“I never thought putting on makeup could be so sexy.” The bed creaked a little as James stood, and then he was closer, his heat reaching Daniel’s back.
Damn, he felt sinful. “Do you want a little? I could line your eyes, make them seem bigger.”
“No thanks. You look great like that, but it isn’t for me.”
Daniel set the lipstick on top of the dresser. “Is that part of the ‘men don’t wear makeup’ stuff? Does the thought make you seem less like a man?”
James stilled. “I don’t know. It’s something I’m not comfortable with.”
And just like that, honesty. Daniel’s heart sped up. He tried to remember the number of times he had been with someone and had a moment of unmasked, laid-bare honesty.
“Okay.” He stroked James’s rough cheek. “I can accept that.” He turned back to the mirror. “You didn’t answer my questions, though.”
“I think so. You’ve made me look at things differently, but makeup isn’t for me.” James sighed, pressed to Daniel’s back, as he returned his attention to the mirror. “We look good together.”
“With the makeup and all…？” Daniel whispered.
“With or without the makeup, you always look good.” James turned and kissed his cheek, then lightly touched Daniel’s chin, and when he turned in to the enticement of those fingers, James kissed him. “I don’t have any illusions about you. I see the person under all of it…and I like him…a lot.” Daniel felt his eyes widen. “See, that’s it right there. Your eyes are so expressive, and they always show the man, the real you, no matter what you’re wearing.”
Daniel was struck dumb, and he blinked rapidly. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Then the people you’ve been seeing are fools.” James kissed him again as the door opened. Daniel stepped back and turned away.
“Sorry,” Margot said. “Are you going to tell Dad? Mom is dressing and she’s going to be a while. I’m trying to help her.”
“Thanks. Yes, we’ll do it in a minute,” James told her softly, and she closed the door once more. Daniel used the few seconds to get hold of himself again. He had gotten carried away on James’s words. Daniel had been so determined to keep the relationship between them professional, but his heart clearly had other ideas.
* * *
“Dad,” James said gently. “We need to talk.” Tension rolled off James like a tsunami.
“O-kay,” Phillip said defensively. “I’m supposed to get dressed for the rehearsal and dinner soon.”
“We know,” Daniel said gently, touching James’s shoulder just to let him know he was there.
“Then let’s go on out to the shop,” Phillip said and got up from his chair. He led the way out of the house and through the garage to a small extension off the back filled with woodworking tools and half-completed projects.
“This is nice,” Daniel said, picking up a piece of smooth, lathe-turned wood.
“I got an idea to make some Christmas things for your mother. They’re going to be holiday figures that she can put up on the porch near the door. With the wedding, I haven’t had a chance to finish them.” Phillip leaned on the workbench, and Daniel gently set the piece of wood back where he found it. “Just tell me, how bad is it?”
“Dad, the reverend is a fake. None of his credentials check out, and he seems to have stolen someone else’s identity. It’s pretty cut-and-dried. None of the degrees on his office wall are real. I had them checked out. His bio is largely stolen from someone else. That has been confirmed. I suspect his driver’s license and other ID are fakes as well. I have friends working to determine his real identity.” James spoke as clearly and nonemotionally as possible.
Phillip seemed to lose his footing and pulled out a stool, managing to sit without falling. “What are we going to do about the wedding? Everything is set and…”
“We’re working it out, Dad. The rehearsal is going to go on as planned. The church is going to have to figure out a way forward without him, but I’m sure you all can plot a future.”
“What about tomorrow?” Phillip grew paler by the second.
“Holly and Howard already know and they’re working to get someone else. The biggest thing is for you to breathe and take it easy.” Daniel stood on one side of Phillip, and James on the other. “In and out, deep and slow. That’s it.”