(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 536: Let’s get this party started
Andrew, after he had spent about 20 minutes alone with Maxwell, finally joined the rest of the wedding goers at the final party. Everyone wanted to approach Andrew at first, and probably Maxwell, but Andrew had a tight grip on Maxwell’s hand and he was on a mission.
He took Maxwell directly to the bar and scanned the 15 shots or so that Maxwell had chosen for the wedding. Andrew scanned the list, and then turned to Maxwell.
"Angel, which one do you want?" Andrew asked. Maxwell blinked, a little startled by Andrew’s sudden change in behaviour, and then glanced between Andrew and the list. Thankfully, the bartenders were busy with other guests, but were also keeping an eye on them.
They were the grooms, of course. They would get priority once they were ready.
Maxwell glanced at Andrew, his expression concerned.
"Baby, you don’t have to do one with me right now." Maxwell told him, reaching up and cupping Andrew’s cheek. Andrew leaned into the touch, closing his eyes slightly. They felt puffy, swollen, but damnit, it was okay. Maxwell liked him as he was.
"I need a shot." Andrew admitted softly. "I’m not planning to drink drink, but I need something to...shake this off." Andrew told him, opening his eyes and meeting Maxwell’s worried blue gaze.
"Are you sure?" He asked and Andrew nodded.
"I plan to keep my sanity. I want you to be able to enjoy yourself without concern. I’ll have a few, but..." Andrew let out a heavy sigh. "She wouldn’t want me to be upset. She didn’t leave that letter for me to be upset. I just need to shake this feeling off." Andrew promised. Maxwell watched him for a long, long moment before he nodded, his gaze hardening.
"Alright, Baby. I understand. I agree that she didn’t do any of that maliciously. She would never want to hurt you." Maxwell told him and Andrew felt his body tense. He was fighting to keep himself together.
Maxwell turned his gaze towards the list he’d created before nodding to himself. He approached the counter and a bartender practically emerged from thin air.
"What can I get for you Mr. Beckett?" They smiled brightly, sliding their gaze to Andrew. "And Mr. Beckett?" He asked. A warm feeling filled Andrew’s chest at the acknowledgement and Andrew shifted closer to Maxwell.
"Can we get three of the ’just married’ shots?" Maxwell asked. Andrew had no idea what was in the shot, and from Maxwell’s little smirk, that was the whole point. Each of the 15 shots Maxwell had come up with and named had no ingredients listed. Maxwell knew, and so did the bartenders, but that was it.
Andrew just trusted his husband.
Andrew’s chest squeezed as he thought that. His husband. He had a husband. That husband was also Maxwell Beckett and Andrew was now a Beckett too. Andrew was feeling overwhelmed all over again so it was a good thing that the bartender came back with the shots right away.
Andrew stared at the layered shot, a mix of brown, white and blue and he was surprised at how quickly the bartender came back. It had been, what? 10 seconds? That was incredible.
"I asked them to premake some of the shots." Maxwell said, clearly able to tell that Andrew was perplexed by what he was seeing.
"Can you do that?" Andrew asked. He’d never been a bartender before, had no knowledge. Maxwell shrugged.
"They were able to, clearly, or they wouldn’t be up that quickly." Maxwell said, smiling at the bartender. "Thank you." He said, before sliding a shot towards Andrew. "Come on, big boy. It’ll be good. It looks black but it’s actually raspberry liquor, blue curacao, and the middle is rose tequila." Maxwell told him.
Honestly, that didn’t sound horrible, so he picked up the glass, tapped it against Maxwell’s, before tapping the bar and poured it into his mouth. Because it had been chilled, it was delicious and the flavours could have been too sweet but he didn’t notice.
Maxwell finished his first and then popped his second one, shaking his head when he was done. Then, he turned to Andrew and grinned.
"Do you feel better?" He asked and Andrew, taking in the smaller, enthusiastic man’s stance, bent and kissed him. The others around them made a loud racket, but Andrew didn’t care. He just wanted to kiss his handsome husband.
"I could never be better with such a thoughtful, kind husband at my side." Maxwell’s ears turned pink at Andrew’s words and kind expression.
"A-Andy, what in the world? Don’t embarrass me." Maxwell muttered, but Andrew knew that he wasn’t actually embarrassed. Andrew leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss against his lips, licking his own as he pulled back. He tasted a bit like the shot that he had taken, and Andrew grinned.
Maxwell covered his mouth before his gaze narrowed.
"You are going to be trouble tonight, aren’t you?" Maxwell accused and Andrew knew for a fact that it was going to be the complete opposite.
