Secrets in Edgewood: The Complete Series
Page 73
Emory did up the button on his jeans and walked into the kitchen, finding Calvin hunched over a cutting board of thinly sliced vegetables. Emory kissed the back of his neck on his way to the coffee pot.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Ratatouille?”
“Are you asking me?” Emory laughed.
“Ratatouille,” Calvin repeated, sounding surer of himself. “The prep work is pretty intense.”
“Can I ask you something?” He poured coffee into a mug and rested his ass on the counter. He did really need to send those files over to Bob, but they could wait a few more minutes.
“Always.” Calvin set down his knife and turned to face him.
“How important was it for you and Graham to get married?”
Calvin puffed out a breath, his eyes widening. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around the kitchen before finally letting his stare settle on Emory.
“That’s…that’s a question.”
“That’s why I asked it.”
“Graham is hopeless,” Calvin answered. “And eternally hopeful.”
Emory snorted; the assertion couldn’t have been more spot on.
“It’s easy to love him,” Calvin said. “It’s easy to make him happy.”
“That sounds like it meant more to him than you,” Emory surmised.
“I think he sometimes forgets how much younger than us you are.” Calvin smiled sadly. “It meant a lot to him and he means a lot me.”
“He means a lot to me. So do you.”
“I know.” Calvin turned back to his vegetables. “I love you too.”
“Did I fuck everything up in Vegas?” Emory came to stand beside Calvin. He picked a thin tomato slice up from the cutting board and popped it into his mouth.
“Graham is old fashioned. Nothing has changed, I can promise you that.”
The hint of an idea flashed in the back of Emory’s mind and he dropped a kiss against Calvin’s cheek.
“That’s perfect, thank you.”
“I don’t think I did anything, but okay.” Calvin sliced into a zucchini.
“You’re perfect, boss.”
Emory snatched one more tomato off the cutting board and ran into the office, locking the door behind him. He opened the lid of his laptop and got to work. He believed Calvin when he said he hadn’t ruined everything, but he couldn’t shake the sadness in Graham’s voice when he’d given Emory the rings, the worry in both of their eyes in that hotel room in Vegas when Emory had faltered at Graham’s request.
Being in a relationship required compromise, and as much as he winced at the idea of a legal commitment being a compromise, he knew exactly how to make things better.
Four days passed, and Emory woke up Saturday morning with a smile on his face.
“Get up,” he whispered into Graham’s ear. He reached beneath the sheets and gave Graham’s plump cock a pat before tearing the sheets away with a flourish. Graham groaned and rolled onto his side, reaching out for Calvin and pulling him in. Calvin grunted and tucked into a ball in Graham’s arms.
“It’s early,” Graham muttered.
“Get up and get dressed.” Emory jumped out of bed, taking a quick shower and styling his hair before returning to the bedroom. He pulled on a pair of black jeans and a floral button up, then tickled his fingers against the arch of Graham’s bare foot.
The doorbell rang, and Graham’s eyes flew open.
“Get up,” Emory repeated. “We have plans.”
“What plans?” Calvin asked, rolling onto his back and stretching.
“We’re getting married.”
Emory ran downstairs, his bare feet slapping against the tiled foyer floor. He pulled the door open, and let out a soft breath. He’d spent the past four days worrying that maybe he’d overshot, and that maybe he’d made the wrong decision, but once he looked into the gentle blue eyes of Father Dominic O’Halloran, he knew that day was going to be the best one of his life. Father O’Halloran was dressed more casually than Emory had expected, in simple black wool slacks and a black button up. With shiny black shoes and slicked back, brown hair, Father O’Halloran looked more put together than Emory ever would, he knew that for sure, too.
“Father,” he greeted, stepping out of the way.
“You must be Emory, and please, call me Dominic.”
“That sounds so informal.”
“I’d only hold you to the formality if you were a member of my church.”
“Alright then, Dominic.” Emory tested the priest’s name with caution. When the house didn’t collapse around him, he closed the front door. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’m only sorry that I couldn’t offer you something more binding.”
