Friends, Sexcapades, And Love Affairs - 28. Families

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Families

“There you were.” Ryan walked into the room and took in Mike with a somewhat perplexed face. “I was starting to think you’ve run out on me or something.”

Mike threw his lover one tragic look. At least, he suspected it to be tragic because that was how he felt inside. Ryan’s face fell, and there was that, too. “What’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt? You ate too much --”

“Ryan,” Mike said. “I … thought about it.”

“About what? Would you come closer? It is a bit unnerving to talk to you while you’re hiding in a corner.”

Although it took a feat of willpower to do so, Mike stood up and walked toward Ryan. He took his hand and looked down. “Maybe,” he let out an exhale, “we are moving too fast.”

“What do you mean?” Ryan seemed rightfully confused.

“Maybe we should take some time to get to know each other better.”

There was a short moment of silence. “Did anyone say something to you?” Ryan’s voice was tense.

Of course, he would be upset, but Mike needed time to prove he wasn’t a gold digger. Still, he felt as if telling Ryan about his eavesdropping wouldn’t earn him points. He had no interest in having Ryan choose between him and his parents; wait, was that what he really thought that it would happen?

“Just tell me who and what told you.” Ryan took him by the shoulders. “And look at me. I know you’re hiding something.”

“I’m not hiding anything.” Mike tried to look at Ryan, but his eyes glided off, incapable of focusing.

“Don’t you recall what I told you before everyone came? You’re marrying me, not them.”

It looked like fooling Ryan wouldn’t work that easily. But what was he to do? Just go ahead and blame Ryan’s parents for suspecting him of having malicious intents? Ryan had only known him for several months, but he had known his parents for a lifetime. It was easy to see who he would believe.

“I know, I know, it’s just that … it’s a bit too much. And moving here so fast …” he trailed off, swallowing the words threatening to pour out of his mouth.

Ryan’s hands fell from his shoulders. “Oh, damn, I was in such a hurry, but I guess you’re right.” His voice was tense, still. “If you want to go back to your place, please do. I don’t want to be that kind of overbearing boyfriend who never allows the guy he loves to have a life.”

Mike risked one look at Ryan. His face was dark, his eyebrows furrowed, and the corners of his lips pulled downward. Great, now he had managed to make Ryan feel like he had done something wrong. He reached for him and touched his arm. “I … you’re awesome, Ryan.”

A hurt look was the reply.

“You took me in while I didn’t have a job --”

Ryan scoffed. “Are you serious? It’s this about freeloading again? I thought we were clear on that. You know what? Let’s do this.” He took out his phone and fiddled with it. “This month’s expenses. Care to pay for half?”

Mike took Ryan’s phone and looked through the bills. Well, it was a bit uncomfortable to think that more than half of his negotiated paycheck would have to cover his share. “Sure. I have some savings.” He munched his bottom lip.

Ryan sighed and let out an exasperated groan. “I don’t want you to use your savings. I’m well off, and I believe I can afford keeping the person I love happy and without having to worry about paying bills. Especially since I plan to marry that person. Wait, are we still on for that?” His voice was now alarmed.

Mike stood frozen under Ryan’s hurt stare. “Maybe a bit later?”

Ryan sat on the bed and covered his face. “Micah, please, be honest. What is going on? All right, so you need to feel like a man --”

“I am a man.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. Since when is the difference of income between us an issue?”

“It’s not,” Mike protested, but feebly. “It’s not an issue.”

“Sure it is if you want to leave only because you think you cannot afford to live with me here. I know,” he added, his tone suddenly bright. “I’ll move in with you. I’ll have to ask someone to take care of Bran --”

“What? Are you leaving him behind?”

“Micah, with all due respect, your apartment is not a good choice for a dog like him.”

“But still!”

“You don’t want us to leave him behind? What choice do I have?”

“I don’t want you to move in with me!” Mike realized too late what he was saying.

Ryan’s face fell, and he appeared to be in complete shock. “You don’t? I don’t get it … do you want us to break up?” His voice was only a whisper now.

Mike wanted to slap himself silly. “No, I don’t want that! It’s just that … I’m not a gold digger!”

