“The Bishops are our number-one competitor in the state.” Oz smiled wryly. “Real glad they don’t recognize me.”
“Lucky they didn’t ask your last name,” Seth said. “Sorry for claiming you as my boyfriend. That wasn’t fair on you.”
Oz shrugged. “I don’t mind. I understood why. Besides, I think I deserve a promotion to date, at least.”
“Maybe, but you’d have to apologize for leaving me alone with these people first.”
“Iamsorry about that, believe me. I got caught up with the bridesmaids. After the bouquet toss, they wouldn’t take gay for an answer. I had to point you out to get away.”
“Okay.” Seth sighed happily, leaning closer to Oz’s side. “Promotion granted. You’re officially my date.”
Now that he wasn’t being harassed for his dowry, this wasn’t so bad at all. “At least until they marry you off to the kid, right?”
“You noticed that, huh?” Seth smiled wryly. “I guess my dad has his sights set on owning most of Texas by proxy. Which is kinda weird, considering he hates it down here.”
“I thought you hated it down here?” Oz asked.
Seth shrugged. “It’s basically an alien planet, but it’s growing on me. I could live without the heat, but I am into the hats. Which you were right about, by the way.”
“Big fancy wedding calls for big fancy hats,” Oz said, shifting his weight, but not moving his arm.
Seth didn’t hate that at all. He could get behind Oz being a little protective over him.
If his father had wanted to marry him off to Oz, he wouldn’t have been nearly as upset about the idea. Unfortunately, he didn’t need two connections with the one family. Especially not when one of them had been disowned.
All of this made more sense, now. Jason had probably escaped disowning because Seth had been out by then, and he was suddenly useful. Or maybe Mr. Bishop just wasn’t as homophobic as Oz’s father.
“You know, you actually don’t seem like I imagined a Texan would be. I mean, you clearlyare, but you don’t act like these people. Not really, anyway. You’re quiet. Gentle.Urbane.”
“Urbane?” Oz raised an eyebrow. “That’s a mighty fancy word you got there.”
“You’re doing that on purpose and it seems really unnatural. Am I being super offensive here?”
“Let’s go with honest.” Seth smiled kindly. “I know what you mean, and Mr. Bishop does fit a kind of stereotype that I guess you’ve come to expect. I do have the unnecessarily huge car and the hat, though.”
“I guess.” Seth hesitated, and then risked resting his head against Oz’s chest. When Oz didn’t react, he shuffled a little closer. Weddings were much less unpleasant with someone he liked to hang out with.
“You’re a little old to be just now figuring out that everyone’s different, but I’ll give you a pass ‘cause you’re cute,” Oz said. “And because the hat suits you.”
Seth laughed at that. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it, but I kind of feel like I’m in a Halloween costume. You seem brighter than you did this morning.”
Oz had still been quiet and sad when they’d woken up, and Seth hadn’t been sure how to comfort him.
“Yeah.” Oz took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah, I feel better now that I’ve had a chance to process. I always get like this when a client dies. Even if I only met them once. And Mr. Perkins was one of my first clients, so…”
“So it hit a little harder. I understand. And I’m grateful that you still came with me. It means a lot.”
Oz chuckled. “I left you alone for two minutes and you nearly got engaged. Imagine what might have happened without me here?”
Seth shuddered at the thought. He was really glad he’d brought Oz with him.
It was a shame he wouldn’t have another excuse to see him after this. He couldn’t exactly travel across the country every other weekend without looking desperate.
He knew he was just a fun distraction for Oz. Part of Seth had fantasized that when he apologized for saying that Oz was his boyfriend, he’d suggest that maybe that was what they could be, or that they already were.
But no. He’d joked about getting a promotion to date, not to boyfriend. Because he didn’t want that.
Seth couldn’t blame him. Oz was so out of his league that he might as well have actually been from another planet, instead of just a place that seemed like one.