“It’s the emotion behind it,” Emory said. “Can I get you some coffee? My husbands…my almost husbands rather, are still in bed.”
Dominic smiled. “Coffee would be great.”
Emory led Dominic into the dining room and gestured toward the table before disappearing into the kitchen. He brewed two mugs of coffee and carried them to the dining room.
“I’m going to go force them out of bed,” Emory said.
Dominic gave him an understanding look, and Emory jogged upstairs. The bedroom door was still open and Graham was still in bed. He could hear the shower, so he assumed Calvin had listened to him and gotten up, but Graham…
Fuck.
Graham sat in bed, his back against the headboard and his hand around his cock. His head was thrown back, his mouth open even though no sound came out. His hips pumped off the mattress and Emory knew his body well enough to know he was nearly finished. As if on cue, cum shot out of the tip of his dick, and Graham groaned, his head falling forward.
“I hope the priest didn’t hear you,” Emory chided.
Graham’s sleepy eyes flew open and his stare landed on Emory.
“The who?”
“The priest.”
“Why is there a priest in our house?” Graham grabbed the sheets and tried to wipe himself. He got tangled and nearly fell out of bed when he attempted to stand.
“Why else?” Emory asked, a proud smile splitting his face. “We’re getting married.”
Calvin turned off the shower and heard a commotion coming from the bedroom. It sounded like a herd of elephants had fallen out their bed. He wrapped a towel around his waist and made it to the door just in time to hear Emory say, “We’re getting married.”
He hadn’t known it was coming, but after his conversation in the kitchen with Emory earlier in the week, he knew Emory had been up to something. The bright expression on Emory’s face softened a tightness in his chest that he hadn’t even realized was there, and he grabbed Emory, slanting their mouths together and kissing him hard.
Emory tasted like toothpaste and a little bit of coffee, but also a lot like home.
“What should we wear?” he murmured against Emory’s mouth.
“Anything. This is…it’s for us.”
“I didn’t think I could love you more.” Calvin pressed their lips together, then stepped away, dropping his towel onto the floor.
“I still don’t understand.” Graham was finally out of the sheets, and he swiped Calvin’s towel off the carpet, using it to wipe himself clean. Graham had started the job before Calvin had gotten in the shower, and apparently finished after the vicar had arrived. Something about that seemed appropriate, and he smiled.
“I want you,” Emory said plainly. “Both of you. For the rest of my life. And I don’t think that means we’ll always agree on everything, but this…this we agree on.”
“Marriage,” Graham whispered, his eyes shifting toward the dresser where his and Calvin’s wedding rings sat.
“Obviously not legally, and not even really in the eyes of God.” Emory gestured toward the ceiling.
“But in our eyes,” Calvin interjected.
Emory nodded, then turned a worried expression toward Gra
ham, who was still completely naked.
“You still want that, right?” Emory asked.
Graham’s eyes misted over. Calvin could see the ceiling light reflected in them, and Graham nodded quickly, biting his lower lip between his teeth. “I want that.”
“Good.” Emory’s shoulders sagged. “Then get dressed. We don’t have all day.”
“Where are we getting married at?” Graham asked. “I don’t know what to wear.”
“Here. Because it’s ours, and so is this.” Emory pointed at the closet. “No more funny business. Come outside when you’re presentable.”
Emory slipped out of the room, leaving Calvin and Graham together in silence.
“Did you know about this?” Graham asked.
“No,” he admitted, grabbing some underwear and dressing. “I had a feeling he was going to come up with something, though.”
“I don’t want to do this if it’s not what he wants.”
“Do you really think it would be happening if he didn’t want it?” Calvin arched a brow and threw a pair of briefs in Graham’s direction.
“I’ve just gotten used to being a bachelor,” Graham mumbled, stepping into his underwear. He pulled a pair of dark jeans out of one of the drawers and pulled them on.
“You’re a liar.”
“I know.” Graham grabbed shirts out of the closet for both of them, and they dressed together, moving around each other the way they had since they’d fallen in love the first time. Graham grabbed him, pressing a quick kiss against his mouth.
“I love you,” he said. “This is good. You should be happy.”
