Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Finn
Yeah, okay. So railroading the Gander and Briggs siblings into accepting me as a fifth was bad enough. Shoving Ulysses between Cooper and me was either going to prove to be brilliant or a big mistake.
Cooper was a hoot. Hooking up with him had been great.
Discovering we weren’t compatible because we both really liked taking it up the ass had been a disappointment.
Seeing him marry stuffy Lachlan Briggs made me happy because I’d never seen Cooper light up like he did when he was with his husband.
And that said something since Coop was a firecracker and beacon of light on the darkest winter days, even without Lachlan.
“Hey, what did you all settle on for last names?” I nudged Ulysses’s shoulder with mine.
“Taryn and Lachlan are brother and sister. Cooper and Stephanie are brother and sister. Taryn and Stephanie got married and—” I gestured between the two men.
“—I thought you were antagonistic to each other right up until you got married.”
Lachlan cleared his throat while a rosy blush stole across his cheeks.
Cooper flung an arm around his husband. “Yeah. I’d love to say we had the world fooled—but I really couldn’t stand this guy. All stuffed shirt and no sense of humor.”
“Hey!” Lachlan pushed out the word, but without much heat behind it. He cleared his throat. “I just saw a different side of Cooper. During the wedding preparations and, uh, during the actual ceremony.”
“Oh!” Cooper reached into his back pocket to retrieve his phone. He tapped, swiped, and then showed it to a very surprised Ulysses. “Finn’s seen these wedding photos.”
“I don’t mind looking again.” Especially if it means I can get up close and personal with this enigmatic man. So I leaned over and pressed myself against Ulysses. And, of course, had to put my arm around his shoulder to get even closer.
The first photo again had me burst out laughing.
In a good way.
Stephanie in a light-blue-and-white-checked dress with black boots.
Taryn in an elaborate crushed-velvet outfit.
Cooper wearing a red-and-black patterned dress as well as a crown.
Lachlan wearing bunny ears, a white face, and a matching suit.
“Uh—” Ulysses scratched his nose. “Alice in Wonderland?”
Cooper grinned and pressed his hand to Ulysses’s thigh.
The man startled.
My protective instincts kicked in. Ulysses hadn’t given Cooper permission to be so informal. To take liberties.
Right, and you sought permission to sling an arm over his shoulder and ensure your thighs are pressed together? Well, when put like that? The answer was a hard no. I could use the excuse we’d been intimate before. Or point out familiarity in a gay bar was more acceptable.
Neither reasoning stood up to scrutiny.
Cooper continued to swipe.
I tried to subtly pull away from Ulysses.
He grasped my thigh—presumably to hold me in place.
And since I didn’t want to move, I placed my hand over his.
After about twenty photos, Cooper re-pocketed his phone. “This was all Stephanie’s idea, but I love that Taryn went along with it. She made a great Mad Hatter.”
“Also that Cooper and Lachlan were game.” Taryn beamed. “Cooper as the Queen of Hearts? Perfection in that dress and those heels.”
“Wearing heeled boots is always easier than stilettos.” Cooper winked.
I was intensely curious about when Cooper had worn stilettos—but now wasn’t the time to ask.
“Lachlan as the White Rabbit was special.” Stephanie offered a massive grin.
Despite her sunshine, she was, ironically, the dark horse of this group. She’d come out at twenty-two—a mere three years ago. She and Taryn met shortly after, and love had followed.
I corrected myself. Lachlan was an even darker horse.
He was in his late-thirties and had shown no sign of being gay.
Had even been photographed with famous women for his job back in Toronto.
I cocked my head and directed my question to him.
“How is it being back in small-town British Columbia? After being a famous attorney in Toronto?”
Ulysses cut me an indecipherable look—then immediately refocused his attention to Lachlan.
Who gave me that look as he arched an eyebrow. “I wasn’t famous. My clients are.” He met Ulysses’s gaze. “Entertainment lawyer. I gave up my place in the practice back in Toronto to move to Mission City so I could be with the love of my life.”
Cooper pressed a hand to his chest and blinked.
Lachlan pressed a kiss to his husband’s temple before continuing.
