I hung up the phone without giving him a chance to respond. He tried calling back a few times, but I sent each call to voicemail. Eventually, he got the hint.
For the longest time, I sat there and stared at my phone until the dam broke and I let the tears out. I curled up on my couch and sobbed, utterly broken.
I allowed myself a month of sad movies, ice cream for dinner, and mourning the relationship that never was. Despite what it looked like, I was never Xavier’s boyfriend either of the times we’d gotten close to it. Our friends with benefits thing had suited us when Xavi was going through his divorce, but now that was over and he was single, it was time for him to look for the person he could start a family with. A person who could never be me.
Mourning period done, I had to lock in to best friend mode. No, best man mode! I was planning a wedding with Haneul, Jae’s mom, with as little input from the grooms as possible. They had little Leo to look after, a book to write in Jae’s case, and a business to run in Curtis’. Both of the grooms had enough to do without planning a wedding with only six months to get it done.
We’d waited about four months to really lock in the details to give Jae and Curtis time to bond with their baby. The first few months were so tiring, and Jae had some healing to do postpartum.
Our biggest problem with the planning was that Haneul was still repairing her fractured relationship with Jae, and she was unwilling to offer up too many opinions, always siding with Jae instead. My beloved Jae was quite frankly useless at picking anything. Everything was pretty.
I called the big guns in: Curtis and his best man, Marty. We’d even asked Curtis’ dad, Ricky, so he could watch Leo for us while we got some of the big decisions out of the way.
“You know, I think this mint green and cream color palate looks really classy with how Brady’s set it out,” Marty offered with a wink.
Since Leo’s arrival, I’d had more of a chance to get to know Curtis’ best friend, Marty. The omega was a single dad who had opinions on everything. At first,t he didn’t say all that much, I think sussing out me and Haneul, but the more we got together, the more we heard more from him. He had great taste, an eye for what both Jae and Curtis would like, and an ability to subtly keep Haneul on his side.
Basically, I was in awe of the omega.
“I agree,” Haneul said, with the samples in her hand. She rarely went against Marty. It was a thing of beauty to watch how he got her to pick what Jae and Curtis wanted but were too anxious to suggest.
“If you wanted the grooms to have different colors, Curtis could have a cream tie and Jae the green. I think the green would suit both of you better. The cream will look really nice on Curtis.”
Again, Haneul agreed. “Jae would look lovely with a mint green waistcoat, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Curtis said, “I’m happy to wear a cream one, really tie the theme together.”
Ricky entered the living room with Leo in his arms and Maddy by his side. “This little lady says you have a secret, but you wanted all of us together.” He directed his words toward Marty. The pair were very close because Marty lived with Ricky after he had Maddy until only a couple of years ago. Ricky had practically adopted Marty as another son.
Marty winced. “I knew I was going to have to bring it up soon. It won’t affect anything. I’ll be at the wedding, I swear.”
The omega looked flustered. Haneul patted his hand. “Is this about the baby?”
Simultaneously, my stomach dropped and my heart leaped. Marty was pregnant? Life was so unfair.
It felt like the entire room was on pause, waiting to react once they knew how Marty felt about it.
“How did you know?” Marty gasped.
“This close, the pheromone filters Jae has couldn’t mask the scent. I didn’t want to bring it up just in case you were unhappy.” Haneul fidgeted in her seat, a move uncharacteristic for the older woman. Jae leaned into her, automatically giving support.
Marty smiled, a soft sweet thing that transformed his face. He looked years younger without the weight of the world on his shoulder. “Mate Match really worked. They found me something special and now we’re pregnant!”
The room erupted with cheers for the omega. I think I managed to voice my congratulations.
“Are you ever going to tell me about this match? Do we get to meet them soon?” Jae asked with a teasing smile.
“Soon,” Marty promised. “They have to tell their family first. I know it won’t be easy. They are younger than me, for starters, but being with them feels so good!”
Jae leaned forward, angling towards me. “Now it’s your turn to try Mate Match!”
“I’m not sure,” I hedged.
“C’mon, Brady. If you mean what you said about putting Xavier behind you, then this might be your best shot at getting your happily ever after. You’ve got two case studies right here.”
What did I have to lose? This last month without Xavier had been awful. I’d been firm and avoided any contact with him, but he was still trying. He was persistent, I’d give him that. Between his desire to be a dad and the threats from Gio, I was done hoping things would work out. It was time to take a chance on the app. It had given Jae his perfect love with Curtis. Marty was glowing!
Although my heart was still a battered thing, I wondered what it would do for me. Would I find someone to make me forget Xavi?
