The Glasshouse (Lavender Shores Book 6)

by Rosalind Abel

  There. That was pretty good.

  It seemed Harrison thought so too. He took a deeper breath.

  “Just let everything else fade away. Don’t worry about the cameras. Don’t worry about the crowd. Don’t worry about anything. Just keep your eyes on Will the whole time. He’s the only thing that matters. You get through this and then the two of you have the rest of your lives together.”

  Harrison blinked a couple of times. Then he lifted his hands and placed them on either side of my face.

  And kissed me.

  One

  Harrison

  May

  or

  One Month Earlier

  “I can’t believe how quickly six weeks have gone.” Robert Kelly paused by our table, winked flirtatiously, and then patted his belly. “Although, constantly eating at Charley’s Tavern hasn’t been good for the waistline. Turns out, a bowl of queso and endless baskets of chips once a week isn’t the best plan for my modeling career.” He reached around his wife to stroke an age-spotted hand over my forearm. “Better watch out. I’m going to scoop that Adidas underwear modeling contract away from you any day now.”

  “Oh, Robert. Must you?” Debbra rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically in our direction. “My husband forgets that just because he arrived at his sixty-fifth birthday party a couple of months ago in his birthday suit that the rest of the world isn’t quite ready for such a sight. Not that the rest of Lavender Shores was either.”

  “Yes. Sorry we missed that.” The smile that crossed Will’s handsome face was clearly forced. Typically, he could work a room with the easy grace of a politician or a movie star. But not where the Kelly family was concerned. Even after a little over a year in Lavender Shores, I still didn’t quite grasp the tension between the Kelly and the Epstein sides of the founding families—or any other part of the founding family system, for that matter.

  “We’re so happy for you both.” Handling herself better than my fiancé, Debbra’s smile didn’t falter. “And I must say, I’ve been so pleased with how the town has been portrayed through the series. As you know, I was a little concerned when it was brought before the town council.”

  Will cleared his throat. “My mother mentioned you were hard to convince. Glad you’ve been okay with the results.” Before she or Robert had a chance to reply, he motioned around them at the giant screen that was normally reserved for whatever game was playing on television. “It’s about to start. Enjoy your queso. We’ll see you at the wedding.”

  Robert gave a rather frantic wave as Debbra lead him away.

  Across the table, Jasper chuckled softly. “I love that guy. He came in the bookshop the other day, wanting me to carry his self-published erotic poetry collections.”

  “Oh my God!” Beside him, Adrian, who’d been abnormally quiet since we’d arrived at Charley’s Tavern, laughed. “He had me read some of them a while ago. Brought them into the Green Violin, wanting us to sell them there too. Micah and I convinced him it didn’t match with the flow of organic produce, but I read a few. Priceless. Please tell me you’re putting them in the bookshop.”

  “Don’t you dare, Jasper Getty.” Will tapped the table in front of my brother. “The last thing that man needs is any more encouragement. If I could figure out a way to keep him from coming to the wedding, I would. The thought of that man on live TV keeps me up at night.”

  Jasper shrugged. “Sorry. I already said yes. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone so happy. He wanted me to put them right next to Lamont’s novels. He actually said he was going to get to work on another installment, so I could have an entire father and son section.”

  While Will groaned, Adrian smiled over at Jasper, looking more like himself. “That was really nice of you.”

  I didn’t listen as Jasper responded. I’d hoped the two of them would get together. With me having Will, I hated Jasper being alone. He’d had terrible luck with relationships.

  Adrian was beautiful, sexy, and funny as hell. And one of the nicest guys I’d ever met. Seeing Adrian always brought a sense of peace. He’d be perfect for my brother. I had yet to see a spark between them, though. Still, Jasper had even struggled with friendships over the past few years, so I was grateful. It was a gift to see someone care for my brother after being the only one to do so for way too long.

