Page 30 of First Comes Marriage

“She’s going to expect you to come to the party too. But I can skip it. It wouldn’t be the first time I let her down,” she said, forcing a chuckle.

“Answer it.” He stepped away from her, putting distance between them as he dug his hands into his pants pockets. She hated every inch of that space, of the blank look in his eyes. “You can tell her I look forward to seeing her again.”

Chapter Ten

“We didn’t order these.” Gavin tried to hand back the round of shots as the bartender, Sam, set them on their table at The Rookery.

Sam quirked an eyebrow towards a table at the front of the room. “No, but they did.” Baz groaned. He didn’t need to look to know who had sent them drinks. Sam set the final glass in front of Baz with a shit-eating grin. “Congrats, man. Didn’t even know you were seeing someone.”

Gavin took a tentative sip of the drink. “Mm, it’s fruity.” He threw back the rest of the shot. “Is that cranberry?”

Jamie pressed his lips together thoughtfully. “I think so.”

Ethan shoved the glass away from himself and held up his beer. “I’ll stick to my Sam Adams.”

“Now is that any way to show your gratitude? Ethan Hart, I know your mother taught you better than that,” Mrs. Blumenthal said with mock offense as she and her gang of meddlesome friends appeared at their table.

“I’m a simple man, Mrs. B, with simple tastes.” Ethan took another sip of his beer.

“And now you’re the only bachelor in the bunch,” Mrs. White mused, running her assessing gaze over him. “Pity. I really did think you would be next to tie the knot.”

“She lost twenty bucks on that bet,” Mrs. Kemp announced.

“You’re betting on our love lives now?” Baz might need that shot after all.

“Only a bit of harmless fun,” Mrs. Blumenthal said.

“Does this mean you’ll be next to join the fatherhood club, Sebastian?” Mrs. Greene said.

Baz choked on his Scotch, slamming a fist into his sternum as he coughed.

Mrs. White laughed. “Go easy on him, Ruth. He hasn’t even gone on his honeymoon yet.”

“Where are your lovely ladies tonight?” Mrs. Kemp craned her neck around the bar as though Tessa and Kyla might pop out of thin air to surprise her.

“They’re having a girls’ night,” Jamie said. “Tessa wants to get a few more in before the baby comes.”

“Good, then we won’t embarrass Sebastian in front of his new wife when we whoop your behinds tonight,” Mrs. Greene laughed.

“One of these days, we’re going to win,” Gavin said.

The grandma gang laughed at that, Mrs. Blumenthal patting Gavin patronizingly on the shoulder.

“Alright, it’s been over a week since you got home. Time to tell us the truth,” Jamie said once Mrs. White and her friends had returned to their own table on the other side of the room. “Did you lose a bet? Is one of you dying?”

Baz shot him an unamused look. “The fuck are you talking about?”

“I’m trying to figure out how you left here four days ago a single man and now you’re married to a woman you haven’t even seen in ten years.”

Baz glared at him.

“Are you in love with her?” Gavin asked. “What I mean is…have you been in love with her this whole time? I wouldn’t judge you if you have. I mean, look at how long I was in love with Kyla before I even knew it.”

“Weall knew it,” Jamie said.

“It would explain why you haven’t had a single serious relationship with any other woman in the last decade,” Ethan said, steering the conversation back to Baz.

Gavin nodded. “We would understand why you were so impulsive if you’ve been harboring feelings for her—”

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