Confessions: The Princess, The Prick & The Priest (Confessions Series Book 4)

by Ella Frank

  The man who had burst into their life with his radiant smile and sunny disposition was about to hand over those who made him that way, for them to love as well. That was a gift neither Julien nor Priest would ever be able to repay. But it was one they would deeply cherish and respect for the rest of their lives.

  “YOU KNOW, YOU don’t clean up so bad.”

  Logan Mitchell’s voice broke through Priest’s thoughts, as he stood to the side of the bustling lawn of the lake house. He’d just finished making his way through all the hellos with Julien to the Bianchis—and the extended Bianchis—and had excused himself to take a moment or three to think about what he was going to say today to Robert.

  Priest wasn’t exactly the best when it came to endearing himself to others; having grown up in a situation so far removed from this one, he found that conversing with this crowd was like learning a whole other language. The Bianchis were fun, vibrant, and loved one another fiercely, and Priest wanted to make sure they understood just how much Robert meant to him.

  All caught up in his head, Priest hadn’t even seen Logan and Tate arrive, but as Logan held his hand out, Priest shook it, and noted how sharp Logan looked in his grey suit with a tie that matched his blue eyes.

  “Thanks,” Priest said, brushing a fallen leaf from his lapel. “You don’t look so bad yourself. Then again, you never do.”

  Logan’s lips curved into a smile that rendered most mortals stupid. “I’ll take that, thank you. Your Robert has a nice family here. I just finished talking to his sister, Felicity? I have to admit, I always wondered where he sprang from.”

  “They’re extremely nice,” Priest said, and then looked at everyone starting to take their seats. “Very welcoming, too, considering our unusual circumstances.”

  “I still can’t believe it myself, to be honest,” Logan said, serious as ever. “The three of you…married? But before you go ahead and do this today, there’s something I really need to talk to you about.”

  Priest eyed Logan cautiously, hoping he wasn’t about to start any shit over the three of them again. Priest already had enough on his mind, and that was the last thing he wanted to think about. “What’s that?”

  Logan frowned and put a hand on Priest’s shoulder. “Why in the world did you two let Robbie pick out the music for your wedding ceremony today? Felicity just told me. Have you lost your minds?”

  Logan’s words were so unexpected that Priest let out a loud laugh, causing several people to look their way.

  Logan grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “I mean, come on,” he said. “This is Robbie. Who knows what he’s going to be skipping down the aisle to?”

  Needing that laugh more than he realized, Priest said, “As long as it’s not Starship, I’ll consider it a win.”

  “I think you and Julien have lost your minds, but…personally, I can’t wait.” Logan looked over his shoulder to Tate and Julien, now gesturing he and Priest to join them. “Looks like I won’t have to either. I better go take my seat. I believe the show’s about to start.”

  Priest shook his head as he said his goodbyes to Logan, and then made his way to Julien. Priest took his hand, and they headed toward the front, where Felicity was waiting for them.

  “Is everything okay?” Julien asked.

  Priest nodded and said, “Everything is perfect. Let’s get this started. I’m ready to see our fiancé.”

  “It’s time,” Felicity said, and as the soft strains of a violin began, Julien smiled, and the two of them walked past the front row of chairs, where Robbie’s mother and nonna sat.

  Priest and Julien stopped to kiss their cheeks, and when the women blushed and shooed them along, Priest thought it absolutely charming. It was wonderful to see a little bit of Robbie in them, as he and Julien walked to the arbor, and then turned to face the French doors of the deck, where Robbie and his father had just stepped into view.

  The sound of a door opening caught everyone’s attention, and when they turned in their chairs, a collective gasp filled the silence.

  Robbie looked simply stunning as he stopped on the deck with his father, and the sunlight caught in the caramel highlights of his hair. He’d styled it in a very demure part to the left, which allowed his gorgeous face to be the main attraction of the day—and what a face it was.

  With his delicate nose, those high cheekbones, and his sweet, shining lips curving into a shy smile, Robbie had rendered the two men waiting on him mute as they continued to take in every single detail.