  As if feeling my thoughts, Adrian glanced over at me, and I thought I caught a flash of heat. It was gone in a second.

  Couldn’t have been for me. There might possibly be something between Jasper and Adrian after all.

  Actually, seeing Adrian always brought a sense of peace and touch of confusion as well.

  Loud clapping drew my attention toward the screen once more.

  “Having Titan Passions screened here for the past six weeks since its premier has been one of the most fun things I’ve done since owning this restaurant.” Charley Perez stood in front of the screen and motioned to Will and me. “Thank you for letting me host this for you every week and for allowing all of us to be part of your romance story. The whole town’s excited for you.” He made a sweeping gesture, encompassing everyone else. “And remember, just because the show is over after tonight doesn’t mean we can’t satisfy all your Mexican food cravings. I expect to see all of you here next week as well.”

  “Don’t forget to announce where you get your produce!” Adrian managed to stand awkwardly from his position in the booth and lifted his hand in Charley’s direction. “Your food wouldn’t taste nearly as delicious without Micah and myself.”

  “I’ll second that!” Micah Bryant called out from another corner of the restaurant.

  Charley rolled his eyes and managed to mutter, “And thanks to the Green Violin for all the organic vegetables. Even if they do get the order wrong half the time.” Before Adrian could respond, the theme music for Titan Passions sounded, and Charley made a quick bow before moving out of the way. “Enjoy the show everyone!”

  The room silenced as the announcer spoke over the sweeping music. I’d heard it so often I mouthed the words silently along.

  Harrison Getty chased his dreams from the slums of Memphis to become one of the most celebrated stars in the NFL. Not satisfied with simply being a star quarterback, he threw himself into social activism, becoming the face of the LGBTQ community in sports. Even a career-shattering injury couldn’t keep our hero down. What would’ve crushed lesser men only spurred him to find love and build a life.

  Will grasped my hand on the tabletop and squeezed as he kept his gaze glued to the screen, though I was certain he had all of it just as memorized as I did.

  Over the past six weeks, the embarrassment of the voiceover had lessened. But as the opening credits wrapped up, it flooded through me again like it had the first night. I hadn’t been consulted on what would be said. Although, that wasn’t surprising—I hadn’t been consulted on anything regarding the show. At least, not after signing the contract.

  It was all spin. So much spin that it made me sound a million times better than I really was. It wasn’t quite such a rags to riches story. The Getty family hadn’t been wealthy by any means, but neither had we lived in the slums. Maybe the house had needed a new coat of paint, but Jasper and I had never missed a meal. And sure, I’d been a star quarterback, but I’d hardly thrown myself into social activism. Instead I’d devoted my time to endorsement deals—underwear, clothes, nutrition bars, tennis shoes. The millions I made in my football helmet paled in comparison to what I got paid out of it.

  Yeah. Social activism hadn’t been a choice. Getting publicly outed in a gossip blog making me the only openly gay player in the NFL had been the last thing I’d wanted. Thanks to my publicist, however, and her choices of social activism, I not only survived, but flourished. Me and the endorsements.

  None of it was what I’d pictured. Not a bit. Nor retiring from the sport at thirty-three. Retiring with a limp.

  Spin. All of it spin.

  Will squeezed my hand again as he laughed at something sai
d onscreen, and it pulled me back to the moment. I studied our clasped hands.

  Not all of it was spin.

  There’d been good unexpected things along with the bad. When I’d hightailed it to Lavender Shores to heal from my injury and take refuge with my brother, I hadn’t expected to discover a new life. I most definitely hadn’t expected to find love.

  I interlaced our fingers and leaned forward so I could rest my chin on Will’s shoulder as we watched the final episode of our love story play out for the rest of the world. Through editing, it seemed like our wedding was only a month away, which it was. The wedding would be streamed live in June. But we’d wrapped up filming the show at Christmas.

