Their Matchmaker
Page 20
“I didn’t expect that,” Aaron said with confident laugh. He looked at ease in front of the crowd, as if working a room of Hollywood’s finest came naturally.
It would have to, given how Aaron earned his livelihood in his mid- and late-teens. Cynthia squeezed Gavin’s hand, and he gripped back.
“I don’t have much to say.” Aaron’s tone never wavered. It carried through the room, firm and strong. “I wouldn’t have survived the past without my amazing partner. Hands off, ladies and gentlemen. Gavin Jackson is mine.” Light laughter rippled through the crowd. “And I wouldn’t be up here now, without the loves of my life.”
Warmth filled Gavin, starting in his chest and spreading through every inch of him. He’d never seen Aaron happier with a job. But this was a career; already Aaron had multiple offers on the table. It wasn’t a surprise to Gavin that Aaron had a knack for making fiction more plausible than reality, which gave him his pick of writing jobs.
“And that’s it from me. Enjoy the show.” Aaron stepped back into the aisle, and the lights dimmed. The room was dark, and the opening strains of the score filled the air when he made it back to their seats.
He kissed Cynthia and Gavin, before taking his own spot again.
It was strange, watching their teenage years unfold on the big screen. Gavin had seen himself on camera more times than he could count, but now it was someone else as him. There were moments he wanted to shout, That’s not how it happened. He understood why Aaron, the director, and the producer, made the choices they did in alterations, but it was still surreal.
Watching actor-him go through one phase of addiction and seeing actor-Aaron’s response from the outside gnawed at Gavin. And there was a fresh surge of bitterness that the movie ended with the four-billion-dollar deal, all those years ago, wrapping things up as if that were the happily ever after, instead of just a stop-gap.
“You all right?” This time it was Cynthia asking.
He swallowed the bile of the past and nodded. “You sure you don’t want to go to the after party?” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m sure. Besides, we have work in the morning.”
Gratitude whispered through him. He tugged Aaron’s hand, and the three slipped out as the closing credits rolled.
As the car took them home, Gavin couldn’t stop himself from sliding into the past—memories of how things really went, the thrill of falling in love, the rush of pulling off the biggest tech sale of its time, the highs and lows that led them here...
Aaron and Cynthia involved him into the conversation, but after a few single-syllable responses, they left him alone.
They arrived at the condo building, and Gavin tried to pull himself back to the present on the elevator ride upstairs. The haze still clouded his mind, movie-facts overlapping reality.
They made it inside the house, and Aaron stepped in front of him to loosen Gavin’s tie. “You coming back to us anytime tonight? You can stay wherever you are, but I promise here is better.”
Something about Aaron’s comment—the words, the sympathy mixed with teasing, or all of it—snapped Gavin out of the fog of the past. He smiled, as a sense of peace flowed through him, and he brushed his lips over Aaron’s. “You’re right. It is,” he said.
“That was different. The crowds, not the film.” Cynthia shrank three inches when she stepped from her heels. “Though the movie was one of a kind as well.” She looked at Gavin. “Don’t ever feel obligated to do a red carpet event again, just to sate my curiosity.”
His amusement spilled out in a laugh. “You had to do it once, so you could say you did. Otherwise, you’d wonder forever if you missed out on something big.”
“I guess.” She turned away.
Gavin grabbed her wrist and spun her back to face him. Cupping her cheeks, he kissed her deeply. “Tell me you won’t share every little detail with Emily,” he said when they broke apart.
She grinned. “Totally will. But that doesn’t mean I want to do it again.”
He dropped onto the couch, not caring what it would do to his tux, and calmness took root. A year ago, this simple teasing would have been an act on his part. A night like tonight would have jarred him into a place it would take days to crawl out of, and the tension never really faded.
Tonight it was all genuine. He didn’t feel like he had to act a certain way. He watched Aaron uncork a bottle of chilled, sparkling grape juice, and Cynthia grabbed cupcakes from the kitchen. She’d ordered a batch with marzipan screenplays on top, because she insisted this was celebration-worthy.
Gavin agreed. Then again, he thought the entire arrangement—the three of them, the love and respect that flowed between them—was all celebration-worthy. This was better than a Hollywood happily ever after. It was real. It was intense. He got to share the adoration of the two most amazing people in the universe. And he wouldn’t have things any other way.
THE END
If you’d like to read Nathan’s story, check out the Beauty Duet, starting with Beauty Claimed. Click here to grab your copy today.
Also by Allyson Lindt
3d20
3d20 Box Set (Books 1-3)
Love Equation Box Sets
The Love Equation Box Set #1 (Books 1-3)
The Love Equation Box Set #2 (Books 4-6)
Love Hack
Breaching His Defenses
Sheltering His Desire
Securing Her Surrender
Love Hack Box Set
Ridden Hard
Hard Flip
Hard Pack
Riding the Wave
Drive Me Wild
The Love Equation
The Rival and The Billionaire
The Geeks and The Socialite
The Second Chance and The Auctioneer
The Virgin and The Kingpin
The Nerds and the CEO
Their Matchmaker
Version 2.0
Denial of Interest
Standalone
Paranormal and Loving it!
Toeing the Line
Room for Love: A Roommates Contemporary Romance Box Set
Watch for more at Allyson Lindt’s site.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Allyson Lindt is a full-time geek and a fuller-time contemporary romance author. She likes her stories with sweet geekiness and heavy spice, because cubicle dwellers need love too. She loves a sexy happily-ever-after and helping deserving cubicle dwellers find their futures together.
Read more at Allyson Lindt’s site.