THE PHOENIX WEDDING: The Complete 6 Books Series

by CJ Bishop

  “From scratch?”

  Max laughed. “You know what I mean; a baby, all new and fresh to the world.”

  “From scratch.” Horatio rolled his eyes and grinned. “You have such an eloquent way with words.”

  Max smiled and kissed him. “I know.”

  They watched their newlywed boys mingling with the guests, each couple unable to let go of one another for more than a minute or two, repeatedly exchanging kisses and whispers.

  “I think our boys may be getting anxious for some alone time,” Horatio murmured. His eyes glowed as he looked at Max. “And they aren’t the only ones.”

  “Mm.” Max pulled him closer and kissed him with a sudden swell of passion—in his heart and down below. “I think you’re right. I know I’m aching to crawl into a soft, warm bed with you.”

  “Sounds like you could do with a deep-tissue massage,” Horatio whispered against his lips. “For your…aching body.”

  “The deeper the better,” Max moaned, his hands slipping under the back of Horatio’s tux jacket as they delved into another consuming kiss. Their bodies instinctively pushed closer, aroused and eager. Max gasped unsteadily coming out of the kiss. “Fuck,” he shuddered. “We better hurry and wrap up the festivities.”

  ♦

  Darius sensed it in every touch, every look from Riley; tonight was the night. As they’d danced, wrapped in one another’s arms, he knew there could be no more waiting. For Darius, it felt like their wedding day, and tonight…their wedding night.

  When Riley laid him down tonight, stripped away his fears and inhibitions along with his clothing, Darius wouldn’t just be making love to his boyfriend—but the man he imagined spending the rest of his life with.

  “Should I take that dreamy look in your eye as a good sign?” Riley whispered and kissed his ear.

  Darius smiled. “You should.”

  “Mmm.” Riley rested his hands on Darius’ waist and kissed his lips. “I like the sound of that.” He teased Darius’ mouth with another kiss. “Should I plan on cooking breakfast for two in the morning?” Riley delivered the kiss. “Or am I getting ahead of myself?”

  Shivering at the idea of waking up tomorrow in Riley’s arms, Darius murmured, “Not getting ahead of yourself.”

  “I’m not being presumptuous?”

  “No,” Darius breathed against his lips.

  “If you’re teasing me,” Riley smiled with a groan. “I’ll die.”

  Darius pushed closer to him and flattened his palms on his chest. “Not teasing.” He softly kissed his throat. “Not teasing at all.”

  ♦

  When Grid got a moment alone with Nolan, they walked over to the fireplace. A low gas flame burned within, putting out minimal heat. “Do you still want me to stay with you tonight?” Grid fingered the black tie hanging loosely around Nolan’s neck. He looked in Nolan’s eyes and received his answer before the man spoke the words.

  “More than ever,” Nolan whispered and drew Grid into his arms, holding him tight. He pressed his lips to Grid’s shoulder and swallowed thickly. “How could she do that to him? He’s so innocent and perfect. I keep thinking…how much worse did it get for him? What he told us…” he shook his head. “That was just a small portion of it, I can feel it.”

  “You’re aware of it,” Grid murmured. “It’s going to stop now. He’s still very young; he’ll be okay. Whatever emotional damage she may have caused him, he’ll recover. He might be shy, but he’s a tough little guy. And with all the right influences in his life, he’ll keep getting stronger.” He drew back and kissed Nolan on the lips. “We’ll make sure he grows up strong and healthy, in every way.”

  “We?”

  Grid smiled. “I’d like to stick around.” He kissed him softly. “If that’s okay with you.”

  The soft glow of the firelight illuminated the tears in Nolan’s eyes. “You’re welcome to stay for as long as you want to be here.”

  “And if it’s forever…?” Grid stroked his cheeks with tender fingertips.

  Nolan swallowed, a smile forming. “I wouldn’t object to forever.”

  Grid kissed him deeply. “I meant what I said,” he whispered against his lips. “I am going to marry you one day.” He wrapped Nolan in his arms and drew him back into a kiss, their warm tongues embracing, gently sucking. Pleasant, dizzying heat spread through Grid’s body, warming his loins. He shuddered and panted softly into Nolan’s mouth. “Do you still want me to leave early in the morning, in case Patrice shows up?” Grid wasn’t convinced he could leave Nolan’s bed once he was there again, but he would respect and comply with Nolan’s wishes.

