Say I Do. Again

SAY I DO... AGAIN

Amanda: Hurry!!! Or I'm going to start my own rumors.

Jason: They're probably true.

Amanda: You were mauled by bears?

Jason: Innuendo?

Amanda: Slut! Spill. I'm adding Jon.

I rolled my eyes. Amanda and Jon were going to unleash a formal inquisition. One at a time, I might resist. When they combined their powers, I either answered or suffered the consequences.

Amanda: Jon! Jason went on a date.

Jon: Who? Club bear? Did you see him naked?

It had started. I stood outside the flower store, debating if I should continue texting or go inside. There were rows of flowers on either side of the door. I couldn't tell which ones created the sweet scent, but I breathed deeply. The smile couldn't be stopped, but it had little to do with the floral scents.

Jason: Club bear. It was a fun date. Quarry.

Amanda: Fun? They banged.

Jon: They so banged.

Amanda: Not their first time. You two ever going to do it in a bed?

Jon: Not first? You're holding out on me.

Amanda: Jon, I'm calling. We'll plan his next date.

A photo of Amanda making a kissy face popped up on the screen. Seconds later, one of Jon appeared. I loved them both. Mostly. I'm sure it wouldn't be the last I heard of it. Amanda would want to know all the cheesy lines I said. Jon would want a blow-by-blow playback.

I pocketed my phone when voices inside the florist grew louder. For a second, I thought a fight had broken out. I had never heard Marigold raise her voice. She was one of the most even-tempered women I had ever met.

I opened the door to her, pointing a finger at her husband. "Peter, so help me. If you do it, I'll divorce you."

The couple had opened the flower store when I was in high school. Everybody in Firefly had heard the story of their first date. Marigold had been the head cheerleader for Firefly High and when Peter ran onto the basketball court, it was love at first sight. Of course, people whispered about her dating a boy from the rival team, but they were the pinnacle of a cute relationship. Shouting? That was unheard of.

"Well, if you're going to divorce me, it'll make all the more sense."

"Peter! Don't you dare."

Inside the shop, Marigold stood behind the counter while Peter was near a cooler filled with roses. I almost chuckled at the aprons they wore. Each had several flowers stitched across the top with text that read, "Flowers Know No Gender." When their son came out of the closet, they had been the ones who pushed for the school to create a Gay-Straight Alliance. And yes, they had already tried to set us up.

"Marigold, is everything okay?" I didn't want to get in the middle of a domestic dispute, but something felt off. Peter cackled as he waved his phone about in the air. Had he lost his mind?

She crossed her arms across her chest. "My husband is being a ninny."

Ninny. It couldn't be that serious. "What's he done now?"

Peter clutched his phone as he pressed the screen. "Too late. You can't stop me. It's all been put into motion." If this had been a comic book, his speech would precede the apocalypse. Unfortunately, Peter's slender frame, graying hair, and thick glasses wouldn't quite cut it as a horseman.

"That fool thinks spending a week in a bathing suit is a vacation. "

Were they arguing over vacation plans? This made more sense. Their version of a fight came down to deciding where to spend their days off. I wouldn't say it out loud, but the fight bordered on adorable.

"Mari, think of the beaches." He had a point.

"Too much sun," she replied.

"You've always wanted to see blue water."

Her arms dropped to her side. Peter knew exactly what to say to win her over. He walked past the flower-cutting station and leaned on the counter. "The sunset will be the second most beautiful thing on that beach."

Peter, you romantic. I kept my distance, wanting to see how their disagreement played out. I rooted for Peter and his over-the-top plan. Marigold might have been resistant, but as her frown vanished, the glimmer in her eye returned.

"Do you really want to renew our vows?"

A destination wedding? I wanted to shake Marigold. I was still coming off my high with Simon, and now this? If my heart grew any bigger, I was going to cry happy tears.

"Marigold, my love…" He held onto the counter as he attempted to get down to his knee. He waved me over to give him a hand. I supported his weight until he reached the floor. "Every night I go to sleep, I look forward to waking up. It's another day with you."

Yup. Tears welled up in the corner of my eyes.

"In my head, I renew my vows to you every day."

Marigold stepped around the counter, knocking a bouquet of wildflowers to the floor. She dropped to her knees in front of Peter and gave him frantic kisses. If I wasn't caught up in the sweetness of the event, I'd have felt like a voyeur.

"Fine. I'll buy a bathing suit."

Had her entire protest been about buying a bathing suit? I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity. At the same time, I noted my envy. It might have been a foolish argument, but it's one only a couple could have. I wanted to have spats fueled by devotion.

"Two piece?"

She smacked him in the chest. "Now you're pushing your luck, mister." We helped him to his feet. "Jason, I'm sorry you had to see him act a fool."

