Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(55)
"You're cool with being my best man?"
"I'm honored," Tony said sincerely. He laughed. "I totally know what I'm getting you for a groom gift."
Rick cocked his head like he had trouble believing him.
"Seriously," Tony said. "I'm happy for you. Cass loves you, and I can't help loving her just for that."
Rick set down his beer and rose. "I want the same for you, Tony."
Tony smiled and gave him a quick hug. "You're a good brother. Maybe Cass is a little bit lucky too."
"A little bit," Rick repeated humorously.
"Maybe," Tony confirmed.
He was conscious of a tiny shadow on his spirit but refused to dwell on it. He was loved, and he loved in return. He had reason to know that was no small blessing.
~
Chris was shopping at Holy Foods. He didn't always buy his food here. Their specially blessed groceries were expensive, though you couldn't beat the quality. He'd come here on impulse. With the exception of Evina, who'd moved to Nate's, Chris and his crew lived near each other in the same suburban townhome complex. He'd been thinking he'd look for a cabin to rent some weekend, where he could cook for Tony without tripping over tigers every time he walked out the door. Chris was no chef like Vasur or Syd, but he could certainly grill steak and bake potatoes.
He wanted him and Tony to have a night like that.
Lost in his daydream and not paying enough attention to where he turned his cart, he nearly clipped a guy standing in the line at the bakery.
"Sorry, man," he said, jerking back the wheels just in time.
The man looked up. Chris blinked. Tony's brother Rick was right in front of him.
"Hey," Rick said with a good-natured laugh. "It's Chris, isn't it? Evina's second."
"Yes." Chris felt pleased and awkward to be recognized. He was very aware that Rick was his lover's sibling. In a different world, a whole host of hopes and worries would be tied up in them liking each other. Chris tried to respond like none of them were going through his head. "I don't usually shop here. I had a craving for good red meat."
"Cake," Rick said, nodding toward the bakery counter. "I'm trying to get a rush job for this weekend. You're coming, right?"
Chris knew his face was blank.
"I invited you," Rick said. "Or I think I did. I told Evina her crew was welcome."
"I haven't spoken to her yet today," Chris said.
"Oh. Well, come. We're, uh--" Rick colored like his brother did sometimes, red suffusing his naturally tanned skin. "Cass and I are celebrating our engagement."
"Cool," Chris said, privately thinking his blush was adorable. "Congratulations."
"Thanks. There'll be plenty of food. And the dragons. Your crew really ought to meet them, considering you helped the pack when we were hiding them."
"I'd like that," Chris said. "I've only seen them on TV."
He'd found them fascinating: beautiful, exotic, and something more. They were, literally, creatures out of a tale--a living, breathing embodiment of the fae's Old Country. Even on television, looking into their silver eyes was like meeting the gazes of wild tigers. One of the dragons' forebears had given her life to form Resurrection. Her essence suffused every atom around them, making the magical reptiles a kind of cousin to every soul who resided here.
Recognizing them as kindred was instinctive.
Maybe it was obsessive, but he'd watched their appearance on As Luck Would Have It a dozen times.
"So we'll see you," Rick said, his attention splitting as the man behind the baked goods counter gestured him forward. "Bring your swimsuit. There's a pool, and we'll have a warming spell."
A swimsuit. Chris wasn't sure that was a good idea. Not if Tony was wearing one. Not unless his own were constructed of cast iron.
The wolf was sexy enough with all of his clothes on.
~
Liam's moods had been up and down since their volunteer assignment at the pool hall. One glimpse of his sullen face told Chris the big Irish cat wouldn't be a ray of sunshine this evening.
"I don't see why we have to waste our Friday night with wolves," he grumbled loudly enough for the rest of the crew to hear. "We don't get the weekend off that often."
Hoping to make the omega feel less overlooked, Chris had been helping him stack fire hose on racks in the engine bay. It was grunt work but necessary. Watching Liam sulk made wonder why he'd bothered.
"It's a party," he pointed out. "And it was nice of them to invite us. But feel free to miss out. No need to eat great food or listen to good music or meet the creatures everyone has been talking about for months. We'll muddle on without you if wasting time with wolves bothers you that much."
Liam stopped folding hose to gape at him. "I don't want to stay away by myself."
No, he wanted the crew to take his side against the pack who'd accepted Tony's sexuality. Chris shook his head silently. God save him from insecure twenty-five-year-olds.
"Grow up, Liam," Syd put in from his position hosing down their dirty hook and ladder. Evidently, Syd had decided which side of this squabble he supported. Chris would have been more grateful if Syd's support hadn't spurred Jonah to defend his buddy.