Friends and Family Series

Alex

By: Ron Robbins
(© 2011 by the author)
Editor: Frank Perry

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 9

The Ritz-Carlton

Drew was seated at the speakers' table with Mac and Alex. The Division Presidents of MacDonald-Stevens were either being interviewed by the media, or milling with the other guests. Sandy was engaged in conversation with the Governor and the president of Greater Atlanta Progress.

Drew said, "Sandy has come a long way in the two years he has been under your wing. That was a fine speech he gave tonight. He reminds me so much of Mac when he was beginning to move up the corporate ladder."

"Sandy is a fine man and will go far in this company," Alex said. "I'm very pleased with his abilities and his dedication. Quite frankly, I was about to reject him after the first interview because I thought he was too aggressive for my company. Yet, he ended up convincing me that he was the best man for the job. He proved that my initial judgment was flawed. I was trying to find fault with him because I felt he could become a problem for me later on. Sandy was the most handsome and by far the best candidate for the job and he was the first man I found attractive since I lost Terry."

"You made a wise choice," Mac said. "I like him, and as you say, he has a lot going for him."

"I'm not going to make the same mistake with him that I did with Terry," Alex said. "We've already talked about our future and plan to work together and live like a normal family. We're both going to cut back on our travel and stick close to home. Life is too short and we don't get that many chances at happiness."

"I agree with you there," Drew said. "Mac and I have worked out a system that works for us and have kept our overnight travel to a minimum."

"We will as well," Alex said. "It looks like our party is winding down; thank God, it's been a long day. Are you two about ready to call it an evening?"

"I know I am," Mac said. "Why don't you find our Sandy and head for the ranch? I'm sure Mike and Karl will be happy to join us."

They all returned home and turned in for the night. Alex and Sandy headed for the dressing room and stripped. After brushing their teeth they walked into the bedroom and slid into bed. Sandy took Alex in his arms and kissed him tenderly. "Hi, my beautiful one," Sandy said. "God, it feels wonderful to hold you. I missed my quiet time with you and the kids."

"Thank you for giving me this day," Sandy said. "It was a great thrill to be praised by you in front of all those important people. It was a wonderful evening and it feels even better to know you are my spouse. You and the staff did an excellent job of making everything perfect for me."

"You're welcome, my love. I thought your speech was great; you handled it like a professional. Both Drew and Mac commented on how much you have improved since last year."

"That's a fine compliment, but the real credit belongs to you, my love. You have given so much of yourself to help me to succeed. I feel I'm part of you and it feels right for me."

Alex kissed him passionately and said, "I never thought I could be so happy. You've taken the children and me into your heart and have given us all your love in return. I'm so happy you are pleased with your weekend so far. Tomorrow is our special day and we can both relax and enjoy the day."

"It was a long courtship," Sandy said. "But holding you like this makes it worth the long wait."

Sandy smiled as he felt Alex's body go limp. He had fallen asleep in his arms. He kissed him and thought to himself, 'You worked hard my love and are entitled to fall asleep, and you need your sleep, for tomorrow. It’s another big day for us, my love.'

Everyone was up early the next morning. Alex, Sandy, Mac and Mike took off at five thirty for the Georgia Tech gym for their morning workout. They returned in time for breakfast. After a leisurely meal they headed out to the airport to join the other guests and board the corporate jet for Jekyll Island for their day of sun and fun.

This day had been planned with painstaking care by Alex and his staff. No expense had been spared to entertain his guests. The two mansions that were lent to him were decorated for the dinner party. The decorators had prepared everything days ahead of time and the caterers arrived early that morning to prepare for the formal dinner party. The day's activities began as soon as the guests were settled into their rooms.

