Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 19458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 97(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 97(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Evan smiles. “No problem. Congrats.” With a sweet wave, Evan is gone.
4
Gary
I stand in one of the bedrooms on Steven’s yacht.
“Relax,” Hayden says, still working to calm me down after I found out the catering will be late.
“Relax? Do you have any idea how hard this was to coordinate? We practically had to have a three-way with Geoffrey to make this happen.”
Geoffrey’s the guy who owns the lakeside property in the cove where we’re holding the party. His parents invented some sort of diamond-cutting machine that’s used to build roads…so needless to say, he’s pretty well-off. He also has parties out here all the time, which was what gave Trav and me the idea to hold a fundraiser here.
“I just want it to be perfect,” I say.
“And it will be,” Derek assures me. In nothing but a sky-blue Speedo he changed into, he lounges on the love seat on the far wall, alongside the bed. He rolls his eyes overdramatically. “None of the guys coming to this have even seen a carb since March. You’re basically doing them a favor by helping them keep these trim waistlines they’ve worked so hard on all spring.”
I’m so stressed that I can’t even chuckle at Derek’s playfulness, but his and Hayden’s support sets my mind at ease a little.
I turn to the floor-length mirror behind me and inspect the outfit I was showing them before the catering service called to let me know they were stuck in a traffic jam on the interstate.
I’m dressed in khaki shorts and white cuff links and a white bow tie. A pair of suspenders and swim shorts are on top of the cabinet beside me. I purchased the whole getup online for this occasion. I was hoping to show my outfit to Derek and Hayden before the party started, but considering Travis and I took up most of our free-time playing around—something I don’t regret because, holy shit, that was some of the hottest sex we’ve ever had—I’m running low on time.
“Okay, you’re going to take deep breaths.” Hayden approaches me. He’s wearing a pair of gray board shorts and a matching pair of goggles around his neck, which looks decorative more than functional. “Everything’s fine,” he continues. “You have a man who loves you, who is helping you with all of this, and the best friends in the world who are going to do whatever you need them to do so you can make this the perfect day.”
“You’re right,” I say, trying to calm myself.
“Finish putting this sexed-up outfit on!” Derek insists. “I like this pornstar-Gary that you’ve become.”
As I glance between Derek and Hayden, I can tell they’re both thinking the same thing.
“Right?” I say. “Before I met Travis, I didn’t even feel confident in a Speedo, let alone an outfit like this. I guess Travis’s cockiness has rubbed off on me.”
“His confidence has rubbed off on you,” Hayden says, the dark scruff on his face shifting as his lips twist into a grin. “And it’s more than that, really. He helped you find your own confidence.”
“Awwww…you guys are going to make me cry,” Derek says as he pretends to wipe a tear from under his eye.
“Shut up!” I say.
Derek runs his hand through his blond bangs before saying, “Just show us the rest of the outfit! Come on!”
“No, guys. I really need to get out of this and get ready.”
I start removing the white collar bowtie and cuff links, setting them on top of the cabinet with the rest of the costume, including a pair of white trunks, before pulling my shorts down, revealing the red swim trunks I’ll be wearing before my costume change. I was hoping to show Derek and Hayden my complete outfit for the proposal, but we have too much to do before the party starts for me to be wasting time.
“If you hadn’t spent so much time messing around with your boyfriend, you’d have plenty of time,” Derek says with a judgy tone.
“Whatever.”
“Look, he’s blushing,” Hayden says.
“You’re turning the color of your swimsuit over having sex with your future husband?” Derek asks. “It must be lurve.”
“It’s kind of adorable,” Hayden admits. “You deserve this, Gary. You had your douchebag, Peter, and now you can move on and go with someone who actually values you and appreciates you, so relax and enjoy the day.”
“I just want it to be perfect,” I tell him. “I want Travis to know how much he means to me and to always look back at this day and remember it as something that was seamless and memorable.”
“It will be,” Hayden insists. “He’ll love it, but not just because it’s this big spectacle that is so right for the two of you—but because of how thoughtful it was and that you did it for him.”
“Thank you, guys,” I say. “Not just for this, but for everything. Being here through our ridiculous beginning…”