The Worst Best Man

by M. J. O'Shea

  August said, “Yes, I am.”

  At the same time Christopher said, “And he’s also my boyfriend.”

  Jacinda stared between them. “That’s lovely,” she said with a clearly staged smile.

  Christopher didn’t want to think she was a horrible person. Libby had known her all through school. But at the moment, he wanted to rip her tastefully bronzed skin from her bony ass.

  Instead, he put his hand on August’s back and rubbed. “Isn’t it? We were happy to run into each other again. August went to Oxford with me.” Christopher made sure to emphasize the fact that August was well educated. He wished he could boot Jacinda out of there, but he knew it would hurt Libby’s feelings. Sometimes she didn’t see the snobbishness, since she’d never had a break from it like Christopher did.

  “Let’s eat,” Weezy said.

  He might have been goofy, but he knew how to break the tension. Christopher nodded gratefully and steered them away from Jacinda to seats near Libby, who already loved all four of them.

  “Eating sounds very good.”

  The rest of the party wasn’t bad, but Christopher was very happy when at last it was only him with August and his friends and Libby. Edward had left earlier to check out a friend’s new yacht. Christopher was also quite all right with that. Edward had his good moments, but they usually didn’t come after prolonged exposure to people who ramped up his own tendency to have a raging superiority complex.

  “That was interesting,” Louise said. “I need another beer.”

  “I’ll take one as well,” Libby said. “Actually, why don’t you pass me two.”

  She kicked off her heels and sank into one of Christopher’s cushy garden chairs.

  “Why do you wear those?” Christopher asked. He knew the answer, but he felt the need to push her anyway. “It was a barbecue.”

  “We don’t have barbecues, darling. We have garden parties.” She rolled her eyes to show that she understood the ridiculous standard.

  “Still. Flats aren’t nearly as painful. Or damaging to my poor grass.”

  “Yes, sir. In the future, I will wear flats.” She put her beer down and wiped her forehead off. “Jesus, it’s boiling. What are you two doing tonight?” She aimed the question at Christopher and August. Christopher apparently smiled the exact wrong way, because Libby erupted in gagging noises. “If I knew this is what my assistance would result in, I would’ve never given you August’s phone number.”

  August laughed. “He already had it anyway.”

  “But he didn’t know that. You two are vomit inducing.”

  Christopher knew Libby was ecstatic to see him happy finally. He’d take some sarcasm if it meant he got August in his bed every night. Now he just had to work on getting him there permanently. Christopher couldn’t wait to call August his.

  “I CAN’T believe it’s already August, August,” Will moaned. He’d been making the joke for years. Apparently for him, it hadn’t gotten old yet. “Where is this summer going?”

  “It’s only the first,” August reminded him. The office was enough of a reminder, though. It was stifling in there. He thought if he didn’t get outside, or somewhere with a pool, he might keel over. “Is there anything else we desperately need to do today?”

  “No. What are the chances that Christopher will let us go hide in his pool for the rest of the day?”

  August shrugged. “Nearly certain. He asked me to move in, you know.”

  “What?” Will sat up in his chair. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. A while ago, actually. He said it feels like we’ve been together for years, and he doesn’t want to spend any more time away from me.”

  “Can you imagine, Aug… you could be living in that insane mansion.”

  “That’s not really the point, you know.”

  “Of course I know. But what’s the point of saying no? You love him, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I love him a lot.”

  “And you always have, right?”

  “Always.”

  “So why are you hesitating?” Will looked like he was explaining something to a toddler.

  August wasn’t sure if he felt like being insulted. It was too hot to care, so he just answered.

  “I don’t know. I guess there’s no point in saying no. I’m over there all the time anyway.”

  Which didn’t sound very romantic. Not nearly as romantic as August felt, almost all the time. He loved being in Christopher’s house, and not because it was incredibly luxurious, but because Christopher was there. Because he felt right being in his bed, in his kitchen, in his life. And yeah, he wanted to be there permanently. He just didn’t want to say all those things to Will.

  “Lou!” Will screeched. “August is moving in with Christopher.”

  And that would be why.

  “You dickhead. Did you really have to shout? I haven’t even told him yet. I literally just made up my mind right this minute.”

  Louise came barreling into the room. “You’re moving into Christopher’s house?”

  “Yeah, I guess I am.” August grinned. “I should probably tell him my answer before you two put it on Facebook or something, though.”

  “We’ll keep our mouths shut. Promise,” Will said.

  “Yes. Your best skill.”

  He’d better tell Christopher soon, before his two impulsive friends did it for him.

  AUGUST actually found that he was nervous that night. He was at Christopher’s, like he nearly always was at that point. He was curled up in bed in his pajamas with Christopher and Fergus, working on the final sketches for Libby’s decorators.

  “Can you believe the wedding is already next week?” Christopher said. “I mean, in a way it feels like we’ve been working on the damn thing for years, but in another way, I feel like I just got you back a few minutes ago and time has flown so quickly.”

