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.“I’m just.overwhelmed.”“But not freaked out?”He shook his head.“You sure?”He nodded.“Are you going to do something besides nod?”Brendan nodded again.Marc chuckled.“And.are you going to give me an answer? I kind of just put myself out there, don’t leave me hanging, Blondie.”Brendan smiled.“Will you stay over again tonight?”Marc shrugged, then nodded.“Sure.”“Good.” He kissed Marc, letting it linger, their tongues swirling together.When he pulled back, he cupped Marc’s face in his hands.“You can help me pack.”Chapter Twenty-SixBrendan was zipping up his jeans when Marc stepped into the bedroom they now shared.He looked Brendan over, raising eyebrows at his shirtless body.“You know I love you half naked, but you’re still not dressed? People are gonna be here any minute.”“I know, I’m almost ready.” Brendan pulled on the sweater he’d chosen for the party, a blue woolen number with a giant snowman on the front, the arms dotted with snowflakes—a joke gift from his coworkers at the law office.He turned and faced Marc, who looked gorgeous in a pair of black slacks with a rust colored button down shirt that accentuated his golden skin.Marc frowned.“Baby, I love you, you know that.”Brendan grinned.“But?”“But you are not wearing that sweater tonight.”“Why not?” Brendan smoothed it down.“It has a snowman on it.”“Yes.” Marc nodded.“I can see that.”“It’s festive!”“It’s hideous.”“It’s self-deprecating humor,” Brendan said.“Our party guests will see that I’ve worn this ridiculous sweater, and they’ll realize how comfortable I am with myself.”“No,” Marc said.“They’ll see you in that sweater, and they’ll think your new boyfriend turned you into a fruit.” Marc went to the closet and grabbed a hanger with a black, button down shirt.“Here.Wear this.It’ll look good with your jeans and it’ll bring out your blond hair.It’s stylish and masculine.Your father will approve.”Brendan laughed, peeling the snowman sweater off.“My father hasn’t bothered to return my calls.” His smile faded.His heart hurt that his father hadn’t called him back yet.They hadn’t spoken at all and it was making Brendan miserable and angry.But he pushed it aside.His father would come tonight.Brendan wouldn’t let negative emotions interfere with his happiness.Tonight was important.Not because Brendan cared so much about the party.But because it was important to Marc, and that mattered.“I’m sure he’ll be here.Your mother said they’d come.”“No, my mother said ‘sounds lovely, dear, we’ll try to make it.’ Try, she said.”The doorbell rang and Brendan jumped.Marc ran a hand down Brendan’s chest as he buttoned up the black shirt.“I’ll get it.” He pulled Brendan in for a kiss.“You look gorgeous.”Brendan smiled as Marc darted out of the room, then down the stairs to answer the door.He heard loud male voices he didn’t recognize, Marc’s cop friends, most likely.Brendan checked himself in the mirror then made his way down to greet them.The stairway was decorated with small white lights, but the downstairs was the sight to behold.Marc had moved most of the standing plants from his rainforest room into the main house and placed them haphazardly around, each with its own unique dressing of colored lights and sparkling silver snowflakes, creating a twinkling holiday Eden.Silver snowflakes also hung from the ceiling, and red glass lanterns graced every surface.Brendan grinned as he saw the huddle of burly men admiring the décor.Marc, the host extraordinaire had already gotten them beers.“Hey,” Brendan said.When the guys turned around he recognized Karl in the group, and was somewhat surprised to see him.“Hey, Brendan,” Karl said, then made introductions.“Guys this is Brendan.Steven, Kenny, and Jeff.”“There’s food in the dining room,” Brendan said.“And Marc’s rum punch in the sunroom.”“Ugh, Daggett’s rum punch,” Steven, the redhead said.“He brought that to the holiday party at work last year, gave me the worst hangover I’ve ever had.”Brendan grinned.“So you gonna have some?”“Absolutely,” Steven said, and headed for the sunroom.Brendan laughed.Karl stepped away from his friends, wrapping an arm around Brendan and leading him away from the group.“So things okay with you guys?”Brendan looked up at Karl and laughed, nodding.“You could say that.We’re living together.”Karl chuckled.“So do I get any credit for that or what?”“You want credit?” Brendan raised his eyebrows.“Why, what did you do?”Karl’s jaw dropped.“If I hadn’t told you to talk to Marc when.” Then he seemed to catch up and realize Brendan was joking.“Wiseass.”The doorbell rang and Brendan gave Karl’s shoulder a pat.“Thank you, Karl.Excuse me.”Brendan answered the door to a giggling Terry Ann and Willa.Two young men stood behind them, one of which he recognized as Willa’s boyfriend he’d met at Bibeta’s, that night that seemed so long ago now.“Hey!” he spread his arms wide.Terry Ann gave him a huge hug, and the rest of them rustled inside, bringing a gust of cold air with them.He took their coats and hung them up, then found the group wandering around, admiring the decorations.“Drinks?”“Marc’s getting them,” Willa said.She moved in close to Brendan, and Terry Ann followed, the two of them dragging him aside.“So,” Willa said.“What gives?”Brendan grinned.“What?”“Come on!” Terry Ann said.“Marc.Is he your.roommate?”“No,” Brendan said.“Well, yes.But he’s more than that.”Willa slapped Terry Ann’s arm.“Told you.”“Well what the hell,” Terry Ann said.“When did that happen, Brendan?”“It’s a long story,” he said, just as Marc approached, handing the girls each a glass of wine.Marc pointed to the boyfriends.“Hang on, I’ll get your beers.”The doorbell rang again.“I’ll get the beers,” Brendan said.“You get the door.”“And you thought no one would come,” Marc said, nudging him before going to answer the door.Terry Ann hooked Brendan’s arm as he started for the kitchen.“He’s fucking gorgeous.”Brendan grinned.“I know.”He made his way to the kitchen, still baffled that Willa and Terry Ann hadn’t recognized Marc as the busboy from Bibeta’s Garden.But to say he was relieved was an understatement.All of the connections to past events seemed to be disintegrating and floating away, which pleased him.Each day that passed in this new life of his made the terrible events of the past few months fade further into oblivion.Of course those memories would always be there, and in some way they were the glue that held him and Marc together, a foundation of strength based on the things that hadn’t broken them.But he was happy to be making new memories, even happier to be making them with Marc.Their personalities and habits had proven to blend surprisingly well since Brendan had moved in.Despite Marc giving him an office of his own, most nights they spent splayed out in the living room together, their respective files on the cases they were working on spread out around their personal space.It was a comforting routine.Brendan shared details of his cases with Marc if he was feeling tangled up, and Marc even asked Brendan’s legal advice once in a while.But the best part was, each night ended with them going up to bed.Together.“Brendan!” Marc called out, jarring him out of his ponderings.“Cal and Rhonda are here.”Within the hour, Marc’s house was filled with party guests and their boisterous chatter melded with music and laughter.Some of Brendan’s old friends from Boston came, along with many more people he didn’t know.Marc seemed to have a lot more social acquaintances than he’d let on [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]