Chapter Thirteen #2
“Don’t let Graham near the windows. Keep him in the kitchen, and I’m going to call in backup.
Fiona will box my ears if she knows I didn’t let her show up at Graham’s wedding.
I bet I can get my family there and my sisters to decorate the garden behind the castle. All those box shrubs in that maze…”
That sounded so sweet.
“I can do that. I’ll tell them we’ll work on getting information on Catherine here. I just need a laptop, and I can dig into it. I’ll hack my way in.”
Perfect.
“Just distract Graham, and make sure he gets into his kilt. Stall, and I’ll get us there to surprise him. Meanwhile, have Ian or Gryphen get my family in the gate, and to the patio garden.”
That she could do.
“I’ll have Ian do it. Gryphen is with Graham, helping him into his kilt.”
This would work out fine.
“I’ll grab the judge. You just keep them busy there.”
It was a plan.
“I’ll clue Michael in, and we’ll have him surprise the hell out of Graham. They both need memories.”
That she could do.
The mystery of this castle could wait an hour or so. There was joy to be had.
“I’ll see you in a bit, my love,” he said.
Gabby was so excited.
“See you then. You’re a good man, Fineas.”
Nah.
He was just a best friend looking out for a man who had been in his life since he was young.
There was no doubt Graham would do the same thing for him.
No.
Doubt.
Hanging up, he called his mother, and clued her into what he needed.
Oh, and Fiona loved a few things in her life. Her husband, her kids, grandbabies, and a good wedding. Talking her into it was easy.
She rallied the troops, and said she’d get them there to help out.
Now that he’d handled that, he headed back to find Michael, and when he did, the man was naked except for his kilt skirt that was being wrapped around his body.
“Oh, good. I missed the unveiling. It’s bad luck for the bride’s best friend to see the naked Marine before the wedding,” he joked.
Michael laughed.
“There’s a lot of nudity in Scotland. Imagine my surprise when I found out you guys really go commando under the kilt.”
Well, yeah.
It was a nice breeze, and it made access a whole lot easier. When your lass was around, who wanted to mess with a fly and all that jazz?
“You’ve got guns, and we have naked asses. We aren’t the same,” he joked.
They weren’t.
“Is it all set?”
He nodded.
“My mother and sisters will decorate the courtyard. It’ll be simple, but when you lure Graham out there, he’ll be shocked as shit. I guarantee he’ll cry. He loves a good romantic gesture.”
Michael was aware.
When they’d been a couple years ago, he’d always caught him off guard with flowers, or something to make him feel loved.
And he’d make sure their quickie wedding felt like it was important.
Because it was.
This was the ONLY time he’d get married.
“While you’re finishing up here, I’m going to call the judge, and we’ll escort him back to the estate. He’s always asking about the castle, so I’ll bet he’d pay us to let him see it.”
Michael held out his hand.
“Thank you.”
He took it, and then he was hugged again, but this time, he was ready for it.
“He’s my brother, and now, so are you. Take good care of him,” Finn stated.
Michael nodded.
“Don’t worry. I absolutely will. You can bet on that. I’m going to make him the happiest man in the world.”
So, for Finn, that was all that mattered. If the man kept his word, this would be worth it.
Graham needed something to go right in his life, and once he was married, Finn suspected he’d be in good hands.
Call it a hunch.
When Michael’s phone chimed, he glanced over at Finn.
“Can you get that. It’s in my jean pocket.”
The man pulled it from his pants, and when the screensaver came on, he was surprised.
On it, there was a very old picture. It was of Michael and Graham in fatigues, carrying M-Fours, and sitting on the top of a Humvee.
He looked up.
Michael saw what he was staring at.
“I kept it and it’s been with me since we broke up,” he admitted. “I always kept it in a file on my phones over the years as a way to see him when I needed to.”
Finn was impressed.
It was clear that the man never stopped loving him.
“I only went to delete it once. It was when Riley, my ex, found out about Graham. We were in bed talking one night, and I had a few too many glasses of wine. I slipped and told him about him.”
Finn listened.
“He wanted to see him, and now I know it was to compare himself to him. He demanded I delete it.”
Finn didn’t like the man already. Gabby knew about his ex, and never once did she want him to erase her.
Instead, she just terrorized her when she crossed paths with the woman.
“And did you?”
He nodded.
“I just hid it on the phone so Riley couldn’t get it. Ironically, he broke into my phone to get the housing specs on the Blackhawk’s new home, but not that.”
Yeah, Finn didn’t like this Riley guy. It was a good thing he was in a different country on a completely different continent.
