The elegant white gondola with its opulent gold trim is only designed to hold two people plus an officiant, but we’re making it work.
It helps that instead of an enormous, fluffy, fussy gown, I’m wearing a much simpler dress. It’s white, and is still beautifully designed with beads and lace, but it ends above my knees and is actually comfortable. Max and Miles seem to love it, because they haven’t taken their eyes off of me since I put it on in our room.
I didn’t have a separate dressing room or a salon appointment for a fancy updo. No multiple dress fittings, no bridal shower, no seating arrangement charts—because: no guests!—no party favors, no deejay …
Oh, also, hopefully no surprise drug busts, but this is Las Vegas, and the ceremony isn’t over yet.
It’s just me and my men, a woman named Yolanda who is our officiant, and the gondolier in the back.
We’re floating along an indoor canal at a huge casino resort on the Strip, and it’s not exactly private, since passersby can watch, but as the ceremony begins, my focus narrows to Max and Miles.
They’re both wearing linen suits, Miles in light gray and Max in beige, with crisp white dress shirts underneath, open at the collar, highlighting their beach-tanned skin. Their beards are neatly trimmed, their hair is perfectly tousled, and their smiles are everything.
We drew a lot of attention walking down to board the gondola, but I’m used to it by now. I can’t blame people for looking. One of my men alone is gorgeous; the two of them together are breathtaking.
I’m sitting across from them, and both of them are gazing into my eyes as Yolanda says, “What a precious gift to find someone with whom to spend our life. Committing to share our days and nights, our ups and downs, through sunshine and rain, is no small thing, and cannot be done lightly.
“Commitment is about trust. It’s about patience, forgiveness, devotion, and hope. In it, a relationship becomes home, a place of safety and love, where each person can return, again and again.”
She takes the small bouquet I’ve been holding, so that I can hold my men’s hands. Their touch is warm and steady, as it always is.
She asks each of them if they vow to spend their life with me; to live, play, and laugh together; to fill my heart, and feed my soul, to love me with all of their heart, forever.
Their eyes glisten with tears as they each say, “I do,” and as I pledge the same to both of them.
Miles pulls a ring box from his pocket, Max opens it, and together they slip a wedding band onto my finger. It’s made up of three golds—white, rose and yellow—entwined in an infinite circle.
“With this ring, we promise to honor you and care for you everyday …”
“…to love you and cherish you, to be your best friends and your partners…”
They say their vows together, alternating lines, both of them holding my hands together in theirs.
“…to be honest, faithful, and devoted to you…”
“…to make you smile and laugh, to bring you iced coffee every morning, and to ease your daily stresses with back rubs and kisses…”
Together, they say, “We love you, Callie,” and it’s several moments before I can speak, because I’m trying not to cry.
Finally, I manage to recite the vows that I practiced, but that I probably don’t remember properly, because I feel like I’m soaring through the clouds, rather than floating on the water.
“Maxwell and Miles Pruitt, I’ll be forever grateful that you each walked into my life when you did, and through all of our ups and downs, and despite our wild, rocky start, I wouldn’t change a minute, because finding you both is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
As one of them is caressing my hand, I feel my new ring there, and it reminds me that I’ve nearly forgotten theirs. I have an identical band for each of them—thicker, more masculine versions of the one they gave me, with the same three colors woven together.
I place one ring on Max’s finger and one on Miles’, and recite vows that mostly mirror theirs, while also pledging to, “laugh at all of Max’s jokes and keep Miles flexible well into his old age.”
“By the authority vested in me, I declare you joined in love,” Yolanda says. “You may now kiss.”
Together, Max and Miles lean in, each of them kissing one of my cheeks. Then, I share a more intimate kiss with each of my husbands.
Even though we can’t officially make it legal, I’m their wife now, and they’re my husbands. The commitment is in our hearts, and that’s where it matters.
“We love you, Callie, always,” Max says.
“We love you,” Miles echoes.
Most of what follows is a blur. Yolanda congratulates us, and at some point, she disembarks, leaving the three of us to take a ride together as the gondolier sings Italian love songs, and Max and Miles cuddle me close.
A photographer takes a few pictures of us—nothing so formal as the long sessions at Sadie’s wedding—and we ask him to use our phones, too, so we can send images off to our family and friends, who reply with their congratulations and best wishes.
When we get back to our suite, we admire each other one last time in our special clothing, and then we make all of that clothing disappear.
Because as much as I enjoy it when my men dress up, nothing beats seeing them naked. Well, touching them beats seeing them, and tasting them is even better.
Their twin erections look positively delicious, and I’m eager to take them in my mouth, but they have other ideas.
“On the bed, wifey,” Miles says in a stern tone that sends shivers across my skin.
When I comply, Max strokes his hand over my thigh. “Good girl.”
They were apparently eager to taste me, too, and together, they deliver what feels like an endless string of orgasms, until I’m gasping for air.
“Did you take an insurance policy out on me?” I ask when I can speak.
Both of my men frown at me in confusion.
“We’ve only just gotten married, and you’re already trying to kill me. Can a person die from too much pleasure?”
Max shakes his head. “Such an imagination.” Then Miles turns me over and they tease me until I’m begging for more.
Afterward, we shower together, then wrap ourselves in the hotel’s soft white robes and climb back onto the bed.
There are thousands of restaurants in Las Vegas, including five-star dining and places run by celebrity chefs, and we’re going to try one of them tomorrow; but for tonight, my new husbands wisely planned for us to enjoy room service.
Our suite overlooks the Strip, which is ablaze in neon as the sun goes down in the desert. Max pops open a bottle of champagne, and we enjoy the view as we feed each other shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, and fried potatoes. For dessert, we share a trio of mini wedding cakes in three different flavors, and we smear a bit of frosting on each other’s lips just so we can lick it off.
Long ago, I envisioned something different for myself—marriage to one man at a big, fancy ceremony surrounded by dozens of people. Life doesn’t always turn out like we imagine, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Today, I’ve had the wedding of my dreams to the men of my dreams, and nothing could be more perfect.
©2024 Stephanie Brother
Ana’s going to meet a couple of those grumpy types she likes so well, but it’s complicated, because they’re her new bosses. Read her story in Grump and Grumpier.