  “It doesn’t matter now,” Nolan murmured, his voice taking on a defiant edge. “The tables have turned. I’m not out to appease her or try to negotiate. She harmed my son; I’m through playing nice.”

  ♦

  The newlyweds returned to their table as the guests gathered around. Max stood. “Today is a dream come true,” he said. “For Horatio and I, it is a dream that began nearly two decades ago and it encompassed just the two of us.” He looked around the room. “But as time passed, one by one, all of you joined us…your hearts and true abiding love forging with our own until we all became part of the same dream.”

  To Max’s left, Abel reached up and took his hand. Max squeezed and held onto him as he continued.

  “And standing here with all of you today, I now understand that that dream is fuller and more fulfilling because of you.” He looked at Horatio and smiled. “Even as teenagers, Horatio and I saw a future together, in which we built a family on an impenetrable foundation of love.” His heart warmed as he gazed out at family and friends. “Sometimes,” he said softly, “our dreams materialize around us gradually and we don’t even realize it until we wake up one day and it’s staring us in the face…gazing at us from across the table…holding our hand as we walk down the street…kissing us goodnight as we fall asleep in its arms.”

  Smiles drifted across the faces of the guests as many leaned closer to their significant other, lacing fingers, exchanging light kisses of love and adoration.

  “Today, the eight of us celebrate our wedding day.” Max gazed fondly at his boys. “But it is more than that…it is more than us…it is a celebration of family. And the continuation and growth of our family.” His eyes passed tenderly over the younger members. “Soon, a new generation will stand in our place, take up the baton and carry this family forward in the spirit that has forged it from the beginning.” He picked up his champagne glass and raised it as the newlyweds rose to their feet. “Like the Phoenix,” Max spoke with pride, “we will continue to rise from the ashes of our battles, spread our wings, and fly.”

  Epilogue

  The car shut off and he sat and listened to the engine tick until it cooled. Freddy gripped the steering wheel and stared at his aunt and uncle’s house. His father’s tan Cadillac was parked in the drive; Freddy had called him on his way home and asked him to come over to the Chamber’s place. Why? He wasn’t clear on that, other than maybe he just wanted to get it all over with in one shot, rather than having to face off with his aunt and uncle, then again with his parents.

  On the drive home, he had struggled to conjure the words he would say to try and explain what he witnessed in New York. Sufficient words to express what he was feeling. No words would do, though. Nothing he said would cause them to budge. They believed what they believed. Maybe deep down, Freddy still believed it, too. He didn’t know. He was confused, and that scared him; not the not knowing part of it, but that the confusion left him vulnerable to those who were confident and unyielding in their beliefs.

  His eyes lingered on the front porch and he thought about the day Dane had unexpectedly shown up. Freddy had hardly welcomed him home. Had, in fact, stood in judgment of him.

  Hypocrite.

  His throat constricted and he swallowed hard as Dane’s words came to him.

  It’s easy for you, Freddy. It always has been. You were the
golden boy of the family, and probably still are. All you’ve ever received was acceptance and praise. You never had to face your parents with a conflicting issue, hoping they would understand and still love you for who you were.

  Well, that was about to change.

  Watching the house, Freddy took out his wallet and withdrew the card Pastor William Thompson (but you can call me William) had given him. He suddenly wished the pastor was there to escort him inside and address his family. William also knew what he believed—and why he believed it. Freddy didn’t know why he believed it was okay to be gay, but that didn’t matter—William knew, and he clearly wasn’t intimidated by those who disagreed with him.

  Freddy stared at the front of the card then turned it over. The man had neat handwriting, even when quickly jotting something down. His thumb slid absently over William’s personal email and cell number, the memory of the pastor’s warm eyes and friendly voice offering comfort.

  Releasing a hard breath, Freddy exited the car. He held the pastor’s card as he approached the house, again wishing the man was with him in person.

  Lord, I’m a little lost right now. Please help me find the right path, the one you want me to take…not the one they think I should take.

  Freddy stood before the door and felt compelled to knock before entering, though he never had before. It had always been his second home. After today; would he even have a first home? He resisted the compulsion and quietly opened the door. Voices came to him from the living room.

  Closing the door softly, Freddy walked slowly down the hall, his footsteps silenced by the plush carpet. He faltered momentarily at the end of the hallway, then stepped into the living room archway.