  “About that,” August said.

  “Please don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts again. I couldn’t take it,” Christopher said. His eyes flipped wide so quickly it was almost like a cartoon.

  “No, no. It’s about what you asked me on the Fourth of July.”

  Christopher looked alert all of a sudden. “Yeah? You’ve thought about it?”

  “I have. A lot, actually. And I think it might be time.”

  Christopher made a whooping sound, scared the crap out of Fergus, and dove on top of August. “You’ll move in with me?”

  “Yes, Christopher James Burke, I’ll move in with you.”

  “Come on. Let’s go get some of your stuff!” Christopher started scrambling out of bed, and August laughed and pulled him back down.

  “Maybe we should get Libby’s wedding out of the way first. My lease isn’t up until October, so we have time to do it right.”

  “I want you living here now,” Christopher said.

  “I basically do.”

  “I know.” Christopher kissed his face, forehead, nose, lips. “I’m just excited for when it’s official. I love you,” he said. “I’m so excited.”

  “I love you too, babe.”

  Christopher squealed again softly and flopped onto the bed.

  “That was extra manly,” August told him.

  “I’ll go back to being manly in a second. Let me be happy, damn it.”

  August chuckled. “You’re so cute.”

  “You’re moving in with me,” Christopher said. “We’re moving in together.” He stared at the ceiling a few more moments until he rolled back on top of August and started kissing him.

  “Babe, I gotta get this wedding stuff done.” He pushed at Christopher. Not very hard, though. He’d rather kiss Christopher any day than do work.

  “Later. I’ll help you, okay? I need kisses.”

  “Mmph, okay.” August tried not to cringe when the entire notebook slipped to the ground with a crash. Instead he wrapped his arms around Christopher’s neck and sighed happily into the kiss.

  Chapter Ten

&nb
sp; THE weekend of the wedding finally came. August had been building up to it for literally months, and he didn’t know what to do with himself now that it was time for the show to go on. They were going to head down the night before and spend the morning setting up for a late afternoon wedding and evening reception. If everything went the way August, Will, and Louise had planned, then it should be an incredible event—one for the books he hoped. Although jinxing it wasn’t a great idea. And the one thing he couldn’t predict was the human element.

  He hadn’t slept much at all the night before, and he figured he probably wouldn’t sleep tonight when they were at Longwick.

  August honestly couldn’t wait until all of it was out of the way and he could relax.

  They were heading down in an hour or so, after Christopher went to a few meetings. Christopher had been so sweet and attentive all summer it was hard to remember he had his own career and obligations. August decided that was something they might need to discuss after the hectic wedding. He didn’t want his life to swallow Christopher’s up. Christopher didn’t have to prove himself by ignoring his old activities completely. He didn’t have to prove himself at all. All August wanted was for them to be equals. He’d never be happy if one of them was leading the other around like a toy.

  THE trip down to Longwick was especially slow the second time around, now that August had a really long quiet ride to worry about the details—if the florists made the arrangements the right way, if the string quartet would sound out of tune, if the apricot and rosewater cake that Libby chose was too avant-garde and the guests would hate it. He’d been fidgeting in the car ever since they left London, and with over three hours left of the journey, he was likely to vibrate himself right off the seat.

  “Babe, relax. It’s going to be fine.” Christopher put a hand around his neck and massaged. “You and the others did an amazing job. You’ve checked every detail. It’s going to be perfect.”

  “There’s a wedding in the morning, and I’m in charge of it, and I….” August couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. He was happy that Christopher had rented a second car for Will and Louise and the other staff member who they’d borrowed to help. It was a little embarrassing how nervous he was. He’d done a million weddings, many that were just as big. This one felt important for obvious reasons. He didn’t want to screw it up.

  August slept in Christopher’s suite at Longwick that night instead of the guest rooms like he had the first time. Christopher’s parents didn’t notice with all the commotion, and August thought it was probably for the best. He knew Christopher was working up the nerve to tell them to fuck off basically if they didn’t like August, and he honestly wasn’t in the mood to add that to his stress level before either he or Christopher was mentally ready to deal with it. So they were friendly but not all over each other like usual. It really was for the best.

  That night, though, behind closed doors, Christopher wrapped August in his arms and held him tight. Even though August couldn’t sleep, it was nice to have the contact keeping him calm.

  THE next day was madness. Controlled madness of caterers, flower deliveries, gowns, and guests, but madness all the same. August thought by the time the ceremony started at dinnertime, he’d probably jogged close to a mile between rooms making sure everything was in order and ready to go.

  The wedding itself was going to be in Longwick’s great hall, which was vaulted and Elizabethan-looking and absolutely incredible just on its own. With the garlands of pale blush flowers and candles, it looked like a tasteful version of Hippolyta’s garden bower from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In short, it was magical. The guests filed in with a harp playing in the background. August couldn’t be happier with the way things were going so far.

