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“You look at me when you speak to me, boy,” Jimmy said. “You don’t stare at your feet like a sniveling little girl.”
“Yes, Dad,” Joel said in a voice so quiet that Henri barely heard him.
“Good. Now, I’ve told you time and time again not to come this far out on the property. Haven’t I, son?”
Something in Jimmy’s tone had Henri’s legs shaking, as he watched Jimmy’s fingers dig deeper into Joel’s jaw as he tried to nod.
“What was that, boy?”
“Yes, you’ve told me,” Joel said, and that was when Henri chimed in with as much bravado as a five-year-old could manage.
“Let him go, you big bully.”
“Henri,” Joel said, but Henri’s valiant little act wasn’t over just yet. Instead, his foolhardy quest had him stepping up beside his friend, ready to defend him to the very end. Jimmy shoved Joel back and released him, then turned his attention toward Henri, and just as he was about to reach for him, Joel blocked his path.
“Don’t you touch him,” Joel said in a voice that Henri barely recognized, but something about it made goosebumps break out over his skin.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes and straightened, puffing out his chest in that moment as though he was proud of his son, then he nodded. “Huh, very well. You know what? I think it’s almost time, son. But until then, stay away. You hear me?”
Joel gave a brisk nod, and after a final glance in Henri’s direction, Jimmy turned and headed back into the thick trees of the property.
Henri didn’t breathe again until Jimmy was out of sight, and when Joel turned around to ask if he was all right, Henri nodded and made a vow to always be there for Joel the way he’d just been there for him—but two weeks later, Joel Donovan was gone.
Chapter Four
CONFESSION
If I believed in fate, I might start to think that this is more than a coincidence.
“THIS IS YOU.”
The Uber came to a stop at the front of his hotel, and Bailey thanked the driver and pushed open the car door, ready to get inside and crawl into bed.
He’d had a great time at the reception this afternoon with the grooms and all their guests, but now that he’d stopped, his exhaustion and the lingering buzz from the alcohol Robbie had kept sending his way all day was starting to catch up with him.
It was a wonder he could even stand upright as he made his way to the front entrance and pushed through the revolving door. As the glass panes spun in front of him, Bailey tried to focus on something stationary so he wouldn’t wind up on his ass, but it was touch and go for a moment until he finally got inside and steadied himself with a hand on the closest wall.
Shit, maybe he should’ve passed on that last B-52 shot. But all the fun and laughter had been contagious, so he’d rallied, thrown back the drinks, and stayed until the Thornton-Priestleys had headed off for their wedding night away from the Bianchis’ lake house.
Once the world stopped spinning—literally—Bailey made his way through the hotel lobby to wait for the elevator, but as he passed by the bar and looked inside, his feet came to a standstill.
No. There’s no way that’s who I think it is… But as he walked inside, there was no mistaking the man at the far end of the bar.
With Henri’s leather jacket hugging his frame like a second skin and the sun glinting off several rings on his fingers, Bailey didn’t even have to see his face to know it was him. He’d been thinking about the stranger he’d met this morning all day, and now here he was, as if Bailey had conjured him out of thin air.
The place wasn’t too busy yet, since it was just now turning five thirty, but Bailey’s attention was firmly fixated on Henri. He hadn’t moved, not even to take a drink, just sat there staring out at the water in front of him, and Bailey wondered what it was he was thinking about. Probably Priest, if he had to guess. It was never easy to watch your ex tie the knot with someone else—especially a second someone else—if it wasn’t you.
Deciding to leave him alone with his thoughts, Bailey was about to head back to the elevators when Henri looked in his direction, and as their eyes met, a flash of a conversation he’d had earlier with Robbie sprang to mind…
“SOOO, QUICK, QUICK, while Priest isn’t here. Did Henri say anything about the wedding before he disappeared today? I really thought he’d stick around and say hello.”
Robbie all but pouted as he thrust yet another shot glass in Bailey’s hand and did a quick look over his shoulder. It was a couple of hours into the reception, and while Bailey had been enjoying dancing and chatting with the other guests, Robbie now had him cornered, wanting to know more about Priest’s vanishing ex.
