Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

balanced his cane against his leg. And then their fingers met in a firm clasp.
    "Daniel, do you take Jacob to be your lawfully 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, so long as you both shall live?"
    In Daniel's nightmares he had been struck dumb or fallen over dead at this moment. On this sunny July morning on the quiet waters of the bay, his voice rang out clearly. "I do."
    "Jacob, do you take Daniel to be your lawfully 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, so long as you both shall live?"
    For a long moment time froze. Then Jacob smiled at him. "I do."
    The minister turned to Hannah. "You have the rings."
    Suddenly time seemed to move swiftly. The minister was saying a line about the rings as Hannah put the smaller one into Daniel's palm. He slipped Jacob's ring over his finger, relieved that it slid easily into place. Then Jacob took Daniel's hand in his and tried to work his own ring on. Daniel's knuckles were swollen and knobby with the damned arthritis. Jacob rotated the gold circle gently, trying to get it over the joint. Daniel wondered if he'd underestimated. He hadn't wanted to buy the ring too big. It had fit when he'd tried it on in the cool of the store.
    Jacob slipped the ring up and pushed it firmly down, but it hung up on the loose old-man skin of Daniel's knuckle. Daniel looked at Jacob, feeling the tears prickling at his eyelids. It was really no big deal if he had to have it made bigger. He didn't know why it mattered so much that they get his ring on right now. He should just give up and tell the minister to skip this part. He pulled his hand back, trying to see if he could do it himself. And failed. And swallowed hard.
    Jacob looked into his eyes. Then Jacob, his quiet reserved Jacob, gave him a grin. "It's a pity the lube is in my other pair of jeans," he said clearly. He reached out, brought Daniel's hand to his mouth, and licked wetly over Daniel's knuckle. And with a twist and a shove, and a little pain that Daniel welcomed, slipped the ring over his knuckle and nestled it in where it belonged.
    Jacob took Daniel's hand in a warm firm grip and turned to the minister. "Is there anything else?"
    "Just that by the power vested in me by the State of New York I pronounce you legally married. You may kiss your husband."
    Jacob kissed him. Just a sweet simple kiss, like a man coming home where he belonged. And it was done.
    Friends and family clustered round to congratulate them. The minister spread the certificate out for them to sign, with Hannah and Eddie as witnesses. More congratulations. Hands shaken, cheeks kissed. Eventually they stood there, Daniel's arm around Jacob's shoulders, in the late morning sunshine.
    Briana's new man came over to them. "That was beautiful," he said. His deep voice held a trace of some unfamiliar accent. "I would like to offer you something. It is a custom among my people."
    Daniel raised an eyebrow.
    The man brought out a short piece of red ribbon. "When a man and a woman, or man and man today, say their vows, they take a lock of each of their hair and braid it into a ring. Custom says if you keep that ring hidden safely, where no other human hand can touch it, then your love will endure. I know you and your husband have no need of this but I would like to offer the braiding anyway. As a keepsake, perhaps."
    "You should take him up on it," Briana said at his elbow. "Mihail does some amazing weaving and braiding."
    Jacob shrugged. "Why not? Although neither of us has that much hair."
    "It will be well," Mihail said. "I have worked with short hair of a man for the braiding before."
    Briana found scissors from somewhere and she and Hannah snipped a lock from near the top of Daniel's head, and the side of Jacob's, with much more pondering and giggling about where there was enough hair than Daniel felt was really necessary. Mihail laid the hair out on the table and worked with surprisingly deft fingers. Jacob's hair was silver. Daniel's still held a hint of his old chestnut-brown, making it a little darker, a copper tint. The strands wove together out of Mihail's hands in a little band. The man took the red ribbon and tied the ends, tucking the free wisps in to form an amazingly perfect circle. He placed it in Daniel's hand.
    "Thank