by Aliana James
“Okay,” Travis whispered.
Did he just agree to…?
“Okay? Okay to what?”
Travis sat back, peering into his eyes. In the mirror behind him, Alec saw two people walking toward them.
“I’ll marry you,” Travis said.
“What did you say?” Henry asked.
“Yay, you two are getting married!” Sarah gasped at the same time.
Chapter Nine
Travis
There was no way to not answer either of his parents’ questions. He wanted to run and hide. Alec chuckled, his eyes bright and left the answer up to him.
What a pain in the ass.
“Mom and Dad, Alec and I are getting married.” There, he said it. No going back on the deal now.
“Oh my goodness, that’s wonderful!” His mother hugged him tight.
His father patted Alec on the back, a small smile on his face. “Welcome to the family, son.”
Alec’s eyes widened. “Thank you, Henry.”
He looked at his father’s face and noticed the wetness on his cheeks. As he glanced at his mother’s face, her red-rimmed eyes overflowed and she turned to her purse and pulled out a tissue. This much emotion from his announcement surprised him and then he sobered up as he thought of his brother.
“How’s Tyler?” he asked.
His parents’ demeanor changed instantly as his father’s shoulders slumped and his mother hugged Travis.
“Your brother’s got a long road ahead of him. The surgery’s done.” His mother sniffed. “There’s a police officer by his bed.”
His father leaned on his cane with both hands and looked at Alec.
“He’s still at risk. Someone might come back again. There was a gentleman—Kane I believe his name was. He said he would look after Tyler.” His father paused. “Told me he worked for you.”
Alec placed a hand on his father’s arm. “He works for Bennett Industries, for my grandfather. I asked him to help.”
“Tyler’s okay with Kane, Dad.” He didn’t doubt it. He may not like the man’s personality but there was no disputing he got things done. “We should go home and get some rest.”
Everyone nodded and grabbed their belongings. No one spoke in the elevator or even while they walked to the lobby and the hospital exit. His parents were tired, and he would worry if he left them to find their way home.
“Mom, Dad, let me make sure you get home,” he said.
“Travis, it’s late, and that’s a long ride for you to come back to Manhattan,” his mother answered.
He’d stay at his parents and leave early. He turned to Alec. “I’ll go with them. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Alec nodded and hugged his mother, shook his father’s hand, and hesitated as he got to him. He leaned into a hug.
“Thanks for everything,” he whispered in Alec’s ear.
Travis pulled up his phone and ordered a car. He didn’t care how much it cost from here to Brooklyn; he was too tired, and it was too late to navigate the subway with his parents.
And besides, he had just agreed to marry Alec. He could afford it.
Alec
Not what he imagined doing this Friday morning. It took major persuasion and quick replies to convince everyone they’d been contemplating this for some time. Travis telling his parents that, after Tyler got attacked, life was too short was a genius excuse.
Alec picked up the tie on the bed and scowled as he looked in the mirror. Travis had insisted he wear one; something about making this look good while he rummaged through his closet. The grey suit Travis picked out with a white shirt made him look sharp.
It was the stupid tie that annoyed him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn a tie. Him not remembering how to tie the damn thing proved this. He pulled the offending material off his neck. If he convinced Travis to go without one…
“Don’t even think about it,” Travis said as the tie landed on the bed. Travis walked over, picked up the tie, and raised his eyebrow at him.
“It’s easier to tie the tie without your jacket on,” Travis scolded as he wrapped the tie around Alec’s neck. Within minutes, Travis had the tie knotted and patted it as he straightened Alec’s collar.
“Done,” Travis said.
He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and had to admit that Travis was right; the suit looked better with the tie. He admired Travis’ suit, dark navy with subtle pinstripes, finished with a pair of patent leather shoes.
He smiled. As long as they had known each other, Travis was a clothes horse and today was no exception. His future husband looked good.
“We need to go,” Travis said. “The car should be downstairs.”
He nodded and grabbed his cell phone. They didn’t say much as they boarded the elevator to the lobby. The doorman was at the elevator and smiled when he saw Alec.
“Mr. Bennett, your car is here. It’s raining, sir. Here is an umbrella.”
“Thank you,” he answered.
“You’re welcome, sir.” The doorman smiled at him as he held the door open.
Rain pelted the windows of the limo. As they traveled to City Hall, it softened to a drizzle only to increase to a downpour as they got closer. It matched Alec’s mood. Marriage wasn’t something he wanted. Watching his parents had told him all he wanted to know.
Travis sat next to Alec in the backseat, his hand tapping on his knee. He hadn’t said a word when he got in the limo.
The limo stopped in front of the steps and Travis opened the door to exit his side. Alec exited his side and had to jog to catch up with him.
Travis held the door open for him. “Let’s get this over and done,” Travis said.
Alec put his hand on Travis’s shoulder. “Wait. Stop. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I have to do this. At least for Tyler.”
Alec faced him and saw the uncertainty in his eyes. He had to cheer him up, make him laugh.
“So I thought, since you love to cook, I would get you a househusband apron to wear.” He smiled, knowing Travis hated wearing aprons. Travis’s mother had suggested once that he put one on and they had to listen to a fifteen-minute rant on how the designers of all aprons should be in design prison.