“I am.” Graham glanced at the dresser. “Do I need our rings?”
“I’m sure he would have told us if we did.”
Calvin was proud of Emory, proud of the way he’d taken something that could have ruined everything, and he’d tried to understand what happened and then he found a way to work around it to find a solution that worked for everyone. It was one of the things Calvin loved the most about him.
“Come on,” he said, tilting his head toward the door. “Let’s go get married again.”
They walked downstairs together, the tips of their fingers brushing and Calvin’s heart slammed against his ribs.
“I’m nervous,” he admitted in a hushed whisper once they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“It’s not your first rodeo,” Graham teased.
Calvin elbowed him, and they shared a laugh.
“I feel like I did the first time.”
“Me too,” Graham whispered.
The slider to the back door was open and Emory was in the yard talking to a man Calvin recognized as Father O’Halloran.
“I didn’t think the Episcopalians approved of plural marriage,” Calvin said as they stepped onto the back deck.
“We don’t,” Dominic smiled and shrugged. “I’m only here in a witness capacity, unfortunately.”
“It’s not unfortunate,” Graham blurted.
He closed the space between him and Emory, pulling Calvin along behind him. He had Calvin’s fingers in a death grip, and he grabbed Emory with his other hand, hauling him against his chest and sucking a deep breath in. Graham buried his face in Emory’s neck, and Calvin shook his hand free so Graham could fully embrace their future husband.
Father O’Halloran offered them a prayer, and Emory took Calvin’s and Graham’s hands in his. Together, the four of them formed a circle in the middle of the yard and, beneath the shade of an ancient magnolia tree, they whispered prayers and promises, and when it was time to kiss, the priest slipped out with a smile and nod, leaving them alone.
Emory had bought them rings, simple and thin gold bands that nestled against their fingers. They were thinner than the one Calvin had worn before, and even though he knew it was sturdy and strong, the delicate nature of the band served as an immediate reminder of how fragile their love was. Not to say he doubted the sincerity or devotion of either of his husbands, but he hadn’t doubted Graham’s love the first time either, and…he didn’t need a reminder of what that arrogance could lead to.
“I am sorry,” Emory whispered as the sun crested toward the top of the sky. They sat at the patio table drinking wine and holding hands, sharing more kisses in those moments than they had in years.
“For what?” Graham asked.
“For not understanding before.” He looked down at the ring on his finger. “I get it now.”
“Come here.” Graham slid his chair back and Calvin and Emory both scooted closer.
“I’m here,” Emory announced, setting his wine on the table and leaning in.
“Kiss your husband,” Calvin rasped, desperate to see Graham and Emory’s mouths on each other again.
“Which one?” Emory asked, a sly smile lighting up his entire face. Calvin leaned close, the tip of his nose brushing against Graham’s. He could smell the fresh wine on Graham’s breath and his lashes fluttered, overwhelmed by the love from the two men in front of him.
“Yes,” he answered, then he closed his eyes and waited.
About Kate Hawthorne
Born and raised in Southern California, Kate Hawthorne woke up one day and realized she had stories worth sharing. Now existing on a steady diet of wine and coffee, Kate writes stories about complicated men in love that are sometimes dirty, but always sweet. She enjoys crafting hard-fought and well deserved happy endings with just the right amount of angst and kink.
From estate sale shopping to shoe worship, there's something in at least one of her books that'll tickle your fancy. Visit her website at
www.katehawthornebooks.com
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Also by Kate Hawthorne
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Worth the Switch
Worth the Risk
Worth the Wait
Worth the Fight
Worth the Chance
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Unfettered (a tie-in standalone)
Reckless
Heartless
Faultless
Fearless
Limitless
The Lonely Hearts Stories
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His Kind of Love
The Colors Between Us
Love Comes After
Until You Say Otherwise
Secrets in Edgewood
A Taste of Sin
The Cost of Desire
A Love Made Whole
Carver County Vampires
A Thousand Lifetimes
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Future Gay Boyfriend
Future Ex Enemy
With E.M. Denning and E.M. Lindsey
Cloudy with a Chance of Love
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