Now

"Flower!" Leoni exclaimed and pointed down at a single flower that had fallen out of one of the flower arrangements the florists carried into the garden to set up all over the place.

Carefully, to not drop her, Phoenix bent down and picked it up. The Magnolia he put behind her ear to push back her wild curls. "There, it's almost as beautiful as you."

Leoni giggled.

"I have a pretty dress like mom's."

"I know. And you'll wear it later, right?"

To that, Leoni nodded enthusiastically. She and Mackenzie had matching dresses for the party. Neither Jace nor Phoenix had wanted any say in what they chose to wear. Long dresses, short dresses. With or without sleeves. Lace, satin, beadwork, poof, or whatever they wanted had been ok with them. The only request made to them was that they promised they would coordinate with the tailor, who made the groomsmen's tuxedos, and made sure the sashes and handkerchiefs matched, but the dresses would be their choice.

Phoenix had not even asked about the dresses. With Mackenzie's sense of style, he was not worried about anything. Even with his major control freak gene, that part he was ok with not knowing about.

The same went for the cake.

He was only going to eat a tiny piece of it for the pictures. The cake was Jace's joy and responsibility. Of course, he hoped it would not be something weird, like a squash cake, but for Jace, he would eat it and like it.

"Other flowers?" Leoni pointed at a new row of florists who carried in what looked to be centerpieces. They headed for the massive double tent, which was where the dinner was supposed to be held.

"Want to go see where they put them?"

"Tent." Leoni's legs already walked there, though she still sat on Phoenix's hip to have a spectacular view of everything. Nothing like sitting twice her height above the ground.

They made their way through the people balancing chairs, flowers, tables, trays of glasses, bottles, and a thousand things Phoenix had no idea were needed at a wedding. They could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by just carrying Jace and the preacher to him, and all the other fluff would not have been needed.

He finally understood why couples in movies eloped to avoid all the hoopla. He had always wondered about that when watching movies, not that romances were his thing, he just watched everything for the entertainment of it and the educational value.

But if he had to go through all the stress and preparations, he would make damned sure things were picture perfect. Not one thing could go wrong to ruin his day with Jace.

Phoenix chuckled to himself. It was a stupid notion. He knew that when he saw Jace, and they had said 'I do', he would not give a shit about the rest of it, he would not notice if the house was on fire, if the food was too salty, or if the cake was lopsided.

Things would be perfect because they were together.

Still, knowing that did not make him stop wanting to tweak every tiny detail.

They had been at it for about two hours already. Him and Leoni by proxy. She had, with her usual enthusiasm and helpfulness, told him what she thought needed fixing. Some of her ideas had been purely female touches that he would never have noticed. She might only be six, but she would be a Mackenzie clone when she grew up.

Phoenix had wandered around the garden and, as politely as he was capable of, commented on everything that did not live up to his expectations. Luckily, many of the workers, if not all of them, had been warned about him and just did as he wanted with no fuss.

They had probably experienced worse than an anxious groom with the number of weddings they had helped at as professionals. Though, with Phoenix's attitude, they guarded themselves against spinning him into a groomzilla fit.

It was his day, after all.

The need for perfection was expected.

The inside of the tent not only made Leoni squeal with delight. Phoenix caught himself making a sound quite similar, though he wished it was a bit more masculine if anybody had heard him.

The tent was like a living miracle.

Long tables with white tablecloths and royal blue table runners down the middle to fit their color scheme. Plates with a royal blue border, pristinely polished glasses, and silverware graced the tables in perfect settings. Every single setting was an exact copy of the others.

The florists placed the centerpieces on the tables under the watchful eye of the wedding planner, who directed everybody like her own personal minions. Waiters put the place cards according to table charts in their hands. When the centerpieces were in place on all the smaller tables except for the main table, a new horde came in with silver candelabras.

"Where am I going to sit?" Leoni looked at the vast sea of place settings with a confused frown.

