Dragged to the Wedding(14)
James sighed. “I know. There’s very little to laugh about here.” The humor seemed to leach out of the room in seconds. “I’m continuously tense and on edge. Will I say the wrong thing? Is Mama going to be disappointed? It’s like I’m walking on eggshells, and I always seem to be the only one. Give me a good old-fashioned firefight any day of the week. Those I can handle. I just don’t seem to have been able to figure out how to manage the crap with my family.”
“You know, I could sing for you. Maybe that would cheer you up.” Daniel watched as light from the cracks in the curtains played across the walls. “When I was just a little gayboy,” he sang, and James chuckled once again.
“Oh no. Now I’m going to have naughty Doris Day ringing in my head all night long.” Still, his voice held amusement. “Go to sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow, and god knows what sort of drama we’re going to get dragged into.”
“Pun intended,” Daniel said because he couldn’t help it. James snorted softly and shifted closer, sliding an arm around him.
“You make me smile, and anyone who can do that while I’m here with my family is pretty damned special.” James leaned close, kissing Daniel on the cheek before rolling over once more. It seemed like seconds before James was asleep, while Daniel lay awake for what seemed like hours.
Chapter Five
James woke alone and with a headache. He groaned and slowly got out of bed, wishing he could sleep for the rest of the damned day, but he was sure there were things he had to do, and this pain wasn’t going away on its own. James popped a couple of ibuprofen and sat still, willing the pressure to abate.
He pulled on a pair of light sweatpants and opened the bedroom door, hearing voices drifting down the hall from the kitchen. “That was awesome yesterday,” Margot was saying. “Maybe I’ll have a chance to have a little fun before I’m old and gray.”
“Don’t count on it,” James said, shuffling into the room where Daniel and Margot were talking. Daniel was already dressed and looked his usual million bucks in a pair of light slacks and a simple blouse. As usual, Daniel had style, and it showed through as Daniella.
“Are you okay?” Daniel patted his arm. “You look like hell.”
“I feel like it too.” He got a mug for coffee and felt more than saw Daniel’s gaze following him. He liked that Daniel noticed him.
“You’re really into my brother?” Margot asked in a stage whisper.
“Your brother is pretty hot,” Daniel stage-whispered back as though he was sharing a secret.
Margot snickered. “Please, he’s my brother. I don’t notice if he’s hot or not.”
“I’m right here,” James growled, pouring a mug of coffee and sitting down at the table next to Daniel, kissing his made-up cheek. “Good morning.” He did his best to smile as he waited for the pills and caffeine to do their magic. “What are we doing today?” James asked. “I’m sure Holly gave you a printed schedule with everyplace you were supposed to be.” He was only thankful that she hadn’t made one up for him.
“Mother,” Holly bellowed from the front door. Daniel jumped and squeaked a little as she barreled into the room, her eyes blazing, slamming a box down on the table. James closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears.
“She’s at the store,” Margot answered. “What crawled up your butt?”
“Look.” Holly half collapsed into the chair. “These are the programs for the service, and everything is wrong. I picked out the hymns, and they’re all different. Howard’s parents’ names are spelled wrong, and...” She lowered her head to the table. “The florist called this morning. Their shipment of white roses went bad somehow. They’re trying to get some more, but they wanted to know if they could use white carnations instead.” Holly rubbed her eyes. “This isn’t a prom from the eighties or a funeral. It’s my wedding, and I want roses.”
“Of course you do,” Daniel said, jumping up and coming around to Holly. “What did you tell the florist?”
“To get roses,” Holly said, the tears starting now that her anger was spent.
“Give James the number of the florist and a copy of the order for the wedding. He can use that policeman voice of his to put the fear of god in them and you’ll get your roses.” Daniel met his gaze, and James nodded. “Thanks, sweetheart,” Daniel added with a smile, and James’s mind skipped a thread for just a second. Damn, he loved that smile.
“I’m back,” his mother said as she came into the kitchen through the garage. “What’s wrong?” she asked, and Holly pushed the box across the table. Mom opened the box. “These look fine to me.”
“Mom! You did this?” She whirled on their mom in a second.
“These are great hymns, and what you had didn’t seem like you, so I thought this would be better.” She set her jaw, and James braced for a fight.
“How could you? That isn’t what I wanted,” Holly said softly, the tears running down her cheeks.
“I thought you’d made a mistake and would want the hymns you grew up with.” His mother pursed her lips as though she were going to argue, then sighed dramatically. “You do what you like. It’s your wedding.” James had heard that guilt-inducing tone many times before. Their mother always thought she knew what was best.