by Honeymoon Their Way [Dreamspinner, States of Love MM] (retail) (epub)
“It didn’t happen. It simply is.” His mom sighed, obviously taking over the job for him. “Now, did you need to stop before we get there? Use the restroom? We still have a ways to go before we get to the rental.”
“Nah. I’m not climbing out of this giant hunk of rolling metal until we’re there. But I’d rev up the horsepower to be on the safe side. I’ve never fully tested the resilience of these Depends.”
Chad cuddled up to the fountain as his mom widened her eyes in horror.
“Oh.” She stared at his grandmother for a few more seconds, blinking rapidly before facing forward again.
Chicken.
Within a couple of minutes, Grandma was snoring loudly, her jaw slack. Gravity took over a minute later and her head dropped against Chad’s shoulder.
Fuck my life.
The remainder of the drive was devoid of conversation. Only the snorts and grunts emanating from his grandmother and the electronic keyboard strains of Depeche Mode’s “Black Celebration” filled the car. Chad tried not to think of his dad’s music selection as a portent of his own doom.
By the time they pulled up the driveway to the ridiculously expensive house that would shelter the wedding party and the bride for the weeklong festivities leading up to the ceremony, Chad’s sweaty face was plastered to the shiny cardboard of the fountain box. He peeled his skin away, then gave Grandma a somewhat gentle nudge to encourage her off him.
Daniel, the Wonder Fiancé.
His sister had wanted a private wedding in a house on the shores of Lake Tahoe, so her prince had rented the large post-and-beam wooden home that loomed before them. Daniel might be dripping with cash, but he was still a prudent man. Since the place had a one-week minimum for a rental, and it was the one that Sis had demanded, he’d declared that they should all spend the week enjoying nonstop revelry together. Lindsey had squealed with delight while Chad had been on the verge of weeping. Even a double shift at the yogurt shop every day for the rest of his life would be preferable.
And now there’s Raudel too.
As he helped to unload Grandma and the mountain of wedding crap they’d brought with them in his dad’s Suburban, he went back to formulating his strategy for when he saw Raudel for the first time. So far, polite and Stepford Wife–friendly seemed to be the best tactic. He wouldn’t give the brown-eyed, dark-haired, bronzed hunk the chance to lure him into any personal, and likely humiliating, conversations.
Chad narrowed his eyes as if his nemesis were before him. Won’t give him the satisfaction.
He slammed the box of napkins down on the dining table a bit too hard. His mom yelped.
“Chad, please. This is a rental. Now go get the fountain, but be very careful. We spent a big chunk of change on that thing.” She rolled her eyes, then went back to fussing with the food in the cooler they’d brought with them. “God only knows why we couldn’t have simply rented one of those things when we got here. It’s not as if no one’s ever gotten married in Tahoe before. But nooooo, she had to have her very own.”
She continued to mutter, and Chad realized she hadn’t actually been talking to him. He also mused that maybe his mom wasn’t all that thrilled about their enforced seven-day celebration-slash-cohabitation either.
He turned to do her bidding, striding toward the door with purpose, anxious to get the unpacking over with. Staking his claim in the bedroom was a vital part of his plan and had to be completed before Raudel arrived. Maybe he could position the twin beds so that there were several large pieces of furniture between them. He’d take the one by the door. Then he could sneak in and out of the room late at night and early in the morning while Raudel was asleep. Never even have to speak to him unless it was unavoidable when they were around others.
Maybe even use the guest bath.
He could hide his grooming stuff in there, and if it was only a half bath, he could wash up in the sink.
What if Raudel assumes I never shower? Or brush my teeth? He gulped. What if there’s only one bed?
Chad frowned. He’d refine his strategy later. But overall he was feeling much better about the entire situation. It’d be a son of a bitch to maintain for seven days, but he had loads of motivation and nothing else to do but pander to his sister’s demands. Everyone would be so focused on the wedding and Lindsey’s random meltdowns, no one would even notice Chad behaving like a freak.