  The crowd at Charley’s sighed and made catcalls as Will and I shared a steamy kiss onscreen. I was shirtless and had just finished shaving while Will stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. I had to admit the shot was sexy as hell. Hot. So much so that I was surprised they hadn’t cut it. Times really had changed.

  I could just imagine what my father would say about that. Not that he would be watching.

  Onscreen, Will broke the kiss and ran a thumb across my cheek as he whispered that he loved me. Not only hot, but sweet.

  The moment had happened over five months ago and seemed like a lifetime. I’d almost forgotten the feeling. Leaning closer, I pressed my lips to his ear and kissed him lightly as I answered his declaration from December. “I love you too.”

  He twisted so he could look at me awkwardly over his shoulder and flashed a quick smile. “Shh. You don’t want to miss this.”

  The restaurant let out another round of hoots. It was clear, even as the camera panned up, that Will had dropped his towel.

  I cast a quick glance across the table. Neither Jasper nor Adrian had looked our way. Adrian’s focus was on the screen, and a blush covered Jasper’s cheeks.

  He wouldn’t have to blush during the next episode. The producers had made it very clear there would be nothing even close to lustful during the live filming of our wedding.

  Will had been insulted by the implication. Just because we were gay men didn’t mean we were going to have a naked circuit party ceremony.

  It was beside the point, anyway. The producers didn’t need to worry. There hadn’t been a scene like that in our bathroom since the cameras had left.

  “I think that was the best episode yet.” Will tossed the keys on the counter as we walked back into his house… our house. “No. The first one was the best. Hard to beat a proposal.” He headed into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of wineglasses. “I’m still amazed how you pulled off acting so shocked at that proposal. Totally believable.” He retrieved a bottle from the wine fridge installed in the kitchen island. Jasper and I hadn’t been raised in the slums, but we most definitely hadn’t had one of those.

  “It wasn’t that hard. I just remembered how I felt the first time. The one that truly was a surprise.” We’d reenacted the proposal for the series. There’d been other reenacted moments over the filming, but I had to agree with him—that first one was definitely my best work. After that, each one got progressively more challenging.

  Will finished pouring the wine and handed me a glass, then clinked his against mine. “To us. To love.”

  If there’d been cameras present, they could’ve captured actual surprise, though I tried to stuff it away before he noticed. I didn’t want to ruin the moment. “To love.” I started to raise the glass to my lips, but Will stopped me.

  “Wait.” With a laugh, he linked his arm through mine. “We might as well practice.” Awkwardly, the two of us took sips of our wine with our tangled arms, accidentally clinking the stems together.

  I chuckled at the sound, my breath fogging the inside of the glass. If they’d hit any harder, they might’ve cracked. That actually would be a cute moment onscreen.

  Will lowered his glass and licked a bit of wine off his top lip. “We’ll work on that. It’ll be smooth by the time we toast at our wedding.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think it has to be perfect. It is our wedding, after all. It doesn’t belong to America. We’re simply inviting them to join in.”

  Raising his hand to my cheek as he had done onscreen a couple of hours before, Will shook his head. “It’s an Epstein wedding, my love. It will be flawless.”

  His words stung, though I couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

  Will’s brows creased. “You okay?”

  Shit. Most of the time I was better at this. “Yes. Totally.” I managed a smile. “Probably just nervous.”

  He set his wineglass on the counter and placed his other hand on my cheek, holding my face gently, one of his thumbs scratching softly on my stubble. “No reason to be nervous. It’ll be perfect, but it’s like you said. This is our wedding.”

  I sank into his touch, relishing it as I realized how much I’d missed it. “You’re right. No matter what happens. It’s about us.”

  For a second it looked as if he was going to protest, but then he smiled and kissed me sweetly. As it had at the beginning, his kiss helped clear my mind, leaving me worry-free and at ease. After a few seconds, he pulled back and held my gaze. “I love you, Harrison.”

  I sighed, fully relaxing into his touch. “I love you too, Will.”

