“I’m saying…” Benji hesitated. They had been talking with Desmond, their lawyer, about how to go about this. And they’d finally decided on going with straightforward: Benji’s favorite.
“I’m saying I can be kind of… brash,” Benji said. “And some people don’t like it. So yeah, some of them would love to make people think I’m a piece of shit. Which was fine when it was just me. But now my dad is trying to bring Max into it. That was the final straw for me. I don’t like interviews, but I’ll do one if it lets people know I’m not some money-hungry jackass who’s pulling a fast one on Noah. I’m a community college student who fell in love with a guy he never saw coming. I just want to be left alone. I want Noah, and I want my art, and school, andprivacy, and I want my little brother to get to live his life without worrying he’s going to get taken away by a dad he’s had maybe five conversations with in his whole fucking life.”
He fell silent, gnawing on his lip. He could imagine Desmond hiding a wince, telling him to ease up on the honesty.We get that you want to be real,Desmond had said when they went over this.But we want a LIKEABLE real. So, pick your words carefully.
Was Benji being likeable? He couldn’t tell. But he knew who would make him likeable as fuck.
He squeezed Noah’s hand.
Noah cleared his throat. “Benji has an incredibly big heart. Unfortunately, Chet has proven time and time again that he isn’t worthy of it. I feel profoundly honored to have it, and to give Benji my own heart in return.”
Shit, Benji mouthed. He stared down at his lap, cheeks burning. If Noah went this hard on their wedding vows, he’d be caught between incredulous laughter and heartfelt tears the whole time.
“Anyhow,” Noah continued. “Thank you for your time, Katee. But Benji has a fitting to get to.”
“A fitting?” Katee looked at Benji brightly, and Benji could see the excited suspicion start to dawn. “Anything interesting?”
“Yes, actually.” Noah pulled their joined hands between them, uncovering Benji’s engagement ring. “I’m making Benji a wedding suit.”
Katee gasped, staring at Benji’s ring. “You two are getting married?”
“We are.” Noah kissed the green stone in Benji’s ring, the softness of his mouth around the ring making Benji break out in pleasant shivers. “A small, quiet ceremony. Just us and our closest people.”
Katee’s eyes flashed. Benji could see her think about the inevitable Michael question: rumors of him getting fired, photos surfacing of him stumbling drunkenly around the city. Then Katee straightened in her seat, and Benji remembered Noah telling him she had a surprising amount of integrity.
“Congratulations,” Katee said finally. “Can I get a hint at what Benji can look forward to? Are we thinking about a suit? A gown? Something in between?”
“It’s a surprise,” Noah said. “You’ll just have to wait.”
CHAPTER 14
Benji’s voice drifted out from behind the curtain. “Are you sure you should be seeing this?”
Noah sat back on the plush couch, hands behind his head. “I think we can do whatever we want.”
Benji poked his head out and gave Noah the same pointed look that he’d given him when Noah dismissed all the staff from the back rooms. Like he knew exactly what Noah was thinking when he told them not to bother coming back in unless Noah summoned them.
Noah waved at him. “Come on, baby. Let me see.”
Benji pushed the curtain back hesitantly. He was smiling, but it was shy and uncertain as he stepped into the waiting room.
He held out his arms, displaying a smart, dark suit with rolled-up sleeves and a bright pocket square.
“Not the one?” Noah said.
Benji shrugged, dropping his arms. He twisted to examine himself in the mirror. “I don’t know. It’s beautiful, but… maybe not for the wedding.”
“You got it,” Noah said. “Let’s try the next one.”
Benji slipped back into the changing rooms. Noah sat back on the couch and waited. Part of him wanted to go in there andhelp Benji put everything on—pull zips, do up buttons. But he was very much enjoying the shock of seeing Benji in each outfit the designers had been emailing him.
Benji pulled the curtain back again to reveal a sleek green dress. It swished around his feet, hugging his narrow body and emphasizing his tiny waist.
Noah fought down a wave of lust and watched his face. “No?”
Benji groaned, burying his head in his hands. “I don’t know! I never thought I’d get married, so I never thought about it! And I guess if I had to think about it, I’d say it should be a suit, but now we haveoptions,and I do like the dress, but I don’t know if I’d want to wear it in front of everybody!”
Noah stood up and rubbed his arms. “Hey. We can rethink this.”