Alex had sent out questionnaires with each invitation. They were designed to glean his guests' preferences for their leisure time recreational activities, including music, entertainment, food and a variety of other things. From the responses, Alex chose the activities and entertainment for the two-day event. He planned the day activities so that his guests would be comfortable, relaxed and entertained. He chose activities that appealed to young and old alike, and coordinated the timing so that all the guests had time to prepare for the long evening ahead of them. The cocktail party and formal dinner were the major event of the weekend and was scheduled to begin at five o'clock that evening. The lunch was an elegant lawn party, served buffet style. This meal, as well as the dinner and Sunday brunch, was prepared by the gourmet chefs whom Alex had flown in for the weekend.

Every detail was planned, and contingency plans anticipated well in advance. Alex always hired the best people in the catering business to handle his parties, from a small dinner party to the lavish affairs he had planned for the weekend. The weather was perfect. It had been overcast in Atlanta when they took off, but it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day when they landed at the island. Alex and his staff breathed a sigh of relief. That meant that the outdoor activities could proceed as planned.

From that point on, Alex relaxed, and began to enjoy himself. Those four days in their lives would never be forgotten, and he would have videos to look back on some of the things he missed. His greatest joy came at seeing how happy Sandy was with his weekend so far. The dinner party was held at an estate that Alex's firm had designed and built two years before. It was magnificent in both design and layout. The mansion and grounds were reminiscent of the classic design of a French chateau. The estate was designed exclusively for entertaining and was owned by Wall Street brokerage firms that used it to entertain their clients. The chateau itself was huge and had twenty-five bedrooms in addition to four master suites. It had its own helicopter landing pad, golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool, gym and a game room. The public rooms were large and beautifully decorated. The ballroom was on a par with any of the larger hotels in Atlanta.

The dining room was a huge space that could be converted into a ballroom or meeting room as well. Both the dining room and a smaller ballroom had hidden sliding panels built into the side walls for the storage of tables and chairs that were used to convert the rooms for other uses. One end of the dining room had four large French doors that slid into the wall allowing the guests to walk out onto a large terrace. For the night's dinner, Alex had elected to use small round tables that would seat six people each. He had hired three musical groups for the entertainment. A piano quartet played during the cocktail party and through dinner. An orchestra was hired for dancing in the ballroom after dinner. A jazz group played in the smaller ballroom for those that preferred to sit and enjoy good jazz.

As the guests began to arrive for the evening, Alex and Sandy greeted each one, and remained together the rest of the evening.

After the cocktail party was in full swing, Alex stepped up on the band platform and made his little speech. "Ladies and gentlemen may I have your attention for a few minutes." After everyone stopped talking and turned their attention toward Alex. "Sandy and I want to thank you for sharing this day with us. It is gratifying to see so many smiling, friendly faces out there. Unfortunately, other than Christmas, or some special occasion, we never seem to have the time to gather like this and enjoy these wonderful times together. I think we should make a serious effort to get together like this more often."

"Sandy and I will cherish this day for years to come, and will remember your kind words and warm wishes. I hope you are enjoying this evening and will join us again next year for our anniversary. Brunch will be served here starting at 10AM tomorrow morning and your aircraft will be departing at two o'clock. Your baggage will be picked up beginning at noon and the shuttles to the airport will commence at twelve-thirty. Now I understand from our butler that our dinner is ready to be served. Would you please take your places in the dining room for dinner? Again, thank you all for coming and May God bless you all, enjoy your evening and stay as long as you like."

Everyone clapped and began making their way to the dining room. Two of the catering staff had positioned themselves on either side of the door to give the guests their table assignments. It took a half hour for everyone to be seated and the serving to begin. Once the people were seated, everything moved much faster. The wine stewards poured the wine and the servers began with the first course.

Sandy and Alex were seated at the table with their house guests. Alex invited all the gay members of the group back to his villa after the dinner party was over where they would change, and be among themselves to unwind. The string quartet played throughout dinner and the waiters passed out Alex's little gift with the dessert. The guests started leaving the dining room and headed to the two ballrooms.