  Robbie had paired his elegant black tuxedo with a cream shirt and a lilac vest, cravat, and handkerchief, and as his father led him across the deck to the stairs, all Priest and Julien could do was watch in awe.

  “Mon Dieu, il est magnifique,” Julien whispered as Antonio led his son down the stairs to the head of the aisle, and Priest thought, “My God” is right, because surely only God could’ve created someone as incredible as Robert Antonio Bianchi.

  ROBBIE STOOD AT the window of the front living room, trying to think of anything other than the sudden attack of nerves that had hit him around ten minutes ago. But ever since Felicity had told him that Julien and Priest were outside waiting, Robbie’s palms had begun to sweat.

  All morning he’d been kept away from them, been told he had to stay on the opposite side of the house and not to look out any of the windows, and while he’d usually sneak a peek, this time he’d actually done as he was told, wanting the first time he saw them to be a surprise.

  Now it was here. The moment. It was about to happen as soon as—

  “Robbie?”

  —his father came and got him.

  “Yeah, Pa? I’m over here,” Robbie said as his father shut the door and walked into the living room.

  When Robbie turned around, his father stopped and said, “Wow.”

  Robbie looked down at his tuxedo, and then back to his father. “Yeah?”

  “Oh yes,” Pa said as he stopped in front of Robbie and straightened his cravat. “You’re going to make those two men cry when they see you. Sei bellissimo.” Robbie blushed as his father kissed his cheek. “Are you ready?”

  “I think so,” Robbie said, and then took in a deep breath and let it out.

  His father dropped his hands away, held his arm up, and said, “Okay?”

  Robbie nodded and took the offered arm. “Okay.”

  As they walked toward the door, Robbie concentrated on how to breathe and let his father lead him through the house toward the back deck. As they got closer to the French doors, Robbie could see all his family and friends seated in the chairs facing the lake, and as he passed by Val, who stood off to the side at the sound system, she did a silent squeal and mouthed, You look gorgeous.

  Robbie ordered himself not to cry—for God’s sake, he wasn’t even outside yet—but when the door was pulled open and everyone turned around to look at him, Robbie thought he just might faint. As if sensing how he was feeling, his father paused for a moment, and Robbie dug his fingers into Pa’s sleeve as he got his bearings.

  He scanned the familiar faces staring up at him. From Penny, to Elliot, to Logan and Tate, Robbie’s eyes roved over cousins and friends, to his ma and nonna, and then, finally, he found the two men standing at the end of the aisle waiting for him—and Robbie tightened his grip on his father’s arm.

  Priest and Julien were standing side by side, and as always, whenever they came into view, the rest of the world faded away.

  Priest looked exactly the way Julien often described him. Like chaos wrapped in classic sophistication. That shock of flame-colored hair was brushed away from his attractive face, and made the polished black tuxedo he wore look as though it was trying to tame all the fire burning within. But when Priest’s steely gaze connected and locked on his, there was nothing Robbie wanted more than to catch on fire and burn up the rest of his nights with him.

  Unable to keep his eyes from shifting to the man on Priest’s left, Robbie braced himself for the full impact of Julie
n—but that still didn’t help when it hit.

  In a black morning suit, with a white vest and a printed dove-grey tie, Julien looked exceptionally handsome. Timeless in a way that made your breath catch and your heart beat a little faster, Julien looked like a prince who’d stepped out of Robbie’s very own fairy tale and had come to sweep him off his feet, and he was in real danger of swooning in front of his entire family.

  “You good?” Pa said under his breath, reminding Robbie that there were people waiting for him.

  Robbie somehow managed a yes, and as his father led him down the stairs and over to the aisle, Robbie kept his eyes trained on Julien and Priest. When they stopped for a moment, Robbie knew what they were waiting for, and not a second later, it began.

  The swelling violins of “All the Way” by Frank Sinatra flooded out of his father’s outdoor speakers and into the open air, and as soon as the tune made its way up the aisle to Priest and Julien, the smiles that crossed their mouths had Robbie’s feet moving.

