”

“Do you have a plan?”

Brian shook his head, astonished by the fact that Justin actually wanted to help him.

“The partner and his fiancé are supposedly coming to the wedding. Ted is going to pull Blake away and try to get him to confess to stealing the plans and capture it with a video recording. If we can get Blake’s confession, the rest falls into place.”

“And how does Ted plan to get him to confess?”

Brian sighed, then his mouth twisted into a smirk. “I have no idea why, but according to Ted, Blake has a soft spot for him.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Well, I hope he does.”

Daphne's agreed to help him too. She’s going to record it all.”

Justin nodded. “So if Daphne and Ted are trying to get a confession, what is there for me to do? I want to help you.”

Brian’s eyes were soft as he smiled at him. “Oh, I have a job for you too.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“To be my husband.” Brian reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver ring. “I don’t want to go through with the ceremony with the fiddler’s ring on your finger.” He searched for Justin's eyes. “Maybe when the ceremony is over, you’ll keep wearing it.”

Justin's mouth dropped open in shock as Brian got down on one knee. “Justin Taylor, sitting by you on that plane was the best thing that ever happened to me. I never believed in love. I thought it’s just something people tell themselves so they can get laid and then they end up hurting each other, because it was all based on lies to begin with. I never believed in marriage. I thought it was just some lame breeder-tradition that didn’t make any sense. Then I met you and I realized it isn’t true. Because I know two things: I love you, and I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So...will you marry me?”

Justin laughed between his tears and nodded.

Brian playfully raised an eyebrow. “Is that a yes? You know, Justin, this floor is hard and I’m not used to stay in this position unless I’m blowing a guy.”

Justin had to laugh even harder. “Yes. Yes!” he managed to say.

Brian stood and pulled Justin into his arms, kissing him until he forgot everything around them.

When Justin looked into the hazel eyes, he smiled. “I love you too, Brian.”

Brian grinned. “I sure as hell hope so, Mr. Taylor. You just agreed to marry me for real.”

Brian

Even if Brian would've never admitted it, he was nervous. This was a fake wedding, arranged for his now-fiancé and another guy, so why was he so nervous?

Fake wedding or not, if felt incredibly real, especially since there was a real wedding in their near future. He knew Justin was worried that his parents -especially his mother- wouldn't arrive in time, but all he could do was hold Justin's hand and stand by his side.

They waited behind the glass chapel and around the corner by the flower garden, out of sight of the guests who were being seated. Daphne, Ted, and Molly were with them. Brian was happy that Molly’s animosity had softened a bit. Ted kept grinning like a fool, as was Daphne. Brian pulled Ted to the side. “What are you up to, Theodore?”

“What? I can’t be excited for Brian Kinney's wedding?”

Brian leaned into his ear. “It’s not like this is our real wedding, Ted.” He stood upright. Of course he would've to tell Ted that he would indeed get married in a few months, but he still had a reputation to uphold. Ted’s expression grew serious. “I was just kidding, Bri. I have to admit that I’ve never seen you happier. You deserve all this happiness and even more. Besides, Justin is a great guy.”

A lump clogged Brian’s throat. “Thanks, Ted.”

Brian’s gaze fell on Justin, once again stunned this man who was so beautiful -inside and out- was his.

Craig and Jennifer arrived with minutes to spare- Jennifer hopped up on painkillers, with an arm sling on her right side and an eyepatch on her left. The instant Justin saw his parents, all the tension drained from his body, leaving him with a radiant glow. He gave the go-ahead to start the wedding procession.

“Thanks for keeping me calm, but I’m good now.” Justin reached up and placed a gentle kiss on Brian’s lips. “See you at the altar, Mr. Kinney.”

Jennifer’s unfocused eyes darted around. “Did he just call him Mr. Kinney?” But just then the usher came around the corner to lead her to her seat. Brian started to head for the chapel but stopped when he saw Jennifer pull away from the usher and stumble toward her son. Sensing that Justin's mother was chemically impaired, the usher reached for her good arm to lead her away. Brian took his place at the altar of the all-glass chapel, the view of which overlooked the gardens. Flowers were everywhere- roses in varying shades of white and pale pink. The glass chapel was gorgeous on its own.

Molly stood on the altar with him. She leaned over and whispered in Brian’s ear. “I know Mom was worried about your side of the church being too bare, so Ted invited a few people.” She pointed to the right. “Surprise!”