"No apologies necessary." If anything, their argument made it clear I had relationship on the brain. Her hand rested on the counter, and Peter inched his closer until his pinky touched her finger. The subtle gesture continued, pulling at my heartstrings. "I came by to see about the gift certificate for the raffle?"

Her hands went in the air as if she were possessed. "Oh, yes! I almost forgot." She moved flowers around on the counter, digging about. "It's somewhere in here."

Peter gave me a slight elbow to the gut. "What's this I hear about a date?"

The alarms had been sounded. By noon, Firefly Valley would have an assembly on the green, loudspeakers giving updates on my love life. They'd call me on stage and open it up to questions from the crowd. I loved them all, but I'd like to keep this thing with Simon under wraps until I figured it out .

He pointed at my face. "The smile is all I need to know." Their gossip came from a good place. If I had a victory to celebrate, I'm sure Peter would throw me a parade. "Speaking of," he said. "We need to have you come to the Gay-Straight Alliance and talk to the kiddos again."

"Always happy to come in and chat."

He gave me a pat on the shoulder as Marigold raised an envelope in the air. "Found it! I hope this helps."

When they found out Firefly would have a comic convention, they were the first people to volunteer. While flowers didn't quite make sense as a vendor, it didn't stop Marigold from pitching in. They donated to the raffle and offered to help run the event. They were the epitome of Firefly, and having their support meant the world to me.

She handed me the envelope. "I can't say thank you enough, Marigold. You've both been wonderful."

With a swat at my chest, she dismissed my gratitude. "Anything to help you."

"I'll stop by when we know exactly what we'll need on the big day. Right now, everything is going according to plan." Even as I said it, I feared I might have jinxed the event. I gave a quick knock on the counter.

"Stay out of trouble," she said.

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do," Peter added.

I gave them a wave as I exited the shop. I couldn't wait to tell Amanda about Marigold and Peter's vow renewal. Their gentle warfare brought a smile to my face. There were things about Firefly I loved. If I ever left, I'd be surrendering those tender moments .

The urge to leave had subsided. Part of the reason might be because of a handsome man catching my attention. I wasn't foolish enough to stay for a potential relationship, but it fell on my considerations list. Simon had gone from a fantasy to a daydream, but who knew where it'd take us?

I paused outside Marigold's, smelling the potted plants. I knew it was my mind playing tricks, but every bloom smelled sweeter. Even downtown felt more vibrant. It might have something to do with?—

"Jason!"

Marigold came rushing out of the door, holding a bouquet. Huffing, she thrust the wildflowers against my chest. "I nearly forgot. I got an order this morning to deliver these to your shop." She clasped her hands, swaying back and forth. "There's a card."

She wouldn't leave until I read it. I took a whiff of the flowers, and they reminded me of the quarry, but right now, everything did that. They only needed a spritz of cologne to be perfect. I pulled the card out of the middle. I couldn't imagine who would send me flowers… but I hoped they came from a burly chef.

"It's a date, time, and address," I said. I showed Marigold the card so she wouldn't claim I held out on her. "Mysterious." I took another deep breath of the flowers, hopefully hiding the warmth reaching my cheeks.

"Perfect," she said, barely able to contain the squeal. "I hope he makes you blush like that all the time."

Marigold didn't wait for my reply as she spun about. Vanishing into the flower shop, I was left to my own devices. Further down the street, I could see Bistro on Maine. To my surprise, its handsome owner stood in the doorway. With a quick wave, he ducked inside.

The blush intensified. "Oh, Marigold. He does indeed."

"This is going to be brutal."

I spotted Jon's car as I walked down the sidewalk. I debated skipping the comic store. Did the owner really need to work there? Amanda had been covering more than her share of shifts as I worked on the convention. She'd put an ad in the paper for a new best friend if I didn't let her get back to her comic.

I held the flowers up to my nose. They smelled like fall. He could have bought a dozen roses to show off. I think the fact he restrained himself and went with native wildflowers spoke volumes. A simple gesture by Simon, and yet I couldn't stop smiling.

I jumped. "What the—" Two faces pressed against the glass door, smushing themselves. I thought when we hit our thirties, we'd somehow turn into respectable adults. But as Jon and Amanda fogged up the window, I knew better. We'd always be giant children.

"Why are you two so weird?"

"We learned it from you!" cried Jon.

They darted away from the door as I pushed it open. Before I had crossed the threshold, Jon stole the flowers from my hand. I wanted to protest, but when I saw his t- shirt had a beefy unicorn on its hind feet wearing a leather harness, I paused. The ‘Unicorns are Real' text across his belly made me chuckle.

Jon took a deep whiff of the flowers, his mustache wiggling as he fought off a sneeze. "Understated, but thoughtful. I'm thinking Mr. Straight is more flexible than I thought."