"We'll be at the big table up there." Phoenix pointed at the main table, which was on a small plateau to give a better view of the room. "You know how to read your name. Can you find your seat?"

When he had put Leoni down on the floor, she began to study each place card carefully. Slowly reading the names by sounding out the letters.

"Vasili." She thought long and hard about it, rubbing her chin like Gareth normally did. The little copycat. "That's grandpa."

"Yes, good."

While Leoni made her way through the place cards of all their closest friends and family, Phoenix went to the opposite side of the table and looked at where he and Jace would sit. Except for the marginally more lavish seat covers, the settings looked the same. Next to himself were his mother and father placed, but next to Jace...

No parents, no family, no nothing.

Though Jace thought of Gareth's guys as family, it was not quite the same as having his parents there for his wedding. To have the people who had raised him be there to witness what a magnificent man he had become, and how he had found happiness.

Deep down, Phoenix hoped he had done the right thing. That Jace would not feel burdened with the day, and he would be happy with the people he did have there. Making Jace happy had become his number-one priority in life. Being blessed with his smiles and jokes was what he lived for.

He remembered what it had taken for him to get Jace to open up about his family. About his past and the horrors in it. It had broken his heart to know what Levi had done to him, and the amount of work it had taken to build Jace back up had been a hard and, at times, grueling task. To assure him of his sexuality and the beauty in what he had to give, to strengthen his self-confidence and belief in himself to blossom into the man Phoenix had felt he was, and hardest of all, to win his heart.

The lengths he had gone to in order to keep Jace safe still haunted him in his darkest hours. And though his stomach still churned at the memories, it had however been worth it. It had not been without a cost, Phoenix's dignity, as well as his mental state, had been put to the test, but that was something he was willing to live with, and if he had to do it all over again, he would not change a single decision.

He had done what was necessary for Jace's peace of mind.

That was what you did for the people you loved, right?

Worked in the shadows without a need for praise or recognition, and then silently reap the benefits and rejoice with them in their successes?

Phoenix sighed when his eyes caught Cracker's name on a place card.

He wished Cracker would show up too. Not that he did not want Roarke as his best man, it just seemed right to have Cracker there, and they all missed him and hoped he would heal his broken heart to become the friend they all knew and loved again. They had given him time and space as much as possible, and though it could seem selfish, they had written mails and texted him from time to time in hopes of some proof of life. Not to be bothersome and expect a reply, but to let him know they missed him and to keep him updated on what happened while he was away. His lack of communication they had accepted.

"I'm here. It's me!" Leoni jumped up and down, pointing at the place card. "And Unkie Phonnie is there." She continued to point at the seats across the table where Phoenix and Jace would sit.

"That's right, we wanted you and Rein right where we could see you. Next to your mum and dad."

That was the family Jace needed, and the people they needed to share their day with.

"There you are." Mackenzie came rushing into the tent with one of the twins on her arm against her chest. Her blue dress hugged her body which showed no signs of having just delivered twins. "I've been looking all over for you, sweetheart."

"I'm right here." Leoni pointed at herself and then at the floor like it was a literal location thing.

Mackenzie smiled overbearingly and patted the baby gently on its back. "I can see that."

"And look it, mom. I'm there too." She pointed at the place card with pride and jumped. "It's me, and you, and Unkie Phonnie and Unkie Ace."

Phoenix smiled and nodded. He was whipped for that girl, and he loved how excited she was. The way her smile lit up her face, and her eyes excitedly sought new adventures, was something he had come to admire. Every time he spent time with her, he saw the childhood he had been deprived of, and he lived through her experiences. "And you read all the cards by yourself to find your seat."

If possible, Leoni puffed up with more pride than before.

"I'm so proud of you." Mackenzie came over and ran her hand over Leoni's curls, eying the nightgown with annoyance. She hated when the kids went out before they had gotten dressed. Not that she or Gareth could ever stop them from doing it. They usually woke up before them, and both respected the babies and just went in search of others to keep them company. "I told you that you'd be happy that the tutor helped you learn."