“You do and I’ll kill you.”
“Yup, a distinct possibility. With matching towels.” He didn’t know if these even existed, but for the look on his face he would find out.
Travis smacked his arm. “Well then, I won’t cook.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll cook dinner for us.” He answered.
“No freaking way.” Travis laughed. “You are not going near the kitchen. Do you remember the time you almost burnt down the kitchen in the frat house? What the hell were you making?”
He had forgotten about that. “French toast.”
“We had to call the fire department.” Travis remembered as he smiled.
And there’s the smile. Mission accomplished.
Jonas, all decked out in a vest, dress pants, and matching dress shoes, stood as they approached.
“Congrats guys.” Jonas gave him a hug and shook their hands.
Alec glanced from Jonas back to Travis. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
Travis shrugged. “I mentioned it at work and he insisted.”
“I didn’t want to miss it.” Jonas beamed at them both.
“Are we late?”
They both turned around to see Travis’s parents walking toward them.
“Hi,” Alec said as he leaned in to kiss her hello. “You’re not late.”
“I don’t want to miss a minute of this,” Sarah said as she patted Travis’s cheek. Alec laughed as he rolled his eyes.
“We don’t understand why you boys need to rush. We could have had a party at the house or something. At least wait until Tyler is out of the hospital,” Henry complained.
“Dad,” Travis answered, “once he’s better, we’ll throw something small, okay?”
Henry grunted in re
sponse as a clerk read out their names. He looked at Travis.
“Your grandfather said he was coming, right?” Travis asked.
He pulled out his cell phone as they entered the judge’s chambers. Judge Murray and his grandfather were old friends and Grandfather had pulled strings to get them married the same day as the marriage license got issued.
“Hi Alec.”
“Good morning Judge, this is Travis.” Travis and the judge shook hands. Judge Martinez looked around the room and then back at Alec.
“Wasn’t your grandfather supposed to be here, Alec?”
“Yes, he could be late because of the weather.”
Judge Murray glanced out the window. “Yes, yes, it sure is nasty out today. Well, rain on your wedding day means good luck, so you boys should have it in droves.”
Sarah gasped.
“Mom, please don’t start crying. The ceremony hasn’t even started yet,” Travis said.
A clerk entered the chambers and whispered something in Judge Murray’s ear.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can’t wait. I’m sure you’ve seen the line of couples in the hallway waiting to say ‘I do.’ Shall we get started?”
Sarah tapped him on the arm. “Can another couple go first while we wait for your grandfather? Call him, Alec.”
Judge Murray nodded.
“Good idea, Mrs. Andrews.” The judge gestured to the hallway. “Give your grandfather a call…”
“Sorry, sorry!” The door to the chamber flung open and his grandfather stood in the doorway. “I’m not too late, am I?”
“Not at all. Good to see you William.”
His grandfather shook Judge Murray’s hand and gestured for him to start.
“Alec and Travis, are you ready?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” they said together.
Alec hugged his grandfather, who stood next to Sarah and Henry, his smile a mile wide. Within minutes, he faced Travis, and they were reciting promises to each other. Travis held his hand and repeated the words to him. Alec saw his mouth moving and was sure he responded in kind.
What was bothering him? It wasn’t the actual act of getting married, the ceremony, or the paperwork. After all of that, where did that leave them? What were they supposed to do? How were they supposed to act?
Alec didn’t know how to act like someone’s husband. How do you do that? He should have downloaded a book or something. Yeah. That was the way he would approach this whole situation. As if it were a project. Study it, dissect it, find out where the weak points are, and discuss each.
Having a plan of action, he looked up to see everyone staring at him.
Travis rolled his eyes and smiled. “You’re supposed to say I do.”
“Oh right, sorry.” He laughed. “I’m nervous. I do.”
“Thinking about the honeymoon already, Alec?” Judge Murray quipped. Travis smiled at him and he laughed with everyone else.
The judge pronounced them married, and another flash went off behind them. Alec forgot he hired the photographer to document everything. Travis leaned in, close to his ear and said, “Kiss me like you mean it.”
A tingle shot straight down to Alec’s groin. He pictured them in bed and Travis whispering in his ear.
Alec turned and cradled Travis’s face in his hands. He pressed his lips onto his, hoping it was enough to convince everyone. Soft lips kissed him back and before he processed it, the kiss was over and Travis pulled away. Alec blinked as a woman handed him some paperwork. Travis had signed the marriage contract and the prenup agreement the day before so there wasn’t any more paperwork to complete the deal.
Jonas walked up to them with a huge grin on his face.
“I’m happy for the two of you. Congratulations. I have to head home to study for a final,” Jonas said.
“Thanks. Good luck on your test. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Travis said as he hugged Jonas.
Jonas shook Alec’s hand and waved as he walked away. Now they just had to make it through a family lunch with Travis’s parents and his grandfather.
“Alec, I have an important issue that has come up at work, something I can’t reschedule. I’m sorry that I can’t join you all for lunch.” His grandfather planted a kiss on Sarah’s cheek and shook Henry’s hand.
