from the incident. What mattered was the here and now. This chapel, the marriage license they’d obtained, the ceremony that was due to begin at any minute. The way Max couldn’t seem to stop looking at him.
“You two deserve far more,” Marcela said haughtily from where she stood beside her husband, both obviously trying their best not to look as perturbed by their surroundings as they clearly were. “However,” she added with a softening of her expression, “what you deserve most of all is each other.”
“Thank you, Marcela,” Ethan said. He held out hope that one day she’d permit him to unironically call her Mom or Mother, but he was content to wait. It was enough that their relationship had developed as quickly as it had.
“How fortunate for the proprietor,” Philip murmured. “You should propose charging him a licensing fee for using your likenesses for promotional materials.”
“We’re not here for business,” Max said dryly, though he didn’t look upset.
Philip inclined his head. Was that a hint of a mischievous smile tugging at his lips? “Only a thought.”
“Viva Las Vegas!” a young man called out as he strode in from an adjoining room with a hand extended. He wore a white suit with a white shirt and tie beneath it. “Are we ready to get married?”
Ethan swallowed his laughter as Marcela took in the officiant’s shoulder length hair and ill-fitting suit with mild horror.
“We’re ready,” Ethan told the man. “I’m Ethan and my husband-to-be is Maxmillian.”
“Yes, I saw your cool name on the permit! Okay, let’s get started. Ooh, and these are someone’s parents?” The man grinned widely at the Pooles.
“Yes,” Philip bit out, looking uncomfortable despite the perfectly tailored suit he’d purchased for the event. “We are the witnesses.”
“Cool, we only need one, but two’s great, too! Alright, let’s get these handsome guys married, okay?” The young man winked at the Pooles. “Between you and me, I love marrying gays. Feels like I’m flipping off the status quo, you know?”
The Pooles looked at him, aghast. Ethan pinched his lips shut before he embarrassed them all with wild laughter.
“We’re ready for the ceremony,” Max said pointedly.
The officiant gave him a salute. “Someone’s eager. I like it! Let’s all move up here to the front. Parents, please have a seat if you’d like. Feel free to take photos, but we’ve got Maria there—" he pointed at an elderly Hispanic woman holding a DSL camera who had been lurking at the back of the room, “—who’s going to take some awesome photos of everyone. It’ll be up to you if you’d like to purchase a package, but I highly recommend it. Maria’s the best. She can add filter effects, too, like make you look like puppy dogs or even Elvises. Whatever you like. It’s Vegas!” He pulled a small notebook from a back pocket. “Okay, let’s settle down now and get married!”
Ethan and Max took their places facing each other with the officiant to Ethan’s left. Max’s parents opted to stand to the side, hovering behind Max’s shoulder. Despite the irreverence of the setting and their over-the-top officiant, Marcela’s eyes began to visibly water and she discreetly pulled a handkerchief from her purse to clutch in her hand.
“Do you, Ethan, take Maxmillian to be your wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?”
I came to Las Vegas and hit the jackpot, Ethan thought as he looked into Max’s shining blue eyes. “I do,” he said. “Until the end of Time.”
“Nice,” the officiant whispered. He turned to Max. “Do you, Maxmillian, take Ethan to be your wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?”
“I do,” Max said clearly.
The officiant looked past them. “Someone have the rings?”
Philip stepped forward with military bearing and held out a lidded box containing two platinum rings. True to his word, Max had selected them with care. They were simple, elegant, and exactly what Ethan had expected. He and Max each took one.
“Maxmillian, take Ethan’s hand and place your ring on his finger. Please repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed, and commit myself to you fully.”
“With this ring,” Max said in his rich timber, “I thee wed.” He slipped the ring over Ethan’s finger and