Page 49 of Paradise

“Good.” Garrett kissed him sweetly, then stood up. “I’m going to go get dressed.”

“Can I watch?”

“You can help if you want,” Garrett offered with a grin, but in the end, Jonah left him alone for it. He wanted it to be a surprise.

His own clothes were elegant but comfortable, a dark-navy three-piece suit that made him feel like he was stepping out of an earlier time but with all the amenities of modern fabrics. It adjusted automatically to his size, and the tie blended its own color to match the suit and his shirt. He shaved, tied his hairback—he’d offered to have it cut, and Garrett had very firmly declined—and figured he was about as ready as he was going to get. He went to grab Cody, who had his own new suit that he was trying very hard not to fuss with, and the two of them headed outside.

The wedding ceremony was held in the Mansion’s small garden, a tidy maze of flagstone walkways and flower beds, dotted with occasional trees and bushes and, because this was Claudia’s house, a tiny vineyard. A natural grotto formed between some of the vines and a stone archway, and the vines were laces with pale-blue flowers, their buds just beginning to bloom. Squarely underneath the arch was a holographic projector, where Jezria would be broadcast to officiate. There was even a lectern to go in front of her, a real one so that they could lay the paperwork out.

When Claudia had said simple, she had meant it. There was no formal entrance, no additional ceremony. Robbie and Wyl met Jonah and Cody on the veranda just above the garden and walked with them down to the grotto. Jezria was already there, in holograph form, wavering slightly in the dappled afternoon light.

“Excellent, we’re halfway there,” she said as he approached. She was wearing a long blue dress with gold trim that looked simultaneously official and fashionable. “Naturally, Garrett is late. He would be late to his own funeral.”

Cody instantly frowned, and Jonah spoke up fast to ease the moment. “Thanks for doing this. I know you’re a busy woman.”

“And a sleepy one,” she added. “It’s still dark out over here. You’re lucky the last tsunami passed us by, or the connection might not have gone through. Ah, there he is!”

Jonah turned around and saw Garrett, flanked by Miles and Claudia, and his brain promptly went offline. When Garrett wanted to get dolled up he went all the way, and clearly, hethought this was an occasion for it. His suit was a single long piece, strategically split and lifted along the hips and shoulders to give the appearance of formal lines. It was the color of the ocean on Pandora, dark-green foam at the high collar drifting into blues and grays as it drained down to his feet. He had dusted subtle hints of silver along the sharp lines of his face, and his hair pulled forward to frame his face with soft, perfectly sculpted curls. He didn’t even lookrealuntil he smiled.

“Holy shit.”

“Daddy!” Cody bapped him on the arm. “That’s a bad word.”

“That good? Really?” Garrett preened theatrically. “How gratifying.”

“Now that the bride is here,” Jezria said dryly, “let’s commence. Miles, you have the documents?”

“Here.” Miles put a thin piece of digitized paper and a pen down on the lectern.

“Perfect.” Jezria folded her hands together and looked at them. “Gentlemen, on the surface this is very simple. Once you sign this piece of paper, you will be joined in the eyes of Alliance law. That’s the easy part. A marriage, however, is a partnership. It’s a committed bond between two people, a symbol of their relationship that cleaves them together when the trials of their lives would cleave them apart. It is a demonstration of the strength of your love for each other and a reminder that you have chosen a more serious path than most. Marriage, in the end, is about two people becoming one. Do you have anything to say to each other on the subject?”

Ah, right, the vows section. Jonah looked at Garrett. He had said everything he needed to say over these last few days, but he had to make sure Garrett knew. “No matter what happens to us, or how we change, you’re the one I want. Nothin’ about life is easy, but you make my life so much better just by being in it.” Hereached out and took Garrett’s hands in his. “I love you. I always will.”

Garrett’s grip on him tightened. “I didn’t even know I was looking for you when I found you—both of you,” he added, smiling at Cody. “And now I can’t imagine life without you. I’m sometimes reckless and often stubborn, and I know I’ll make mistakes, but I also know you’ll never hold them against me. I can only strive to be as good to you as you always are to me, and I will. I love you. You make my family complete.”

“Well said.” Jezria applauded. “Have you decided to exchange tokens, or should we get down to the signing?”

Rings were incredibly old-fashioned; tattoos had been far more popular for centuries, but this was a Drifter tradition that Jonah didn’t mind carrying with him. He held out his hand to Cody, who looked momentarily nervous. “Um …” He glanced back at Wyl. “I think I …”

“Here.” Wyl passed him the ring, and Cody passed it to Jonah, who turned back to Garrett. It was a simple band of heavy white gold, with their initials engraved on the inside. He took Garrett’s left hand and slid the ring onto his third finger, like Drifters did when they got serious, and then kissed his knuckles.

Garrett’s casual aplomb had vanished. His eyes were shining, and he looked like he was on the verge of a sniffle, but he held it back long enough to take the ring his father was holding out to him, this one of red gold, and put it on Jonah’s hand. One tear finally escaped, and Jonah heard Wyl snicker.

“I knew it! I win.”

“Try to be gracious,” Robbie muttered. Garrett glared at both of them.

“You were betting on whether I’d cry?”

“More like when,” Miles said, looking more than a little smug.

“I hate you all.”

“Before this devolves further into name-calling,” Jezria interjected, “why don’t we finish things up? Both of you need to sign the marriage license.” She stepped back as far as the projector would allow her image to go.

Garrett stepped around the lectern, took up the pen, and signed his name with a flourish. He passed the pen on to Jonah, and he put his name on the line just below Garrett’s. Their new, combined last name sprung up below that, and Garrett grinned.

“Just call me Garrett Helms.”

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