Alex and Sandy joined the crowd in the main ballroom where the big band was playing. Alex danced with Mrs. Lambert. "I hope you like the special gift I've sent you and Dr. Lambert. They should already be there when you return tomorrow. Sandy and the children will be arriving Thursday afternoon," Alex said.

"These last three days have been delightful," Mrs. Lambert said. We've all had a wonderful time and enjoyed every minute of your hospitality. We've met so many interesting and charming people. Molly and Grace are really very amusing once they get started. It is amazing the amount of travel they do in a year, and I don't know how they're able to keep up that pace. I have enough to do with one house. I can't imagine having to contend with so many houses all over the world. I also didn't realize I had such a popular son-in-law."

"Would you be offended if I called you Mom, or anything other than Mrs. Lambert? It sounds so formal and I don't feel that way about you."

"I would feel flattered if you would like to call me Mom, if you feel comfortable with that, you go right ahead, Alex."

Alex made it a point to dance with all the other ladies as well, Molly, Grace Cavanaugh, Claudia King, Lois and with Drew's mother.

"Well, my handsome sailor boy, you outdid yourself on this one," Lois said. "Terry would have been proud of you. This was a great weekend and I really enjoyed myself. You two guys make a handsome couple and I love you both. Hold on to one another whatever you do; I couldn't bear to lose you, too."

Alex smiled, "We love you, too, sweetheart. I will always love Terry; that will never change. Sandy is the culmination of everyone I've ever loved in my life. He is a beautiful, sensitive and sincere person. He has all of the good qualities I found in Terry, yet even more. He is gentle and kind, like Terry, certainly not the hardnosed, tough-minded person like me. That is why I need him, he is good for me. He is a sophisticated Southern gentleman, and I'd kill anyone that hurt him without giving it a second thought."

"I believe you would, Tiger, besides, wasn't that what you were trained to do?"

Alex smiled, "You know a lot more about me than you should."

"Don't worry, Tiger, your secrets are safe with me."

"I know, and you're a good friend. It appears that it has thinned out a little. I better find my beloved and see how the guests in the other ballroom are doing. See you in the morning."

Alex found Sandy and they headed for the second ballroom. "This group has thinned out too, what do you say we stick together and make one last circle around the room, and then take off for home?"

"Sounds like a winner to me, handsome." They left a little later and headed for the villa. When they arrived, their close friends were already there having drinks on the patio, Drew and Mac, Doug and Pete, Noel and Scott, Dirk and Shaun.

Mac said, "It's about time you two got here. I was about to send Mike and his troops to rescue you."

Alex laughed, "Look, I had to dance with my mother-in-law and the other powerful ladies of our social set. It goes without saying that my spouse had to dance with the ladies too, or I would be in deep do-do. I know for sure Molly would have personally castrated me if Sandy did not dance with her. She is a formidable lady, and I do want to keep her as a friend."

Alex said, "We're going to change, and we'll be right back. I had the piano moved out on the patio and hired some top gay jazz guys to play with you Mac, let me know if they are any good."

They headed for their suite, removed their tuxedos and changed into casual clothes. As they were about to walk out the door, Sandy took Alex in his arms and kissed him. "I love you, Alex. Thank you for everything; it was a wonderful engagement party. I'm still on Cloud Nine. I would like to stay here like this for the rest of the night."

"Sounds like a winner," Alex said, 'but I don't think our friends would appreciate that after we promised them a relaxing evening. Our vacation starts tomorrow, my love."

While they were changing, Mike and Karl, Lloyd and Randy, Pip and Brad, Dan and Sandy Dunnlap had arrived. "I rounded up these guys and waited until they changed," Mike said, "now it's our turn to change. Karl and I will be back in a few minutes."