“A what?!” Consternation was too little a word to describe what Ryan wanted to send across with those words.

“You know, the kind of person who marries up and stuff,” Mike mumbled. And he had just let the cat out of the bag because, apparently, he didn’t know when and how to keep his mouth shut.

“I know what the term means. What I don’t know is how could you have come up with such an idea about yourself. Now I’m surer than ever that someone else put that in your head. If you love me, if you trust me, tell me who that was.”

Mike shifted his weight from one foot to another. “I kind of overeard something.”

“Overheard?”

“I eavesdropped, okay?” Mike raised his voice, but that was his anxiety, not his anger.

“All right.” Ryan put his hands up in a peaceful offer. “It’s not a problem. Just tell me who you heard and what they said.”

Mike felt his palms getting sweaty. “It was your ... mom. Talking to your dad.” The truth was the only way out, even if it meant to hurt Ryan and make him lose his faith in him.

“Oh, damn.” Ryan’s frustrated whisper said it all.

“I’d probably think the same if I were in her shoes,” Mike added quickly.

Ryan pursed his lips and turned toward the door.

“Hey, wait ... Ryan!” Mike hurried after him.

It was some kind of self-preservation guiding him, but he managed to reach the door in time and place himself between it and his upset boyfriend.

“I have to talk to them.”

“No, you don’t. They’ll hate me.”

“They have no right to insult you.”

“They didn’t. They couldn’t know I was eavesdropping.”

“And? Does that mean they can just throw that around?”

Mike had no idea how he could argue with that.

“Please, Micah, move out of the way.”

He put his hands on Ryan’s chest. “No way. You’re upset. And I’m to blame.”

“But I don’t want them thinking such things about you.”

“They don’t know me,” Mike argued. “I mean, all they know is that you suddenly decided to get married. And here I am, this stranger who might be after their son’s wealth.”

“But you’re not.” Ryan softened a bit. “It’s what I want to tell them.”

“They’ll be upset. After all, they’re looking out for you. I love you, Ryan, but I don’t want them to think that about me. I mean, they see a guy who’s freeloading --”

“That again,” Ryan moaned. “What’s the point of having money if I can’t spoil the guy I love?”

Something irked Mike a little. Ryan had to be wealthy, but so far, Mike hadn’t noticed anything extravagant, beyond the means of a young head of a company doing well, without being a household name, though. “Just how much are you worth?”

“Excuse me?” Ryan quirked an affronted eyebrow.

“Just tell me,” Mike replied and steeled himself for the answer. A nice house and comfortable living couldn’t be enough for Ryan’s parents to think of him as a gold digger. He wasn’t from some third world country, not to have seen that type of wealth before.

Ryan furrowed his brow and then leaned in and whispered something in Mike’s ear.

“Heir?” Mike’s eyes grew wide. Ryan continued. Shares, legacy, and a whole bunch of words that made his head spin followed. “Fuck me,” he moaned, “I am a gold digger!”

“Shut up,” Ryan protested. “I know you’re not.”

Mike began shaking his head like taken by a seizure. “I think I’ll sign ten prenups if you put them in front of me.”

“Prenups? Ah, I guess you heard that from them. No need.”

“Yes need,” Mike shot back. “I thought they were afraid I would ask for half of this nice house, which I wouldn’t, anyway, but this is serious stuff! I had no idea you were so loaded!”

Ryan scratched his head. “I needed the right moment to tell you about it all. It just didn’t come up.”

Mike covered his face. “Oh, gawd, no wonder they thought I was digging for your money! Now it makes sense. All right, so prenup it is.”

Ryan looked at him with a wounded expression in his eyes. “Are you thinking of ever leaving me?”

“Of course not,” Mike protested. “But it’s your family’s money, and I want nothing to do with it. I only want you.”

Ryan relaxed. “Fair enough.” He embraced Mike and held him close.

“Will be anything about Bran’s custody in that prenup?” Mike asked.

Ryan broke their embrace and stared at him, as puzzled as before. “Bran’s custody? Are you planning to take my dog with you now?”

