Bring Me Edelweiss (Five Points Stories Book 2)

by Kyle Baxter

  “Last resort.” Freddie laughed. “Before we get to that point, I take the throne, change the House Law myself, and then abdicate for Astrid. It will be messy, and he will look terrible. And if there’s anything Father dear truly cares about, it is appearances. We will appeal to his ego. Go the easier, softer way, and he looks like a progressive king leading us forward. Force my plan B and he looks like an archaic bigot stuck in the past. He’ll see the light—eventually.”

  “How long will all this take?” Joel asked. Getting time off from Five Points was not a problem as long as they were covered. Enrico, Alex, and Larry were friends. He would not leave them in the lurch.

  “Oh, no, it will take some weeks, maybe even several months. I will be flying back and forth for a bit. I still have duties, and as my consort, you will too,” Freddie said. Joel giggled at “consort,” and Freddie laughed too, then said, “But once the process is in motion, I can comfortably live here, permanently. It probably helps that Father is ready to retire.”

  “How did you arrange all this?” Joel twirled a finger and looked around the roof. “The statue of Hermes is a nice touch, but it is an acre.”

  “I am the crown prince of a small but sovereign nation. I can get things done.” Freddie blew air on his nails and proudly wiped them on his shirt. “And I asked your friends for help. I contacted Five Points Catering and discussed this with Alex a week ago.”

  “A week ago?” Joel’s eyes bugged. That bastard! “That’s why he was so shy about granting my leave.” Joel looked around the statue at his gaggle of friends. To a one, they were good people. He was very lucky. After a thought crossed his mind, he turned back to the prince, confused. “Wait, I thought you would be, you know, disinherited.”

  “Of course not. Why on earth would you possibly think that?” Freddie ran a hand through Joel’s hair. It felt like he was making sure Joel was real.

  “Lady Julia told me when she came to see me in Italy.” Joel put a hand on Freddie’s broad back and leaned close.

  “Ah, Duchess Julia, I only heard about that much later.” Freddie patted his leg.

  “So that was all a put-on? I mean, I knew she was doing a bit, but . . . huh.” He tapped a finger to his chin. “You know, I like her more and more. She really is a hot mess.”

  “Julia is famous for her pranks. Consider it a welcome-to-the-family. She did give me a message for you,” Freddie said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

  “Oooh.” Joel smiled. “Tell me.”

  “Or rather she suggested I say something to you.” Freddie grinned and cleared his throat. “Her talk with you, ‘it taught me to hope, as I had scarcely ever allowed myself to hope before.’”

  “Well done, Mr. Darcy.” Joel gave his prince another kiss.

  “And that is the absolute truth. Now, don’t get a big head. I was giving up the crown regardless. I truly am not suited to be king. But I didn’t know—after everything—if you’d still want me. Her report was a bright spot in a very dark time.”

  Joel turned the edelweiss over in his hand, staring at it. “This means a lot. Thank you.”

  “Wait, what is that?” Freddie asked, noticing the small tattoo on Joel’s inner bicep. “That is new.”

  Joel lifted his arm, showing off his own edelweiss tattoo to match Frederick’s. “I had it done when I got back.”

  “Even though you didn’t know if you were going to see me again?” Freddie asked and put his hand out to support Joel’s arm. He brought it close to him and gave the tattoo a kiss.

  “No, I knew,” Joel murmured. With Freddie’s head so close, Joel took the chance to nudge into the prince’s thick neck and nibbled on his ear. It made the shorter man laugh and squirm and Joel loved it. They both took a deep breath and reached for their wine.

  “Already planning your next tattoo?” Freddie asked.

  “Yeah, that always happens. Is that weird?” Joel took a long drink of the Pinot Noir.

  The prince chuckled and shook his head. “No, that is exactly how it works.”

  “Wait, you have one too.” Joel pointed to new ink in the tattooed half-sleeve on Freddie’s arm, a small Superman shield.

  “Guilty.” Freddie grinned and flexed his bicep. That earned him another kiss.

  Looking down, Joel noticed a couple walking with their dog down the street near Luc. He immediately thought of Kaiser. “Where are you going to live?”

  “Our ambassador to the United Nations is a year from retiring. Astrid was to have the post, but now I will. I’ll live here, learn the job, and take over from him.”

  Joel’s eyes welled with tears again. “You’ll be living here, in New York?”

  “Maybe even Williamsburg.” Freddie came in for another embrace, setting his glass down, and nuzzled his neck. “If you have the room.”

  Joel rocked him back and forth. “I may have a space you can feel—fill. Yeah, both work.”

  “Cheeky git.” They kissed again, and Freddie looked into his eyes. “It will only be until I get my own place up to snuff. I bought a place and it’s quite lovely, if a bit small.”

  “Already? Where is it?” Joel asked, wide-eyed.

  “We’re sitting on top of it.” He indicated the building below them. Joel’s mouth fell open and Freddie smirked. “You can come and visit whenever you like.”

  Joel playfully pushed at him, and his lover put an arm around him and held him tight. It was a beautiful evening. His man was in his arms and everything felt right in the world.

  “You know, if you decide not to become ambassador,” Joel said, “there’s another option. Caty thinks we should become gay mystery archaeologists.”

  “That’s a grand idea. I really need to get to know your Caty better.” Freddie’s smile was open, honest, and happy. “Now, I hate to ask, but we do have a lot of catching up to do . . . Is there any chance I can persuade you to be late for work tomorrow?”