Alex said, "Okay gang, I see everyone has arrived. I must confess that you're truly a beautiful group to behold. First, let me say, that Sandy and I want to thank you for sharing this weekend with us. You've made us very happy; as you know we consider this our wedding reception and we both love you all very much. We will not be offended if any of you wish to make an early night of it, and we hope you will feel the same way if Sandy and I disappear; it has been a very long day. My staff had set up a buffet and a bar on the patio where Mac is fine tuning his little jazz group. Please feel free to hold hands, or dance if you like. My staff is gay and very discrete. This place is completely isolated and well guarded. Again, for those who wish to leave, the limo is at your disposal."

They all moved out onto the huge patio that ran the length of the rear of the house. It was tastefully designed with a curving staircase that led to the second floor hall. The entire patio was enclosed in screening that reached the second floor. The patio floor was covered in textured white marble with a pale red design under the surface. Several glass-topped round café tables were arranged in a semicircle in front of the band stand at the far end of the patio. Each table had four crystal candlesticks with crystal chimneys arranged around a bouquet of yellow roses. The dining chairs were upholstered in bright designer prints with large padded armrests. The place mats were the same colors as the chairs. The chairs were not only comfortable to sit in, but had special casters designed not to scratch the marble floor.

The buffet table was beautifully decorated with an exotic floral arrangement and antique silver candelabra with crystal chimneys. The table had to be twenty feet long with hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, cold meats and cheese, fruits, and a whole section of pastries. The lighting was soft. The landscape was perfect, with the palm trees, flowering bushes and jasmine professionally lit. It was obvious that this was the work of talented professionals. The patio was completely enclosed in high stucco textured walls with a huge fish tank built into one wall. The tank contained beautiful colored salt water tropical fish. The swimming pool was on the far side of the patio with its handsomely designed bathhouse. The wall that faced the ocean was on motorized tracks that could be opened to view the ocean.

The bandstand lighting and sound systems were controlled from a small panel next to the concert grand piano. Mac was adjusting the lighting controls to get the effect he wanted as the group moved out to the patio. "Gentlemen, we thought we would run through a set while you guys are sipping your cocktails, and then we'll take a break," Mac said. "We do take requests, so be thinking of something you would like to hear."

Mac and the group played several lively jazz standards that woke his audience and had people clapping and snapping their fingers to the beat. They played for almost an hour before they took a break. Mac switched on the FM tuner to some dreamy dancing music for those who wanted to dance. At that point folks began drifting over to the buffet table to sample the food. Drew had been sitting with Sandy and Alex while Mac was playing. Mac joined them after he filled his plate with some goodies.

"That was really great," Alex said. "Your playing is getting better all the time."

"That's some backup group you hired; they're good," Mac said. "It's always more enjoyable when you're playing with pros. In case I forgot to mention it, Alex, this has been a fun evening. I've really had a great time, and getting together with our close friends makes it even more enjoyable. We don't do this enough; families are great, but we need more time together where we can be ourselves."

Mac turned to Drew, "Don't you think that would be a nice idea, sweetheart," Mac asked.

"I think it would be a great idea," Drew said. "Why can't we arrange something like the gourmet club, with revolving host couples and keep it to lovers only? Would you and Sandy be interested in something like that Alex?" Drew asked.

"Count me in," Sandy said; "what about you, Alex?"

"I'm all for it," Alex said.

"Good," said Mac. "I'll bring it up later to the group."

"My hat's off to you on this one, Alex," Mac said. "You sailors know how to throw a party. I'll bet you and your staff worked your buns off to make it run so smoothly. You married one smart guy, Sandy."

"You've come a long way from the rough diamond I meet six years ago, Alex," Mac said. "I knew after that first meeting that you were going to be a force to be reckoned with. Drew and I are delighted that not only are you part of our corporation, but more importantly, you have become our good friends as well. I know you two have heard this a hundred times over the past two days, but we wish you a long and happy life together."

"We appreciate your kind words, it means a lot coming from you," Alex said.