“We must make sure the boys invite us over for dinner soon,” Sarah suggested.
His grandfather smiled. “Oh, I like that idea! Alec set it up.” He shook Travis’s hand and then hugged Alec as he wished them congratulations and left.
“Son, we need to go to the hospital. They called us right before we walked in. Tyler had a rough night,” Henry said.
He looked at Travis and saw his indecision. Tyler’s pain levels were not subsiding. When he checked in with Kane, he mentioned Tyler slept all the time. It was a good way not to have to speak to anyone.
“We should all go up to the hospital,” he said as they made their way down the hall to the front entrance of City Hall.
“Nonsense,” Sarah said. “Go out to lunch and celebrate. Tyler is stable. If anything comes up, we’ll call you.”
“Please call us if there’s anything happening. And we’ll be by later,” Travis said as he hugged his mother.
As they exited City Hall, the rain slowed. Alec smiled at Travis as they shrugged on their coats.
Things were definitely looking up.
Travis
Torn between doing what he wanted and doing what everyone else wanted him to do, Travis paused with Alec on the steps of City Hall and watched his parents grab a taxi to the hospital. Tyler was still groggy from the pain medication and hadn’t been able to say more than a few words at a time. He wanted to talk to him, as if he believed that hearing his voice equated to Tyler being all right.
“Hey,” Alec said as he stood looking at him. Their eyes connected, and held, the weight of this morning closing in on him.
“Where do you want to go to lunch?” Alec asked.
“I would love to pick up some takeout and go back to your place,” he answered. If he had his way, they would have gone straight to the hospital. Alec’s apartment was closer and made the most sense. He had left extra clothes and wanted out of this suit.
“Italian?” Alec asked.
“Yeah, I could go for some eggplant parm.”
“Sounds good.” Alec dialed an Italian place that delivered and placed an order.
“I love how everyone kept saying it’s good luck for it to rain on your wedding day,” Alec said.
Travis laughed. A light drizzle fell on the windows.
“Right? We should have good luck in bucketloads.”
“It’s not scheduled to stop until late tonight,” Alec said.
“Ugh, yuck. We’ll have to deal with it later than when we go visit Tyler.”
“We could take a car to the hospital instead of the subway.”
“Probably a good idea,” he answered.
They arrived at Alec’s and their food stood in the doorman’s hand as they entered the lobby.
“Your lunch order, Mr. Bennett.” Damn, they were quick. Alec tipped the doorman, Luis, and grabbed the bags on the way to the elevator.
He hoped Alec didn’t want to have a huge conversation. The only things he wanted was food and a nap. Between work and Tyler, this week had been hell. Work was a nightmare and the minute he mentioned he wouldn’t be in today, his workload had doubled. It pissed Thomson off that the board hadn’t approved the sale and he needed to find another buyer or lower his asking price. The man wasn’t happy.
His job at Thomson made his life difficult in more ways than one. Once his marriage became common knowledge, he’d have to handle the comments—the fallout. He didn’t give a shit what anyone said behind his back. But to his face? He couldn’t be held responsible if someone blurted out something stupid to him.
Alec held the bags of food and tried to juggle them to open the door.
“Give me the food before you drop it,” he said, his patienc
e running thin.
Alec handed over the bags without comment and opened the door. He went straight to the kitchen and dumped everything on the island. Wet clothes made for a cranky man, and he debated whether a hot shower should be first or food when Alec grabbed plates from the cabinet.
“I need to take a shower and change before I eat.” He walked to the bedroom and peeled off his suit jacket. Oh right, it was his bedroom. The decor needed an upgrade, he hated the gray and brown muted tones and the minimalistic furniture. He turned in a circle. There wasn’t anything fun to brighten up the space. Alec’s decorating style bordered on dismal with nothing on the walls, and only one or two items of any personal significance displayed on a shelf in the living room.
The bathroom resembled one in a hotel, fancy and sterile. But at least he had his own. Alec’s apartment was spacious, both bedrooms each had their own bathroom and there was even a half bathroom in the hallway off of the living room. There weren’t any personal touches, any themes, any distinctive art pieces on the wall. He turned the taps to let the water warm.
Instant hot water. Fancy.
The water rained from the showerhead in the ceiling. He stared at the complicated set of controls in front of him and pressed one that read massage. Water jetted out at different intervals designed to massage different parts of the body.
His stomach protested in the closed space and he grabbed the soap to lather up and rinse off. Towel in hand, he padded to his bedroom to grab his clothes. After they ate, he would visit Tyler and see if he was awake enough to have a decent conversation.
“Hey.”
He looked up to see Alec standing in his bedroom and placed a hand on his chest. His heart beat in triple time.
“Jesus, you scared the crap out of me!”
He tightened the loose towel around his waist and glanced up, catching Alec’s eyes tracking his movements. Interesting.
“Sorry.” Alec dropped his phone to the bed and scrambled to the door. “You left your phone in the kitchen and it rang.”
By the time he registered what Alec said, he was gone. It wasn’t because he had come out of the shower naked, was it? They’d seen each other in less than a towel before now.