“I have a few clients who jumped ship and have joined my fledgling practice in Mission City. The good news is I work a lot on referrals and Vancouver is full of entertainment types. I have several private clients and a lead on a job at a studio. That might mean commuting from Mission City to North Vancouver a couple of times a week, but the opportunity is too great to turn down—if it comes.”
I blinked. Our small town to North Van was a hell of a drive. “Oh. Would you drive or take the West Coast Express?” Our commuter train ran from Mission City to Vancouver.
“Depends on the day. The last train runs at about half past six. There’s a bus later, but it’s a pain to catch. Or I can just drive. If I leave early enough in the morning, I should be okay. For the afternoon, I’d either have to leave very early or much later.”
“Vancouver rush hour.” Ulysses rolled his eyes.
Interesting. When I first met him, I’d known he wasn’t from Mission City—but I hadn’t been certain if he was from Vancouver or elsewhere. At the time, without having a last name, searching him on the internet had been virtually impossible.
Okay…I’d tried. But with just a first name, and the fact he rode a motorcycle, I didn’t really have much to go by.
So all that hadn’t helped. I’d even considered hiring a private detective—we had a new one in town.
Rayne Williams appeared quite competent, but I figured even he’d struggle with what little I could give him.
Then my mystery man’d appeared as the editor of the Mission City Gazette.
Did I think I might run into Ulysses here?
In the only gay bar in Cedar Valley? Nope.
Was I still irritated with him for bailing on me?
Yes. Finally…was I curious why he often sent Spring Dixon, his staff reporter, out to cover fires and accidents and anything else where the fire department—and therefore me—might respond? Hell fucking yes to that as well.
“Eh, Finn?”
I blinked. “Uh, sure, whatever.”
The entire table burst into laughter—including Ulysses. Although his was more of a reserved chuckle.
Brazen it out. “Well, I suppose it’s okay.”
Stephanie blew a raspberry. “It’s so not okay. If you and Coop had become serious after your ill-fated hookup then he wouldn’t have been available when he got together with Lachlan.”
Heat crept into my cheeks. “When put like that—”
“Honey, we were so not meant to be together.” Cooper winked.
Yeah, that heat intensified. I worried my cheeks might look like Rudolph’s nose. “That’s probably true—”
“It’s actually quite remarkable Cooper was single when our sisters married.” Lachlan rolled his eyes.
“Hey.” Cooper shrugged. “I like dating. I prefer being married to the love of my life, though.”
Lachlan ducked his head.
Cooper snagged his jaw and guided him up so their gazes met.
My breath caught. I’d known Cooper had fallen hard for Lachlan. A real-life opposites attract romance. Along with the substantial age gap, they didn’t really have much in common. Cooper worked in an advertising agency. Lachlan was an entertainment attorney.
That said, Taryn the tow truck driver and Stephanie the retail specialist at a fashion boutique in Mission City weren’t exactly the couple most predicted either.
The palpable love at this table overwhelmed me. In a good way.
Marc arrived just in time. “Drinks?”
Taryn, Ulysses and I opted for soda since we’d abandoned our drinks at the bar. Stephanie and Cooper chose cosmos while Lachlan opted for a vodka tonic.
Taryn laughed. “You can tell who the DD is tonight.”
“Whatever keeps the roads safe.” I winced. “I see way too many drunk-driving crashes. Things are better than they used to be, but people are still fucking idiots.”
“Yes.” Ulysses said the words quietly. “Idiots.”
“Oh my God, I love this song! Move!” Cooper nudged Ulysses.
Out of self-preservation, I scooted out of the booth as well.
Where I expected Cooper to coax Lachlan to join him, he grabbed Ulysses’s hand and dragged him over to the surprisingly full dance floor.
For a moment, I just stared.
Cooper wrapped his arms around Ulysses’s neck.
Ulysses met my gaze, held it for a moment, gave an almost imperceptible nod, then focused his attention back to the bubbly blond.
Well, okay then. I slid back into the booth.
Stephanie winked. Lots of Gander siblings winking tonight. “He’ll be fine. I mean, I assume he’ll say something if he’s not comfortable.”
I nodded. I might not know much about the enigma that was Ulysses—but I was certain he could extricate himself without making a scene if he wanted to. I pressed against Lachlan. “You okay with this?” I gestured to Ulysses and Cooper.