Mike knew when someone was pulling his leg. Ryan’s lips twisted in a grin. “Our dog,” he said in the most natural voice he could muster without breaking into a laugh.

“Of course. Our dog. But no, if you want me, and you want Bran, you’ll never going to leave us.”

“I won’t,” Mike said solemnly. “But you can tell your parents that I’ll sign whatever prenup they want.”

Ryan had a strange smile on his face. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to them about everything.”

***

Adrian took his time to examine the grounds, now that he was no longer in a hurry, like before. “Your family lives like freaking royalty,” he told Edward.

They held hands and didn’t let go while they got out of the car.

“Don’t let them impress you,” Edward said. “It’s nothing but bricks and mortar.”

“And marble. Some gold, I think?” Adrian offered his boyfriend a crooked smile.

Edward waved. “You know what I mean. I hope you’re not having second thoughts, now that you can observe my family’s display of wealth with a cool head.”

“Second thoughts? Never. And I’m a man who takes pride in having suceeded on his own. Well, with my parents’ help who put me through school, of course, but still, you know what I mean.”

“I do.” Edward pulled him close and shared a sneaky kiss.

“Now, let’s convince your hard-headed dad that my mom will have a beef with him if he tries to rule this party.”

Edward moved and whispered in his ear. “Here’s the twist. Convince my mom and the rest will follow.”

“Good advice.” Adrian offered Edward a thumbs up. “Let’s get going. They’re not the type of people who could be happy waiting.”

“Of course. I can at least be punctual when I tell them that I plan on snatching you again, for real.”

A satisfied grin was the instant answer from his soon to be husband.

They were taken to a large beautiful room that could be called a living room, but Adrian didn’t dare to do that. He was happy to see Edward growing quickly accustomed to living in his bachelor pad, after having a life of luxury like that.

Both Edward’s parents stood up from a velvet sofa to greet them. Mrs. Hastings was, to Adrian’s surprise, not at all as he had imagined her. He hadn’t noticed her at that dinner table, the last time he visited the estate. It could be that she hadn’t been present. As busy as he had been then, he had a feeling he would have remembered her.

She was a petite brunette with a curvy figure that couldn’t be entirely hidden by the conservative suit she wore. The look in her green eyes was warm as they set on him, and Adrian knew immediately who Edward had inherited his beauty from. The coolness was, obviously, from his father.

“So this is the famous Adrian,” she spoke first, and her mouth stretched into a bright smile. “I wasn’t expecting someone looking like a model.”

“Mother,” Edward said smoothly, but the warning was there.

“I heard from your father that you two eloped from under his very eyes. Did the wedding happen already?”

Adrian smiled, too. “No, ma’am. We thought of including the families in all the formalities.”

“A wise decision,” Mr. Hastings said in a somewhat vexed tone. “We don’t appreciate scandal in this family.”

“Well, dear,” Mrs. Hastings placed a hand on her husband’s arm, “Edward is hardly an ingenue, seduced by some blackguard.” She threw Adrian a wink as she said that, but then her face was schooled into something unreadable as she turned her whole attention on Mr. Hastings.

“Still, even in this day and age, people like us should maintain a touch of decorum,” Mr. Hastings argued. “For that, we need to make it clear about how and where the wedding will take place.”

“No need for that,” Adrian said. “My mom’s already on it. She wants the best for us.”

“But can she afford it?” Edward’s father interjected in a cutting tone.

“Darling,” Mrs. Hastings intervened once more, “if we’re still on the topic of decorum, let’s not mention money at this point.”

Adrian quirked an eyebrow. Another pointed look from Edward’s mom convinced him to remain silent for the moment.

Mr. Hastings adjusted his cuffs and pursed his lips. He gestured for everyone to sit, and a maid in a stiff apron wheeled in a cart with coffee and pastries. As she moved around, placing the items on the table, everyone kept silent.

Adrian exchanged one quick look with Edward. A lazy drop of the eyelids convinced him that he could afford to relax. There was nothing he needed to be afraid of; funny how many things they could communicate with each other without words.

The maid was gone, and Edward’s father began talking again. “We cannot afford not to be involved with the wedding.”