Brian turned his attention to the front row and was shocked to see Debbie, Michael, Lindsay, Melanie and Emmett. They grinned and cheered, waving at Brian. He couldn't help a smile. He turned back to Ted, silently demanding an explanation. “You can’t get married without your friends. They’d kill us.”

The string quartet switched to the wedding march, setting Brian’s heart to racing, and first Daphne, then Molly walked down the aisle.

Craig walked down the aisle next, Justin on his arm. The young man looked really handsome in his dark blue tuxedo which emphasized his blue eyes, his blonde hair framing his face in a perfect way. The love in his eyes sucked Brian’s breath away. His chest warmed as Justin approached him, and before he knew it, they were standing in front of everyone. When the minister announced it was time for the vows, Brian interrupted him. “I wrote my own vows.”

Justin's eyebrows lifted playfully as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a napkin.

“Okay,” the minister said, sounding uncertain. Brian’s gaze lifted to Justin's and the blonde smiled, giving him the silent encouragement he needed.

“Justin, I promise to stay in the shower with you when the water turns cold.”

Justin chuckled.

“I promise to carry you off planes when you overdose on Dramamine -or other drugs- but I draw the line at letting your Gram take pictures of me in the nude.” He turned to the audience and found Gram on the front row. “Sorry, Gram.”

“That’s okay!” Gram called out to him. “Ted will pose for me.”

Brian looked at Ted and raised an eyebrow at the other man, who looked paler than usual and shook his head.

The crowd snickered and laughed.

Brian turned back to Justin, who was obviously struggling to keep a straight face.

“I promise to walk the dog when it’s cold and rainy,” he continued.

“Wait,” Justin whispered, loud enough for only them to hear. “You have a dog?”

Brian leaned closer and whispered, “No. Do you?”

The blonde shook his head. “No, but I want a puppy.”

“I’ll walk it.” Brian cleared his throat. “I’ll be there to share your joy, an I’ll always be there to wipe away your tears. I will support you in every choice you make.” He took Justin's hand. “I want to thank you for turning my life completely upside down.”

Justin squeezed his hand and bit his lower lip. “I didn’t write any vows, Brian.”

“That’s okay.”

Justin took a deep breath. “Even if we have all of it, we don’t need rings or vows to proof that we love each other. We already know that. I don’t know what I would have done without you over these last few days, and I had no idea what I was missing until you showed it to me. Thanks for crashing into my life.” He laughed. “And thank you for giving into fate, Brian. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without you.”

Brian grabbed the smaller man’s hand and squeezed it as he stared at him with so much love he had to fight the impulse to kiss him right then and there.

They turned back to the minister who was gaping at them and took a moment to gather his wits. “You can exchange the rings,” he stammered out.

After pulling the wedding ring from his pocket, Brian picked up Justin's finger and held the ring over it. He glanced at Debbie in the audience, wondering what she thought, but she just gave him a loving smile and wiped tears from her cheeks. Emmett next to her was a sobbing mess.

Brian slid the ring over Justin's finger.

“I don’t have a ring,” Justin whispered in panic. “I forgot a ring!”

Molly cleared her throat. “I have one,” she grumbled, walking over and handing her brother a ring. “That’s Grandpa’s. And for the record, this is the most bizarre wedding I’ve ever been to.”

Brian and Justin exchanged looks and grinned. This was their wedding. A wonderful-crazy-unconventional wedding, at all levels.

Justin put the ring on Brian’s finger, and the minister, who was clearly eager to be done with the wedding, said,

“May I present Mr. and Mr. Taylor-Kinney.”

“Who?” Jennifer asked Craig, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Why did he call them that?” Hopefully the pain medicine was still in full enough effect that she’d forget the slip.

“You may kiss the groom now.”

Brian pulled Justin into his arms and kissed him, then lifted his head as applause filled the chapel. “We really did it.”

Justin beamed up at him. “We really did.”

Everything was perfect. Justin went to talk to his parents and Gram, and Brian was just about to head over to his friends who were waiting for him, until he discovered a curly-haired man who started to push his way none too gently through the crowd, heading straight for Justin.

Suddenly Daphne was beside him, grabbing his arm. “Oh, God, Brian,” she said, breathless, her eyes wide. “It’s Ethan!”