by Sue Brown
Then Dan’s phone rang.
Saved by the bell or the worst timing ever? Dan wasn’t sure. It was a number he didn’t know.
“Hey?”
“Dan? It’s Lena. Is Marty all right?”
The worried tone of Marty’s fiancée penetrated Dan’s cuddle haze. He stepped back and mouthed “Lena” to Gideon.
“Hi, Lena. Marty’s fine.”
“Yes, but how is he really? My friend saw him out last night and said he was wasted.”
So much for keeping quiet.
“Todd took him on a boys’ night out. In all fairness Marty thought he was drinking club soda. Todd spiked his drinks.”
“I’m gonna kill him,” Lena growled, and Dan held the phone away from his ear as she cursed loudly and with a vocabulary he was more used to hearing at Cowboys and Angels. Eventually she settled down, and he listened cautiously. “Where is Marty now?”
“He’s in bed and asleep.” Dan was glad Lena had calmed down because he didn’t want to be responsible for a bride losing her shit on her wedding day. “I’m gonna wake him up in time for the photographer.”
“Just make sure he’s sober by the time you reach the church. And plenty of breath mints. I’m not joking when I say my parents don’t like alcohol.”
“I’m sorry I let you down,” Dan said. “I should never have let him out with Todd. I know what the man’s like.”
“You didn’t let me down,” Lena assured him. “You had to work. Marty’s a grown man and should have realized he was getting drunk.”
“I’ll look after him,” Dan promised.
“Is Gideon there?”
“Yeah. How did you know?” Dan asked suspiciously.
Lena ignored the question. “Good. At least you don’t have to handle two drunk asses. Was Gideon already at your place?”
“He picked me up, and shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Dan didn’t need Lena to run off with wild fantasies about him and Gideon.
Lena crowed loudly in his ear. “I am ready. Hair done, makeup done, and ready to hassle you.”
“Thanks. Remember I have your groom.”
“I knew he was into you from the first time I met you. I told Marty, but he wouldn’t believe me. That man couldn’t keep his eyes off you at the café.”
Dan glanced over and caught Gideon watching him. “It’s just a date for the wedding.” To his surprise, he saw Gideon narrow his eyes as he turned away from Dan. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later, and don’t be late.”
“I’m not the one dealing with the hungover groom,” she pointed out. “Any problems, call me. If I have to, I’ll come over and get him myself.”
“You focus on making yourself even more beautiful than you already are. I’ll do the hard work.”
He disconnected the call and looked at Gideon, who was staring into space. “I think Todd’s ass is toast after today.”
“How did she know about Marty?” Gideon asked.
“A friend saw them drinking last night. She’s not very happy with her husband-to-be right now. My orders are to deliver him to the church—on time, sober, and with plenty of breath mints.”
“We’ll do our best.”
Gideon sounded strange, almost disinterested, and Dan wasn’t sure what had gotten into him. He’d been fine through most of the call until Dan mentioned their date.
Dan laid a hand on Gideon’s forearm and felt the strength of his muscles play beneath his fingers. “Did I say something wrong?”
Gideon sighed, turned away, and took his cup to the sink to rinse it out. He turned back to look at Dan. “Everything’s fine.”
Everything clearly wasn’t fine, but Dan didn’t have a clue how to fix it. He looked at the clock above the fridge. It was just after eight thirty, so they still had a few hours before the photographer arrived. Dan had planned to take Marty out to breakfast and then go for a walk around their old haunts. Clearly that plan was void, and Dan didn’t know what to do with Gideon, who was scowling at his feet.
Dan took a chance. “Would you like to come for a walk?”
Gideon looked startled. “Now?”
Dan shrugged. “We’ve got nothing else to do for a couple of hours. Marty and Todd aren’t going anywhere. I was planning on showing Marty the old haunts, but I could show you instead. Unless you’re not interested.”
Gideon shook his head. “I’d like that. I didn’t realize you were a local.”
