No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,64
Once they traded, the rings fit reasonably well.
“I now pronounce you legally wed.”
His three friends cheered as Charlie pulled Jonas close and kissed him. Jonas touched Charlie’s cheek. “I’m sorry it wasn’t exactly what you wanted, but you have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”
“My friends are here, and I have you,” Charlie assured him. “I don’t have a single regret.”
And then Gray and Warren had to hug him again. Phil shook his hand.
“You’re headed to the Tap House now, right?” Gray asked as they left the courtroom.
Charlie turned to Jonas. “Uh, I don’t know. We hadn’t really talked about it—”
“Gray wasn’t exactly clear,” Phil said. “You’re going to the Tap House now. It’s not a question.”
“Right,” Warren said. “It’s more of a strong request.”
They all grinned at him, and Charlie laughed. “Of course we’re going to the Tap House now. Where else would we go?”
“Good.” Warren smacked him on the shoulder again. “We’ll see you there.”
Jonas couldn’t stop looking at the ring on his fingers as Charlie led him back to the car. It was another spring-like day in Colorado. The temperature was only in the low fifties, but with the sunshine and no wind, it felt warmer. The forecast said they’d be buried under a foot of snow two days later, but for today, Mother Nature seemed to be smiling on their union.
They climbed into Charlie’s Cadillac, but before they left, Jonas leaned across the seat.
“Tell me you’re not still sad.”
Charlie laughed and kissed him. “Not even close.”
The crowd inside the Tap Room cheered when they entered. A swarm of people descended on them—Teddy’s Bears, and guys from his leather group, and coworkers from Urgent Care. People shook Jonas’s hand and hugged him and congratulated him, each face blending into the next. All these people knew Charlie, not him, but Jonas was readily accepted as part of the Tap House family.
He only hoped Charlie’s group of closest friends would be able to accept him so easily.
Eventually, Jonas broke from the crowd long enough to secure a beer from Emily.
“No charge for the newlywed!” she told him.
A wedding cake had been set up on a table against the wall, complete with two little grooms sitting on top. Jonas had come to Denver with the intention of asking Charlie to be his husband, but he’d never dared dream that it might feel this real.
Warren was the first of Charlie’s friends to approach Jonas. Jonas had always liked Warren. How could he not? Warren was the gentle giant of the group, more patient even than Charlie. But of course Warren would take Gray’s side in nearly any argument.
Warren leaned close. “I don’t like guys who break my friends’ hearts.”
Jonas glanced Gray’s direction. He stood at the bar with Avery, ordering a beer. “He looks like he turned out fine.”
Warren almost smiled. Not quite, but the hint of it lingered in his eyes. He moved closer, as if to whisper a secret. “That’s not the friend I’m talking about.”
Jonas laughed, looking over at Charlie. If he had his way, they’d never dissolve the vows they’d just made. “Then neither of us has any reason to worry.”
This time, Warren did smile. He clapped Jonas on the shoulder. “In that case, it’s good to have you back.”
Phil approached him next. Jonas had never seen him with even half a day’s stubble, let alone a beard. It looked good on him. He stood several inches farther away than anybody else would have. He never let anybody get too close to him. But to Jonas’s surprise, Phil looked almost penitent.
“Maybe this isn’t the time or place to bring this up, but if I don’t say it now, I might chicken out later.”
Jonas braced himself, assuming Phil was going to berate him for something. “Go ahead.”
“I’m sorry about what happened between you and Gray.”
That was definitely the last thing he’d expected anybody to say to him today. “Really? Why?”
Phil’s cheeks turned red. He glanced around, making sure nobody was within earshot. “I didn’t know…” He stopped, looking up at the ceiling for support. “I didn’t know until very recently that I played a part in your breakup. I hope you know that was never my intention.”
Jonas had certainly harbored a bit of resentment toward Phil at the time, but even then, he’d known none of it was Phil’s doing. It wasn’t like Phil flirted with Gray or led him on. If anything, Phil’s utter indifference to Gray’s charms had probably been a large part of why