Free Devoted by Sierra Riley

light up a whole room, but there wasn’t any mistaking the excitement in James’ eyes, too.
    “How long have you two been together?” Ray asked.
    That was easy enough to answer. “We met in college, so almost twenty years now.”
    He caught the look Jake gave him, his brows raising slightly in disbelief. It wasn’t a lie. They had been together that long. Russ didn’t really feel the need to make a distinction between being friends and an actual romantic relationship.
    “We shared a dorm,” Jake added. “Russ was the reason I realized I was gay.”
    Now it was Russ’s turn to look surprised. He was probably joking. But from that hint of a shy smile on his lips, Russ wasn’t so sure. He supposed he should take it as a compliment, right? Obviously Jake didn’t feel anything more than superficial attraction, though. Jake would have told him otherwise.
    “What about you two?” Russ asked.
    “Online dating. We’re both huge nerds, so we met in World of Warcraft . James moved halfway across the country to live here, poor bastard.”
    Russ smiled at that, watching James give his fiancé a squeeze. Sometimes couples just looked good together, and it was true of James and Ray. They were a little younger than he and Russ. Where Ray was lean—maybe even skinny—with hair that was streaked with red to match his tux—or maybe his tux was meant to match his hair—James was a little more muscular. His hair was cropped short, and an army tattoo peeked out from under his collar.
    “Next in line, please?”
    “That’s our cue,” Ray said, his excitement spilling into every word he spoke. “It was nice to meet you both. Happy wedding day!”
    The words should have made Russ feel awkward. It wasn’t really his wedding day. But what if it was real? Would he ever consider marrying Jake? It seemed ridiculous. He and Jake had been friends—and only friends—for years.
    And yet Russ felt that little thrill course through him again at the idea.
    What was going on with him?
    “They seem happy,” Jake said, interrupting his thoughts.
    “Yeah, they do.”
    James and Ray had all of their paperwork ready to go, and it seemed this clerk was much nicer, because Ray laughed every once in a while. After just a few minutes, they were presented with a license which Ray held up proudly to show them after they were done.
    “Hey, congratulations! Hard part’s done, right?”
    “Are you kidding? Now I have to coach him through his vows,” James said with a grin.
    “Next in line!”
    He and Jake started to move up, and he felt his heart hammer in his chest. Before they reached the window, though, Ray called from some distance away.
    “Hey, would you two mind being our witnesses? We’d love to have you at our wedding. We’re in…” He looked down at a slip of paper. “Courtroom B-003, on the second floor.”
    Jake looked toward him for an answer, but Russ responded almost immediately. “We’d love to.”
    “How can I help you gentlemen today?” The clerk asked, without the disdain of her colleague, he noted.
    “Well, we’d like to get married.”
    There was a sense of wonder to his voice, like he couldn’t believe this was happening. He sounded like a man who was about to tie the knot, honestly. Apparently Jake was a better actor than he thought.
    “Wonderful. I’m happy to help you with that. I just need your applications and your driver’s license or some other form of government-issued ID, please.”
    That was it? Apparently he’d been a little over prepared, which was a first for him. He pulled the applications out of his folder, and he and Jake both fished out their IDs. Russ glanced at Jake while the clerk put everything into the computer. He seemed calm and composed, but he almost always seemed that way. Where Russ usually felt like he was being swept through a raging river, trying to grab onto any rocks or branches as he careened past, Jake was the picture of tranquility.
    It didn’t take long for their