Chapter Text
“now you hang from my lips
like the gardens of babylon
with your boots beneath my bed
forever is the sweetest con”
—
One week later, they made it official. As soon as everyone left to go home, Jack and David applied for a marriage license, taking Spot with them as an additional lucky charm. After some mild pushback, the three of them used their smiles and good looks to win over the county clerks.
The couple still kept their rule that they couldn’t kiss or do anything else until they were married. Maybe it was silly of them, but they knew deep down that they belonged with one another. Plus, neither Spot, nor their community, nor David’s family made any sort of fuss when the news came to pass, which pointed to some kind of divine symbol that this was meant to be.
A small ceremony took place the Friday that followed Jack and Katherine’s original ceremony in The Lavender Mouse. Spot whipped up a modest cake, and their friends sat at tables around the shop, waiting for the pair to come together. Sarah and Les were on photography duty while Crutchie was in charge of decorating the place and making it look suitable for a wedding.
David was glad his family could be there after not seeing them since the summer. And, when he met Medda, she didn’t require an explanation. She simply hugged him tightly and thanked him for being the man he was. Mr. Jacobs happened to be an ordained minister, and after meeting Jack briefly once arriving in Highlands, he shook his hand, agreeing to officiate the event. Again, all signs pointed to this being the most correct decision either of them would ever have the joy of making. The most compelling one, though, was that in the week between the thirteenth of december and the twentieth, he felt no desire to bake whatsoever. He did it at the Mouse, sure, and he enjoyed the work, but for once, he had no stress to bake out of his system. It felt marvelous.
Well, anyway, the guests had been seated, and an instrumental cover of “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift poured out through the speakers, signaling David’s cue to walk down their makeshift aisle. He hadn’t seen Jack since the night before, and when he stepped out from behind the kitchen, carrying a plate of lavender cupcakes instead of a bouquet of flowers in his hands, he gasped at how perfect he looked, standing there next to his father at the altar.
He wasn’t wearing a tuxedo this time. Rather, he wore a nice pair of jeans, a white button down, cowboy boots, and, of course, his trusty cowboy hat. However, a lavender feather stuck out of the brim this time, and David smiled. Guests took cupcakes as David passed them, emptying the plate so he could hand it to Spot, who would end the onslaught of sweet treats with a bang when he brought out the wedding cake later.
David took Jack’s hands in the heavenly glow of fairy lights. “Hey, Cowboy,” he whispered.
Jack smiled. “Hi, Davey.” His eyes glittered at the sight of his husband-to-be. Everything was perfect. The ceremony progressed, the small crowd supporting them every step of the way. Eventually, the moment for vows came. Only this time, no one held a paper or read a script. Jack started.
“Ahem,” he coughed. “Let’s try this whole ‘wedding’ thing again, shall we?” Jack quipped, earning a roar of laughter everybody, including his guy. “David, I know I’m the most chaotic man you’ve ever met. I know the past few months have been a whirlwind, and I know this is the craziest thing we’ve ever done. I know things. I promise. And one of those things is that I love you. Did I ever expect someone as perfect for me as you would set foot in this small town? No. But you did. I have no idea what I did to deserve you, but I’ve got you now, and I swear that I will never let you go.” He shook his head as tears pricked at the edges and repeated himself. “I will never let you go.”
“Okay, that got me,” David jested, tearing up himself. Sarah howled with laughter, and Les took several photos. “Alright, I guess it’s my turn.”
He looked into the crowd and felt grateful that he knew every face that smiled back at him. It was a small, humble wedding, and David never would have guessed this would be his speed. He thought back to his relationship with Morris and how they always talked big game about some grandiose ceremony that people would reminisce about for ages and ages. In his heart, though, he knew this was right. The darkness of night surrounded The Lavender Mouse as the twinkle lights above caked his dreams in a wonderful dose of lucidity.
