Chapter 10
TEN
DYLAN
A quickie wedding before a judge turned out to be a more elaborate gathering before an officiant two days after Cassius’s final game of the season.
And in true Cassius style, he’d managed to organize access to a private lakeside location—his teammate Jerome Miles’s kick-ass second home—just south of my house in Zumbrota.
This meant we’d have servers for our late supper after our early-evening ceremony, as apparently, the sunset would make for killer photos.
In attendance was his family, my colleagues—though only four could make it since we were a tiny station consisting of eight officers and two admin staff—and practically the whole basketball team who hadn’t already had end-of-season plans.
“Man, I can’t believe you’re doing this.” Suzie, my beat partner when I wasn’t chained to my desk, passed me a shot glass.
Eyeballing the liquid, I shook my head. I refused to get wasted, despite wanting the extra courage. “It’ll be fine.” I huffed out a breath, wondering where Mama T had taken off to with my son. I could have done with a cuddle right about now.
“Riiight,” she replied before knocking back the liquid. Not even a wince. Not that I was surprised. Suzie could drink everyone under the table.
Ignoring her sarcasm, I peered at myself in the full-length mirror. With a shaky hand that I refused to dwell on, I fixed my collar and flattened down the designer jacket Cassius had given me yesterday.
I could do this.
It was for Mikey.
Plus, Cassius wasn’t wrong. As my best friend, being married to the guy wouldn’t exactly be a hardship. Not only did we speak to each other, or at least communicate, every day, but we rarely went longer than a week without seeing each other in the flesh, especially since Mikey was born.
We had lots to talk about for sure, but he’d told me we had this, and he’d never given me a single reason to doubt him before.
Mikey loved him. Hell, “Cass” had been one of his first words. The possibility of the three of us spending more time together was something I could get behind. As for Paula, it went without saying that she’d approve and be actively cheering for this to happen.
Logistics and reality could wait.
I huffed out a calming breath and cracked my neck.
“You sure you don’t want a shot?” Suzie held out another glass of clear liquid.
“No.” With one last glance in the mirror, I nodded at my reflection and turned toward her. “Will I do?”
“You look hot. You know, in that ‘Theo James wearing a three-piece suit’ way. Do that smolder thing.” Suzie bounced her eyebrows up and down.
“I don’t do a smolder thing.” I rolled my eyes, refusing to give in to temptation and peek into the mirror. Theo James was smoking hot. I thought I scrubbed up okay—and the suit was the nicest thing I’d ever worn—but since Suzie made it her mission to fuck with me, I wasn’t buying it.
“You so do. Tilly in administration talks about it all the time. Let me grab a photo to send to her.”
“Do not send a photo.” I shook my head, my lips twitching at her ridiculousness. “And since when have you been spending time gossiping with Tilly?”
A salacious grin curled her lips. “Since Emily Garrot joined the admin staff.”
I snorted out a laugh. “You are just continuing to ask for trouble. You know who her dad is, right?”
A shrug preceded her “I don’t give a shit” expression. “I’m not trying to date her dad. She’s sweet.”
From what I knew about Emily, Suzie was right: Emily was sweet. And so not Suzie’s usual type.
But what the hell did I know since, in five minutes, I’d be exchanging vows with my best friend? A guy who remained my constant. Was officially my soul mate.
And yeah, who I happened to share the hottest night of my life with and was the only man I’d ever given my ass to.
I was just asking for trouble.
“Anyway, it’s time to go, lover boy.” I didn’t even bother correcting her, especially when I knew she was genuinely concerned.
“That pain-in-the-ass fiancé is waiting for you.” She knocked back another shot.
“The cheese head has more money than sense that he was able to throw together a whole fucking wedding in a week.”
“Leave him alone and stop being a miserable dick.”
Suzie had something of a love-hate relationship going on with Cass.
She refused to believe it was because they were alike and had perfected being fun-loving assholes with an unhealthy side of sarcasm.
Though, while she was all strong, bitter black coffee, Cass was an extra-shot, extra-sweet, fluffy foam latte with rainbow sprinkles and a cocktail umbrella.
She arched a brow at me. “You’re going to have a miserable dick since you’re never going to have sex again unless you start fucking your ‘husband.’” There was no malice in her words, but fuck if they didn’t smack me in the face.
What on earth was I doing?
I’d be a celibate married man who one day would look down to realize my dick had shriveled up from lack of use.