  Another smile and he released me, reclaiming his wineglass.

  Desperately I sought for a way to hold on to the moment. “There’s cake in the refrigerator. We could practice feeding each other. Don’t want to end up with icing getting all over our tuxes.” Though secretly I thought that would be rather adorable.

  Will stiffened. “Are you serious? We have cake?”

  I laughed. “Yeah, Jasper had one at the bookshop yesterday. He sent a couple of pieces with me.”

  “Well, that’s just evil.” His eyes widening, Will turned his attention to his glass as if he’d just been informed it was poisoned. “Good God, what am I doing? All these calories. With the ceremony only a few weeks away.” He placed the barely touched wineglass on the counter and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek before heading out of the kitchen. “I’m going downstairs to the gym and work out. I forgot myself at Charley’s tonight. You should’ve reminded me.”

  I watched him go. I didn’t know what he was worried about. Will was always stunningly picture-perfect, had been from the moment I’d met him. Since the proposal, he’d increased his diet and workout regimen to a nearly insane level.

  “Oh!” Will’s voice floated back into the kitchen. “Throw that cake away. I can just see myself having a midnight craving now that I know it’s there.”

  I sighed and took another sip of wine. Then I retrieved the two pieces of cake from the refrigerator before pulling a fork from the drawer. I had the corner section covered with chocolate icing lifted to my lips and then thought of how desperately Will wanted every aspect of our wedding to be perfect. I dumped the cake into the sink and covered it with the two glasses of wine.

  Two

  Adrian

  As soon as I stepped onto the sidewalk and the door to Lavender Leaves closed at my back, I paused, realizing my mistake. I stood there debating. When I’d hit thirty-five a couple of years before, any amount of caffeine in the afternoon meant I’d be up until after midnight.

  Well, whatever. It was barely three, and if I couldn’t handle a medium-sized latte, I didn’t deserve sleep. Plus, I was too embarrassed to go back in and ask old Pete to redo it for my own stupidity. Making up my mind, I walked the few steps to Lavender Pages, directly next door, and managed to enter the bookshop without spilling the drink in either hand.

  At the chime above my head, Jasper glanced over and smiled in welcome before turning his attention back to the customer he was helping.

  I crossed the store and made myself at home behind the counter. Putting Jasper’s drink beside the cash register, I sipped my own. I’d drink it quickly, consuming the caffeine before it got any later. Maybe that would help.

  As I did, I watched Jasper g
esture emphatically about whatever book he was describing to the woman. The man was a total book nerd, so different from his brother. It didn’t matter the genre; if there were words on a page, Jasper would read it and have an opinion about it. It was part of his charm. For the billionth time, I wondered how two brothers could be so different. A star quarterback and the equivalent of an old-time librarian.

  He was beautiful as he spoke. That red hair caught the afternoon light from the front wall of windows, contrasting perfectly with the warmth from the endless wood shelving that made up the shop.

  Even in that way, he and Harrison were different. Both beautiful, but such a different kind of beauty. I wished I’d had the chance to kiss Harrison all those months ago as well. Things could’ve played out like they had with Jasper, and then I wouldn’t be sitting in the viewing parties imagining myself taking Will’s place in every scene. Like the other night when they were both in barely there towels. I’d wanted to spring across the table, knock Will to the side, and see if my attraction to Harrison was real or some weird fluke like it had been with his brother. Taking part in the Titan Passions events had been a kind of torture, but as a groomsman, it was a basic expectation.

  It would’ve been one thing if there was only the physical attraction to Harrison, but there was more to the man than his looks. I’d expected a famous football player to be full of himself, arrogant, and a bit of a diva. I’d never even gotten a hint of that. Harrison was nearly the opposite, at times he almost seemed unsure of himself, and I didn’t think there was a mean bone in his body. Watching him dote on Jasper was like observing a mother hen instead of some meat-headed star quarterback.