Page 182 of Beau and the Beast

Lincoln had been wary, at first, of seeing Wolfram up close—not because he was scared but because he was embarrassed at havingshotthe man. But once Wolfram was able to go out in public, to see and be seen without interrupting everything going on around him, it had only taken one round of beers for them to become fast friends.

“You were trying to protect Beau,” Wolfram had said to Lincoln generously. “How could I be mad at what happened, when you thought I was holding him prisoner?”

After that, they’d never had reason to bring it up—and when Noah and Lincoln got married in the New Whitby courthouse, Wolfram and Beau were there to witness it.

They would both be there for the party that evening—unless Wolfram lost his nerve and didn’t actually pull Noah out of the overlong board meeting at the end of the day. Guests weren’t supposed to be arriving until seven, but it wasn’t unusual for meetings at NHPAA to run long.

Beau didn’t know why he was so nervous. It wasn’t even like it was the first time he’d be entertaining in the new condo. The first week that they’d been mostly unpacked, Violet had come over for dinner with both of her children. They’d laughed and enjoyed the meal, her older daughter talking about the classes she’d signed up for at college for the next semester and her younger daughter going on and on about how she was looking for a pre-medical program that included a specialization in care for non-human people.

It had been a great night. And Beau was an experienced entertainer. It made no sense that he’d be having anxiety, and yet…

I don’t know,he thought to himself.Something just seems off.

* * *

Violet arrived early, as she often did, sweeping unannounced through the unlocked front door and arriving in the kitchen with several loaves of fresh bread from the French Pantry down the street for Beau and a bottle of brandy for Wolfram.

“Knock knock,” she said cheerfully. Beau was stooped down and halfway inside of his oven.

“Thank God you’re here,” he said, still inside the oven. “Can you chop?”

“Of course.”

She stepped around the counter to wash her hands and get started prepping whatever Beau needed help with.

“Why aren’t you at the board meeting?” he asked, finally straightening out, closing the oven, and wiping his hands down the front of his apron.

“I begged off,” she said. “I was in meetings all day after the show this morning and if I had to sit through another one, I was going to lose my mind.”

“Well, thanks for showing up early.”

“Of course. You don’t sound that excited.”

Beau shrugged. “I feel anxious and weird. I don’t know.”

“What, like somethingmagicalis going to happen?” she teased.

“Whatever,” he said, dismissing her with a hand.

“I’m just saying, don’t you think he’s going to ask you soon?”

Wolfram hadn’t dropped any hints, but he’d definitely been acting strange. Beau’s theory was that he was chafing under his role at the NHPAA and unwilling to tell anyone that he needed a break. Violet was more optimistic. She thought he was getting ready to ask Beau to marry him.

“It’s not like there’s a rush,” he said, rolling his eyes. “And—I don’t know, wetalkabout things. He’s not just going to pop the question without talking to me first.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Beau smiled. “I don’t need fun. Everything Idois fun. I just need Wolf.”

“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Gimme a break—“

“Itis.”

“Hey Vi?”

“Hm.”

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