He turned to where Howard waited and stood. “Excuse me, I’ll just be a minute.” James held Daniel’s gaze for longer than was necessary; he didn’t want to leave. Daniel nodded slowly, and James followed Howard just outside the room.
“We didn’t find anyone. I made a few calls and came up empty.” He seemed extremely on edge. “Holly is growing more nervous and determined. She doesn’t want to have to get remarried at the courthouse. You know how your sister can be once she sets her mind to something.” Howard seemed pale, and James understood exactly how he felt. Holly was their mother’s daughter, and she could be as stubborn as any mule.
“It’s all right. I told Holly I’d make sure the wedding was a success and I will.” More of the burden of this wedding settled onto his shoulders. James was even more determined that Holly got married on schedule and that the ceremony went off without a hitch. “I’ll see about ordination on the internet if I have to.” He patted Howard on the shoulder. “Everything is going to be fine, one way or another.” James hoped to hell that was true. “Go on back in to your guests.”
“And your parents know?” James confirmed it with a nod. “I haven’t told mine yet, but I will once the dinner is over.” He took a deep breath. “Thank you for being such a good brother to both Holly and me.” He turned and went back into the room, with James following and intent on excusing himself with Daniel so they could get back to where they’d left things earlier.
* * *
“Ladies and gentlemen.” Weston seemed to have found a microphone and the lights had been dimmed. “Here he is. We’ve been waiting for the groom to return. Holly and Howard asked me to give you all a little presentation. I’ve known Howard since we were kids in high school together. I played football; he played chess. I lettered in track; he was president of the computer club.”
“And even then, you still couldn’t get the girls to notice you,” Howard interjected. Everyone in the room laughed, especially Margie, who seemed to be getting a perverse pleasure out of how red Weston blushed.
“No matter what, we were friends. I got him through gym class, and he got me through math and English.” James quietly took his seat next to Daniel, figuring that once this speech was over, the two of them would excuse themselves and go. James placed his hand at the base of Daniel’s neck, running his finger lightly above the collar of the silk blouse, Daniel’s skin softer than the fabric and ten times more tempting to touch. Daniel shivered and leaned closer, and they shared a heated gaze that only made James more impatient.
“Howard and I both went to college, where he studied, and I partied.” The pictures on the screen shifted to the two of them—Howard in a collared shirt, Weston holding a pitcher of beer. “After we graduated, he worked hard, built an amazing career…but don’t ask me what he does because I don’t understand it. Nobody gets it. I just say that my friend Howard is a rocket scientist because his actual work is impossible for us laypeople to understand. But…the truly important thing is that he met Holly, and the quiet, self-reflective person I’d always known suddenly went to parties and smiled…a lot. He was happy and excited…about something other than math, computers, and science.” Weston paused, and the two guys shared a fist bump. The image on the screen changed again, this time to a gorgeous picture of Howard and Holly standing together on the beach with the sun setting behind them. It was stunning, and both of them were smiling brightly.
Daniel patted his leg under the table, and then that hand grew bolder in the darkness, slowly making its way higher. James swallowed and held his breath. He didn’t dare move, though he wanted to shift desperately because things down south were constrained and really uncomfortable. “Soon…” Daniel whispered, his breathing growing shallower, and James was worried he was about to go off like some teenager.
“But all isn’t as it seems,” Weston continued. “I love my best friend. He’s always been there for me no matter what stupid shit I do. That’s why it really hurts me to say that someone here tonight is not as they appear, and I feel as though I have a duty to keep them from hurting my friends.” James glanced around the room briefly before returning his attention to Weston, who was focused solely on him and Daniel.
His blood turned to ice water in an instant.
Chapter Sixteen
James might have seen what was coming, but Daniel was taken by complete surprise. Weston had been rambling on with the usual pre-wedding sort of slide show of people Daniel didn’t know, containing jokes he wasn’t privy to. So there wasn’t much to hold his attention, other than the way James lightly stroked the back of his neck and how his firm thigh muscles quivered under his touch. Daniel hadn’t dared go too far, but the rising color in James’s cheeks and his shallow breathing told Daniel that he was having the desired effect.