"Sandy and I are delighted with all the well wishes from our good friends and family. We will treasure these warm memories and they will always be a part of us. I'll cherish this day as I do every day I spend with Sandy. We've been truly blessed and we don't want to waste this God-given gift. I'll always look back with delight at the wonderful friendship that I've made with you and Drew, and with all the men here tonight sharing this great day with us."

"We all feel the same way about you and Sandy," Drew said. "We all love you and hope we can enjoy good times like this evening again and again."

"If the three of you go on any longer with this conversation, you're going to have me bawling," Sandy said.

"You're absolutely right," Mac said. "It's time to get back to work. Okay, guys, now for your dancing pleasure, my buddy Karl will take over. He has magic fingers when it comes to the dreamy cheek-to-cheek stuff." Karl and the group began to play some slow dance music. Sandy took Alex's hand and led him to the dance floor and danced. Mac and Drew were the next couple on the dance floor, joined shortly by the other couples.

Sandy was a good dancer and Alex had no trouble following his lead. "I think it's time we said goodnight to our guests, baby," Alex said, "I want to make love to you."

"I wanted to suggest that after the first five minutes," Sandy said. "You have been driving me wild with desire, but I thought it would be improper to leave our guests so soon."

"Come on, let's walk over to the piano and compliment Karl for his playing, and then take off."

It was after one o'clock by the time they undressed and got into bed. They were worn out. Alex snuggled up to Sandy and fell asleep, too tired to make love. Sandy smiled and kissed him, and fell asleep.

Alex awoke after he heard Art Chang's voice over the intercom speaker, "Mr. Alex, its nine o'clock, we will be serving brunch in an hour."

"Thanks, Art," Alex said, "We’ll be down in a half hour." Alex kissed Sandy on the forehead, "Let's hit the showers, baby."

They were dressed and out the door in twenty-five minutes. Alex decided to take the limo instead of driving the van. He closed the window behind the driver and took Sandy's hand. "I'm sorry I fell asleep last night. I had planned it a lot differently. We didn't even have the champagne toast. Tell you what, my wonderful love, I will make it up to you for the rest of this week. We'll have a wonderful honeymoon."

Sandy smiled, "Look, baby, you have nothing to apologize for. You should be tired after you knocked yourself out planning these two events. Everything has turned out perfectly. Even the weather cooperated. I can't begin to tell you how happy you've made me. You have given me so much. We have a lifetime ahead of us and it just so happens we both needed a good night's sleep. I fell sound asleep right after you did last night and didn't hear a thing until Art Chang woke us this morning. We can relax after everyone leaves this afternoon, then we can make up for lost time."

"You promise?"

"You'll find out soon enough, my beautiful baby."

Alex smiled, "Are you always this difficult to get along with?"

Sandy laughed, "Always. I'm afraid you're stuck with me now," Sandy said. "As that old saying goes, you’ve made your bed, etc., etc., etc.”

Most of the guests had started eating by the time Alex and Sandy arrived. They filled their plates at the buffet table and joined Sandy's parents. The waiters and bus-boys were there to serve coffee, or prepare a plate for any guest who did not wish to walk through the buffet line. The buffet was served on an awning-covered terrace. The sky was clear and the sun had burned off the early morning mist. The air smelled fresh and a light breeze was blowing just enough to rustle the white linen table cloths. The tables were set with crystal and silver flatware. In the center of each table was a bowel of fresh cut flowers. Several tables were placed in the open for those who enjoyed the direct sun. The terrace had an unobstructed view of the ocean and on a clear day like that day, the view was spectacular.

"This is so pleasant," Dr. Lambert said. "It would be great to retire and live in a place like this."

"You are welcome to stay at our villa any time you like," Alex said.

"Sandy and I don't have the time to stay here as much as we would like. If we do, it is usually a spur of the moment trip. We prefer to spend time at the villa on Paradise Island, if we have several days off."

"Maybe, we'll take you up on your offer this winter. It would be nice to get away for a couple of weeks in February," Dr. Lambert said."