"I’m going to be on my best behaviour." Andrew told him cheekily. "I think, the one who took a shot from my mouth at the last wedding we attended should be careful who he accuses." Andrew told him pointedly. Maxwell flushed more.
Thankfully, before things could escalate, Amir, Maria and Nicole came over, all with glittering eyes and drinks in their hands. It was only Andrew and Maxwell who knew that Amir wasn’t actually drinking, Amir even giving Maxwell a wink when the two girls were distracted.
"Andy! Come play a game with us!" Nicole asked, tugging on Andrew’s arm.
"Maxy! Come too!" Maria said, tugging on Maxwell’s arm. Amir was clearly there to supervise, and Andrew and Maxwell found themselves pulled towards a section that they had set up with games. For those who didn’t want to just drink, but also wanted something to do.
Andrew had anticipated that he wouldn’t be drinking so he wanted to have something that he could do, and something that everyone could get competitive over as they drank. A party for him could be about dancing and drinking, but it could also be about having fun in different ways.
Maria and Nicole pulled them over to an area where Leo and Alyssa were still at, playing a few games with the adults that were having a good time. Jenny and Kim were also there, and they both looked relieved when they saw Andrew. It was a little funny. It wasn’t like he was going to run away. It was his wedding.
The younger kids were gone at this point, and Andrew could tell that the older generation wasn’t far behind them. Andrew could tell that they were staying around for a little bit, but that most of the reason that they were was to speak to Andrew and Maxwell.
He knew because they came to speak to him holding his hands, squeezing, and wishing him a wonderful rest of his night. Most of them would see him in the morning, like his new grandmother and grandfather, but Mr. Dalton and his husband, Aster, wouldn’t. They spent a little longer with him, tugging Maxwell into the moment and making sure that when Maxwell and Andrew came back from their honeymoon, they wanted to see them again.
Diner, lunch, whatever they wanted, but Mr. Dalton, Walter, wanted to have a closer relationship with him. It was the first time that Andrew heard Walter admit that he had a terrible relationship with his own son. He wouldn’t talk to him, his son. He told others that he was gone off to create his own life, but in truth?
He was off ruining his life, as Walter would say. Drowning himself in drugs, alcohol, and anything else he could get his hands on because his Dad was rich and he could afford to do so. Walter apologised immediately after he admitted it, not wanting to ruin Andrew and Maxwell’s wedding, but Maxwell was the one who reached out and grabbed Walter’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
Maxwell knew a lot about kids lashing out, since he had been one. While they had done it for completely different reasons, he was sure that if Walter kept his hand out, but grew more firm, there was a chance his son could come back. Plus, telling them the truth while everyone else wasn’t paying attention was the perfect time to tell them.
Maxwell also didn’t consider it a mood killer, as very little could kill the high he was feeling from finally making Andrew his. Walter had been surprised, but it was Aster’s laughter that smoothed over the anxiety and worry that they had ruined the newlywed’s happiness.
Aster was happy that they were so kind, and said that they were probably going to excuse themselves to have a more quiet night with Maxwell’s parents, and Amir’s grandparents. They had invited them to a more private location to have some scotch, and Aster thought it was a wonderful idea.
Walter, in his words, had isolated himself from the upper crust for a long time, and it only got worse after Andrew’s Mother had passed. Now it was time to put themselves out there, and as the guilt ate Walter from the inside out for what he had done, to pay it forward.
He smiled at Andrew and Maxwell, pulling each in for a light hug and a kiss on the cheek before he took control of his true alpha mate and tugged him along. Walter went, smitten with the other man.
Andrew and Maxwell knew, without hesitation, that while Aster sat back and played a more quiet role, there was no way someone could survive being married to someone like Walter without a backbone. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Maxwell had veered them towards the bar after speaking to them, his eyes wide and his cheeks a little flushed. He got another round of shots, another three of something else, and Andrew stood by him, watching his husband, his expression tender after hearing what Walter had told him, and after listening to all of the other older members of his friend group. His family.
He was glad that he had so many people around him who genuinely cared for him. Who thought of him with kindness and wished him well. Who wanted to be a part of his family. He was grateful for it.
Most of them had left for the night, a few stragglers remaining, like Kim and Jenny. Mostly because their kids were still around, and Andrew could swear Alyssa was a little too flushed in the face for it to be from heat. They would probably remain around until the kids had to go to bed.
With everyone mostly taken care of, now Andrew just had to make sure that Maxwell made it to the morning. He wondered if he’d get another video of Maxwell tonight. Another confession? He kind of hoped so.
Maxwell passed him his shot, smiling as he clinked his own shot glass against his.
"Cheers, Andy." Maxwell called, and Andrew smiled down at him.
"Cheers!"
