Taming Tyler Hayes （34）

"Alright, seriously. Where the hell are we going?" Ryan asked, as Hayes had been driving for over 40 minutes. The courthouse was only a 10-minute ride from Total Mortgage Arena, but Hayes was so nervous that he'd taken several detours.

"You'll see."

Finally, he sucked it up and they arrived at the courthouse parking garage, Hayes pulling in, taking a ticket, and proceeding to park the Raptor. Ryan had let Joss take the rental car since TK hadn't completed his IDP yet and wasn't able to drive.

Without a word, Hayes turned off the truck, got out, and bent over with his hands on his knees as soon as he shut the door.

What if he says no?

Abort.

This is insane.

Ryan came around to the driver's side just as Hayes was standing back up. "Are you…what's going on? When you said you had something planned…Hayes, why are we at the courthouse?"

Hayes locked eyes with hisfiancé. "Think, Rook. Why might we be at the courthouse?"

"I, uh…I'm gonna assume it has something to do with your accident, though that wouldn't make sense because we're not in New York right now…"

Hayes could see the wheels turning pretty hard.

Suddenly, Ryan stopped talking, slapped a hand over his mouth, and his eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"There you go. You did it, Rook. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find somewhere to puke because my nerves are completely fuckin' shot." He wandered toward the side wall of the parking garage.

"Tyler."

Hayes stopped, turning back around to face him. "Ryan."

"Are you sure?"

Hayes shrugged and raised his right hand, flashing the ring. "Are you?"

Ryan approached him, taking both hands into his. "Of course."

"I thought I'd surprise you. We're into doin' crazy shit now, right? What's crazier than gettin' hitched at the courthouse on Valentine's Day after I just admitted to the world what a complete fuck up I am? They don't even write books this fuckin' romantic, Rook."

Ryan smiled, leaning in to kiss Hayes, then pulling back. "Agreed. But like, isn't there a process, or waiting period…"

"Not in Connecticut. Already looked into it. Called and made sure it was possible for us to get the license and then go right downstairs and get it done. I wasn't sure if like, you know, you wanted some big, flashy wedding or somethin'..."

"Yeah. Because we both know I'm real flashy," Ryan joked, pulling Hayes in for a hug. "It's just…I don't know, it'd be nice if, like, my mom and Luke could be here. Or Mar, you know? But hey, we can always celebrate with them later. I…I wanna do this. I wanna marry you. Right now."

"Then," he said, breaking away from the hug, grabbing Ryan's right hand, and pulling him toward the entrance. "Let's fuckin' go get married."

Once inside, they went straight to the office to apply for their marriage license. They completed the application, both deciding to keep their own last names, provided their identification, and answered questions regarding any familial relationship with each other.

"Nope, we're not related. I mean," Ryan turned to Hayes and lowered his voice. "Unless you count that time last year in the emergency room when we were brothers."

"I'm sorry?" the woman said, glaring at Ryan, completely unamused.

"It's…nothing. It's a joke. I'm not funny. Ever."

She rolled her eyes and kept asking the rest of the questions, eventually taking their sworn statements, having them sign the license, and turning it over to them. Then she robotically added, "Congratulations and best of luck to you both."

"Thanks," Hayes replied. "So, where do we take this to get the job done?"

"Second floor. Take the elevator down, make a left and then a right. Follow the signs."

They got to the elevator and waited. "I can't believe we're gonna do this," Ryan said as the door opened and he and Hayes stepped on. "I'm gonna be your husband. You're gonna be my husband. Holy shit, Hayes."

"I know. Crazy, right?" He leaned against the wall on one elbow, facing Ryan. "So, when did you know? That you wanted to marry me?"

Ryan smirked. "It was right after your birthday last year. We weren't even dating yet, but Mar and I were talking about you, about my feelings for you. I was still actively denying the fact that I was gay and in love with you, and she was telling me how Mark was the first guy Nick ever dated and now they're married. I said, ‘I'm not marrying Hayes.' And like, when I said it? I don't know how, but I knew it was bullshit."

"Damn. Before we even started datin' Rook? That's some straight up stalker shit. Did you write my name with little fuckin' hearts all over your sticks, too?"

"OK, you know what? I don't know why I even…"

"Relax. I'm fuckin' with you. Know when I knew?" he asked, as the door opened and they both stepped out.

