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“Now, before you get all cranky—”
“Did you invite him here today?”
“Well…” Robbie smoothed his hand over Priest’s shirt and then glanced over his shoulder to Julien, who was clearly keeping out of whatever was happening. “I might’ve sent him an invitation. I thought he’d want to see this, since he, you know, helped us stay together.”
Okay, Bailey hadn’t expected that, and it was obvious Priest hadn’t either, as he let out a sigh.
“How did you even know where to find him?” Priest said.
“Umm…”
“Robert?”
Shit, Bailey thought, as he looked between Priest and Robbie. That tone meant one thing and one thing only: I expect an answer, now.
“I… He… Look,” Robbie said, and pointed a finger at Priest’s chest. “He texts me occasionally, okay?”
“He what?”
“He’s my friend. All of our friends, and I didn’t see any problem inviting him today, so stop growling at me. It’s our wedding day.”
Priest had the good grace to look chagrined as he swallowed back whatever he was about to say next, and leaned in to kiss Robbie’s forehead. “You’re right. I apologize. You just caught me off guard, that’s all.”
Julien cleared his throat and said, “Ah, is Henri still here, Bailey?”
Bailey shook his head. “No, he’s gone.”
“Of course he is,” Priest muttered, and when Robbie glared at him, Priest shrugged. “What? That’s what he’s good at.”
That was an interesting comment, but not all that unusual coming from an ex. Maybe Henri had been the type of boyfriend who was really good at walking out the door. He didn’t exactly look like the kind of guy to settle down and make roots.
Wow, way to stereotype there, Bay.
“Well,” Julien said to the two beside him, interrupting Bailey’s thoughts. “I think it says a lot that he showed at all. It’s…nice.”
Priest said nothing to that, but Robbie nodded. Whatever message was being passed between these three was being done so in silence. Then Julien stepped forward and hooked his arm through Bailey’s.
“Why don’t you come inside and let us get you a drink?”
“I’m driving, so I—”
“Oh, please,” Robbie said, and hooked Bailey’s other arm. “That’s why there’s Uber. Let’s get you a drink or three. That is the theme of today’s celebration, after all.”
As the two of them led him off toward the back deck area, Bailey spotted Priest staring out at the empty tree line, and couldn’t help but wonder if Priest was having as hard a time as he was forgetting the man who went by the name…Henri.
Chapter Three
CONFESSION
I always thought I was pretty smart.
Turns out, I’m really not.
“WOULD YOU LIKE another?”
Henri nodded to the bartender who’d just noticed his empty tumbler, as he looked out over the lake from the bar in his hotel. He’d been there for a couple of hours now, working his way through the bottle of bourbon the woman had opened when he first sat down. He was doing his best to erase the final image he’d had of Priest wrapped around Robbie, as he kissed his new husband and welcomed him into his and Julien’s life on a permanent basis.
During that time, Henri had also come to the decision that he was either a fucking idiot or a glutton for punishment. He was still trying to work out which of those two things fit a person who’d made a three-hour drive out of town just to torture himself. It would’ve been laughable if it wasn’t so pathetically sad. But as Henri brought his freshly topped drink to his lips to take a sip, he realized that was exactly what he was—pathetic and…sad.
It wasn’t like this day was all that shocking. It was clear to anyone who saw those three together that they loved one another. Henri just wished he hadn’t fucking seen them; it would’ve made disliking them so much easier. But after the hell they’d been through with Priest’s father—Big Jimmy—it was no surprise that Priest had wanted to lock that shit down. That was who he was. It was in his nature. If, of course, you were the one he loved.
Henri shook his head and patted around his jacket for his cigarettes. He needed to stop thinking about this. He needed to go outside, have a smoke, then come back in here and get shit-faced drunk. That was how he’d dealt with it the first time around—fucking Julien—and while that had been one of the most difficult nights of his life, the fact that it was happening all over again seemed like a fuck-you no matter which way he looked at it.
The problem was that he knew that it wasn’t. In fact, it might’ve actually been easier if it was. But that wasn’t how Priest worked, and as Henri sat there trying his hardest to forget the man he’d do anything for, his memories wouldn’t leave him be. They kept coming back to the day he’d made his own vow to Priest.