The door was still open due to the parade of stuff being brought into the rental, so Chad strolled out into the early April sunshine. The sun hadn’t warmed up the trees enough, so all he inhaled was the faintest aroma of pine. It would eventually become the prevailing scent as the summer heat took over. Tahoe had always been one of his favorite places to vacation when he was a kid.
Not so much right now.
But there was the hint of a chill in the air, and Chad prayed to the weather gods that rain, sleet, or snow wouldn’t disrupt Lindsey’s fantasy dream week. They’d probably have to rent a straitjacket for her otherwise. He idly wondered if those were available at wedding-party stores.
Both his mom and Daniel’s mom had encouraged Lindsey to have the ceremony in the summer, but she’d dug in her heels. According to her, the heat and bugs would be awful, and in addition everyone in the continental United States would be getting married then as well, so it would be too crowded when they went into town. It was about the only thing regarding her wedding that Chad had agreed with her on so far.
Chad tripped over his own feet and had to grab the side-view mirror of the Suburban to keep from face-planting on the cement driveway.
Raudel. Fuck!
Lindsey had sworn he wouldn’t be showing up until later that evening, well after the rest of them had arrived. Chad didn’t have his game face on yet, hadn’t practiced in the mirror or rearranged the furniture.
Shit. Damn.
Internally swearing wasn’t actually helping, so he refocused on what his opening line to the ex-crush of his life should be.
Raudel had parked on the carefully maintained dirt near the end of the driveway, over by one of the enormous evergreens surrounding the property. Either the management company or the owners of the lake house appeared to have verified that not one pine needle disgraced the cleared forest area that extended from the end of the driveway.
He seemed busy enough gathering items together from within his vehicle, so Chad thought he might not have even noticed him yet. Chad aborted all plans and raced back into the house, almost mowing his mother over in the process as he slammed into her. He grabbed her upper arms to keep her from crashing to the floor.
“Chad! Watch what you’re doing!”
“Sorry!”
She looked him up and down as if he was hiding something. “Where’s the fountain? You know I can’t carry anything too heavy. My back is still recovering from falling off Sassy.”
His mom had been cranky ever since she’d toppled off her prized mare—really more of a spoiled pet that she fawned over in their enormous backyard. The doctor wouldn’t let her ride for at least another month, and it was her favorite thing to do. She’d since turned her attention to other pursuits, most of which involved holding her daughter’s hand as Lindsey navigated through the previously unknown, treacherous waters of impending marriage. The rest of her focus was saved for sniping at him and his dad.
“I—” Think idiot, think. “—thought I’d search for a hand truck. I saw a shed in the backyard, so I’ll just go check real quick.”
He’d only made it one step forward before his mom stood defiantly in front of him, hands on her hips, effectively blocking his escape.
“Chadwick Barton. I don’t know why you’ve been acting so strange all day, but I’ve had it up to here!” He waited for her to indicate how far she’d had it up to, but she carried on with her rant instead. “You can really help out by simply doing what I say right now. We don’t have time for thinking. Stay on task.” She sucked in a breath, then let out a tired sigh.
For the first time
in recent weeks, he stopped to truly study her. He took after her in general appearance—everyone they’d ever met had always commented on it. Chad had the same honey-blond hair and deep blue eyes. They also shared the type of pale skin that burned instead of tanned, which made living in a primarily desert state next to ridiculous. But his mom’s features were tinged with something else.
Where Chad’s hair was shaggy and hung just below his ears the way he always wore it, her shoulder-length hair wasn’t loose the way it normally was, but yanked back into a ponytail instead. The strands that had worked their way free from their hair-tie prison were not helping to make her appear less fatigued. The dark circles under her eyes weren’t of much assistance either. A twinge of guilt hit him squarely in the chest. He couldn’t imagine having to deal with a twenty-four-year-old daughter who was half-hysterical most of the time and had been embracing the crazy for weeks.
I’m an ass. “Sure, Mom. Sorry. I’ll totally help out with whatever you need.”
