Page 205 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

John still heard the meaning beneath the simple words. “Thanks for coming to get me, Papa.”

Lucian shot John a look, and nodded once. “I’m always going to be here to get you when you need me to, my boy.”

“My birthday is in ten days—I’ll be thirty-one.”

He didn’t finish his statement. He figured he didn’t really have to.

Lucian only shrugged. “Always my boy—my only boy, John.”

“I suppose Ma wants to see me.”

“Among others,” Lucian agreed. “We have to make a trip to Tuxedo Park, before we head into the city. Manhattan, specifically.”

Damn.

John just wanted to relax.

“Have to?”

“It’s a big day,” Lucian murmured, shooting his son a grin.

“What does that mean?”

His father cleared his throat. “Well, a lot has happened, John.”

“And that’s why we’re going to drive all over New York today?”

“Kind of.”

“Papa.”

Lucian chuckled at the tone of John’s voice. “You sound just like Antony when you do that. Your grandfather would be proud as hell.”

“I bet. What aren’t you telling me?”

“A lot, and nothing at all. Where do you want to start?”

John looked over his shoulder, and noted a freshly pressed tux resting in a see-through garment bag. A peach-colored vest, tie, and pocket square was also inside the bag. “Let’s start with why there’s a tux in the back.”

“It’s for you to wear.”

John’s brow dipped low. “With a vest and tie that looks like it belongs in a wedding?”

“That’s because it does.” Lucian reached over, and pulled out a small box from the glove compartment, and handed it over to John. A ring box, it seemed. He opened it up to find a set of rings inside—one female, and one male. “You’re going to need this, too. Keep a hold of it, and don’t lose it. It’s really your only job today.”

John blinked. “What the fuck?”

Lucian laughed darkly. “Yeah, that’s a good start. You’re Andino’s best man. You need a tux, and it’s your job to keep an eye on the rings, and hand them over when the priest asks for them. You’ll stand at the altar where you’re told to stand, and leave when you’re told to leave. There’s really not much else to it—Andino and Haven did not want a lot of fanfare for this day, and we didn’t exactly have a lot of time to work with.”

His father passed him a look, quickly adding, “They are being married at Antony and Cecelia’s estate, and the dinner and party will follow at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. You see, we’re having trouble keeping out of sight lately. We don’t want to stay gathered—at least, not the whole family—in one place for too long where we might be attacked in some way. And so, we are having the wedding with a very limited amount of guests in our private home, and the larger party where people are less likely to attack in a very public setting.”

Lucian ticked a finger into the air, saying, “Of course, still highly protected.”

“Wait, Andi’s getting married today?”

“I said that, yes.”

“Today.”