With a stubborn look in her eyes, Leoni stuck out her chin to show that she was not in total agreement with her mother on that one. "You also told me I couldn't play with my dollies if I ran away from school."

Phoenix had to kill a chuckle. That was typical for Mackenzie to know which buttons to push to get her way. He had seen Gareth fall for that one plenty of times. And even more typical of Leoni to call people on things she was not on board with. Mackenzie just winked at him; she knew exactly what he thought.

"You need to come with me. We have to get some breakfast, and then you need a nap before we get dressed for the wedding."

"But mom! I'm helping Unkie Phonnie."

"It's really no bother, Cupcake. I enjoy having her with me. I can make sure she eats, if it helps." Phoenix liked her childish babbling and all her excitement about the festivities. In a way, Leoni had a calming effect on him, even if she actually stirred his excitement. Maybe it was her happiness that rubbed off on him, and that made him more agreeable to be around?

Phoenix chose to view it like that.

He went around the table and stroked a finger on Raven's cheek, who rested her head near Mackenzie's shoulder and just blinked at him. It was easy to tell them apart, though Mackenzie made sure to dress the twins somewhat gender-specific without it having to be pink or blue. Raven had deep, dark-brown eyes just like her mother, but Vasili had Heterochromia Iridum, which meant his left eye was a striking blue and the other a dark hazel.

"Hello sleepy head," Phoenix cooed at Raven, who blinked tiredly at him and yawned.

"She just ate, again." Mackenzie rolled her eyes and smiled. "She'll end up as a butterball, like her mother."

"She'll grow to be as beautiful as her mother and sister," Phoenix reassured, still caressing Raven's face with a finger she tried to grab.

Mackenzie just smiled with adoration at her baby. She no longer had that hate for weight as she had grown up with. Gareth had effectively shown her that beauty came from the inside and could not be measured in pounds, and when you felt good about yourself, you would naturally show that on the outside. Raven was just a tiny baby; she did not need Mackenzie's issues forced on her. As long as the nurse said both her little ones grew at a normal rate, everything was fine.

"You're sure Leoni won't bother you? The boys are coming to join you soon, and you have to get ready."

Phoenix found his phone in his pocket and looked at it. Mostly to see the time, but he had hoped there would be a text from Jace too. Mackenzie seemed to notice his disappointment and smiled at him.

"His entourage took him out to get pampered before the wedding. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not worried," Phoenix retorted swiftly. He knew Jace would be there; Jace would never hurt him by not showing up. "I just miss him. Am I a sad excuse for a human being? That I can't be away from him for fucking twenty-four hours without being a wreck?"

"You're in love, and it's your wedding day. If anyone deserves to be a little pathetic, it's you. And you do fine on normal days when you're both working. Today is a special case. But if it helps, then Jace was the exact same way." Mackenzie laughed at Phoenix's relief. "He got cranky with me for waking him. He wanted to sleep more because then he didn't have to be awake while waiting."

"That sounds like Jace. He can sleep through a bombing. It takes some serious willpower to get him up."

"Yes, I recall him mumbling about pancakes and morning you-know-what." Mackenzie wiggled her eyebrows at Phoenix because she could not say the word with the kids there.

"Oh!" Phoenix blushed.

That would have made his day a lot easier. He would have walked around with a dumb grin on his face instead of his grumpy, sleep-deprived 'old-Phoenix' face. He shook his head. It was one day, he could make it without Jace for a few hours more, and then they would make up for the night they had spent apart.

They would celebrate in every way possible.

With their friends.

And certainly in private.

"Ok, you keep Leoni, and I'll tell Agatha to come and get her at ten, ok? No funny business. You have to get ready with the guys."

"That's a deal." Phoenix turned to Leoni and gave her his sternest look, which probably looked more like a doting smile. "I've made a deal with your mum. You stay with me until Agatha gets here, and then you go with her without any fuss, ok?"