“You are invited,” Adrian said. “I mean, as soon as we start sending out invitations, you’re obviously on top of the list.”

A small moment of silence followed. “We are well-known in this city, and it wouldn’t do for our son to get married without the proper attention to details.” The ambiguous words left enough room for a not at all ambiguous hidden sense.

Their wedding would become a very formal affair with the best families in the city invited. But that was not what Adrian, and, as he knew well, Edward wanted.

“We’re thinking of a party with friends, nothing as upscale as you might be used to,” he said promptly. “Also, it would be a double wedding --”

“Triple,” Edward interrupted him. “Mike and Ryan just send us a message.”

“Where was I?” Adrian asked.

“You turned off your phone on our way here,” Edward whispered in his ear.

Adrian nodded. “Well, it’s a triple wedding.”

“A triple wedding?!” Mr. Hastings didn’t hide his consternation. “What is this? Some reality show with fifty fake couples swearing eternal love to each other?”

“No, it’s just that my friends and I happened to find our partners somewhat at the same time.”

“Are you hearing these children?” Mr. Hastings turned toward his wife.

“Crystal clear, dear. Then we will just have to adjust the list of attendees and find the perfect venue for a triple wedding.” She didn’t appear one ounce fazed by the news.

“But what will everyone think?”

“They will hear from third parties that we opted for a low-key affair,” Mrs. Hastings replied promptly. “But we will take care of all the expenses,” she added, her eyes set on Adrian.

“My mom won’t be happy,” he said right away.

“Then you’ll have to introduce me to her. Mothers don’t scare me,” she added with a small smile.

Edward touched Adrian’s hand lightly. “They should get to know each other before the wedding, don’t you think?”

He nodded. That was true, and he had an inkling that his mom would be easily seduced by the strong-willed but charming lady sitting across from him.

“There’s also the matter of the family name. I hope you already told your future husband about that,” Mr. Hastings addressed his son.

“Yes, of course I told him. But I’m afraid Adrian is set on giving me his name.”

Adrian almost took pity in Edward’s father. He looked stunned.

“The Hastings line will not stop here,” he boomed.

“And it won’t,” Edward hurried to appease his father. “We will both be called Rossi-Hastings, but the children will carry on the Hastings name. How does that sound for a compromise?”

Adrian grinned. After a lot of to and fro on the subject that had ended plenty of times in bed, they had come to that conclusion. While he didn’t care for children right away, he could live with his offspring carrying on the name of royalty.

“It sounds marvelous,” Mrs. Hastings said and clapped her hands once. “Now, let’s drink our coffee and talk about details.”

***

“I can see why he likes you,” Mrs. Hastings said, as soon as they were left alone. Edward’s father had decided that he had certain things to share with his son.

“Thank you. I suppose that was a compliment.”

Mrs. Hastings laughed and set her green eyes on him. “It was. I have to admit that Edward’s previous conquests were a tad lacking.”

“In what aspect?”

“Power of will. You see, my husband is a hard man, and the responsibilities regarding the family ended up on his shoulders at a young age. I hope you won’t take his abrasive manner to heart.”

Adrian waved. “I don’t. And just so you know, I will take good care of my husband. I’ll start my own company and --”

“You don’t have to convince me, dear. Trust me when I tell you that you two, and your children, when they’ll come into your lives, won’t lack anything.”

“But I earn enough --”

“Dear, did that little rascal Christian tell you that Charles would disown Edward?”

“Yes, he did,” Adrian opted for honesty, hoping that he wasn’t putting Christian in the wrong spot.

“Charles only said that once, in anger, and he didn’t mean it. After all, it was in conjecture with Edward wanting to follow a somewhat lackluster career compared to the men in this family. Not with his preferences regarding love partners.”

“I see,” Adrian replied, not knowing what to make of that.

“Right now, Charles tells Edward what you two will receive after the wedding. I’m afraid you’ll have to up your administrative skills. Nothing is spared, and Edward will inherit everything when the moment comes.”

“We’ll do that,” Adrian promised.

“You,” she pointed at him. “Edward is, I’m afraid, a bit of an airhead.”