  Libby looked incredible. She’d gone with a cream dress instead of pure white to go with her fair skin. The cut was Regency inspired, and she’d piled her hair up on her head. She looked radiant and happy and content. August still couldn’t shake the feeling that Edward wasn’t good enough for her, but he didn’t want to spoil everyone’s day by even showing on his face that he thought that. He decided to focus on the positive, and the positive was everything was beautiful.

  The ceremony went off without a hitch. His team covered every possible inch of ground and made sure it was smooth. By the time the sun set and the sky was pale pink dusk, the guests had been herded into a huge, beautiful marquee also festooned with garlands and pale flowers for dinner and dancing. August’s job was nearly done. The caterers were ready, the music was set up, and while he felt like he’d just been put through the ringer, it was a happy feeling. Especially when Christopher stole him away and dragged him outside for a bit of fresh air and privacy.

  “YOU pulled it off,” Christopher said. “Everything in there is perfect. It all went completely as planned.”

  “We did pull it off, didn’t we?” August wrapped his arms around Christopher’s neck. It was nice to have some quiet after the insanity of the day. He brushed a kiss across Christopher’s lips.

  “I can’t wait for next week,” Christopher said. “I’ll help you pack. Or we can hire someone so we don’t have to deal with it.”

  “It’s not that much stuff. It’ll take a day, tops.” August was excited too. He thought every so often that it might be too fast, but it still felt right. He and Christopher felt right.

  “And then I get to live with you,” Christopher said.

  “Then you get to live with me, and I get to live with you.”

  He kissed August. “And then maybe someday soon you can have Will and Louise plan one of these for us.”

  “Was that…?” August’s heart stopped for a second. Had Christopher just asked him to marry him?

  “Not yet. I can do a whole lot better than that. But soon. I want this with you, if you’ll have me. I want everything with you.”

  August’s heart thumped happily in his chest, and he leaned closer. “Love you, babe,” he murmured.

  “I love you too. I’ll be forever grateful to Libby for helping me find you again.”

  “Me too.”

  They had a few more quiet moments before they went back in to the wedding. Slowly the party cleared out. Guests went home or up to their guest rooms in the manor. August breathed a sigh of relief when Christopher’s parents bid their good nights. He was done working, and it was time to decompress and let the success of the day wash over him. He found the table with his coworkers, Christopher, and the happy couple, and sat thankfully. For long minutes, he let the conversation simply wash over him until Edward asked a question that had him sitting up in his seat.

  “Are you going to Terrance Brightmore’s boating party next weekend?”

  August had been relaxing in Christopher’s arms, but he felt Christopher tense up, so he sat up a bit himself. Christopher hadn’t said anything about a party. He turned and looked at Christopher. Christopher looked incredibly uncomfortable, like maybe he was going to the party and had no intention of telling August about it.

  “What’s this?” August asked. He had no problems, obviously, with Christopher having a life of his own. They were both adults and a couple, not each other’s jailors, but there was something weird about the way Edward brought it up and the way Christopher’s face looked after the fact.

  “Oh, I just thought you’d be bored there,” Christopher said.

  He wasn’t a good liar. He never had been. August went from relaxed to unhappy in moments.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  Christopher winced. “It’s just… not your thing.”

  “I’m a party planner. Why wouldn’t a boat part—oh.” Of course. Seriously. August had thought they’d gotten past that. He really had thought they were done with it. Apparently he was wrong. “Just say it,” he told Christopher.

  “It’s just not your kind of people,” Christopher said. “I might not even go myself.”

  He hadn’t looked so uncomfortable since the cold, snowy evening when he’d first wal
ked into August’s office all those months ago. August struggled his way out of his seat. He was exhausted. A few minutes ago, he’d been so happy, but that had been a big charade, hadn’t it?

  “How many of these events have happened this summer that you kept me from because they ‘weren’t my kind of people’?” August asked.

  Libby elbowed Edward hard and glared at Christopher. Christopher knew he had to answer, though, if the look on his face said anything.

  “A few.”

  “There are social events every week,” Edward said. “You were at quite a few of them, weren’t you, Christopher?”

  And he hadn’t said a word about a single one. August didn’t have to go, but Christopher had purposefully lied about them. It was the same damn thing all over again.

  “Asshole,” Louise said.

  August didn’t know if she was talking about Christopher or Edward. He did know that he had to get the hell out of there. His face was burning hot, and he’d never felt so humiliated in his life. He should’ve been ready for it. He should’ve known it was coming.

  He left the marquee area as quickly as he could and strode across the grass toward the main house, where his stuff was stashed in a guest room. Will was nowhere to be seen, but Louise had seen enough to understand if August just took off and didn’t come back. He wasn’t coming back, not to Longwick, not to Christopher’s house, not to any of it.

  “August, wait!”

  He hadn’t realized Christopher was running after him. What was the point? Why prolong what was clearly going to be highly painful?

  “What do you want from me?” August asked. “You should be inside with your friends.”

  “I don’t want to be. I want to be with you.”