“I’m happy for you. Truly I am.”
Jamie looked away from Kyle to meet Liam’s eyes. “I have faith you’ll find someone, Liam.”
“I’d settle for someone to talk to,” Liam confessed.
“You know we’re here for you.”
“I know. But I didn’t come here to bemoan my situation. I came because you invited me as your best man. Why don’t you tell me what those duties include for you Yanks?”
Jamie laughed and stretched out his legs. “Right now it’s a goddamn circus. I’d say that would make you the ringmaster, but I think Katie has that role on lockdown.”
Liam appreciated that Jamie allowed him to change the subject, willing to talk about the upcoming wedding set to happen in just a couple days rather than Liam’s dismal love life. As far as Liam knew, there was no stag party on the schedule, only a get-together for the team and their closest friends before the rehearsal dinner and the ceremony itself.
While Liam hadn’t been in charge of organizing that gathering—a duty which had fallen to former Sergeant Ekaterina “Katie” Ovechkina—he knew he had other duties to perform. Liam was still tweaking his speech as best man for the reception, and he wanted it to be perfect.
“Whatever you need.”
“You’re here,” Jamie said. “That’s more than enough.”
Considering the lives they lived, it honestly was.
“If you want to eat, get your asses over to the kitchen,” Kyle called out.
Liam smirked at Jamie. “You do realize marrying an NCO means you’re going to be bossed around for the rest of your life?”
Jamie laughed as he stood. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Liam followed Jamie into the kitchen where their lunch awaited, intent on enjoying his time with friends.
2
Looking for a Life to Let Me In
“Do you need help with those?”
Jamie looked away from the full-length mirror hanging on the wall in the White House bedroom to see Liam lounging in the doorway. He wore the frockcoat uniform of the United Kingdom’s Blues and Royals, the Garter Star made of gold braids bright against the dark fabric. His officer’s sword hung from the scabbard on his left side, the hilt gleaming beneath the lights.
Jamie extended his hand toward Liam, the Silver Star Medal that was giving him trouble resting on his palm. The photographer who had set up earlier to photograph him stepped closer to get a couple of shots. She was a nice lady and worked to be as unobtrusive as possible considering what was going on.
“I usually have Kyle do these for me, but since you’re here, come be useful,” Jamie said.
“Perhaps you should have brought him with you.”
“He’s getting ready at home.”
“I know. I heard him having a row with Alexei when I doubled back to pick up your reception suit, which you forgot.”
Jamie winced. He’d had other things on his mind that morning. Forgetting the suit had turned out all right in the end because Liam had jumped out of their car, commandeered a Secret Service vehicle, and gone back to retrieve it.
“Thank you for that.”
“What are friends for?”
Liam came closer to take the medal from Jamie, eyeing the row already pinned to the left side of Jamie’s chest. Jamie had always found it easier to get the damned things straight if someone else pinned them for him.
“Hold still. I don’t want to accidentally stab you and get blood all over your dress blues. Kyle, and possibly Katie, might murder me,” Liam warned.
“We wouldn’t want that.”