“Jesus. Are you going to puke?” My gaze snapped to Suzie’s. Her eyes widened, and a flash of regret, something I rarely saw, appeared. “Dylan, I’m just messing with you. It’ll be fine. You know I can’t not fuck with you, and especially Cassius.”
A trickle of sweat rolled down my back. Shit, am I going to pass out?
“Listen.” Moving to stand in front of me, she latched on to my sweaty palms and didn’t even wince. Hell, I must have looked like I was going to lose it if she didn’t say anything. “Cassius is your best friend, right?”
I nodded mutely.
“You can tell him anything and everything, right?”
With only the slightest hesitation, I bobbed my head.
I’d never told Cass about the time I hooked up with John Harris when he’d left town to go to college.
Cass had hated the football player something fierce.
Plus, John had been a lousy lay and an asshole, and I didn’t want an “I told you so” from my best friend.
The inability to erase the night I’d shared with Cass years back was also something I kept secret. More specifically how I’d struggled to form any type of real attachment with a man since. Let alone allow anyone even close to my ass.
My feelings for him, the thought of what could have been, I pushed way, way down into the dark void of “shit you don’t share.” Years had passed since then. As far as I was concerned, it was a night we’d never repeat.
I didn’t think I could make myself vulnerable like that again. Not without it destroying everything.
“In that case, I can reluctantly admit that the two of you getting hitched isn’t the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Her words were so unexpected, it did the trick of slicing through my meltdown. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She released my hands and scrunched her nose as she stared at her palms. “You’re both good guys,” she started, her begrudging sigh tugging a smile from me.
“You both love that cute kid of yours. That, after all these years—you know, since you were fetuses or whatever—you’re still so close has to mean that you’ll be fine.
Plus, have you actually seen the two of you together? ”
It wasn’t necessary to ask for clarification, but I still rolled my eyes anyway.
Everyone at the station, my friends, his friends, hell, anyone who’d seen us together at one point or another had asked if we were a couple. Cassius being tactile was something I loved about him. We cuddled, still shared a bed every now and then, and shared food. I enjoyed every moment.
Receiving his attention and being able to give it back so openly made me feel good. It always had.
Every time and without hesitation he gave it to me in spades, though it never escaped my notice that he was only like that with me.
“So,” Suzie said as she rubbed her hands with an antibacterial wipe she’d pulled out of her bag, “clean your gross palms with one of these”—she passed me the packet—“and let’s get to it.”
Tugging out a sheet, I cleaned my hands. “Okay. I’ve got this.”
“You sure as shit do.” A wide grin formed. “I’m so fucking awesome at pep talks. You think I should go for the promotion at work for the public liaison officer?”
I snorted as I threw the wipe away, knowing she was fucking with me. The thought of Suzie in any sort of PR role was terrifying. “Why don’t you ask Chief Nelson that? Just let me be there.”
Flipping me off, she headed toward the door of one of the bedrooms we’d commandeered. “Whatever. Come on. Let’s get you hitched.”
She left me to it, and I took the moment to take some centering breaths.
When the door opened again, I smiled. Pop, Cass’s dad, stood in the doorway with Mikey in his arms.
“Looking good there, son.”
Emotion smacked me square in the chest. The hell is going on with me? I cleared my throat as he shot me a soft, fatherly smile. Pop had called me “son” for pretty much all my life. That the words hit me with emotion now didn’t make sense.
“Thanks, Pop,” I managed and accepted his hug, Mikey squealing between us. Pulling away, I chuckled, looking at my little guy. “Did you not like your suit that Cass got you?”
He scrunched his nose tightly, his brow pulling low. “No. Stinky.”
“Well, I’m not sure stinky is the right word. Do you not think I look handsome?”
His deep brown eyes roamed over me. “Youse looks hamsome, Dada.”
The tightening in my chest had me releasing a shaky breath.
No word of a lie, becoming this kid’s father was the best thing to ever happen to me.
Losing Paula was hell. It still was. But her entrusting me with her son, the boy who had the same shaped eyes as his mom, was a gift I’d be forever grateful for.
“I think you look like the best B-ball player in the League.” Because of course Mikey was wearing his favorite full basketball uniform Cass had gifted him at the start of season. Complete with Cass’s number 12 and Britton etched on the back.
Fitting, I supposed.
“I ams, Dada. Cass pway B-ball.”