I was thinking to stay stateside for a change, but not sure where I want to go. Who knows, maybe I’ll just chill at home and get some home improvements in.”
Aidan had recently bought himself a fixer-upper and had been painstakingly restoring it to its former glory every chance he got. He loved working with his hands, so a lot of the work he was doing himself, and what he didn’t do, he watched as it was being done, when he could. His job meant that sometimes all he managed to do at home was sleep and shower.
“You know you can call us if you need anything.”
Mrs. Kincaid made the statement matter-of-factly and everyone hummed in agreement. Bennett watched silently as his father looked over to where his wife sat. The love in his eyes was as plain as day. No one could miss how he felt about her, and when she looked up to smile at him, something cracked in Bennett’s heart. God, he wanted that!
“So, how are the newlyweds?” his dad asked.
Not what I want to talk about.
“They’re fine. I just finalized the pictures with them and their album is now uploaded and ready for viewing. I believe they’ll be sending all the guests the link soon. And you’ll all also be getting your unique Thank You souvenir photo.”
Bennett would happily have gone on talking about the pictures, but his mother stopped him, a shrewd look in her eyes.
“Well, now that Ryland has gone and done the deed, I’m hoping it won’t be too much longer before I get to be as happy as his mother is right now.”
His twin brothers both laughed. Bennett tried for a smile but it felt more like a grimace stretching across his face. Thankfully, before anyone noticed how silent he was, Aidan spoke for all of them.
“Don’t hold your breath, Mom. I’m way too busy for that. Besides, I can’t say as I’ve got too many colleagues who are still happily married after making detective. This job isn’t conducive to happily ever after.”
“ER doctors aren’t exactly high on the list of examples of marital bliss, either. Not that I wouldn’t like to have someone to call my own, but I’m not really looking, either.” Adam spoke up in support of his twin.
Reverend Kincaid smiled at his sons. “I hate to break it to you, boys, but love isn’t some convenient thing you can manage like you manage your portfolio. It’s messy, problematic, and challenging. And it often hits you over the head if you keep ignoring it.”
More laughter. Bennett tried to join in, but the melancholy he’d been struggling against seemed to swamp him suddenly, causing a suspicious burning behind the eyelids he closed to contain it. A surge of anger licked up his spine, and he sat up straight, reaching for the glass of water in front of him. Fuck this! He couldn’t let jealousy make him so damned maudlin that a conversation about marriage brought him to tears. He wasn’t a crier, and he for damn sure wasn’t going to start now.
“Benny? Are you all right, son?”
Bennett blinked. What the hell? He didn’t need to become the center of anyone’s attention right now when he was having some kind of psychological crisis.
“I’m fine.” He managed to keep his voice cool. “Why?”
His father studied him for a long moment, and Bennett cringed, since his attention meant everyone else at the table was looking at him as well. He was not a fan of being the focus of anyone’s attention.
“Something seems off about you,” his dad said. He was never one to beat around the bush. “But maybe it’s nothing.”
Bennett breathed a sigh of relief. His dad was letting it go for now, which was fine with him. He knew he’d have to have the conversation, that he couldn’t escape Reverend Kincaid’s eagle eye forever, but he’d take the respite he’d been given for now. He’d at least have time to regroup before the grilling began. Time to figure out what not to say.
Chapter Three
The bar was fairly crowded, but Jordan wasn’t surprised. After all, it was a Friday night. He imagined it’d get louder and even more packed than it already was. Ideal conditions for dirty dancing of the gay male kind. He made his way to the bar and ordered a drink, then sat there nursing it while people made orders around him. He sipped slowly, half turning and observing the scene until he felt a hand on his neck.
“Hey,