“Jack,” David began. “What I’m about to say is super lame, but until this point, the only thing I thought I’d ever be good at was following a recipe. Well, um, I still kind of believe that’s true, but I figured it would be the only thing I could amount to. For years, I assumed people would look at me, and all they could see would be a skilled baker. And, here I am, baking for a living, yet still, my life felt like a recipe that I couldn’t follow because I was missing one crucial ingredient. You’ve taught me that I’m more than that, though. You are the kindest, most trusting, most incredible human I have ever met, and I realized that the missing ingredient was you. Again, it’s the lamest sentence that has ever left my mouth, but it’s true. All along, I’ve just been waiting for you. Now, here you are, and I have something even better for people to see me as. Jack, yes, I am a baker, but even more importantly, I am yours. This community may see the guy who knows how to craft a cake or prepare a pie, but underneath it all, I won’t just be the baker down the street. I’ll be your husband.” David wiped tears from his eyes, and the small crowd melted. “I love you, Jack. And I swear if any of y’all try to speak now…”
Everyone burst out laughing, and Jack simply cackled before saying, “Well, let’s get on with it, then. Mr. Jacobs?”
“Of course, Jack. The rings?”
Spot came forward, placing David’s ring in Jack’s hand, and Crutchie sidled up to Davey, giving him Jack’s. The two took a few minutes to place the rings on each other’s hands before joining them back together. Maybe their order of operations was a bit out of sorts, but it didn’t matter. It made sense to them.
“Jack,” David’s father addressed. “It is your profession of love that leads me to this question. Do you, Jack, promise to take David as your lawfully wedded husband? Do you vow to love him and cherish him for as long as you shall live?”
Jack smiled, staring into David’s eyes. “I do.”
“And David,” His father spoke adoringly to him. “My son, do you promise to take Jack as your lawfully wedded husband? Do you swear to love him and be his through every twist and turn life may throw at you? Do you promise to know him as yourself and love him more and more with every passing day?”
“I do,” he whispered.
“Well, then, by the power someone made the mistake of investing in me, I pronounce these two…officially husbands!”
Every single human who sat in the bakery shook the foundation of The Lavender Mouse, cheering for Jack and David, but the two only looked at one another.
“Jack, get to it! Kiss your husband!”
“Gladly.”
And, he did. Jack pulled David into a dramatic dip, and for the first time, he kissed him. David’s lips tasted like honey and vanilla, and David smiled into their embrace, noting that Jack’s kiss had notes of bubroun and cinnamon. When Jack pulled him back up to a standing position, he surprised everyone by grabbing a secretly stashed cowboy hat, plopping it on David’s head, much to the delight of everyone in the room. It fit his skull perfectly. Standing there in the adoration of the people that loved him, they basked in the realization that David would be taken care of and that Jack was gaining a loving family that, for once, he could call his own. It all made sense, and it all felt perfect.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” David’s father yelled over the ruckus. “I present to you, for the first time, as husbands, Jack and David Kelly-Jacobs!”
Spot and Cruthchie whooped, Medda shed several tears, and the Highlands community found their new favorite power couple. They walked back down the aisle to a violin cover of, once again, a Taylor Swift song. “So High School” bled out of the sound system, and Jack kissed David again for everyone to witness.
“See, Davey,” Jack coaxed. “We made it. You’re a cowboy like me now.”
“Praise God,” David exhaled, and the two made their way to the kitchen in order to take a breather before the floor would get cleared to make way for dinner, cake, and dancing.
As the night progressed, all the pain and darkness from the past few weeks completely evaporated like steam and was replaced with the smell of coffee and pastries, hearts full of love, Taylor Swift music, laughter, and, of course, the taste of lavender. All who made an appearance danced and congratulated the couple, indulging in Spot’s cake, which sent their taste buds to the moon and to saturn.
The world felt pure and lovely again, and there, in The Lavender Mouse on a cold December night, Jack and Davis married one another, marking Spot’s bakery as the most successful business that ever existed. Everyone who entered hoped to walk away with something sweeter than when they came in. As for Jack and David? Well, their quaint little bakery whipped up the sweetest thing imaginable for them. No more tears. No more pain. No more darkness. Love had been baked into every recipe they ever made, and they were finally able to feast from the fruits of their labor. Forever was quite a long time. Praise the Lord that it would be spent with one another.
These newlyweds wouldn’t leave this town for a while, but even though pain struck every heart in the place at some point or another, Jack and David would feel nothing but gratitude for their story. After all, a narrative sweeter than honey only happens once every few lifetimes, so it seems sufficient to say that everyone who found their purpose in this particular kitchen was pleased that David decided to trust Jack and to speak now. Because of his act of loyalty, they would all look back on their lives with love and remember The Lavender Mouse all too well.