“I grew up around here. Marty and I met at the local grade school. He was new, and I was pretty much ignored by everyone else. We became friends and stayed friends ever since.”
Gideon picked up his jacket and shrugged it on. “You’re lucky to still be friends with someone from school. I’ve lost contact with all my old school friends.”
“Marty was special. He didn’t care that I was different from all the others.”
“By different you mean gay?”
Dan nodded. “I knew from an early age I was into men and not women. Marty didn’t care, and he ignored all the teasing from the other kids.”
Bullying would have been more accurate, but Gideon didn’t need to know the details of his miserable school years. Gideon cast him a shrewd look as though he were well aware what Dan was leaving out. He was a parent and probably knew kids a lot better than Dan did.
Dan checked on Marty, who was sound asleep and snoring loudly, while Gideon did the same for Todd. Dan felt slightly guilty that Todd was still in the downstairs bathroom, but Gideon had covered him with a throw and placed a cushion under his head, and that was more than Dan would have done. He grabbed Marty’s keys, and they left the house. It was still cold, and Dan was glad for his thick jacket as they walked down the street.
“I know I should know this, but I can’t remember. Did you start college?” Gideon asked.
Dan shook his head. “No. No money, and Mom needed me working. I wasn’t college material anyway.”
“Not then. But you are now.”
“I barely graduated school. Marty was the clever one, not me. I mean look at us now. Marty’s got his own business, and I’m still a barman.”
“You’re the manager of the bar,” Gideon pointed out.
“It’s more than I ever thought I’d be.” Dan pushed his hands into his pockets. “I’m not bitter about my lack of smarts. Some men are destined for greatness, and others like me pull beer. My time will come.”
Gideon made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat. “You’ve got more intelligence then you give yourself credit for, darlin’. You put yourself through college because you have plans.”
“Yeah, I did.” Dan remembered the early days as he struggled with his assignments. Then he’d wondered what the hell he was doing it for. It had been a long, hard slog and many times he’d nearly given up. He grinned at Gideon. “Keep reminding me of that.”
Gideon gave a brief nod. “I will. You’re a smart man, Dan Collins.”
His intense gaze warmed Dan, who smiled as they walked on.
Chapter 22
THEY ENDED up walking past the local playground, gloved hands wrapped around take-out cups of hot chocolate as they watched kids play on the same swings Dan had played on as a child. Dan took Gideon on exactly the same tour he’d planned to take with Marty, and to give him credit, Gideon showed a great deal of interest. He asked questions about Dan’s childhood, and maybe Dan gave away a little more about himself than he intended.
“I used to bring Ariel to a playground just like this,” Gideon said. “She used to drive her mom mad because she was always into everything. I’d get home, and Sarah would hand me a very wiggly daughter and tell me to run some energy off her.”
Dan grinned. Ariel hadn’t changed in the slightest, and the fights in the bar were probably the equivalent of swings as a child. “Did you always want to be a dad?”
“Not really. My wife got pregnant in the last year of high school, and I didn’t really have a choice. But once Ariel arrived, I couldn’
t imagine life without her. She’s been the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“You didn’t think of….” Dan tried to find a way to ask the question tactfully. “Adoption or….”
“Abortion?” At Dan’s nod, Gideon said, “We thought about it, but Sarah was a Catholic, and there was no way she would have an abortion. We considered adoption, but in the end, she wanted to keep the baby, and I wanted to support her.”
“Did you ever regret getting married so young and having children?”
“Not at all. Not for one second.”
Dan looked at where Gideon’s hand rested on a railing, and he covered it with his own. It was the only form of comfort he could offer. Gideon gazed at him sadly, but he didn’t move his hand, and Dan let it lie there for a moment.
Eventually Gideon huffed out a breath captured in the cold air and said, “It’s about time we went back to the house. As best man, it’s your job to hose Marty down for the wedding.”
“Thanks,” Dan said dryly. “I really appreciate you reminding me about that. Does that mean you’re going to do the same for Todd?”
