Dragged to the Wedding(12)
Daniel closed his makeup case and opened the door, stepping out and following James down the hall and back to the kitchen.
James cleared his throat and seemed to get ready for battle. “Mom, Daniella and I have been seeing each other for a little while now. Do you really think that we—” His voice trailed off as Grace turned around. Daniel expected her eyes to shoot fire and smoke to come from her ears at any second.
“Under my roof...” She emphasized each word, and Daniel knew the exact speech that was coming. He’d seen it in multiple movies. Daniel wondered at the way James seemed to pull away a little, like he was pondering what she was going to say next. The guy was a cop, he stared down criminals on a regular basis, and yet his diminutive mother had him practically cowering in the corner. Maybe it was time for a Lala moment.
“Of course, James.” Daniel patted his hand with a huge smile that he flashed in Grace’s direction. “This is your mother’s house, and she needs to feel comfortable with what’s happening in her home. I’m sure that she and your father have talked things over and have given every consideration to the fact that I’m a guest here and they only want me to be at ease.” He flashed the brightest, most innocent smile possible at Grace before standing up. “You’re the only person I know here, but if she feels it’s important that I stay with your sister, whom I’ve just met, then I will be okay with that.” Grace’s stance and expression had already softened...a little. “It’s been a long trip, and I’d like the chance to freshen up and maybe relax for a little while and get off my feet.”
“But we can just go to a hotel, then, and...” James sputtered softly, most likely confused. Daniel watched Grace yank open the refrigerator door with more force than was necessary.
“I won’t hear of it. Your mom and dad have been so generous and gracious to invite us to stay here with them. It would be rude of us to decline. This is your sister’s wedding, and I don’t want to do anything that will add to an already stressful situation.” He turned toward the hallway. “Can you show me which room I’ll be using and then we can bring in my bags?”
“Oh, for god’s sake, Grace,” Phillip called from the living room. “James has a life of his own back in Chicago, and if you think that he’s a perfect little angel and doesn’t go out and have a good time, then you’re fooling yourself.” He shook his head from his chair in front of the television where he was watching baseball.
“Phillip...” she snapped.
“Get over it, Grace. We’re in the next room. What do you think they’re going to do?” He rolled his eyes, and Daniel tilted his head toward the hall.
“Strike while the iron is hot and show me which room is ours,” he whispered, and James drew his lips upward and strode back down the hall, pushing open the bedroom door right across from the bathroom.
“I’ll be right back with our stuff.” James raced away, and Daniel grinned as he watched that damned tight backside haul ass.
* * *
“That was brilliant.” James beamed softly as soon as he set the bags down on the floor.
Daniel had taken the time they were alone to slip off his shoes and scout out the room. It seemed to have been recently painted an off-white, and while the bed was probably the one James had used growing up, the rest of the room was bright and cheerful. So not the childhood room he’d envisioned for James. “Thanks.” Daniel sat on the side of the bed, wiggling his toes to get the blood flowing to them again.
James pulled open the closet and tossed his suitcase onto the side of the bed, popping it open before hanging up some of the most wrinkled clothes in the history of mankind. “What are you doing?” Daniel stopped him. “Those poor shirts look like they want to hide away in shame—either that or just do themselves in and have it over with.” He snapped the shirts and smoothed out some of the wrinkles before opening one of his suitcases, pulling out his portable steamer.
“Thanks. I was going to ask Mom to iron them for me,” James told him, and Daniel shook his head. “What?”
Daniel shrugged. It wasn’t his place to spout his opinion about everything James did. “Nothing.” Daniel helped James hang up his clothes and then unpacked as well.
“How much do you need?” James asked as Daniel proceeded to pretty much fill the small closet.
“There’s day wear, evening wear, sportswear. I need things to sleep in as well as a robe and scarves so I can hide some of my features. I had no idea what sort of activities there were going to be, so I had to pack for most every occasion.” Daniel put his hands on his hips, giving James that glare like he was being ridiculous and smiling when he simply nodded. “Guys have it easy.” He pointed to the closet, and James put his hands in the air.
“I will never complain about my sisters or mother taking too long to get ready again. I promise.” James closed his mostly empty suitcase and slid it under the far side of the bed. “How much longer will you be?” James asked. “I thought that after all that drama, you and I could get out of here and drive up to Glacier National Park. We’ll travel through one of the mountain passes. The views are amazing, and it will give us a chance to have some time away.”
From the wedding schedule ahead, it seemed like this could be their only chance. “Let me get my jacket and some sensible shoes and we can go.”