Blake
BLAKE
Frowning heavily at the phone, waved it around the car desperately. All he needed was enough signal for the email to go through, and he would be golden. Problem was, he didn’t think the mountainous region had a decent signal anywhere.
“I don’t think pine trees are good for cell phones,” muttered.
From the driver’s seat, his brother snorted. “I think that’s why some people like living out here.”
“And we call those people crazy, Blaine,” said, still holding the phone out at odd angles.
Well, maybe they weren’t completely crazy. The landscape was beautiful, in a way could only call National Geographic. Where there weren’t mountains, there were rolling hills. Both were covered in lush trees, and he noted that it wasn’t just pine trees, there were plenty of leaves. Every once in a while, the trees separated, and spotted the sparkling presence of a small body of water.
And not the faintest hint of a signal to be found.
“You’re supposed to have this week off,” Blaine told him.
wrinkled his nose. “No, I have the weekend off.”
“You told me the week.”
“I...well, I’m definitely off for the weekend. But I said I could do some stuff during the week.”
“You’re a terrible best man.”
huffed, giving up on sending the email. “I’ll have you know, I’m a wonderful best man and a fantastic brother, thank you very much.”
“Then leave your phone alone and tell me if we’re close or not,” Blaine said, the corner of his mouth quirking.
waved his phone near the other man’s head. “And how am I supposed to do that when I can’t even get enough signal to send a simple email?”
Blaine didn’t even blink. “I imagine by having looked ahead when you did have a signal and getting a good idea of landmarks and roads.”
“Look, just because you went through fancy Marine training doesn’t mean the rest of us learned how to track with two twigs and a couple of squirrel pellets,” shot back.
Blaine huffed out a laugh. “Fancy and Marine are two words that don’t belong in the same sentence. Lucky for you, I did look ahead and know we’re almost there.”
“I still don’t see why we had to be here first,” said, watching the horizon.
“You know why.”
snorted, nodding his head. Yeah, he knew alright. Blaine was achieving two of his greatest ambitions. Getting married to someone he loved, and more specifically, getting married to his first and only love.
Not that it had been as simple as that. The two of them had dated once before, and due to what considered unnecessary drama, they had broken up. When they’d been accidentally reunited, put together as partners at one of the police precincts back in Port Dale, sparks had flown all over again. didn’t know the whole story, but he knew enough to know the sparks were both good and bad.
had caught their reigniting relationship right at the beginning but had been unable to stick around for long. Yet when he’d moved to Port Dale a year later, the two were living in domestic bliss, or as much bliss as Eric could manage before scowling. And a year after that, they were engaged, and despite being anxious, they’d waited another year to plan the wedding.
Which is exactly how ended up in the middle of nowhere without a phone signal.
“Because your blushing bride can’t be taken out in public?” asked with a quirk of his brow.
Blaine sighed. “Because my husband-to-be is stressed, and it’s best he goes over the last-minute plans rather than drive out here first and secure the site of our marriage and reception.”
grinned at his brother. “Right, that’s what I said. Eric can’t be taken out in public because he’s all stressed about you two tying the knot.”
Blaine rolled his eyes, which was how knew his brother wasn’t annoyed with him. It was also one of the few gestures they pulled off that looked identical on their faces. Well, it helped that they were technically identical twins. The only difference was that Blaine’s time in the Marines had added about fifty pounds of muscle and more scars than wanted to think about.
But they were both just over six feet tall, with blond hair they’d inherited from their mother and blue eyes from their father. There was the same square jaw, prominent brow, and eyebrows. The difference was in how they used their same features differently. Blaine was mostly patient, giving measured reactions, whereas was quick with a smile and easy with a laugh.
“He just wants to make sure everything’s perfect,” Blaine told him.
“Which is doing so many great things to his personality,” pointed out.
“And you’re here with me because he needs his brother to help him, and I need mine,” Blaine continued.
shot him a smirk. “No, you just don’t want me and Eric in the same room for too long.”
Blaine snorted. “There is that.”
It wasn’t that and his soon-to-be brother-in-law didn’t like each other. did like Eric, though it had taken him a while to warm to the surly grump. For his part, Eric didn’t seem to hate , though he certainly made no attempts to disguise that he found him frustrating. If were honest, he knew he didn’t help with his tendency to poke and prod, especially when it came to irritable people.
Blaine leaned forward, squinting at the next bend in the road. “Ah, it’s coming up. Keep an eye out for a sign shaped like a lighthouse.”