That wasn’t exactly a term he would use to describe his future husband.

“He’s not an airhead,” he said.

“Trust me, dear, when it comes to matters of handling such things, he wants to be anywhere but near them. You’ll see. After all, I believe there is a cost to marrying a romantic coming from a wealthy family.”

“Romantic? I mean, I know him now, and he’s that, too, but before, I thought he was cold like a fish.”

Mrs. Hastings laughed. “He takes that from his father. But don’t be fooled by their coolness. Edward is like Charles, including the fact that he falls in love deeply. When he took me as his bride, his family was not happy at all. Fortunately, he didn’t care. You see, I wasn’t from a family deemed worthy of their pretentions. But, like you, I proved myself worthy, and I know you will, too. Now, tell me about your mother. I can barely wait to meet her, and your father, as well. They must be very handsome people.”

Adrian fell into pace with the conversation without a problem. Not only his mom would like Edward’s mother very much. The great news was that he was liked back just as much.

***

Jared gripped the wheel and looked straight ahead.

“Are you nervous, babe?” Shane placed one hand on his knee and squeezed.

“I’m just about to meet your family. Of course I’m nervous.”

“You’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“That’s not helping much, I’m afraid. What will your mom and dad think of me?”

“They’ll think the world of you. I’m bringing home a husband, as promised. They trust me.”

Jared exhaled. They were getting closer to their destination, and after the road trip they had decided to take, he still felt just as strung as when they had left home.

“Easy for you, then. I’m a stranger.”

“Not for long. I’m sure Coleman has already told them about you. And he likes you.”

“That’s a little encouraging,” Jared admitted. During Shane’s brother’s short stay, they had gotten along just fine.

“Let the window down and breathe this air,” Shane said.

Jared did that, and, indeed, the fresh air made him smile in an instant. The fields stretched to both sides, and they were close to Shane’s family’s ranch now. The smell of hay tickled his nostrils, and he sneezed.

“Bless you,” Shane said and placed a hand on the back of his neck.

“This is so different from where we live now,” Jared noticed. “Are you sure you’re not going to get nostalgic?”

For a moment, Shane’s eyes became unfocused. “Maybe a little. But we’ll come here to visit every year. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even manage to make a cowboy out of you.”

“Right,” Jared said dryly. “Me on a horse. Nope, that’s not going to happen.”

“You just say that.”

It looked like Shane had already had his mind set on teaching Jared how to ride. Well, it looked like the list of challenges wasn’t getting any smaller.

Shane got out to open the gates, and Jared moved in the car. He waited for Shane to get back in, but it looked like the cavalry was already there. Coleman rode to them on a horse the color of midnight.

“Your brother is something. Can I take pictures?” he asked as he got out of the car, too.

Shane shrugged. “You’re gonna have to ask Coleman about that.” And the sexy twang was back.

Jared smiled and waved. “Hey, Coleman!”

His future brother in law stopped the horse inches from them and dismounted. He shook Jared’s hand energetically. “I’ll be damned. He really fooled you, after all.”

“I guess.” Jared worked his fingers. Coleman had a firm grip. He wondered briefly if the entire family would give him mild hand sprains. “But that happened some time ago, so right now, I’m going with the flow.”

“Everyone’s dying to see you. Now follow me.”

Jared looked at Shane.

“I guess that the time for nervous jitters is up,” his future husband said with a shrug.

“I guess,” he said with a sigh, but he felt like smiling again.

***

As rustic as the ranch looked on the outside, the interior surprised Jared with its modern yet comfortable furniture and open space arrangement of the living room. He didn’t have time to dwell on examining the interior. As soon as they were inside, what struck him was the noise. The entire family was up and about in an instant, busy greeting them. Jared was first embraced and kissed on both cheeks by a blond woman in her early sixties with a megawatt smile.

“Welcome home, sugar,” she said in the same attractive drawl and embraced him again. “Coleman told us you were a pretty one. John, what do you think?” She grabbed his hand and pushed him toward a man wearing a string tie and what looked like clothes he would only wear on Sundays by the slight discomfort he appeared to be feeling. “Isn’t he a pretty one?”