"Great," Alex said. "Mike told me he had a chat with you about the security detail he was sending to the farm this week. Are you comfortable with the arrangements?"

"Everything is fine," Dr. Lambert said. "I don't see any problem. One thing for sure, we'll feel safe with your security people around. I was amazed at the sophisticated alarm system your people installed. The entire farm is secured, it is really amazing."

"Mike's told me our new van will be delivered Wednesday," Alex said. "From now on we will be using the van to get around. You'll understand why, once you take a close look at that vehicle. Mike wants us to use the van instead of the limo because the limo attracts too much attention. It's ironic when you think about it, now that we have the money to own the most luxurious cars available, and we can't use them because I'll attract too much attention."

Dr. Lambert laughed, "We all have our crosses to bear."

"Sandy and I, and a few other couples, will be leaving for Mass shortly," Alex said. We should only be gone an hour. We'll be back in plenty of time to see you off."

"Would you mind if we join you?" Dr. Lambert asked.

"Not at all," Alex said. "Sandy, why don't you take the folks to the minibus while I'll round up the others? We'll meet out front in fifteen minutes."

After Mass, Mac pulled Alex and Sandy aside. "I know this is your honeymoon, but I have a project I want you to take a look at for me. I would not bother you unless it was important."

Alex winked at Sandy, "What do you want us to do, Mac?" Alex asked.

"We've run into a problem with the two Petrochemical refineries we're remodeling in South America," Mac said. "These happen to be the two plants Stonewall & Savage designed over two years ago. The problem is that both projects are not moving ahead and the two governments involved keep dragging their feet when it comes to approving the progress phases on the project. The project is almost a year behind schedule. The prime contractor is fighting with his subcontractors and the suppliers are hollering for payments. We can't pay the suppliers until the government and the Cartel approves the completed work. It's a mess and it will cost us big bucks if we don't have the plant operational by our deadline. It will mean farming out raw material to our other refineries."

"Alex I would like you to go to South America and come up with some answers and hopefully a solution to this problem," Mac said. "Do I walk away from the whole project and bring a class action suit against all parties? Or, do we take over the project? If so, how much is actually completed and what will it take to complete the work? I'm not asking for an in depth survey on these two projects, I'm really looking for your assessment. The one in Peru is not as critical as the project in Brazil."

"If you can get a handle on the Brazilian project, I will be very grateful to you, Alex," Mac said. "Mike said he would personally escort you if you decide to go. Look, Alex, I'll understand if you decide not to go, I know how you feel about returning to Brazil."

"Before I step into this mess, I'll need a couple of answers," Alex said. "Give me a few minutes to speak to my other half."

"I'll leave you two alone to talk this over," Mac said. "I'll be with Drew and the family."

"Well, baby, what do you say?" Alex asked. "It's your call."

"I would love to stay here and have you all to myself for the next four days, but, that's out of the question now," Sandy said. "I don't see that we have any choice, Alex. Mac needs your help, end of story. It will be like old times working together again. It should be interesting, and we'll have plenty of time to play."

“You need to call David and have him deliver our passports to our pilot tonight," Sandy said. "The pilot and crew are going to need their passports as well. They can drop the folks off at Dulles, then fly back to Atlanta, pick up the passports and whatever else they need and return back here tonight. We can take off tomorrow, first thing in the morning, and arrive in Brazil after lunch.”

"It's nice to be married to an organized guy like you," Sandy said “Thank you for your understanding; now let's get with Mac so he can start making the arrangements. Let's not forget our guests, handsome, it's time to kiss the ladies goodbye and send them on their way until next year."

They found Mac sitting with Drew and family, and told him of their plans. "I really appreciate your giving up your vacation on such short notice," Mac said. "Let's find Mike and start the wheels turning." Mac explained everything to Mike and let him handle the logistics.

"I'll pull everything together that we'll need as soon as I return, Alex," Mike said.

