“Patrick has been part of our family for a long time, so we can’t exactly welcome you to the family, but Wendy and I are thrilled that the connection is going to be official. We couldn’t have picked a better man for our daughter, and seeing the love you two have for each other, the happiness you’ve brought each other, well... It makes us as proud as we are happy.” He cleared his throat again and his eyes were turning red. Next to him, Lexie’s mom was already openly sniffling and dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.

Crap, there went Sharon’s first tear. She quickly swiped it away.

Looking at Patrick, Mr. Standish raised his glass. “Happy to have it official, son.”

With that, Patrick broke away from Lexie, stepping forward to engulf the other man in a hug, several tears rolling down his own face. Lexie was already hugging her mom, both of them openly crying, and when Sharon averted her gaze as a little bubble of happy tears choked her throat, she saw Jake coming forward to join the family moment, his own eyes suspiciously red. As soon as Patrick stepped away from Mr. Standish, Jake was there to envelop his best-friend-and-soon-to-be-brother in a massive bear hug.

Ah, fuck it.

She sniffled and wiped at her soggy eyes, leaning against Kate, who immediately wrapped her arm around Sharon’s waist. A larger, warmer hand landed on Sharon’s shoulder a moment later - Andrew had put his arm around both of them.

“To Patrick and Lexie!” someone cried out while the love fest was going on. The toast was repeated immediately, champagne flutes rising in the air as everyone took the opportunity to take a drink rather than bursting into tears at the emotional scene. At least, Sharon preferred to think she wasn’t the only one.

Almost everyone besides the immediate family had left when Patrick finally sought him out. The catering crew was cleaning up in the kitchen under Jake’s mom’s direction while his dad was talking to Jake’s uncle in the front hall.

He took the opportunity to head down to the basement and just sit for a few minutes in the quiet. Eventually he’d get up and clean up the plates and glasses that had been left down here, but after a night of socializing and the mass of people who had come, he was enjoying the solitude. Patrick’s presence never felt like an intrusion though, so he didn’t mind.

Especially since he came bearing gifts.

“Hiding out?” Patrick asked, handing Jake a beer as he sat down on the couch next to him.