Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
REX
Simon kissed Nigel like he wanted to climb inside of him, and Nigel clung to his best friend with both hands.
When they started getting a little heated, I decided that the wedding guests still in attendance had gotten enough of a show and I coughed.
Then I coughed again, but Nigel and Simon just kept kissing.
“Hey,” Perry said. “Lovebirds. You might want to cool the PDA unless you want to catch charges for public indecency.”
That did it.
Simon reluctantly pulled away, and Nigel stared at him, his expression one of awe and disbelief.
“What are you doing here?” Nigel repeated.
“I think we established that I’m here to stop your wedding.”
“There is no wedding. I—he left. I told him to go.” This seemed to remind Nigel that he had a bone to pick with his brother because he turned his attention to me. Anger flashed in his eyes. Anger and hurt. “Tell me more about you and Trevor. How did it even happen?”
“First of all, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.
You just looked so happy, or at least you looked what I thought was happy.
I didn’t want to be the one to blow things up, and it wasn’t like I loved him.
Hell, I barely even like him. It was a nothing, rebound fling.
We went out a couple times and then I told him that I wasn’t feeling it, and we went our separate ways.
There wasn’t even any drama. If he’d have stalked me or harassed me, I wouldn’t have stayed quiet about it, but there was no reason to tell you. ”
Nigel looked at Simon. “Can I have a couple minutes with my brother, and then we’ll get out of here.”
“You can have anything you want.” Simon oozed affection whenever he looked at Nigel, and I wondered how Nigel didn’t know until now that Simon was hopelessly in love with him.
“Simon? I’m Perry, uh… we could probably tell the guests that there’s no wedding. If they haven’t guessed already.”
Simon grinned at Perry. “I know who you are,” he said. “I think most people have got the idea, but let’s get everyone to leave.”
When Simon and Perry strolled off together, Perry seemingly unfazed that Simon knew who he was, Nigel took a deep breath and let out a sigh.
“I wish you would have told me.”
“If I’d have told you, you probably would have ended things between the two of you and I didn’t want that to be my fault.”
Nigel exhaled and seemed to deflate. His shoulders dropped and his arms hung limp at his sides. “You’d have saved me months of agony, Rex. For fuck’s sake.”
“What do you mean?”
“I—it’s going to sound stupid, and it makes me feel stupid, but I wanted to marry Trevor for all the wrong reasons.
I think you were right. I wanted to marry him because I wanted to be married.
I—you’re so successful and you and Bryson got so close to tying the knot, and it sort of fucked with me a bit.
To always be so behind you. And it got me thinking that I wanted to get married.
I convinced myself that Trevor was the one.
Only, Simon hated him. Like really hated him.
Way more than he hated my other boyfriends. ”
“I think I know why.” I shot Nigel a warm smile. “Simon’s a good guy.”
“I didn’t know,” Nigel whispered. “I didn’t know how I felt until I got engaged and things between us fractured. And by then it was too late. I was in too deep. I didn’t know what to do, and I wasn’t sure if Simon was in love with me or if he just hated Trevor. I’m such an idiot.”
I reached for Nigel and pulled him into a hug. “You’re not an idiot.”
“I was getting married to someone to, like, one-up my brother. To beat you in some sort of one-sided sibling rivalry.”
“Well…” I paused, trying to decide if I was really going to come clean. “I told two lies that day at the diner.”
He pulled back and looked at me, his brow furrowed.
“When I said I had a boyfriend. I was so, so, so very single. I hadn’t been on a single date since I stopped seeing Trevor, and I didn’t want him to think I was missing him or something. So I lied. I made up a boyfriend.”
“So Perry isn’t…”
“Oh no, we’re definitely together now. It’s new, but it’s real. It’s the most real thing I’ve ever had with someone. But I wanted to tell you because I didn’t want you to feel like you’re the only one in the family who does things based on what the other one might think.”
Nigel laughed and shook his head. “We’re a couple of idiots who clearly need to spend more time together. Maybe then we wouldn’t get ourselves into messes like this.”
I turned to see Simon and Perry laughing and talking as they handled the lingering wedding guests.
“Things have worked out pretty well for us, I think.”
“I’m still mad that you lied to me but not that mad.” Nigel moved to stand next to me, and he bumped our shoulders together. “He’s cute. Does he really do porn?”
“He really does.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“But what about… he sleeps with other guys, Rex.”
“Nigel, I love you, and I’m sorry I lied to you, and while I promise to tell you the truth going forward, please stop asking questions before I give you more honesty than you’re prepared for. Okay?”
He was quiet for a second. “Yeah, uh. Sorry. I just… I never was good at sharing things. I don’t know how you do it.”
“Because he doesn’t share his heart with anyone else, and that’s the part of him that matters the most.”