Mac said, "Mike has firsthand knowledge of the sites and has meet the project people as well. At least you're not going in there blind. Some of the subcontractors worked with you and Terry in the past. The Peru project is another matter. You may want to touch base with the Westervilles for their input. Mike will brief you on that project as well."

Sandy and Alex said their good-byes to the guests who were leaving on the MacDonald-Stevens 737. Molly Harcourt hugged Sandy and wished him good luck. She took Alex by the hand as they walked to the waiting minibus. "I've missed you, Alex," Molly said. "Sandy is quite a guy. I've made him promise me that he would bring you and those darling children of yours to the Hampton's this year. Now give me a hug, you handsome devil."

Alex smiled and hugged and kissed her on the cheek. "I've missed you, too, Molly," Alex said.

"I'll make it a point to visit you, and I promise to call you in two weeks to set a time."

They stood by the door to say goodbye to the Cavanaugh’s, the Kings, the Stevens, Karl, Pete, Doug, Noel and Scott, and a few of the Lamberts from the TriState area. The Lambert family was loading up on the second airport bus. Dr. and Mrs. Lambert were the last to board. Mother Lambert kissed them both and boarded. Dr. Lambert hugged his son and Alex, and boarded the bus. The last to leave were the Westervilles and Lois. Bret said, "I'll call my partners in Peru and get the low down on that refinery and will get back to you in two days. If you need me, let me know, and I'll fly down to Peru to meet you."

After all the guests left, Mike, Alex and Sandy returned to the villa. "If you guys will excuse me, I have several hours of work to catch up on before cocktail time," Mike said.

"What time is dinner tonight, Alex?"

"Let's make it an early evening," Alex said. "Dinner is at six, so why don't we meet on the patio for cocktails around five."

"Great," Mike said as he headed for his suite."

"Sandy, I have something I want to show you," Alex said. He led Sandy into their bedroom suite. He removed the folder from his desk and handed it to Sandy.

Sandy sat and read the Living Trusts that Alex had had drawn up. After reading the them, he laid them down on the glass coffee table in front of him. He walked over to Alex and took him in his arms and held him. "I love you so much, Alex; why did you feel it necessary to give me a wedding present of two million dollars? I don't need that; I have you. Besides, with my new promotion, I'll be making a damn good salary."

"I want you to be a millionaire," Alex said. "That is your present to spend any way you want. It has nothing to do with our joint account. You and the children inherit my estate if I should die. It's all taken care of, my love. If you have not done so already, I suggest make your will, which will become a part of your Living Trust, as soon as we return to Atlanta."

"I've already taken care of that," Sandy said. "You are my sole beneficiary, other than a few personal bequests I made to my parents."

"Thank you, baby," Alex said. We can have Randy Cavanaugh add it to your Trust. He then handed Sandy the gift-wrapped box from Tiffany.

Sandy opened the box and took out the gold chain and the cross. "This is beautiful," Sandy said. "Thank you so much, my love."

"You're welcome; I thought this would serve as a wedding ring."

Sandy walked over to his dresser and took out a Tiffany wrapped gift box and handed it to Alex.

He untied the white ribbon and opened the box. It was a gold chain with a medal of the Holy Family and engraved on the reverse side was 'With all my love forever, Sandy'. "I had the same thought when I ordered this gift for you," Sandy said. He took the chain from Alex and slipped it over his neck, "With this token of my love, I wed thee, Alex."

Alex took Sandy's chain and slipped it over his head, "With this token of my love, I wed thee, Sandy."

They embraced and kissed. Sandy placed his arm around Alex's waist and led him into the bedroom. "I think we should consummate our marriage, just for the record. What do you say, baby?"

Alex chuckled, "Anything you say, my tall, handsome hunk. I'm a firm believer in keeping my spouse happy."

The next morning their jet took off at 4:55AM. The flight attendant prepared the table and announced that their breakfast was ready.

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The End.

Posted: 03/16/12