"When?" Ryan asked, reaching for his hand as they walked toward their destination.

"First time we had sex. I knew I'd never feel anything even remotely close to what I felt for you in that moment for anyone else. It was…beautiful, you know? Kinda helped make up for what happened to me when I was a kid. Like, that's the way losing my virginity should've been. It just…came a few years late."

"Well, listen. I'm really glad that I could…" Ryan stopped talking, frozen in his tracks as they rounded the corner and he was unexpectedly met with some familiar faces.

His mom.

Luke and Shannon.

April.

Mar and Jake.

Osi and Nat.

TK and Joss.

"Hayes," he choked out.

"Did you really think I'd let you get married without your mom and Luke here, Rook?"

"Well, shit," Jake called out, motioning toward Ryan, who now had tears streaming down his face. "You knew that was gonna happen!"

They laughed, then made their way around and greeted each of them with a hug.

"Mom, I'm so glad you made it." Hayes hugged her, then stepped back and looked her up and down. "You look…different. Really good, but somethin' is different."

"I wanted it to be a surprise when I completed my program, but I guess it still will be a surprise now. Tyler, I'm 37 days sober today. You inspired me to finally get my shit together and get some help."

"Are you…are you fuckin' serious right now?" he yelled, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing for dear life. "Oh, my God. I'm so proud of you, Mom."

"And I'm so proud of you, baby. I love you."

"Did you meet Ryan's mom, Kathy? I can introduce…"

"Oh, yes. We met. Been chatting away while we were waiting for you guys. She's real nice. Luke, too. And I met," she sighed, shaking her head at him. "Amara." She made a face at him before smiling. "She's real nice, too."

Hayes made his way over to where Ryan was talking with Joss and TK, who'd both been sitting on a bench away from everyone else. He gave a nod to TK. "You got it?"

"You know I do, baby."

"Good." Hayes then looked over at Joss, offering an upward nod. "Hey."

"Hey," he said, standing up and extending his hand. "I hope…is OK with you that I'm here."

Hayes shook it briefly and nodded. "Of course. You're Rook's friend, so that makes you my friend, too."

Joss smiled at him just as the door to the courtroom opened and the judge came out. "Next."

"Damn. Didn't know it was gonna be like a fuckin' deli counter. Rook, what number did you grab outta the little red thingy?" Hayes joked in an attempt to hide his nerves, as he handed the marriage license over.

He was unable to hide them from Ryan, who grabbed his hand and felt him shaking as everyone got up and followed them into the room. "Hey," he said quietly, squeezing his hand. "There's nothing to be nervous about, OK? It's just me and you...and, you know, the entire rest of our lives."

"Yeah, no pressure or anything."

"I love you, Hayes."

"I love you, too, Rook," he whispered, as they approached the front of the room.

The judge explained the procedure: he would start with a statement of welcome, then move on to the vows, the exchanging of the rings, a short concluding speech, and the kiss. "About 10 minutes, tops."

"Fine by me," Hayes said.

The judge told them where he wanted them to stand as everyone else had a seat. Ryan turned toward Luke and motioned for him to come stand with him, and Hayes turned toward Amara and did the same.

The judge began the ceremony, but neither Hayes nor Ryan heard a word of it, both of them lost in the other's eyes as they held hands and tried to stop themselves from nervously laughing.

When it was time for the vows, Hayes opened his jacket, reached into the pocket, and panicked. "Oh shit…I mean, sorry. I just…"

Amara tapped him on the arm and handed him the backup copy of his vows she'd printed out for him because she knew he'd forget them. "I got you."

"Thanks, babe." Hayes took a deep breath, let out a lengthy exhale, and began reading. "Ryan. When I sat down to write these vows, it took me forever. I mean, for one, it's me. But two, I wanted them to be perfect for you because that's what you deserve. So, I rewrote them at least half a dozen times, and every time, I kept comin' back to the same realization: the words don't exist, anywhere, in any language, that could adequately express how much your presence in my life means to me. Aaaand there it is," Hayes noted, as Ryan"s eyes overflowed, causing almost everyone else's in the room to follow suit.

"Sorry," Ryan whispered, wiping his face.