As Simon and Perry approached, the wedding guests dispersed, the officiant gone, I looked at Perry and wanted to be alone with him. I wanted to tear that mulberry jacket off him and leave marks on his body that would show everyone that he was mine.
“I think we should go,” I told him as he walked right up to me and slid his arms around my waist.
Perry pressed his mouth against mine in a chaste kiss. “I agree. Besides, I think these two have a lot to talk about.”
He stepped over to my side and tugged me away from Nigel.
“The two of us should have breakfast next weekend,” I said to Nigel. “Bennett’s, Saturday at nine.”
Simon smirked. “I’ll make sure he shows up on time.”
There was no mistaking the fact that Simon was head over heels in love with Nigel, not with the way he looked at him. It almost made me feel guilty for not telling Nigel the truth about Trevor sooner. Still, things seemed to be working out the way they were supposed to.
“Let’s see the gardens before we leave,” I told Perry. “We’re here anyway, seems a shame to just go home.”
He smiled up at me. “It’s a date.”
We said our goodbyes to Nigel and Simon, who weren’t going to stick around, and made our way down the path. We stopped to look at the different flowers and plants and read the information cards on them. Perry seemed to love the garden, and I loved watching him explore.
We kept our conversation light, both of us content to unwind after a hectic non-wedding.
“It is a shame that there’s no reception tonight.” He stood up from stooping over a particularly brightly-colored flower. “I had planned on asking you to dance.”
“We can still go dancing.” I swept him close. One hand pressed against the small of his back and the other searched for his, grasping it like we were dancing for real as I swayed us from side to side. “We can dance right here if you want.”
Perry laughed and leaned in, resting his head on my shoulder. “A few weeks ago, I was sure that this would be our last date.”
“I have been hooked on you from the very beginning,” I confessed.
Today was a day for truth. Having been reminded what lying and withholding information could cause, honesty came a lot easier.
“I’ve wanted to ask you for a while, Perry.
” I waited until he looked up at me, until our gazes met and I could see his affection swimming in his eyes.
“I want you to be my boyfriend. For real. Not for pretend. No expiration dates.”
“I’ve never had a boyfriend before,” Perry reminded me. “What if I’m bad at it?”
“Then we’ll learn together. I’ve been a boyfriend before, but maybe I’m not a very good one.”
“Impossible. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”
“If I’m the best, then you have to be the best by default, because the best boyfriend has excellent taste in boyfriends.”
He kissed my cheek. “You think you’re so smooth, but I see right through you.”
“Then what am I thinking right now?”
Perry squinted at me and tilted his head from side to side. “You’re thinking that you want to take me home and fuck my brains out.”
“Hmmm, close. I was thinking that I want to take you home and worship every last inch of you.”
“Then what are we standing around here for?” He broke our loose dance form and tugged me in what he must have thought was the way back to the start of the garden.
“The exit is the other way,” I told him, laughing when he pivoted and tugged me in the right direction.
We went back to my place, the drive seeming to take forever, especially because Perry had reached across the center console and rested a hand on my thigh as I drove.
He didn’t move his hand or try to tease me or distract me.
He just rested his hand there, and it was all I could do not to beg him to touch my cock.
But I wanted to get us home in one piece.
“That was cruel,” I said once we were inside the house.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.
” Perry bent over and unlaced his dress shoes, then to my surprise, he knelt on the floor at my feet and unlaced mine.
I lifted my foot and he helped me out of one shoe, and then the other.
He looked up at me, and I knew that I wanted to see this face every day for the rest of my life.
I was so in love with Perry that it hurt to breathe sometimes because it felt like my whole body was full of love for him, leaving no room for anything else. Not even oxygen.
“Let me,” he said, reaching for the button of my pants, popping it open.
He untucked my shirt next, pulling it free before going back to my zipper.
I’d thankfully crated Danish before I left, so he’d be fine and out of the way for a while yet.
Which, good job on thinking ahead. I’d have to remember to pat myself on the back later.
Perry dragged my zipper down.
“Wait,” I said, my heart hammering in my ears.
Perry met my gaze and seemed almost afraid of what I might say next. So I told him the truth, because if I didn’t get it out, it was going to tear me apart. “I need you to know that I love you.”
He sat back on his heels and the breath whooshed out of him.
“I love you, Perry. I’ve loved you for weeks now. I know how we started, but this is the most real thing I’ve ever felt for anyone. And—”
Perry cut me off. “Rex, stop.”
I stopped, my heart seized in my chest, and I held my breath, waiting for him to speak.
“I can’t tell you that I love you too if you don’t stop talking long enough to let me speak.”
“You—” I bent down, holding his face in my hands. “You do?”
“For weeks now,” he said, echoing me. And then he grabbed me, cradled my face, and pulled me down into a kiss.