The same vigorous handshake shook Jared’s arm from its rotator cuff. That had to be Shane’s dad, and he thought right away that his future husband was just a younger version of the man in front of him. “He sure is, Ellie, he sure is,” he replied with the same broad smile.

Shane put a hand on his shoulder. “These are mom and pop if you didn’t guess already.”

Jared just nodded. His face was already stretched in a smile the same size as everyone in the family wore.

“These are Hanna and Dana,” Shane said, introducing two girls in pigtails who were examining him from the sides of their mother.

“And I’m Charlene,” the twins’ mother said and offered her hand. “Don’t let yourself fooled by these two. The moment they get to know you, they’ll be all over you.”

“We were only waiting for you to start eating. Let’s get to the dining room,” Ellie urged everyone, but without letting go of Jared for one second. “You two will sit by my side,” she decided.

The commotion didn’t die down as they sat at the table. Charlene hurried to help Ellie bring food to the table, and it took only minutes for Jared’s plate to be filled to the brim with all kinds of delicious appetizers.

“You two are so skinny,” Ellie commented as she continued to fill everyone’s plates. “You’re not eating right, are you?”

He had been warned by Shane beforehand, but he still didn’t know what to say to that.

“They’re city boys,” John said. “They must care about their figure and that.”

Ellie waved like she couldn’t believe such people existed. “All the more reason for them to eat well.”

Jared threw Shane a desperate look. If that were a three-course meal, he was doomed. The chances were that he couldn’t live through the first.

***

He must have grown another stomach on their road trip because he somehow managed to get to dessert without too much of a problem. “Mrs. McKay, you’re a wonderful cook,” he told his future mother-in-law.

By how Ellie smiled at him, his compliment was well-received. “Call me Ellie.”

“I hope it’s not a family secret and you can tell me how come your potato salad tastes so amazing.”

“It is a family secret, but you’re soon to be family, so I guess I can tell you. When are we going to meet your parents?”

“Before the wedding, that’s for sure.”

“About the wedding, Shane tells us that you two and other two couples will celebrate together?”

“Yes. I know it’s sort of a crazy idea, but we couldn’t decide an order, so we ended up agreeing that we should all have our wedding day together. Two of the grooms are my childhood friends, and we’ve always been joined at the hip. Our parents weren’t even a bit surprised when we told them.”

“Are we going to the city and buy fancy dresses?” one of the twins asked. “How come your hair is so pretty?” she addressed the direct question at Jared.

“I’ll take care of that,” Shane promised. “I’m going to buy you all dresses and everything. And Jared’s hair is so pretty because he uses three kinds of shampoos.”

The girl’s eyes grew wide. “Three?”

Jared kicked Shane in the shoulder. “Why do you have to make me look so shallow? And I’m not using all three at the same time.”

The little girl didn’t seem interested in his protests. She turned toward her mom. “Can I have three shampoos, like Jared?”

“But you’re already pretty,” Jared intervened. “You don’t have to work hard, like me.”

The girl’s eyes grew wide, and then, she grinned.

“Jared complimented you. Say ‘thank you’, Dana.” Her mother nudged her.

“Thank you, Jared,” Dana said with a sweet smile.

“What kind of fancy are we talking about?” Ellie asked.

“Full-on fancy,” Shane replied. “We’re going to have royalty at the table.”

“Royalty?” Charlene asked.

“My friend Adrian marries into a family that comes from old money. Apparently, his mother-in-law doesn’t want any of us to struggle with the preparations. Adrian told us that what she says it’s low-key is pretty much luxury for everyone else in the world.”

“Damn,” John intervened, “what are we, country folks, gonna do there? We’ll stick out like sore thumbs.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jared hurried to say. “We’ll have a pretty diverse list of attendees. While Adrian’s husband is wealthy, all three of us, I’m talking about Mike, Adrian, and I, come from normal families. If Mrs. Hastings wants to take care of everything, we cannot stand in her way, but Adrian told me that she’s a grounded, reasonable person. I promise you no one will feel out of place.”

“What’s a triple wedding?” Hanna asked.