Gideon barked out a laugh. “Hell no. Todd can go stinky, for all I care.”
“That was my thought too. One scrubbing down is more than enough.”
They walked back in companionable silence, Dan’s thoughts revolving around the man at his side. As Dan put the key in the lock, Gideon said, “Thank you for showing me your life.”
“You’re probably the only person I would have done that with, except Marty. I don’t open up to many people.”
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“You’re welcome.” Dan pushed the door open and listened, but the house was as quiet as when they left it. “I think it’s time the buckets of water were brought into action, don’t you?”
“You’re not really going to throw water over them, are you?”
“If they don’t get up, water is the least of their worries.” Dan would not let Lena down.
Gideon snickered and headed into the kitchen. “I’ll put another pot of coffee on.”
Dan ran up the stairs and went into the bedroom. Marty, thankfully, appeared to be awake and sitting up in bed, although awake was probably optimistic. Asleep sitting up was nearer the mark. “Marty, you awake?”
Marty groaned. That was good enough.
“You need a shower, dude. I promised your bride a clean and tidy groom, and that’s what I’m going to deliver. Shift your ass and get in the shower.”
“Stop shouting,” Marty begged. “Your voice is too loud.”
“That’s tough, because you’re going to hear a lot more of it, and louder, if you don’t get out of bed. And Lena will come over and drag you out of bed herself if you’re uncooperative.”
Marty cranked one eye open to glare at Dan. “I hate you. I don’t know why I ever thought you’d be a good best man.”
Dan tapped his wrist where his watch would be if he wore one. “Tick tock, Marty. Get out of bed or I call your bride.”
The threat worked. Marty threw back the covers, stood, and swayed as he tried to get his balance. Dan stood by in case he was needed, but Marty managed to stay vertical, which Dan counted as a win.
“I need coffee,” Marty demanded.
“You get in the shower, and I’ll bring you coffee.”
Marty headed into the bathroom. Dan waited until he heard the sound of running water before he left the bedroom and went in search of coffee.
Downstairs, the smell of coffee heralded success, and Dan went into the kitchen to discover Gideon pouring four mugs and a cranky-looking Todd sitting at the breakfast bar. Gideon looked up as Dan came in.
“Is he awake?”
“Awake and in the shower. Also demanding coffee, which I promised to take back up to him.” Dan looked at Todd. “How are you feeling?”
“Like death,” Todd mumbled.
Dan waited, but that seemed to be all Todd could manage. Dan went to the fridge, took out the cream, and filled one of the coffee mugs to the brim. Then he returned to the upstairs bathroom and held it gingerly around the shower curtain. The mug was taken immediately with mumbled thanks.
“See you downstairs. What do you want to eat?”
“I don’t think I can manage food,” Marty said.
“You’d better eat something or you’re never going to survive the day. What about toast?” Dan didn’t wait for Marty to say no. He left him to his coffee and his shower.
Back in the kitchen, Gideon was alone at the breakfast bar.
“Where’s Todd?” Dan asked.
“He’s going to have a shower when Marty is finished. His clothes are in the guest bedroom. He wasn’t going to cooperate, and then I said Lena would drag him in by his short and curlies if he didn’t turn up looking presentable.”
Dan grinned. The threat of Lena was obviously the key to opening many doors. “I don’t know if Todd’s tux is here.”
Gideon got to his feet. “You drink your coffee. I’ll go find out.”
To Dan’s surprise, Gideon leaned down and gave Dan a kiss on the cheek as he walked by. It was quick and over before Dan had a chance to react, but Dan touched the spot with his fingers as Gideon walked out of the room. Gideon was a more tender and affectionate man than he ever realized. He wondered why he hadn’t seen it before.
He was halfway through his own coffee when he heard shouting upstairs. Dan took the stairs two at a time to find Marty rushing into the guest bedroom. Dan followed him in and discovered a naked Todd glaring at Gideon.
“What the hell?” Todd shouted.
Dan looked at Gideon. “What’s happened?”
