Flamboyant book café owner Luca Moretti and geeky doctor Gus Hansen have been together for six years when the Supreme Court ruling makes same-sex marriage legal in all states. On June 26, 2015, Gus gets down on one knee and Luca screams yes. On their wedding day, shortly before the ceremony, Luca’s mother explodes in anger, calling him a freak. The reason? He’s wearing a white veil, sprinkled with crystals. Their relationship has been strained for a long time, and her words trigger traumatic memories. Instead of walking down the aisle, Luca runs. Away from his mother. Away from Gus. Gus counts down the minutes when Luca’s mother comes knocking. He realizes something’s wrong, but when he goes to talk to Luca, his husband-to-be is nowhere to be found. Can Gus find Luca in time and manage to convince him to come back and get married?

Unconditionally

Luca’s heart skipped a beat. He froze in the middle of a step and stared at Gus with his mouth hanging open. “What…?”


“No, no, I don’t mean like that,” Gus hurried to explain. “It’s covering your face, making it impossible to kiss you.”


Gus sounded genuinely bummed, and Luca burst out laughing. It bubbled out of him, and he couldn’t stop. He gasped for air and clutched his stomach.


When the laughter finally died down, he took a step closer to his fiancé, lifted the veil, and smacked a loud kiss on Gus’s lips. Before he could withdraw, Gus let go of his hand and cupped his face and kissed him, careful not to smudge the gloss. When they broke apart, they smiled at each other.


Gus brushed away a strand of hair from Luca’s face and looked at him with such warmth radiating from his eyes, Luca’s knees turned to jelly. “Yes, it’s supposed to be this easy. Just trust that I love you, no matter what.”


“Okay.” Any lingering doubt Luca had vanished just like that.


Chapter 11