“And part of that is talking to Frank.” Stephen was emphatic.
“About Andrew and me?”
“Oh, good Lord no! He’d have another coronary.” Now Stephen chuckled. “Both Andrew and I have told him he needs to thank you.”
“Not really necessary. It’s my training and I’d have done it for a stranger.”
Ian was not happy to be walking between Jessie and Stephen, the three of them heading toward Frank’s room. They didn’t talk, but Andrew had promised dinner and more if he does this. Ian was focusing on the more.
Frank was in pajamas and sitting up when they entered the room. Jessie went over and kissed him on the cheek, and Ian was proud he didn’t gag as he watched his sister. There weren’t a lot of places to sit and they stood in kind of a semi-circle around the bed.
Fortunately, the three of them couldn’t be there long and staff wasn’t happy they went together anyway. Might as well, get this over with.
“How are you Frank? You look a lot better today than when I saw you after surgery,” Ian said.
“I don’t feel all that better,” Frank growled and looked away.
“Once your body gets used to having blood get to your heart and brain again, you’ll feel better. Right now, you’re feeling the chest being cracked open.”
“I feel a little light headed sometimes now.” Frank wouldn’t look up at Ian.
“It’s the oxygen level evening out as well.”
Frank sighed a heavy sigh and finally looked into Ian’s eyes. “I guess I need to thank you for saving my life.”
Ian considered the tone and the words before speaking. “Frank, you and I don’t have to be friends. But we do need to find a way to be in the same room. Can we do this for these two?”
All three looked surprised at Ian because his tone was not overtly friendly. Frank nodded though and looked again into Ian’s eyes. “Yeah. I owe you that and I owe it to them.”
“We need to go and he needs to rest,” said Ian as he turned and left the room.
Frank looked at Jessie. “He’s right; we may never be friends but we can be civil and I will work on that. Okay?”
Jessie leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s a start, sweetie.”
Everyone at the dinner was celebrating. Ian wasn’t so sure the truce would hold especially when they add Andrew into the tolerance mix in the future. But he wasn’t going to spoil the relief in Stephen and Jessie’s face. The dinner had to be fast as Ian and Jessie’s parents had a late plane to catch.
Ian would address his going to have an “extended stay” with Andrew by phone with his mother. Jessie confirmed no one had told the parents anything. Ian was hoping his parents could handle the amount of alcohol being consumed as well as fly. As much as he loved his parents he had only maybe two days left alone with Andrew and for now that was his priority. Jessie and Stephen would have to deal as well.
Andrew squeezed Ian’s knee under the table and leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. The table went silent for just that one uncomfortable moment. Oh God! How would this work was not only Ian’s thought around that table.
Chapter 9
Eighteen Months Later
Ian woke up without opening his eyes, initially. He was hoping to spare himself the glare from the morning light—perhaps afternoon light, actually—and feeling the aches from being in the same position for a while. Trying to move his arm, Ian found it immobile. Briefly concerned, he opened one eye to find his arm immobile because it lay under the sleeping best man at his sister’s wedding—and his new husband. He smiled and moved his arm to wake up his sleeping ginger-man.
Andrew moaned a bit but rolled on his side toward Ian and opened his eyes directly into Ian’s. “Well, we’ve been in this position before.”
“Yeah, weddings seem to bring a free-flowing drinking atmosphere.”
“Wedding. We really did this?”
“You are stuck with me for the rest of your life.” Ian leaned over and kissed Andrew on his exposed nipple.
Ian saw Andrew’s eyes grow wet and a single tear traveled his cheek. “You have no idea how good that sounds to me especially all we’ve been through. I love you Ian like no other person in the world. Ever!”
Ian opened his eyes as Andrew pulled back from the kiss. They looked at each other and Ian’s heart was filled with love and joy like he had never felt. “What are you thinking?” was Andrew’s question and so Ian lied a little.
“I was thinking that Mom had said something about lunch. Do we know the time?”
Andrew laughed out loud as both their phones suddenly exploded with chimes and alarms for messages. “This is kind of déjà vu all over again.”
Ian turned off his phone and threw it across the room and did the same with Andrew’s phone.
“They can wait a while longer. I can’t.” And he rolled Andrew onto his back and mounted him. “At least your back won’t be on the tile floor of the bathroom.” Andrew grinned.
THE END
ABOUT LINN EDWARDS
Linn Edwards worked the entertainment industry in Los Angeles for eleven years during the ‘80s and ‘90s in a myriad of positions and responsibilities. Also, he was a freelance television writer in primetime and did an amazingly short stint in daytime. He settled into a corporate job dealing in contracts and unions for what was, at the time, considered a “mini-major” studio.
Surviving through mergers, buy-outs, and take-overs, he thought it time to return home and concentrate on other things. Edwards currently writes a newspaper column and sometimes teaches at a local university in Southern Ohio.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!
My Best Man Page 6