Leoni looked at him, and then at Mackenzie like they were dumb. "I heard you talk."

That was Leoni speak for 'I got it, move it along'.

Mackenzie tried her hardest to not laugh out loud. Her eyes twinkled as Phoenix's did at Leoni's comment. She might as well have said 'duh'.

"Make sure she eats something," Mackenzie called over her shoulder and walked away from them.

"You heard your mum. What do you say to checking out the kitchen to see if there is something we can taste?"

Instantly, Leoni threw her hands in the air, urging Phoenix to pick her up. When well situated on his hip, she turned her head and pointed at the end of the tents where the entrance to the kitchen tent was.

"I see you know where the food is?"

Leoni clapped her hands, and her excitement rose a few nudges.

"Yummy."

He could not fault Leoni's comment. The smell emanating from the kitchen tent was mouthwatering, and it made his stomach growl. He needed something to eat to not faint during the ceremony.

Kitchen tent was not even accurate. Tents. Yes, plural. Phoenix had only thought there would be one, but apparently, there were five. The tents were placed in succession from the dinner tents and all the way around the house to the front, where the delivery vans had unloaded for everything to be brought inside.

The front one closest to the dinner tents held all the china and a huge plating area where large trays, bowls, and whatnot were neatly stacked and ready to go later.

"If it isn't one of the men of the day," Tutturo dropped his clipboard and came to greet Phoenix and Leoni as only an Italian could. "It's an honor to cater for you and your husband."

Like every other time somebody had called Jace his husband, Phoenix smiled a dumb, happy smile. He had no control over it, his face just formed that schoolboy-crush look all by itself.

He was sure it was the dorkiest expression ever seen on a grumpy fucker like him.

"We're thrilled that you wanted to do it. The food at the housewarming was amazing."

"Oh, signore. That was just a buffet. This is a wedding. You two are getting all my masterpieces." Tutturo waved his compliment off like the buffet had been dog food.

That made Phoenix chuckle. If what he had served at the housewarming could be dismissed as 'just a buffet', then they were in for a massive treat later that day.

"Come, come. You need to see."

Tutturo took them from the serving tent into the next one. The second had cooking areas, ovens, and stovetops. Carving stations and a heated holding area.

In large gestures, Tutturo urged Phoenix and Leoni closer and pointed into one of the enormous industrial ovens. "Whiskey and herb braised beef. It's already braised for hours."

The smell was intoxicating. Even Leoni, who was too young to like whiskey, sat on Phoenix's hip and sniffed happily to the fumes from the oven. The other ovens held more meat, potatoes, and root vegetables. The stove tops had pots and pans, simmering with sauces and marinades. There were chefs everywhere, all dressed in white, and some with real chef's hats on.

The influx of scents was an explosion in the mind.

And it made Phoenix's stomach growl like an angry tiger.

"Oh? You're hungry?" Like a true chef, Tutturo stood there with stars in his eyes and nodded at both of them until they gave in and admitted to their hunger. "I've got what you both need to make it through the day."

He went to a stovetop, grabbed a silver tray, and snatched some strips of fried bacon from another waiting tray. He took a few round things that looked like puff pastry parcels and placed them on the tray too.

"Come, come..."

Leoni's legs did the walking-in-air thing toward Tutturo and the food, and Phoenix's legs helped them follow into the next tent.

The third was a prep area for storage and handling of produce before it could enter the actual kitchen. Fridges, freezers, and washing stations to prepare vegetables and fruit. In there, Tutturo found some fruit and cheese to place with the bacon and puff pastry.

The fourth one, to no surprise, was Leoni's favorite. Tutturo smiled with a knowing and proud smirk over her head at Phoenix.

"Muffins?" Leoni's eyeballs nearly rolled out of her head at the sight of the cupcakes that a baker decorated at a long table.

"It's a cupcake."

"Like mom?"

Phoenix just laughed and shook his head at Tutturo, who looked a bit confused.