  The words seemed to carry him up the aisle as though he were floating, and Robbie knew there had never been a more perfect song for them than this. When he finally reached them, and they both held a hand out, Robbie slipped his fingers free of his father’s arm.

  “Thank you,” Robbie whispered.

  Pa nodded, and then looked to Julien and Priest. “Same rule applies with this one as it does with my wife, gentlemen. You make my son sad, you answer to me, capito?”

  As Priest and Julien nodded, Robbie took each of their hands, and they guided him beneath the arbor between them. Robbie swallowed and wondered if he should say something, but before he could locate his tongue, Felicity cleared her throat.

  She looked lovely in her burgundy dress, with yellow daisies in her wavy hair, and when she smiled at him, Robbie couldn’t help but grin back.

  “Now that we’re all here,” she said, “would you three like to begin?”

  Julien and Priest each squeezed Robbie’s hand, and as if that somehow reawakened him from his dreamlike state, Robbie found his voice and was finally able to answer with them, “Yes.”

  “Very good,” she said, and then looked out at the people behind them. The people Robbie had completely forgotten were even there.

  “Welcome, everyone, to this wonderful and…unique day we’re here to celebrate,” Felicity started. “And really, would we expect anything other than that from Robbie? No, we wouldn’t, and while he asked me to stand up and perform this ceremony for the three of them this afternoon, I am not actually needed…”

  Robbie’s mouth fell open, as Felicity stepped forward and kissed his cheek, then she walked around them all and said to the guests, “Julien and Joel have asked to take it from here, and I think they will do a much better job than I would anyway.” Then she went and took a seat.

  Robbie had turned to watch her go, and when Priest and Julien moved around to stand in front of him, facing one another, Robbie realized that they were now all center stage—or center arbor, as it were—and his pulse began to race.

  “Princesse,” Julien said, and as he smiled, that dimple Robbie loved appeared on Julien’s right cheek, and Robbie was mesmerized. “Je t’aime et je t’adore. I love and adore you. I have from the moment I sat down at a bar and you batted your pretty lashes at me. That was the night I fell under your spell, and I’ve been captivated ever since.”

  Robbie’s chin began to quiver, and when Julien took a step forward and placed Robbie’s palm on his chest, Robbie sank his teeth into his lower lip to try and hold back the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

  “You, mon cher petit, radiate light and laughter and make me smile whenever you are near. Your joy for living is contagious, and has taught me to celebrate that which is gone and not mourn it, giving me back my sister when for so long she was lost to me. You love with every fiber of your being, and when I see you look at Priest with the same expression in your eyes that I feel in my heart, I can’t explain why, but that makes me love you even more.”

  Julien paused and then ran his fingers down the side of Robbie’s face. “You look at me, and my soul rejoices. You make it happy, every single part of it. Je veux être avec toi pour toujours. I want to be with you forever, and I would love nothing more than if you would take my name and be my husband.”

  A tear slipped free and ran down Robbie’s cheek, and when he nodded and was about to try and speak, Julien kissed the tear away and whispered, “Not yet…”

  “Robert,” Priest said, and as Julien took a step back, Robbie’s attention focused on Priest, whose eyes had darkened to that stormy grey Robbie loved. “You and I, we had a rather…interesting beginning.”

  As unbelievable as it was, Robbie’s lips twitched, just as he suspected Priest had intended. Then Priest rubbed his thumb over the back of Robbie’s hand and kept talking.

  “Most of the people sitting behind me right now know this about us. Or so I’ve recently found out. But here’s the thing about interesting beginnings: they are what hooks us and make us want to come back for a second look. Interesting beginnings are what makes us stop and take notice, like a bright yellow tie in an elevator or a car thief in an alley. They’re what made me stop. They’re what made me look twice. And what I saw staring back at me both times was a man I knew I wanted to look at for the rest of my life.”

