“I’ve known for weeks.”
Joshua spun to face his husband, who was smiling broadly. Colin gestured out the window. “This is Knockma Forest. One of the most beautiful wooded areas in Ireland. Old growth forest.” David made a wide turn, and Colin gestured again. “And this is CastleHacket.”
Before them, a medieval castle rose several stories above the lush green woodland. “It’s acastle!” Joshua blurted out, his voice rising in surprise.
“I believe I said that,” Colin teased, flashing his dimples in a quick grin.
“Are we going to visit here?” He spun back to face Colin. “Was this on the itinerary?”
“We’re not visiting here,” Colin said as David stopped the van beside the castle’s valet service. “We’restayinghere!”
“We’re spending the night in acastle?” Joshua asked him, clutching his arm as Colin opened the door and began to climb out.
“We are,” Colin said. He drew Joshua from the van and then turned when several uniformed valets dashed forward to take their luggage.
“Your name, sir?” one of them asked Colin.
“Colin Campbell-Abrams,” Colin told him.
The young man bowed low. “Yes, sir, Mr. Campbell-Abrams.” He turned to his companions. “Upper West Apartments.”
Colin handed him a fistful of twenty-dollar bills. “Pass those out to the rest of the guys.” He nudged the young man’s arm and gestured to David and Nate. “Make sure you take good care of them.”
“Absolutely, sir.”
Joshua had seen none of this. He stood next to Colin, staring up at the imposing facade. He had always been a romantic, and the idea of spending the night in an actual castle nearly took his breath away. “I can’t believe you did this!” he whispered, his voice wrung with tears. He clung to Colin’s arm as they made their way inside, where he stopped and stared in amazement at the grandeur of the entrance hall. The lighting cast a brilliant glow, allowing Joshua to see even the most minute details of the paintings, tapestries, and sculptures that adorned the space around them.
Seeing that Joshua was oblivious to where they were going, Colin took his arm and led him up the grand staircase, their footsteps echoing in the wide stairwell until they reached the top, where the main desk waited. “Colin Campbell-Abrams,” he informed the clerk.
“Of course, Mr. Campbell-Abrams. Upper West Apartment. Your luggage has already been delivered. May I make a dinner reservation for your party?”
“Absolutely,” Colin told him.
“Would you like champagne waiting at the table, sir? Or would you prefer to order once you’re seated?”
“I would like you to have the Guinness waiting and to keep it flowing.”
“Yes, sir! Absolutely, sir. What time would you prefer to dine?”
“Eight o’clock.”
“Yes, sir. Your table will be ready at eight. Now, if you and your party would follow Johnathan, he’ll guide you to your apartment.”
When they finally reached their rooms, Joshua let out a gasp of wonder. The suite was fit for a king, or in this case, fortwokings. The apartment boasted two huge bedrooms, each featuring a four-poster bed draped in rich velvet curtains and a large bathroom. A roaring fireplace and a crystal chandelier that sparkled in the firelight’s glow adorned the enormous living area, and a fully stocked kitchenette completed the apartment’s layout. Tall windows stretched across the entire width of the spacious suite, offering a view of the ancient dark green forest that seemed conjured out of a magical dream.
Joshua stood in the center of the living room and gaped in amazement. “Oh, my god, Colin,” he breathed out. “Oh, my god.”
Colin tossed his keys to the coffee table and shrugged. “My sweet prince deserves to spend at leastonenight in a castle.”
Joshua turned and threw his arms around Colin’s neck, kissing him repeatedly. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you, my beloved.” Blinded by tears, he met Colin’s eyes. He tried to speak but couldn’t and pressed his face against Colin’s chest. After a long moment, he lifted his head. “No one,” he whispered, “not even you, has ever done anything like this for me.”
Colin drew Joshua’s hands from around his neck and kissed them. “Well, someoneshouldhave.”
“I want you all to know,” David announced, reading from a pamphlet he had picked up from the coffee table, “that King Edward VIII stayed here with Wallis Simpson. And I mean righthere!”he continued pointing down, at the rich blue and gold carpet. “Right here inoursuite.”
Nate wandered in from the bedroom. “My god, even thebathroomsin this place are swanky. I feel guilty taking a pee in there!” He grinned and gently punched David’s arm. “You think the king fucked her inourbed?”
“Could be,” David told him. “Frankly, I’m more interested in what you andIare going to do in our bed.”