“Shane will marry Jared,” Ellie began, “Adrian will marry Edward, and Mike will marry --” she searched for Jared’s help with her eyes.

“Ryan,” he offered promptly. “So there will be three weddings at the same time.”

Hanna appeared to ponder over something. “Will there be three cakes, too?”

“Yeah, why not?” Shane replied.

“Pretty ones, like on TV?”

Charlene caressed her daughter’s hair. “She watches the cooking channel for some reason.”

“Prettier than those on TV,” Shane promised.

“So what’s our role if we don’t even have to buy our clothes?” Coleman asked.

“Just to bring yourself and have loads of fun,” Jared replied.

Ellie seemed to be a little unhappy over that. “We hoped we could have a wedding party here.”

Shane exchanged one look with Jared. “We already thought of asking you if you would host one, just for us and Jared’s family.”

Ellie’s face lit up. “We will. And I’m going to make an even fancier cake.”

Jared exhaled. That was the best course of action so that everyone would be happy. As friends, they were glad to have their weddings together, but now, they needed to think of their families, too, families much more numerous than before.

***

“What do you think? Maybe tomorrow, I’ll let you ride by yourself.” Shane was holding him in front, and they were both on the back of a large mare that didn’t seem to mind the extra load.

Jared looked over the expanse stretching in front of them. “I can see why you grew up the way you did. It’s so much freedom here.” He took another mouthful of free air. “It’s a given that we will come back, again and again.”

Shane hugged him with one arm. “I’m glad you like it here. And you see? There was no reason for you to be so nervous. Everyone loves you.”

“That’s quite the family you have here, Shane. My folks will love it here, when they come.”

“And they’ll be welcome, as often as they care to visit. Now, since you saw you had no reason to be nervous about meeting my folks, let’s talk about another thing you have no reason to be nervous about.”

“What do you mean?” Jared reached back and turned his head to steal a kiss from Shane.

His future husband indulged him for a moment. “I know you’re trying to get away, but tomorrow, you’ll ride by yourself. Misty here knows you already. You’ll be fine riding her.”

Jared sighed. “You really want to see me ride.”

“Yeah. I’ll even take a picture.”

“What do you know about taking pictures?” he teased.

“I don’t. But Coleman does, and I already roped him in.”

“Ah, so I’m going to make a complete fool of myself in front of your entire family.”

“Hey, if you want to be one of the McKays, you better know how to mount a horse.”

“Since it’s for such a noble cause, I guess there’s no other way for me than to agree.”

“Glad I talked some sense into you.”

Jared was about to protest to that, but Shane kissed him, and he forgot all about it. Everything important was around him, and nothing else mattered.

***

Ryan placed a kiss on his shoulder and then turned him so that they could face each other. Mike caressed his jawline slowly. “You know, you didn’t have to ask your mother to apologize. I feel bad for her.”

“Don’t. She’s a hardass, and trust me when I’m saying that she doesn’t mind being called that. And you were so cute, trying to say that you would sign as many prenups as needed since you didn’t know I was that rich. In the end, it all looked like a race between people trying to apologize more than the other.”

“She really cares about you.”

“I know. And dad thought I did the right thing, just for the record.”

“It’s true that he didn’t seem so fond of the idea when I … eavesdropped,” Mike said after a moment of hesitation. “And I’ll sign any prenup your family comes with, anyway.”

“Yeah, in the weirdest way, my plan of having my mom apologize to you for judging you without knowing who you really are, backfired spectacularly. You’ll sign whatever you want since it looks like there is no way for me to go against you. Also, my mom was more than satisfied with the outcome. I’d say that she was pleased that her apologies weren’t for naught.”

“I’m sorry if I put you in a bad position. It wasn’t my intention. I didn’t really have time to talk to you in detail, but are you okay with Adrian’s mother-in-law planning our triple wedding? You seemed fine with it, but --”

Ryan stopped him with a short kiss. “Of course I’m fine with it. Also, my parents already planned another wedding party so it looks like we’ll celebrate twice. I wouldn’t have taken your pleasure of getting married along with your best friends. Just the fact that it’s a bit unusual is enough to put a smile on my face, I’m telling you. Plus, it gave my mother a pretty good incentive to try to compensate for what she said. After all, the Hastings family is a name she knows well. She will try to outdo whatever they have in mind, so prepare to be spoiled.”