Gideon shrugged. “He went back to sleep. I woke him up.” He held up a jug.
“You threw water over me, you bastard,” Todd snarled, wiping the water from his face.
“I warned you if you didn’t cooperate there would be consequences.” Gideon spoke as though Todd’s anger was of no consequence.
“I’m tired. I need more sleep.”
“You stink,” Marty said bluntly. “Even I can smell you. Go take a shower, and use a lot of soap.”
“I’ll stay here with him and make sure he’s clean.” Gideon leaned against the bedroom wall, folded his arms, and stared pointedly at Todd.
“You’re not my mother,” Todd spat.
Dan tried really hard, but he only had to catch the twitch of Gideon’s lips, and that was it. He burst out laughing, and Gideon started to laugh too. Even Marty joined in, although he held his head as he did. Todd appeared to be on the point of stamping his foot, but even he must have realized how childish that would be, because he huffed and stomped into the bathroom. The shower started again.
Gideon grinned at Dan and said, “You take care of Marty. I’ll make sure Mr. Stinky really does wash this time.”
“Make sure he washes behind his ears,” Dan teased.
Gideon saluted him and then followed Todd into the bathroom. Dan heard Todd’s outraged squawk and knew the job was in hand. He looked at Marty, who was sagging on the bed. “Do I need to supervise your shower?”
“I’ve already had my shower, and yes, Mom, I did wash behind my ears. And I cleaned my nails.” He held hands out like a child for his mom to check. “Lena said she’d have my balls if my hands looked grubby for the photos.”
Dan automatically glanced at Marty’s hands. “You manicure your nails, dude.”
Marty frowned. “Yeah. Doesn’t everyone?”
Dan kept quiet about his first manicure. “Let’s get coffee into you. The photographer will be here in about an hour. Do you need to get into your suit before he arrives?”
Marty shook his head and then groaned, holding his head in his hands. “I really shouldn’t have done that. She wants me dressed in pants and a shirt. Then she’s going to do some fancy shit with the tie and cummerbund. I’m not really sure. I just agreed and nodded to whatever she said.”
“Then let’s get downstairs and fill you up w
ith coffee.”
“Not too much,” Marty said. “I don’t want to need a piss during the service.”
“It’s five hours to the service, I think you can cope.”
They went downstairs, and Marty sat at the breakfast bar while Dan poured him more coffee.
Marty took a satisfied slurp. “I’m sorry for ruining our plans this morning. I really had no idea he was spiking my drinks until it was too late.”
“I’m going to talk to him about that,” Dan said grimly. “It’s one thing to do that to your brother, but I don’t want him to think he can try that on a woman.”
Marty looked taken aback, as though the thought had never occurred to him. “Do you really think he would do that to anyone else?”
“I don’t know. But, Marty, it’s not the first time he’s done this to you. It doesn’t hurt to check.”
Marty drank in silence for a couple of minutes. Then he said, “You’re a good friend.”
“Right back atcha, Marty-moo.”
“Please tell me you haven’t put that in your speech?”
Dan realized he hadn’t thought about the speech in hours. It was amazing how unimportant it was in the scheme of things when you had a drunk groom to deal with. “You’re gonna have to wait for the speech like everyone else.
Marty scowled at him. “I lied. You’re a lousy friend.”
“Drink your coffee and shut up.”
GIDEON AND a sullen Todd made it back to the kitchen fifteen minutes later. If Dan were a betting man—and he had been known to place the odd bet—he would have guessed that Gideon had stood over Todd until he cleaned every inch of himself. Todd had that freshly scrubbed-raw-skin vibe. Dan handed Todd the coffee and cream and left him to sulk while he paid attention to Gideon.
“Do you want any toast?”
Gideon shook his head. “I’m fine. Do you think you’ll be all right here for a while? Bradley called. There’s a problem with one of the deliveries.”
Dan frowned. “He didn’t ring me.” Dan was responsible for the deliveries to the bar and was used to calls at all hours from the staff.