Lachlan burst out laughing—something I’d never heard him do before. We were more than ten years apart, so I supposed we hadn’t interacted much.
“I’m damn secure in my marriage. I can’t—” Lachlan scratched his stubbled jaw. “I mean, maybe it’s crazy. But Cooper…he’s a one-man guy. Yes, he dated plenty before he met me. But we just…clicked.”
I smiled hard. “That’s so amazing.”
Stephanie reached across the table to grasp my hand. “You’ll find that too, Finn.”
I waved her off with the hand she wasn’t clutching. “I’m young. I’m sowing my wild oats. Or some shit like that. I love my life.” I wasn’t lying either. That said, I might’ve snuck a peek over at Ulysses as he danced with Cooper.
Stephanie squeezed my hand. “Do you want to dance with Lachlan, Taryn, or me?” Note that not dancing wasn’t an option.
“Who wants to dance with me is the better question.”
She offered me a megawatt smile. “All of us, of course.”
Taryn nodded enthusiastically. I remembered her as being shyer. Being with Stephanie had really drawn her out of her shell.
Lachlan nudged me. “If we dance, then it’s easier to swap partners. Is he your date?”
“Uh…something like that?” I certainly wasn’t going to say that Ulysses had been my half-a-night stand.
“Great.” Lachlan nudged me. A lot of that going on tonight. Everybody was all very familiar. Truthfully, I enjoyed it. I was an easygoing kind of guy who loved being around people.
From the little I’d seen, I didn’t peg Ulysses as such.
I scooted out of the booth and allowed Lachlan to grab my hand. We made our way to the dance floor as another slow song started. “Is this Jann Arden?”
Lachlan shrugged as he pulled me flush against him. “I don’t see how I Would Die for You is necessarily romantic, but I do remember it. Well, sort of. And yeah, I love Jann Arden.”
“Okay,” I wrapped my arms around his neck and ducked a little to rest my head against his shoulder. He was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. I’d danced with tons of guys over the years. So generically familiar. Lachlan was an unknown person to me in this way. Definitely unfamiliar.
Every time we made a rotation, I caught sight of Ulysses and Cooper. They weren’t plastered together. That’s likely Ulysses’s doing—I can totally see Cooper leaving no space between the two of them to make me jealous. More fool him.
Yeah.
Except I was kind of jealous. I did want to be back in Ulysses’ arms. To have him holding me tight. Something about that made my heart accelerate.
“We can trade partners anytime.” Lachlan chuckled.
Even as he said the words, Cooper and Ulysses stepped back from each other. With Cooper holding Ulysses’s hand, they made their way over to me. Cooper tapped my back. “I miss my husband.” He said the words in a very whiny tone.
Lachlan chuckled again. “My husband is quite a character.” He pecked my cheek. “Good luck.” He whispered words into my ear as he released me and stepped into Cooper’s arms. They sort of floated away.
Ulysses eyed me. “I don’t particularly like to be manipulated.”
I smiled as I grasped his hand and tugged him into my arms.
He came more or less willingly.
More or less.
Quickly, though, he wrapped me in his arms. Clearly he wasn’t going to be led anywhere.
To my surprise, another ballad played. Jeff Healey. Damn, I wasn’t going to cry. He’d been one of my favorites growing up, and Angel Eyes was the ultimate song. No way anyone could know this about me, of course. Just some random choice. Especially since it was a very het song.
That said, I replaced girl with guy and thought about Ulysses.
And although the song was about love, there was also the element of why he chose me.
When he’d pulled up beside me at that intersection, how had he known that I was gay?
That I was interested? And if he’d kept going instead of nearly being in an accident, what would that have meant?
As the editor of the paper, we should be encountering each other regularly.
Which led me to the question of why he was clearly involved in other aspects of the community but never any time he might encounter me over the last three months. Because he’s not looking for a repeat. Yet even as I had the thought, his very erect cock brushed my hip.
Well okay, then. Maybe things are going to change.
Yeah…but don’t make it too easy for him.
Right. I wouldn’t. Bruised ego and all that. I was going to make him work for it.