Tutturo was grown-up enough to seek approval from Phoenix before he gave Leoni one of the chocolate ones with a passionfruit frosting. It was barely nine in the morning, and a cupcake was not proper food, though he tried to assemble a tray of nourishing treats. Even as happy with the food and his creations as he was, he had to respect parenting. Phoenix, however, just nodded and snatched one himself.

Both he and Jace had decided on a lot of things they liked themselves, but had been considerate of the number of kids and young adults attending to adjust the menu to fit everybody. Besides, Jace still ate like a girl with a broken heart, so he had chosen all the sweets, whereas Phoenix had kept to the savory items.

"Get me a few bread rolls and some butter," Tutturo called out, and moments later, a kitchen hand came over with the desired items. He had brought utensils and napkins too.

Smart kid, that one.

"We can eat on the lawn outside the storage room. We have a few tables for our breaks there. What do you want to drink?"

"Duce."

"And coffee for me."

The kitchen hand just nodded and ran off to find their drinks. He met up with them outside after they had gone through the last tent, which was basically a large storage facility for everything they had not put to use in the other tents yet. He smiled at Leoni and handed her a bottle of some fancy Italian fruit drink, placed a large mug of coffee in front of Phoenix, and gave Tutturo a bottled water.

"Congratulations on your big day," he mumbled with a blush and ran off.

"Nice kid," Phoenix commented.

"My son, Romano. He begged me for months to be part of this." Tutturo smiled with the pride of a father. "He's got an amazing eye for details, and his palate is as refined as mine. But then again, he's been my guinea pig since he was old enough for solid foods."

Now that Phoenix knew, he easily saw the resemblance. Both of them had the strong head of black, tousled hair, the glowing southern skin, and the dark eyes. Romano surely had inherited his father's prominent nose and the sharp cheekbones, but it was also in their height and build. There was no doubt, they were related.

For a moment, Phoenix let his mind wander into the fantasy world of 'what if' and imagined what his own child would have looked like if he had ever gone that route. He tried to imagine the child, but since he did not have a specific female in mind for the counterpart DNA, he only saw Jace as the genetic donor. His own black hair with Jace's baby-blue eyes and wonderfully charming smile. Hopefully, the kid would not grow to be a giant like himself, but a tall kid was a given.

The kid would have to be smart; it was his fantasy, and combining himself and Jace would make the kid a wonder child.

So much for modesty.

It was a nice fantasy, though he was ok with not bringing his family line further, and Jace had said he did not feel he needed his genes to continue in the world. It still hurt Phoenix a little that Jace had given up that dream for him. But as he had said, he gained more than he lost.

Phoenix felt the same.

He shook off his thoughts and talked with Tutturo about food, the wedding, and whatever came to mind while they ate their impromptu breakfast. The bread parcels turned out to be vegetable timbales, and even Leoni munched them down with gusto, though she was more excited about the freshly baked chocolate chip pancakes Romano had magically whipped up for them and came with after they had finished.

"There you two are. I should have known and checked wherever there is food." Agatha came toward them with a smile on her face, flanked by Phoenix's dad, Roarke, Richard, Aidan, and... Malachai.

"Bro!" Phoenix was up from his seat in seconds and gave Malachai a bro-hug that pretty much looked like they were long-lost BFFs. "It's good to see you. I thought you weren't going to be here until the wedding?"

"And miss out on the fun? Yarro, Yelfim, and Gerson will be here in a sec. Some evil parking attendant made them park somewhere closer to Russia than here if going by the directions they were given." Malachai laughed.

"By God, this is amazing. Thank you."

"We all figured we'd rather see you get dolled up than sit at the hotel and look like bored princesses."

"I have a crown," Leoni called from the table where Agatha tried to lift her up.

"Thanks, sweet cheeks, but you can keep it. I have my own at home." Malachai winked at her.

Leoni thought about that and smiled. She was not really happy with giving away her dress-up items, but she was always open to sharing. "Nap now?" she asked Agatha.