"Don't be. I'd be offended if you didn't cry. Anyway, like I was sayin'. You've stuck by me through the hardest times of my life. Even though I messed up bad, you didn't abandon me. You should've, and no one would've blamed you if you had. You've been patient, you've been kind, you forgave me when I was at my least forgivable, and you loved me when I was at my most unlovable. You're the only person in the world capable of taming Tyler Hayes. And I? Don't deserve you. Any of you. And despite that, you're willing to give me all of you, and for some reason, you're willing to take all of me. I don't know…"

Hayes paused, finally giving in to his own tears and letting them slip. "I don't know how I got so lucky, but I can promise you that there won't be a day that goes by where you won't know just how loved and appreciated you are. At your best, at your worst, checkered past, flaws and all. Ryan Ronald Baylor: I love you. All of you. And I'm gonna spend the rest of my life making sure you never forget or doubt it."

Ryan shook his head and smirked. "You had to work Ronald in there, didn't you?"

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"That was beautiful, Tyler. Ryan, your vows now," the judge said.

"Oh, right. So, um," Ryan said nervously. "I didn't know…I was, uh, getting married today, and I don't have anything written. So, I'm just gonna speak from the heart."

"This should be good," Hayes whispered.

"Suck it," Ryan whispered back, as they smirked at each other.

"Right now? In front of everyone?"

Inappropriate banter for the current moment?

Probably.

But they were still 22 and 25-year-old immature hockey boys; they were doing their best.

"So, you just said you don't deserve me," Ryan began. "The truth is, it's me who doesn't deserve you. Tyler, anyone who's ever known you is a better person because of it. It shatters my soul when you get down on yourself because if you could see you the way I see you? You'd be much kinder to yourself. You're a fighter, Hayes. A warrior. When you set out to do something, you do it. It doesn't matter how many obstacles get in your way or how many times you fall flat on your face. You always get right back up and come out victorious.

"Remember when we had that conversation in your truck and I told you I was jealous of you? Back then, I meant it. But I realize now it wasn't jealousy at all: it was admiration. I'm in awe of you every single day, and I have been since I met you. You're so good to your people, Hayes. Even at your lowest point, when your own tank was on fumes, you were still an amazing friend to Trav, and you fought like hell to keep our relationship alive when it was pretty much on life support. There's no question we've had our ups and downs, but I don't care about any of that. I told you I'm your safe space and I meant it. For the rest of my life, I want all the ups and downs and everything in between. I love you, Tyler Alexander Hayes."

All you could hear were sniffles throughout the entire courtroom, the judge even tearing up a little as he explained the ring ceremony. Hayes turned toward TK, who approached him with the ring he'd been holding onto for him. They each recited the words, Ryan removing the ring from Hayes's right hand and placing it onto his left, followed by Hayes placing the ring he'd bought Ryan on his ring finger.

They both smirked at each other. "I've never worn a ring before," Ryan whispered. "This feels weird."

"Well, you better get fuckin' used to it, eh?' You're mine now."

"I've always been yours."

"Tyler? Ryan? True marriage is more than just a ceremony or a piece of paper. It is a lasting bond that brings two hearts and two lives together. It is a bond that consists of love, companionship, trust, respect, and honesty. May you always be each other's strength, solace, safety and comfort, and may you never go a day without laughter. May you celebrate the good times, support each other through the bad times, and never forget exactly what brought you here in the first place.

"By the authority vested in me by the State of Connecticut, Tyler and Ryan, I now pronounce you married. You may seal it with a kiss."

They both placed their hands on the other one's cheeks and stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before smiling and bringing their lips together for the slowest, gentlest, most beautiful kiss they'd ever shared. The cheers and clapping erupted, and soon after, they pulled away, grabbed each other's hand, and thrust their joined arms into the air.

"We're fuckin' married!" Tyler yelled, then turned to face Ryan, appearing slightly panicked. "Oh, my God, Rook. We're…married?"

Ryan nodded. "Yep. That's usually what happens when you have a whole ass wedding ceremony, Hayes."

Hayes slipped one arm around the back of Ryan's waist and leaned over, resting his head on his husband's shoulder. "I've never been so fuckin' happy in my entire life."

"Samesies, " Ryan said, kissing the top of his head. "Now, just wait until I get you alone."