“A lighthouse?” asked, looking around incredulously. “You serious? The ocean is hours away.”
“Apparently, the owners are from the coast. They like to come out here for Christmas and during the summers,” Blaine explained.
wanted to say something about being rich and then straightened. “Hey! You gave me so much shit about not knowing where we were going and you knew the whole time.”
Blaine grinned smugly as he navigated the curve. “Yeah, I did.”
glowered at his brother as they slowed and pulled into a small gravel driveway. It was positioned just before a drop of almost a dozen feet. On that level sat a large two-story house with a stone patio extending to a private pavilion. A set of stairs descended from where they parked their car to a small porch at what considered the second floor. A glance over the railing told him the main floor opened onto the patio and pavilion.
“Nice,” muttered, looking it over.
It was precisely what he expected from a place referred to as a lodge. He couldn’t begin to guess how many rooms it possessed but the place stretched back a fair way. The exterior was covered in logs with something that made its surface shimmer. He bet the inside was probably covered in animal parts with guns on display.
They descended the stairs just before a tall, thin man exited onto the small porch. He was dressed in a loose flannel shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. However, didn’t miss the brilliant rings on his hand or how neatly his gray hair was parted. The man might have a lodge in the middle of the woods, but he reeked of money.
“Ah,” he began as they approached. “You must be for the wedding party?”
grinned widely. “Yep, we’re here for the big gay wedding.”
The man blinked, looking unsure, before offering a smile. “And congratulations to you.”
shook his head, jamming his thumb over his shoulder. “Nope, only the fairer sex for me. That’s the gay, I mean guy, you’re looking for.”
Blaine pushed aside, taking the older man’s hand. “I apologize. My brother thinks he’s funny and nothing we say can get him to understand the truth.”
“Ah well, congratulations to you then,” the man said, shaking Blaine’s hand. “Are you Mr. Edwards or Mr. Andreas?”
“Edwards, but please, just call me Blaine.”
“Well, Blaine, you can call me Jack.”
peered around his brother. “I’m , the brother and man of honor.”
“One of them anyway,” Blaine muttered. “The well-behaved one is currently with my fiancé.”
Jack chuckled. “Let me guess, you were sent to make sure the place was to your liking and not infested with raccoons and insects?”
snorted. “Just covering our bases and getting a head start before the rest of the wedding party shows up.”
Jack nodded. “Well, whatever your reasons, I and the missus are happy to have you here. She’s with her sister in the next town over at the moment, or she’d be joining us. But since I am here, how about a tour?”
“That would be lovely. Having a personal tour guide will beat having to figure things out on our own, thank you,” told him warmly.
Blaine frowned at , waiting until Jack was near the door and out of earshot. “What, now you know how to behave?”
nudged him, grinning. “I deal with jackass businessmen and serious CEOs all the time, Blaine, give me some credit.”
“I was willing to until you called it a big gay wedding,” Blaine grumbled.
blinked at him innocently. “But it is a big gay wedding. You’re a big gay, and Eric is...well, he’s little, but he’s got a big personality. Sure, the wedding isn’t what you’d call huge, but I think between the two of you...hey! Don’t walk off!”
Unsurprisingly, his brother completely ignored him and followed Jack inside the house. Blaine huffed and quickly followed his brother before he was left standing outside.
“There are a couple of bedrooms up here,” Jack said as they entered a large room that made up most of the second floor. A pool table sat to the right, next to a set of stairs, and a couch on a raised platform at the back of the room. Jack pointed to the other side, where three doors sat in the wall. “One on each side. The door in the middle is the bathroom.”
Blaine looked around, nodding. “This could work as a backup dining room if the weather turns against us.”
“You could. The last wedding party used it as a dance floor,” Jack said, pointing up to a strobe light and disco ball hanging from the ceiling.
“That really goes with the decor,” noted wryly.
Jack chuckled. “After a few requests, we decided to put it in. I promise the rest of the house is up to par.”
They descended the stairs into an open living room, complete with plush leather couches and a solid wooden table that sat before a massive stone hearth. was not disappointed to find the stone wall was covered in antlers, a couple of deer heads, and, sure enough, a rifle over the fireplace.
Jack pointed to the left and right. “We have a bar area over there, not large, but it works. The kitchen and dining room here should work for you if you want to make your own meals.”
looked in on the massive kitchen with plenty of counter space and a huge table that he was sure could have fit twenty people. “That’s, uh, one way of putting it.”
