I’m distracted thinking about Tess as I follow the lead of the guy to either side of me and sit down. Now I can finally see Doc Price. She’s a knockout in a sparkly gold dress and silver jacket. She takes up a spot next to her twin, smiling wide.
“We’re all here tonight to witness the union of these four fine people,” calls out Johnny Jay. “The laws in the state of California mean that technically this is a double wedding, but they’d like it clear that they stand now before their family and friends united as one—one team, one family.”
“The Fearsome Foursome,” Compton says with a smile.
“Don’t call us that,” Sanford mutters at John Jay.
Around the room, a few of us laugh.
“You two lovebirds are up first,” says John Jay, glancing between the guys. “Do you come together of your own free will to be married?”
“Yes,” Sanford replies, his eyes locked on Compton.
“Yeah, I do,” Compton adds.
“Did you prepare any vows?”
Compton’s eyes go wide. “Shit—no. We literally decided to do this three hours ago.” He turns to Sanny. “Babe, I don’t have any vows prepared—”
“It’s fine,” says Sanford.
“But—”
Sanford raises his other hand and grabs Compton’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll go first, yeah?”
Slowly, Compton relaxes and nods.
Sanford drops his hand away from his shoulder. From my seat, I’ve got a perfect angle on his face. Sanford is a serious guy. Even when he’s joking around, he’s usually deadpanning. Right now, he’s as serious as I’ve ever seen him, his dark eyes locked on our favorite defenseman.
“Jake, I love you,” he declares, loud enough for the whole room to hear. “I’ve loved you for ten fucking years. I loved you in secret,” he admits. “I loved you like a coward. I didn’t deserve to be loved by you in return—not until I got out of my own damn way. But I needed a little help. I needed a push.”
He glances around Compton to where Doc is standing and smiles. “Four months ago, I got a shove. A hurricane on two legs swept into our lives and knocked us both off our feet. She was my push to love you out loud. To love you as you always should have been loved. So, here’s my vow: The coward who loved you in secret is gone. Rachel remade us both into something stronger. I’m here now, Jake. I’m right fucking here, and I’m saying it out loud.”
Compton nods, tears in his eyes.
“You’ve always been my friend,” Sanford goes on. “Then you became my lover. Tonight, I make you my husband. You’re mine, Jake Price. You’re mine, and I’m never letting go.”
Damn, am I about to cry in front of Slash and Al Pacino? Next to me, Novy reaches into his pocket and pulls out his pocket square. Leaning across Morrow, he hands it off to Poppy, who is a quietly sobbing mess.
I turn my attention back to the guys as Compton takes a step closer, his eyes locked on Sanford. “So, umm…playing hockey has always been about putting myself first—my training, my diet, and my travel and game schedules. Everyone in my life just learned to orbit me. And if my life was too much for them, they flung themselves out of my orbit as fast as possible.”
It’s like he’s describing the personal lives of half the men in this room, myself included.
“Over time,” Compton goes on, “I realized I was a sun with no planets, the center of my own universe. I had everything I ever wanted, but I was alone, just me and my career. You were the only one who stayed, Cay. You stuck it out. You let me be selfish and self-centered. You let me put my career first and never once questioned it, never made me question it,” he adds, a slight tremor to his voice. “You joined me at the center. You don’t orbit me like all the others did. You stand resolutely at my side, unmoving. Babe, you are love in suspended motion. The calm in the storm of our lives. You’re where everything stops. You’re where I stop. You are…everything,” he finishes with a shrug.
As his vows end, the silence in the room speaks volumes. I think everyone is collectively holding their breath.
“Well…shit,” Davidson murmurs. “That didn’t sound weird at all.”
No, it didn’t. In fact, it sounded pretty fucking perfect. It sounded like Compton and Sanford share the kind of love that all of us search for…and so few of us ever find.
5
“Aren’t they supposed to cut that first?”