  “Son.” Dan Shaw noticed him first, and the others quickly looked his way.

  “Freddy.” Aunt Kate stood up from the sofa, eyes anxious. “Did you talk to Dane? Could you get through to him?”

  Get through to him? Images from the wedding ceremony drifted through Freddy’s head; no one could have changed Dane’s mind about marrying Angel.

  “I talked to him,” he said quietly.

  George Chambers sighed and rose from the armchair near the far end of the sofa. “He wouldn’t listen.” He shook his head. “I suppose it was too much to hope for that he would come to his senses.”

  “Did he…” Amanda Shaw’s face pinched with barely veiled disgust. “…get married?”

  Staring back at them, Freddy suddenly felt like he was in unfriendly territory. “Yes.”

  His Aunt Kate wilted a little, her hands wringing in her lap. “We prayed that the Lord would prevent him from making a mistake.”

  Shifting uncomfortably, Freddy mumbled, “He seems really happy.” The words hardly left mouth before he was drilled with four pairs of stern, startled eyes.

  “Sin confuses the mind,” his dad said stiffly. “It makes itself desirable, enjoyable, so people think ‘if it feels this good, how can it be wrong?’ – But that’s how it traps you. Dane got trapped a long time ago. Became addicted. He’s no different than a drug user or alcoholic. And as long as he indulges in his…drug of choice…he will never get better. Until he admits he needs help, he will never be delivered from his affliction.”

  The others nodded their agreement.

  Drug of choice? Angel’s face drifted into Freddy’s mind. Could he blame Dane for indulging?

  “Well,” Freddy murmured, fearful of engaging in a debate; he didn’t know how to combat them. “He’s already married. And…he really loves Angel. I don’t think he will ever see Angel as a bad thing in his life. He isn’t going to give him up.”

  George stepped toward him. “You almost sound like you approve. Freddy, please tell me he hasn’t poisoned your mind as well. You know what the Bible says about homosexuality. Don’t be fooled by what you see on the surface; it is an illusion. One that Dane has bought into. But in the end, it can only bring about anguish and heartache and, ultimately…separation from God.”

  Fighting the urge to flee, Freddy said quietly, “I’m not saying I approve…or disapprove. It’s just that…” he licked his lips nervously. “They’re really in love. The Bible also says that God is love. So, if they’re in love…how is that not from God? The scriptures tell us that an evil tree cannot produce good fruit, and vice versa.”

  “They aren’t in love, Freddy,” his dad insisted. “They may think they are, and it may appear that way to the naked eye, but I assure you, God has no hand in such abominable unions.”

  Freddy began to tremble inside. “How can you be sure? Doesn’t everything boil down to love? The entire law of God is fulfilled in love—that’s what the Bible says. Why doesn’t anyone consider that?” Freddy didn’t know if he was making a legitimate argument; maybe he wasn’t understanding things as his parents did. But he suddenly felt compelled to defend Dane and Angel’s love for one another. He knew what he had seen at that wedding, and not just between those two—but all of the couples. He knew what he had seen in William’s eyes; God. The man was the real deal. And looking at his family, Freddy realized he didn’t see the same thing in their eyes, not like he did with William. The pastor cared; about everyone. He didn’t stand in judgment but seemed to understand that God’s love couldn’t be put in a box.

  “You can love someone with a Godly love,” his dad said, “without condoning their behavior or lifestyle.”

  “But you don’t,” Freddy whispered. “You don’t love Dane with a Godly love.” His eyes passed over them all. “None of you. If you did—if we did—we wouldn’t have treated him the way we did when he came here. Maybe he wouldn’t have left in the first place if we’d just accepted him for who he was.”

  “Accepted him?” his Uncle George stared at him with hard eyes. “When your child is going to hell, you don’t just accept it and turn a blind eye.”

  The would be no reasoning with them. Freddy thought about the other thing he had considered telling them, and thought he must be experiencing what Dane had experienced before he’d left home. And it didn’t feel good. Dejected, Freddy murmured, “I just came home to get my stuff.”

  Dan Shaw frowned. “What?”

  “I’m going back to New York.”

  His mom and Aunt Kate rose from the sofa in a simultaneous motion. “Why would you go back there?” his mom asked.

  Freddy sighed. “First and foremost,” he said, “to apologize to Dane on behalf of this Christian family.”

  ● ● ●

  The Phoenix Honeymoon series

  COMING SOON!