“Needless to say, last night I pulled it up, as I was sitting there watching Graham sleep. It was after I read the notes he wrote me.”
Finn was curious.
“What notes?” he asked.
“The ones he wrote every year on the day we broke up. There were seven of them. They are why I jumped back in. He really did miss me.”
Finn could attest to that.
“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve talked about you, Laddie. He thought about you a lot. Trust me when I say that. I’ve watched him sink lower and lower over what happened. You came just in time.”
“I thought of him, too. A lot.”
And that was the truth.
They stopped talking, and when they did, Aiden finished getting him together.
It didn’t take too long.
When Michael looked in the mirror, he admired himself. The kilt showed off his narrow waist, and the kilt jacket made his chest and shoulders broad. The fly plaid laid across his one shoulder.
“You need a brooch to hold the scarf in place,” Aiden offered.
Finn had an idea.
“You could wear your purple heart. Or better yet, you could give your Purple Heart to Graham to wear, and you could wear his Victoria Cross.”
That sounded perfect.
He’d have to make that happen.
“When you’re ready, we can check you out,” Aiden offered.
Michael handed Finn his wallet.
“Can you pay for me. I need to call someone,” he said, seeing what the text had been about that had just come in.
It was from Graham, and it said one thing.
‘Call your mother. I called my father, Tony.’
And he knew who he was talking about when it came to his mother.
He was right. This was a perfect time.
Finn caught his wallet.
“There’s cash, but there’s a black credit card in there. Use that if I don’t have enough cash.”
The man nodded.
Then, he followed Aiden out, giving Michael some time to himself.
Dialing, he sat down in his kilt, and got a visual of his balls in the mirror across from him.
Yeah, mental note, don’t sit like that. He’d scare people.
Closing his legs, he waited, not sure if she’d answer the phone.
Finally, she did.
“Yes, Saint Michael.”
Her voice was neutral, and held absolutely no emotions whatsoever.
Yeah, he’d made a mess.
“Do you have time to talk?”
Honestly, she knew this call would happen. All she had to do was wait and let the man calm down.
“I always have time for you,” she admitted, waving her administrative assistant from her room.
Vivian would have to come back.
When one of her children called, and Michael was that, she’d always prioritize.
It was now or never.
“I fucked up,” he said. “When I spoke to you, it was not cool how I talked to you. If I heard anyone speaking to you the way I did, I’d kick their asses. I’m sorry that I made you the bad guy, when I was the bad guy.”
She wasn’t angry with him.
One of the good things about her was she had a damn thick skin, and she was accustomed to children acting out. Marines had their moments too.
She wouldn’t hold a grudge.
After all, she genuinely loved Michael. He’d been with her a while, almost seven years, and she wouldn’t make him suffer.
“I’m not upset with you, Saint Michael of the Blackhawks. We all have moments that blindside us. I’m just glad you’re not angry with me. I didn’t do it to hurt you. I did it because you needed it.”
He let her talk.
“Sometimes, I have to make tough calls. This was probably one of the most difficult ones of my life. I’ve never met Graham, and I had to go with my gut and believe that once you were back near him, fate would unfold and let you have your life back.”
He loved her for that.
Elizabeth always had his back.
ALWAYS.
Once, he’d called her from a bar, shitface drunk, and making questionable choices. She got to him and brought him home. She stayed with him while he puked in the bathroom, too.
If that wasn’t a mother, what was?
“I didn’t know him, but I know you. I know you never stopped loving him, and I suspected he felt the same. Sometimes, you have to piss people off to make them see. If I managed to do that, then I did my job as your friend, family, and mom.”
Yeah, she had.
“I am still in love with him.”
Well, tell her something she didn’t know. No one raged that hard at someone they did love over someone they supposedly didn’t love.
“The minute I saw him…”
“I’m glad you found him again. Fate isn’t always a bitch. Sometimes, she’s kind and gentle.”
That was the truth.
“We’re getting married today.”
That made her laugh.
“Oh, Saint Michael, you move fast-fast. You have the record in the family. It took Ethan four days. You beat him by three.”
That amused him.
“He was an idiot to wait so long. He had a catch,” he offered.
She snorted.
“I’m batshit crazy, but that’s his kink,” she joked. “It’s probably why he’s a shrink.”
Probably.
“I wish you could be here. That’s my only regret. If you can come, I’ll postpone…”
She stopped him.
“No, Michael. Get married today. I’ll be there. We have tech now. Ian is there. He’ll link up the tablet, and I’ll get a front row view of you guys. Oh, and my haunted castle.”
He snorted.