She nodded, her exhaustion like a flashing neon sign once it had caught his attention. He turned around to do as she’d requested, noting that Raudel had made it out of his car with a messenger bag flung over one shoulder. He glanced up the driveway. Chad ducked his head, then marched forward and within a few long strides, skirted the front of the Suburban, placing the behemoth of a truck between him and Raudel.
“Raudel Cruz! Is that you?” Chad’s mother called out, her voice shrill to his ears, but he acknowledged that it might only be due to the current state of fear assailing him. “Chad! Come here, it’s Raudel. You remember Lindsey’s friend?”
In ways you can’t imagine.
Chad froze, still shielded from Raudel’s probing gaze by the heavily tinted glass his father had had the foresight to opt for on the Suburban. Chad knew it had only been added as protection against the searing heat of their little Nevada town, but he fantasized that it’d actually been meant to save him. Or at least offer more in the way of essential stalling opportunities. He let his head fall back as he stared up at the sky. His avoidance tactics were swiftly disappearing.
“Chad? Did you hear me?”
Yup, I’m toast. “Yeah, Mom. Just grabbing the fountain real quick.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. You can get it later. Come say hello to Raudel.”
Seriously?
Chad wrestled the fountain loose from the backseat anyway, then wrapped his arms around the box as he lifted it up in front of him. If he peered around the side, he could still see where he was going. Sort of. As he tentatively stepped forward, he used the frame of the truck to guide him. He made it around the first headlight, then hazarded a peek.
He jerked his head back behind the safety of the box.
Still hot as fuck. Dammit.
His mother jabbered on about “how long has it been?” and “your mother must be so proud” and “aren’t you graduating soon?”
The sound of Raudel’s smooth voice and soft laugh filled the air as he responded to his mother’s obligatory questions and observations. Since no one had acknowledged Chad’s presence yet, he figured he’d chance meandering to the left, around Lindsey’s Toyota parked in front of the truck and into the safety of the house.
He’d almost cleared his mother when she grasped his upper arm, pulling him back with surprising strength for someone who was supposed to be recovering from a back injury.
“Chad, for heaven’s sake. Where are you going?”
He tried to extricate himself from her grip, but she only dug her fingers deeper into his flesh. “Ow.” All hope of avoiding Raudel was lost, and he again peered around the boxed fountain, his muscles beginning to strain from the effort of holding it up for so long.
“Hi, Chad.”
Raudel flashed the same perfect smile that Chad had once jacked off to all the time, and on occasion thereafter. It was pure genius that he’d saved his yearbook.
And stole the pic from Lindsey.
“Hey. How’s it going?” Chad tossed the words out as if Raudel’s presence had zero impact on him, that he was merely being the polite brother of his sister’s best friend and nothing more.
“Doing well. It’s great to—” Raudel let out a small chuckle. “—almost see you.”
Chad tried for an offhand chuckle as well, but it came out more maniacal. Raudel extended his hand, and anxiety wreaked havoc with Chad’s nervous system. Socially mandated touching hadn’t been part of his Raudel-avoidance strategy. Chad was operating in the dark. Dashed to pieces was his hope of having all possible scenarios involving potential interaction planned out before Raudel’s arrival.
In an attempt to prevent the moment from becoming too drawn out and awkward, Chad juggled the unwieldy box onto his other hip, then reached out to take Raudel’s offered hand.
His mother’s scream echoed across the lake before the boxed fountain had even crashed to the ground. The flimsy cardboard box broke open, the top part of the elegant wedding accessory jettisoning across the driveway, where it landed with a solid thump in the dirt. Chad gazed down in shock and horror at the remaining pieces of Lindsey’s precious fountain scattered at his feet.
I am so dead.
Chapter Two
CHAD DROPPED to his knees, quickly gathering up the now-dented tiers of the fountain as Raudel joined him, collecting the smaller bits, including some long tubing and random nuts and bolts.