  Epilogue

  Stuck With U

  As Joel rolled up the door at the back of the CYA’s building in the Meatpacking district, Freddie looked out the driver’s side window and carefully backed the rental truck into the bay.

  “Did we get everything?” Joel asked, and his prince gave him a thumbs-up. Climbing down out of the truck, he gave him a kiss.

  “Driving in Midtown is such a rush.” Freddie grinned like a madman.

  “Better you than me,” Joel agreed. “I hate driving in the city.”

  “Astrid called.” Freddie was beaming.

  “Oh yeah? What’s going on with Her Royal Highness?” Joel asked. Astrid’s coronation wasn’t until next year, but Joel wanted to get an early start on calling her that. She was not amused.

  “Just double-checking to make sure we will be there for Inga’s birthday party.” Freddie walked to the back of the truck and pressed the button to lower the back gate. His shirt was sweaty, and his jeans were tight, and if they weren’t working, Joel would pull him to one side and have his way with him.

  He looks delicious. Joel’s phone chimed. “Hold on.” He lifted it to his ear. “What’s up?”

  “Joel,” Larry’s panicked voice said, “I can’t find the BEO for the Williams event.”

  “Calm down. It’s on the shared drive in the folder marked SWM, okay?”

  “Oh, okay . . . Got it,” Larry said. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime,” Joel said and hung up.

  “Why is Larry at work. I thought it was his day off.” Freddie pushed up the sliding back door on the truck.

  “He’s putting in extra time, trying to get up to speed. He’s taking over for me while we’re away.” Being the soon-to-be-spouse of a soon-to-be-ambassador, consort to a prince was more involved than Joel had anticipated. There was more traveling and more parties than he first thought. Larry used to pick up only the occasional cater waiter gig at Five Points. Now he was training in the office to help with clients during Joel’s absences.

  It was a tradeoff. Joel was going to have to cover Larry at Chr
istmas; he had a trip home to New Orleans planned. Joel wanted to go too, but someone had to hold down the fort. Maybe I can go for an overnighter.

  Inside the truck lay donated restaurant ware for the CYA Village co-op. Five Points was leading the way with donations of their old equipment, but his and Robert’s contacts at the hotel also opened doors. Things proceeded apace.

  “I have other news.” Freddie grinned.

  “I know that smirk,” Joel said. “You’re up to no good. What is it?”

  Freddie’s eyes sparkled. “Astrid has some new acquisitions at the museum. She wants to share with us when we go over there next month.”

  “Seriously?” Joel brightened. Having a future sister-in-law who was about to become queen and also had her own semiprivate museum definitely had its perks.

  Freddie crossed his arms in front of his broad chest. “She said to be sure and bring Mariah and Caty.”

  Joel’s eyes flashed. “I’ll call Mariah. She’ll love it.”

  “Already done. They’re in.” Joel gave him a scowl, and Freddie added quickly, “I’m sorry, Joey. I had to—I was so excited. Do you remember the excavation I told you about?” Joel nodded and he continued. “They found an Antinous!” Joel’s eyes went wide and he high-fived him.

  “That is amazing. I can’t wait.” He looked around the loading dock. The co-op was up and running, but it was still a work in progress. “But can we afford to take the extra time away and go be gay mystery archaeologists?”

  “Please.” Robert came up beside them, clipboard in hand. “We can get along without you two just fine for a few weeks. We’ve done it before. We’ve got plenty of volunteers.” He smacked Freddie on the butt. “Now get up there and get that stuff off the damn truck. And take your shirt off for God’s sake.”

  “Why?” Freddie chuckled, but he did as asked and pulled his shirt over his head.

  Robert put a hand on his hip. “So we can ogle you, silly boy. Isn’t that what all those muscles are for?”

  Joel watched as Freddie climbed up the truck and marveled at how far they’d come. The man who wanted never to settle down and the man who always picked the wrong guy had found each other. At the British Museum! It was absurd and amazing, and they found themselves along the way. I wouldn’t change a thing.

  Frederick clocked his stare and, giving him a wink, popped his pecs.

  Joel looked heavenward. “You’re the worst.”

  Please, check out the first installment of Five Points Stories:

  The Problem With Mistletoe

  A Gay Christmas Romance!

  David Cooper did not believe in happily ever after. He thought he'd let his chance at that pass him by—between work, being a single father and planning a Christmas party for his mother’s charity, his life was complicated enough. And then he has to ask Alex Capili, an old friend who just returned from the big city, to help run the charity event. Spending weeks working closely together, old feelings come up and David wonders if fairy tales really do come true.

  Alex came home to help sell off his family’s restaurant. He was not looking for love, and happy endings only happen in movies. But nothing about this return trip home town is quite what he had expected, and David is still the best man he's ever known: a good father, with a heart as big as all outdoors... and disarmingly handsome.

  Available on Amazon in ebook, paperback and audiobook.

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  Kyle Baxter is an artist, playwright, and writer. As a playwright, his plays have been performed in New York at the NY International Fringe Festival, and the Midtown International Theater Festival. As an artist and illustrator, he has had his work exhibited in galleries in New Orleans and New York.

  Born in Hawaii, Kyle Baxter was an Army brat and grew up in Erlangen, Germany, Georgia as well as Texas. After stints in Louisiana and New York, he resides again in Honolulu with his black Labrador Retriever Brady.

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  The chapter titles of Bring Me Edelweiss are a playlist. You can find it on Apple Music and on Spotify.

  You can reach Kyle at kylebaxter.com.