  Robbie’s entire body trembled under the power and weight of Priest’s words, and when he raised Robbie’s hand and pressed a reverent kiss to the inside of his palm, Priest closed his eyes for a moment, and Robbie sucked in a seriously shaky breath.

  “You once told us that you make wishes,” Priest said, and opened his eyes. “Today, you have made mine come true. I love you. We love you. And I want today to be the last time we ever wake up without you. Your father told me and Julien the night we asked him if we could marry you that we wanted an awful lot.”

  Robbie’s eyes widened slightly, that piece of information a new one, and Priest chuckled.

  “And he’s right. We do want an awful lot. We want you, we want us, and we want forever. You are an exceptional man, Robert Antonio Bianchi. I can’t wait to see where each day after this will take us when we’ve already come so far, and I, too, would be honored if you would take my name with Julien’s and agree to be our husband.”

  Robbie wasn’t sure how he was still standing, but as he stared into the two most arresting faces he’d ever seen, he said, “Yes. I want that. With every single part of me, I do. To both of you.”

  Robbie brought both of their joined hands to his lips and kissed them, shutting his eyes for a moment as he tried to gather himself. When it was clear that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, he opened them back up and let the tears fall free.

  “Last year,” Robbie said, as he looked between Julien and Priest, “around this time, there was a moment where I thought there was something wrong with me. That there was something I needed to change about myself because no one I ever dated stayed with me; they always moved on. But it turns out I was wrong.” Robbie smiled. “They didn’t move on because there was something wrong with me. They moved on because they weren’t either of you. The two of you are where I’m supposed to be, I have never been surer of anything in my life than I am of that.”

  Robbie blinked away his tears and swallowed. “Most people don’t understand us. But they don’t need to. We love one another. We are meant to be with one another, and if that means you want an awful lot, then I do too. Because nothing, and I mean nothing, would make me happier in this entire world than becoming Robert Antonio Thornton-Priestley.”

  Applause rang out behind Julien and Priest, and Robbie had been so caught up in their moment that it almost shocked him to hear it. But when Julien tugged him forward and kissed his lips, Robbie melted into his arms before turning to Priest, who mirrored the embrace but then pulled a ring box from his pocket and opened it up.

  Sitting on the black velvet cushion inside were three matching silver bands that each held a r
uby, a sapphire, and an emerald embedded side by side. Robbie gasped, and his hands flew to his mouth, as Julien picked up the first band and said, “May I?”

  Robbie held his left hand out faster than he could blink, and didn’t care in the slightest when everyone chuckled at his exuberance. He wanted that ring on his finger. Not only because it was exquisite, but because of what it represented.

  After Julien slid it into place, Priest handed Robbie the box with the other two. “All of these bands have a part of our original wedding bands melted into them. We not only wanted the stones to represent us—you the sapphire, Julien the emerald—”

  “And you,” Robbie said, “the ruby.”

  “Yes,” Priest said. “We also wanted them to represent our marriage merging with this marriage.”

  Robbie touched one of the bands as though they had magical powers, and in a way, they did. They held all the love between the two men in front of him, plus all the love he had to give, which made these rings the most powerful symbols in the world to him.

  As he picked one up, Robbie slipped it onto Priest’s ring finger and then turned to do the same to Julien, and once they were all in place, Robbie stared at the pair of them in a daydream and said, “My husbands.”

  Julien’s lips curved into a pleased smile and Priest’s twitched in amusement, and then Felicity called out, “I’m pretty sure that makes you all husband, husband, and husband. You may kiss, um, each other?”

  That was good enough for Robbie, and as Priest and Julien wound their arms around his waist, Robbie kissed the both of them and thought that while life as Robert Antonio Bianchi had been pretty damn good, life as Robert Antonio Thornton-Priestley would be twice as extraordinary.

  Epilogue

  Five Years Later

  JULIEN EXECUTED THE perfect dive into the deep end of their pool, and as the cool water sluiced over him, he swam the length of it underwater until he popped up through the surface and heard the sound of a high-pitched giggle and clapping hands.