His mom yelled out in a tone of pure panic. “Oh my God, Chad. What have you done? This can’t be happening. We can’t let Lindsey know! She’ll come completely unhinged and then I’ll quickly follow. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“I’m so sorry, Mom, I swear I am. Don’t worry, I’ll tell her.” Chad couldn’t keep all the tremble out of his voice. “It’s my fault. She can yell her head off at me.”
She groaned. “This whole wedding thing is a nightmare. I need a fucking drink.”
“Mom!”
Raudel caught his eye, then winked. Chad fell back on his butt, his jaw hanging open. Before he could form any coherent thoughts, Raudel tipped his head up and regarded Chad’s mom.
“Mrs. Barton, please, let me help. Why don’t I drive Chad into town, and we can simply pick up a new one?”
Oh hell no.
His mother gasped. “Yes! A new one. That’s perfect.” She slapped the side of Chad’s head.
“Ow! God, Mom.”
“Come on, Chad, pick up the rest of the evidence. Raudel? Do you mind putting this mess in your trunk, then disposing of it? Lindsey’s supposed to be out until later with her maid of honor and bridesmaid, but God only knows when they might show up and catch us in the act.”
“Not at all, Mrs. Barton.” Raudel flashed his swoonworthy grin again. “Is there anything else we can do for you as long as we’re in town?”
Something about how genuinely polite and helpful Raudel had always been made Chad hard. Actually, many things about Raudel made him hard, but this was different. Raudel exuded confidence, yet not arrogance; his natural graciousness was always a part of his charm as well. Once, Lindsey had confided to Chad that whenever she’d go to his place to hang out or have dinner, all of the children were respectful and never spoke back to their parents, especially their mother. Raudel’s mother ruled the house with a firm hand, but Lindsey said she could tell they were all very close.
“Oh, thank you, Raudel. I’ll think about what I need while I go inside and grab my card.”
Chad slumped his shoulders. He hadn’t even begun the battle, and he’d already lost the war. Confined in a car with Raudel within minutes of seeing him for the first time in years was much more devastating than avoiding any interaction with him in a house full of people.
“Chad, please hurry!” With that, his mother trotted up the driveway and back into the house.
“Yes, Mom.”
He pushed himself up from the ground and had almost made it to a standing position when Raudel curled his fingers gently around Chad’s arm
to likely help steady him. Raudel had never touched him before. The handshake that the destruction of the fountain had averted would’ve been the first, but the warmth of Raudel’s hand on Chad’s bare skin, right below the end of his T-shirt sleeve, had taken its place.
“You okay?”
“Um….” Dude. You’re touching me. How can I be okay?
“Have you been carrying a lot of things inside? The sun shining down makes it worse. Maybe you need some water?”
Chad couldn’t meet his gaze, couldn’t make sense of his words. Is he pretending to be concerned about me? Or was it simply the natural graciousness that Raudel had always shown to those around him?
It has to be a trick. A way to lull him into a false sense of security before he pounced, mocking him when they were alone in the car, telling him what a disgusting pervert he was and that he couldn’t believe he had to share a room with him.
Wait. Does he even know about that part yet?
Raudel let him go as his mother rushed out of the house.
Before she’d even reached them, Chad noted the disapproving scowl on her face. “Boys, this junk is still all over the place.” She may have used the plural, but her annoyed stare was fixed on him. “Here, Chad. I have a list of food to pick up for the house. This should hold us for a couple of days. Here’s my card. Keep all the receipts. And please do your best to find a fountain just like the one you destroyed.”
Chad didn’t roll his eyes, but he imagined it in his head. It was tempting to wonder if she was treating him like he was twelve because she’d been jolted back in time by Raudel’s presence. The fact that he shopped for her all the time at home seemed to have slipped her mind. If anything, he had an advanced degree in receipt gathering. “Sure, Mom. I got it.”
“Yes, Mrs. Barton. We’ll take care of everything. Don’t worry.”
We’ll. Ha!
“Thank you so much for helping out, Raudel. I feel terrible about this, what with you just arriving after that long drive. And please, call me Kate.”