Amanda leaned against the counter. I could tell by the roll of the eyes that she was about to dispel any myths about ‘Mr. Straight.' If it were anybody else, I'd have shushed them, but out of the three of us, Amanda had the best gaydar.

"From the howls I heard, Jason is the flexible one."

"I wasn't that loud!"

"Sheryl could hear it over the blow-dryers. I had to tell her a coyote had gotten into the mill. A whole pack of them."

The heat rushed to my face. As soon as I blushed, Jon gave me a hug. "You get your freak on, Mr. Cowan. I approve." He joined Amanda at the counter. "And now you're going to tell us everything."

There was no point in resisting. Normally, I'd play coy and act as if nothing happened. If they were lucky, I'd allude to the events. Honestly? I didn't want to play coy. If it had just been a romp in the backroom, I might not want to scream from the rooftops. Simon had bought me flowers. How could I not want to talk about him?

I spent the next half hour telling them about his first visit to the store. Jon wanted more detail. Amanda told him to save the masturbatory fantasies for later. They heard about how he approached us in the park. Amanda cheered for the wingmen, promising to buy them coffee. They even got to hear about the quarry.

Jon picked up a stack of fliers and fanned himself. "Does he have a brother? Inquiring minds want to know."

"Before Jon pronounces you husband and husband, I have questions."

"Don't ruin it," Jon begged. "I'm already planning the joint bachelor party."

Jon loved love. He spent his evenings watching sappy romance movies. If he could live in one, he would. I feared whatever man he dated would never compare to the characters he watched. Amanda, on the other hand, brought a healthy dose of pragmatism to the table. Usually, I'd tease Jon, but this time, I was on his side.

"Let's look at the situation."

"She's about to ruin it." He threw his hands up in the air. The unicorn on his shirt rode up, exposing the hairy belly. Jon went back to sniffing the flowers, entering his fantasy world.

"One." She held up a finger. "Is this more than a phase?"

I had the same question, or at least I did before he asked me out. Did Simon realize asking me out with the wingmen listening meant the whole town knew about it?

"If this was a phase, he wouldn't have asked me out in front of the guys." I mulled over the situation a moment longer. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's confirmation this isn't a phase. "

Amanda held up a second finger. "Let's ignore that he's fresh out of a marriage. Does the ex know?"

That hadn't even crossed my mind. I went to speak and stopped. Huh, I didn't know the answer to this one. He said things had ended peacefully between them, but in my experience, exes didn't always approve of being dropped for the opposite sex.

"Strike one," she said. "This kid?—"

"Lucas."

"Lucas. Jason, are you ready for somebody to call you daddy?"

"Usually, he's the one?—"

"Ew." Amanda held a finger up to Jon's lips. "Don't put that image in my head."

Much to my mother's dismay, I had never thought about having kids of my own. It wasn't like I could swing by the store and pick one out of the litter. After hearing horror stories of gay men trying to adopt, it sounded like a world of anxiety and heartbreak. But…

"I'm warming up to the idea. I love working with the kids at the elementary school."

"You get to give those back at the end of the day."

She had a point. "Okay, let's say I'm open to exploring the possibilities of fatherhood."

Jon gave Amanda a jab to the ribs. "Did you hear that?"

She nodded.

They both laughed.

"What am I missing?" Why was I friends with them?

"That was the sound of your mom jumping in the car and driving to the toy store." Amanda had heard the many speeches from Mom about settling down. It always ended with her demanding grandkids.

"Hear that? The car is full, and she's heading to the candy store now."

"I hate you both."

"She already has a ‘World's #1 Nana' shirt," Amanda added. "You know we're right."

I grumbled. "You are."

It was Jon who broke up the interrogation. Putting the flowers on the counter, he threw his arms around my neck. "Jason, do you like him?"

His addiction to love needed a dopamine hit. Simon had spent the night dancing with us. His face lit up while we got close and personal on the dance floor. I had thought it wishful thinking until he jumped into the quarry. He surprised me at every turn, and I… I wanted more.

"I like him. I really like him."

Jon reached for my hand before spinning me about. When he pulled me back in, not even his beard could hide his bright red cheeks. Jon had gotten the love story he needed.

"You're both so sappy," Amanda grumbled.

"Somebody's cranky that a cute girl shot her down," Jon said.

"No… maybe."

Jon stepped back, making space between us for her to join. When she didn't move, he shot her a dirty look. Her head shook back and forth as she gave in and wiggled between us. They were the weirdest friends I could ask for, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It didn't matter the victory. They'd always be the ones I wanted to celebrate with. Without them, Firefly wouldn't be bearable.

"Wait!" Jon forced us to stop our awkward group dance number. "You never answered. Does Simon have a brother?"