“The rooms are down that way, along with a few more bathrooms,” Jack said. “I don’t know how many people you’ll be having, but?—”
Blaine shrugged. “My fiancé and I will take one of the rooms upstairs. The rest of the wedding party can have the rooms downstairs. Someone can take the second room upstairs, it doesn’t matter to us. There’s enough room, don’t worry.”
“Marvelous. I know some people use one or both rooms for the future in-laws,” Jack suggested with a raised brow.
winced slightly. “Uh, not necessary. We’ll find someone to stick in the room, no problem.”
Jack beamed. “Marvelous, then I’ll show you the patio.”
Blaine’s face was a perfect mask of neutrality as they waited for the man to unlock the door. knew his brother, though, reaching out to pat his side. Sure enough, Blaine stirred, coming out of his thoughts and giving a small smile.
“I’m okay,” Blaine said, following Jack.
“I know,” said, going along with the act.
Truth was, there wasn’t much in the way of family showing up to the wedding. Eric’s parents had died when he was ten, and it had been his older brother Sean who’d taken guardianship and raised him. As for the rest of his siblings, wasn’t quite sure what the story was there. Still, he thought enough was said by the fact that the rest of them had been older, and some were in better places financially to raise Eric but had left Sean to do it.
As for Blaine, well, only was going to show up. While was a child of the modern age, their parents were as old-fashioned and stuck in their outdated mindsets as it got. knew it still killed his brother deep inside that the two people who raised him, showering him with love, praise, and absolute pride for his service to the military, had turned their backs just as quickly when they learned about his sexuality.
stopped Blaine. “Hey, don’t let it get to you.”
Blaine didn’t pull away, but he glanced uncomfortably toward Jack, who was out of earshot. “It’s fine, really. They made their choice when I told them. And they had the chance again when I sent them the invites.”
snorted. “I still can’t believe you did that. They were so mad when they called me.”
Blaine glanced at Jack again, who was staying away and politely ignoring them. “You never did tell me what they said.”
scowled. “You know damn well what they had to say. I’m not repeating that shit, Blaine. I love them to death, but I’m not going to start reciting the idiotic shit that comes out of their mouths sometimes.”
That earned him a warm smile. “I meant what they said about you going.”
rolled his eyes. “Oh, you know, the same stupid shit you hear people...like that say. I’m also pretty sure Mom thinks I’m going to catch the gay if I keep spending time around you, and especially if I attend a big gay wedding.”
Blaine winked at him. “Moral degradation is infectious, I’m told.”
“Oh, God,” groaned, pushing his brother outside toward Jack. “Now you’re starting to sound like them. I’ll tell you the same thing I told them, I’ll risk it, and I’m going to be there for my brother like they should be there for their son.”
Blaine stopped at the doorway suddenly, turning to face . “You told them that?”
“Uh,” blinked. “I...yeah? I mean, I wanted to tell them to cram it up their asses, but that didn’t seem right. Should I have told them that? I mean, the shit they were saying was stupid, but I still have a hard time swearing at them.”
They were his Mom and Dad, for God’s sake.
Blaine beamed, yanking his brother into a tight hug and squeezing. flailed, not expecting to be gripped so suddenly. He didn’t pull away, but it took him a moment to recover before hugging his brother back.
“Thank you, . I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you for sticking by me,” Blaine murmured.
“This wedding shit is making you soft, bro,” told him, trying to talk through a tightened throat.
“Yeah, well, when you fall in love one of these days, you’ll find out what it’s like,” Blaine promised, releasing him with a pat on the back.
As Blaine walked off, watched his brother chat amiably with Jack as the older man gestured around. For the life of him, he would never understand why his parents couldn’t just be happy for Blaine. As sappy as it was for him to admit it, his brother shone with something had never seen from him before. And as weird as it was to think that grumpy Eric was the cause of it, he wasn’t so blind as to believe it wasn’t because of him.
And sure, maybe it made ache a little. Not just because Blaine deserved to have his whole family there, but also for himself. He was nearing thirty-one, watching his twin brother marry the love of his life, and what did he have? A good career. Business brokering was no cheap affair, but his nice flat back in Port Dale was empty except for him. Other than a string of relationships dangling behind him, his prospects in love were dim and fruitless.
“God, get over yourself,” he grumbled, forcing himself out of his melancholy.
He had a brother to torment and a wedding to help create.