Mike closed his eyes, then opened them, and closed them again. “I can’t believe this is really happening. Sometimes, I wake up in the morning and, for one second, I don’t know where I am, and I’m wondering if I’m not still dreaming. But it’s real, right? We’re doing this.”

Ryan nodded. “Yes, we are. We totally are. And boy, am I glad. I had no idea things would turn out so well for me when I came here to follow in my uncle’s footsteps. For sure, it didn’t cross my mind that I would land myself a husband. You’re not the only one feeling like walking in a dream.”

Mike opened just one eye. “In my case, it’s more like floating. It’s pretty awesome, to be honest. You even have a dog!”

“I’m glad that I live up to your fantasy,” Ryan said and winked. “And I’m not talking about the dog.”

Mike groaned and covered his eyes. “For how long are you going to tease me? I knew I shouldn’t have told you just every little detail about my fantasy from a while ago.”

“Hey, I might not be exactly a bear, but just you wait until I put on a couple more extra pounds --”

Mike placed one hand over Ryan’s mouth. “No, you’re perfect this way. Don’t get fat or anything.”

Ryan moved his head away so that he could get rid of Mike’s hand. “Now look who’s teasing me. Are you going to put it in the prenup that I’m not supposed to gain weight?”

“Can I do that?”

“Such a teaser,” Ryan replied and shut him up for good with another kiss.

***

“Your mom is really something. She convinced all the other moms that she should be in charge. I wouldn’t go against her in court even if someone paid me millions. I guess she’s pretty scary when she wants. But charming. In a scary way.”

Edward laughed and swatted his shoulder playfully. He placed a plate of food in front of him.

Adrian looked at the food. “You’re cooking again.”

“Why not?” Edward sat across from him and grabbed his fork.

“We could always go to restaurants, or order in … and even I can cook.”

Edward waved. “No. That’s my job. I decided.”

“Is it because you don’t want other things to be your job?” Adrian asked and examined his future husband through his eyelashes. So, Edward’s mom had been right, after all. The administrative duties would fall on his shoulders.

“Nonsense,” Edward said. “Cooking is something I enjoy.”

“And taking care of the vast estate that will come to you after the wedding isn’t,” Adrian said matter-of-factly, fighting a smile.

“To us. It will come to us,” Edward said promptly and appeared focused on his food.

Adrian grinned and leaned over the table. “Sweetheart, you can confide in me. If you don’t like taking care of the wealth your parents --”

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Edward interrupted him. “I loathe it.”

The frankness of that phrase took Adrian by surprise. “Now you’re scaring me. Is it that complicated?”

“You’ll have plenty of people to help you. Accountants, lawyers. I just find it so boring that I’m glad I won’t be bothered with it.”

“Ah, so that was why you weren’t particularly concerned about your father disowning you.”

Edward shrugged. “Even if he said that, I knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t allow a stranger to be in charge.”

“But I’m a stranger,” Adrian pointed out.

“Not anymore, Mr. Rossi-Hastings. I mean, not for long.”

Edward grabbed his glass of wine and raised it. “To you never getting bored looking after our shared wealth. After all, we will have to take care of it for our children.”

Adrian raised his glass, too. “I’ll do my best, Mr. Rossi-Hastings. And wait until my mother hears that her grandchildren will be born with silver spoons in their mouths. She’ll talk about it for weeks with all the relatives.”

“I am happy if she’s happy,” Edward said politely.

They clinked their glasses and then started laughing at the same time.

“I hope we won’t get one of those long tables and sit at opposite ends.”

“Where have you seen such a table in our home?”

“Ah, we’re moving to your mansion, then?”

“Of course. Your oven burns a little the food.”

“That’s a good reason, I guess.”

Adrian was happy to live with Edward anywhere he wanted. What mattered was that they were happy. They were all happy, and that included his best friends. He couldn’t have imagined a better happy-end for the three of them, in his wildest dreams.

TBC