Brand New Start

I looked at Chase as the preacher did his thing. As he did, I went over my vows in my head, hoping I wouldn't mess up. Chase looked amazing as I stared down at him. His face was bright and his eyes shined.

When it came time to say the vows, I almost couldn't speak. My voice became a lump in my throat. This is it. I'm getting married and Chase will finally know how much he truly means to me, I thought, my eyes closing as I cleared my throat to speak. I opened my eyes and looked into the green depths of my soon-to-be partner. He gave me a smile which cleared all of my worries away in an instance.

Time Elapse

I grabbed Chase's hand after our vows, tears welling up in my eyes in sheer happiness. "Do you, Dean Valeno, take Chase Greene to be your partner -- to live together after God’s ordinance -- in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

I took a deep breath and looked down at Chase, my eyes screaming my love for him. He stood there, never breaking my gaze on him, his eyes welling up as well. "I do," I said, loud and even more proud. His tears spilled over as I slid the ring upon his finger, still keeping my eyes on his wonderful face.

"And do you, Chase Greene, take Dean Valeno to be your partner -- to live together after God's ordinance -- in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

Chase stared up at me, his eyes screaming his love for me. He closed his eyes for the briefest moment before saying the two words that would bind us together for -- hopefully -- many years to come. When he opened his eyes, he bluntly stated, "I do," and put the ring on my finger, finalizing it. My heart nearly burst with so much emotion that I could barely contain it.

"And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Oregon and Almighty God, I now pronounce you both partners -- and may your days be good and long upon the earth," Brother John went on. He then turned to me and said, "Dean, you may now kiss your partner." The words I've been waiting to hear since I got here.

I bent down and pressed my lips, completely finalizing everything. Chase brought one hand up and placed it on the back of my neck as he kissed me back so tender ... so sweetly ... that my knees became rubber. We pulled apart and I looked down at my now partner for life and smiled so warmly, my tears could no longer be held back. "I love you, Chase Valeno," I whispered, loving how that sounded.

Time Elapse

We we back at the lodge, sitting on the couch in front of the TV, just relaxing as a newly-wed couple. Chase has his head in my lap, his hand playing with my shirt as I stroked his hair, smiling down at him. "You know, this was the second greatest day of my entire life," I said, twirling a bit of his hair around my fingers.

"Second best day?" Chase said, his eyebrow raising up as he stared up at me. I nodded and grinned.

"The first best day of my life was when you walked into my classroom door," I said, causing him to smile and nod, which caused an almost instant reaction down south. I stiffened, and he obviously knew why.

"Well, we haven't done anything in a while, and it is our first day as a married couple," he said, flipping himself over, pulling himself up, and straddling my waist. "Why don't we have some fun that will actually mean more now than it did before all of this?" I smiled and kissed him deep, not holding back for a second.