"Yes. Nap, then a bath and your beautiful dress."

"Yay! Unkie Phonnie, I'll throw flowers for you later, ok?"

Phoenix came over and kissed her cheek. "I look forward to it, Sunshine. Be good and I'll see you, your mum, and Rein when Uncle Jace and I get married, ok?"

"Ok, ok."

"Thank you for all the help. I think I'll buy you a nice thank you gift when away on our honeymoon."

She clapped her hands in excitement at the news of a gift. "Pressie!"

"Sleep tight, and I'll see you soon."

Leoni waved at everybody and rested her head on Agatha's shoulder as she got carried away.

"So, son. How are you holding up?" Indigo smiled at Phoenix but studied him with a nervous glint in his eyes.

"I'm not panicking yet," Phoenix huffed and then laughed.

"Well, we have a lot planned for you today." Roarke came over and gave Phoenix a hug too, followed by Richard and Aidan.

"Planned? I need a shower and then jump into a tux. That can't demand much planning?"

"About that," Richard said with a smirk. "We have transformed my apartment into a beauty salon where the lot of us are going to get haircuts, nails done, and shower before we move to the tent to get dressed."

"I'm not cutting my hair!"

Aidan patted Phoenix's arm. "Calm down. We're not enlisting you in the army. It's just somebody to snip the tips and style it to look great in the pictures. For Jace."

And there were the magic words.

Phoenix instantly calmed down and took in the suggestion with a more positive mindset.

For Jace.

"Fine. But I'm not letting you lock me up in the tent until I've made a final round of everything to make sure it's as it should be." Jace and he had agreed on being locked up in their individual tents before the ceremony to avoid seeing each other and stressing about guests or other lame details. Phoenix knew he had to honor that deal, just like the not sleeping together before the wedding one.

Roarke threw his hands in the air. "We wouldn't have it any other way. First, we go shower and get beauty treatments like the butch men we are. Then we do a sweep of the place before locking you in the tent. Can we agree on that?"

Ok, a shower with a bit of pre-wedding night manscaping, a manicure, and, yuck, a haircut he could handle. He wanted to look his best. Jace might be the vain one of them, but Phoenix scrubbed up nicely when he wanted to. They both wanted the pictures to look great, to have them to look back on to remember.

But for once, Phoenix had an ulterior motive. He wanted Jace's heart to skip a beat. For the man to catch his breath and be proud when he saw him. Just like Phoenix always felt when he saw Jace. It did not matter if Jace was in dirty work clothes, dressed up for a party, wearing something sexy at the clubs, or if he was just naked. Every time Phoenix saw him, his heart fluttered, and breathing became secondary to staring.

As childish as it was, Phoenix wanted that, even if Jace always showed exactly how he felt in his reactions, and Phoenix never doubted his feelings. The bright smile and the way his eyes went soft with love, even his muscles tensed slightly at times like he fought a physical reaction, one Phoenix shared. But Phoenix wanted one wow moment, where Jace was too caught up to even smile or breathe. Where everything just faded away and there were only them.

Just like Jace had done to Phoenix plenty of times, leaving him flustered and with a dry mouth in awe of what he had.

Ok, he was a bit vain too. He wanted to feel the rush it would be to be looked at like there were no other people in the world. Phoenix dearly hoped the tuxedo he had ordered would help him achieve it, because he had done something Jace might have his balls for...

"Sure, let's turn Richard's place into a Turkish bath."

Hi dear Wattlings.

Thank you for reading.

Phoenix is getting ready and things are coming together as he wants for his day with Jace. Wonder what he's done with the tux? What he did in the past to keep Jace safe? Well, on Monday we go back again to see how the birthday bomb settled.

If you like it, then pop a vote and please leave comments. The comments are important for me to know how the story is progressing and the characters are developing. And I'd love to know what you think and interact with y'all.

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Love, Alix

Published: October 7th, 2021. ©Alix Davenport, Copenhagen