Our bubble burst when we were surrounded by Adam’s brothers, their partners, and then their parents and grandmother.
“We’re so happy for you both,” Carla said, pulling me in for a hug. “You know, I always wondered if you two would ever be together, but I just thought I’d gotten it wrong. It seems my mother instincts were right.”
“You could have given me the heads-up, Mom,” Adam said.
“You have to figure these things out for yourself, honey.”
Adam stared back at me. “I was a little slow on the uptake, but I intend on making up for lost time.”
The next twenty minutes felt like three hundred weeks that we spent receiving congratulations from people, hearing how cute we looked together, and smiling through all the wedding questions.
Every time I glanced at Adam, I could tell he was getting tired of it.
His hand never left mine, so at the earliest opportunity, I pulled him toward the kitchen. I used an excuse I didn’t buy myself, so I didn’t expect our friends to buy it, but they didn’t say anything.
“This is a great party and all, but I am familiar with the quality of the food, and there’s no one in that crowd I’m dying to get naked with. Do we have to stay?” I pulled Adam closer and buried my face in his neck, sucking lightly on his skin. Enough to rile him up but not leave a mark.
He glanced around at the gathered crowd. Shaking his head, a playful smirk danced on his lips. “They’ll manage without us. Come on, let’s go out through the back door,” he urged, his grin the very definition of joy as he tugged me toward the door.
We made an almost clean escape before bumping into Fir.
“Dammit,” he said. “Just lost twenty bucks.”
“What?”
“There was a bet going around the staff. I said you’d last an hour. Drew bet on twenty minutes. Chef said you’d last two hours, but I think it’s because he thinks no one can resist his food.”
I laughed. “Sorry about that. I’ll make it up to you with an extra day off.”
“No need, boss. Go be happy with your man.”
I looked at Adam. “That’s the plan.”
35
ADAM
Icouldn’t stop myself from stealing another kiss before I left River in the passenger seat of my car. I was a parched man, and River was the drink I craved.
“Where are we going?” he asked when I started the car.
“The hotel downtown. You know as soon as my brothers realize we’re missing, they’ll give us a couple of hours tops before they break into your place with an excuse that we need to go somewhere. The only place I need to be is inside you. Or you inside me. Those are the only two viable options for the next…week.”
River chuckled softly, a sound that made the corner of my mouth turn up in a half-smile.
“Your brothers are weird.”
“The apples don’t fall far from the tree,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
I stopped at a red light and glanced briefly at him. He took my hand and brought it to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on my palm.
“Last week, I met with my parents …to come out to them and tell them about us. Well, I hoped there would still be an us.”
“There will always be an us if it depends on me,” River said. “I’ve already been without you enough to last a lifetime, so from now on, we’re stuck like glue.”
He chuckled. “How romantic.”
