No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,57
make it worse.
“I’ll talk to Jonas. We’ll pick a date for everybody to come over.”
“Good.” He finished his beer. “Listen, I should get home. Avery’s probably wondering where the hell I ran off to.”
“Never thought I’d see the day when you were rushing home to a spouse,” Charlie said as he followed Gray down the hallway to the living room.
“Me neither. I love it, though. Best decision I’ve ever made.” He stopped at the front door. “Speaking of marriages, when’s yours?”
“We got the license a couple of days ago. We have an appointment at two o’clock on Friday to make it official.”
“Rings?”
Charlie shook his head. “No.” He hadn’t even thought about it.
Gray nodded, and for a second, they stood there, awkwardly waiting for the other person to say something. Gray sighed and stepped forward, pulling Charlie into a hug.
“I’m sorry, man.”
Charlie hugged him back, squeezing hard. “Me too.”
Gray kissed him on the temple. “I love you. If you’re happy, I’m happy. It just takes me a bit to remember it sometimes, I guess.” He stepped back, patting Charlie on the shoulder. “All this other shit will work out. You’ll see.”
Charlie chuckled, thinking about Gray’s confession that he’d never wear a badge again. “It hasn’t worked out for you yet.”
“Maybe not, but you keep telling me it will, and you’re the second smartest guy in the group, so it must be true.”
Charlie laughed. Only a couple of hours earlier, Gray had said they’d make up, but not today. And yet here they were, friends again, as they were meant to be. Gray was ready to accept Jonas back into the group as Charlie’s partner. Charlie still worried about his job and the possibility of facing charges, but at least he had his friends back. “Thanks, Gray. I mean it.”
“Anytime.”
Chapter 18
Two days before the wedding, it occurred to Charlie that he had no idea what to wear. He went to his bedroom and dug out his best pair of dress pants.
They were too small.
He found the other two pairs of dress pants he owned. They were too small as well. Panic bubbled in his chest as he searched for the one pair of khaki slacks he owned.
They were even smaller than the others.
“Fuck.”
He tossed them into the pile at his feet. Why in the world had he let himself eat all that shit he’d been baking? He should have been dieting, not eating cookies. The tux for Warren’s wedding had been rented. Maybe there was still time to do that before Friday.
Jonas appeared in the bedroom doorway. He eyed Charlie, standing there in his boxers, and the pile of clothes at his feet. Jonas’s crooked smile tugged at his lips. “What’s going on?”
Charlie sighed, running his hands through his dark hair. “You’re going to laugh, but I have nothing to wear to the wedding. I should have been dieting these past few weeks so I could fit into something, but instead I’ve been baking and eating more than ever.”
He knew he was being silly. Jonas obviously found him attractive enough. And in general, Charlie didn’t consider himself a vain person. But with Jonas, everything was different. Charlie wanted to be better than he was. He wanted to believe that when Jonas looked at him, he saw a man he desired. He didn’t want Jonas to have to settle for less than he deserved.
“I hate being fat.”
“I don’t think of you as fat. I never have.”
Charlie scowled. “You don’t have to lie about it.”
Jonas took a step into the room, frowning. “I’m not lying. I think of you as solid and strong and masculine. I love that about you, Charlie.”
Charlie found it hard to believe, but when he looked into Jonas’s eyes, he didn’t find laughter or duplicity. He found sincerity. Still, who could look at him and not want to turn away?
Jonas came to him, leaning against Charlie’s bulk. He slid his hands under Charlie’s T-shirt, intentionally touching his middle. Charlie resisted the urge to stop him or to back away.
“Listen to me, Charlie. You’re so much more than how you look. You make me happy. You make me feel special and safe. I came all the way back here from Seattle for this surgery because nobody has ever made me feel safe the way you do. You’re the kindest man I’ve ever known. You help everyone and you never ask for anything in return. And those things have nothing to do with what size pants you wear.”
“I guess.” Charlie sighed, relenting.