Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“I’ll save the mushy stuff for Saturday,” Emma said.
“Wouldn’t want to accidentally show people how much you like your husband,” Jamie joked, bumping shoulders with Edgar.
Edgar didn’t respond, and Jamie had a moment to think grudgingly, You’re right. I guess I shouldn’t audibly make fun of Emma at her own wedding event. But then they looked up. Edgar was looking at something over Jamie’s shoulder, and he looked terrified.
“Baby, it’s okay,” Jamie said. “I’m here. I won’t leave you.”
“I need to…” Edgar pushed his seat out slowly, but his trembling made the chair scrape against the flagstone floor.
Emma stopped whatever she’d been saying about golf, and everyone turned to look at them. Jamie tried desperately to tap into any lingering sibling frequency to communicate to Emma that she should keep talking and distract everyone from Edgar.
“Are you okay?” Emma said into the microphone instead.
Jamie gave a nothing-to-see-here wave and slid their arm around Edgar’s waist, supporting him upright. Murmurs arose around them, and Jamie could feel their mother’s eyes on their back.
Edgar was shaking violently, and as soon as they pushed the doors open, he pressed his back into the wall, slid into a crouch, and curled up tightly, covering his face. Jamie wrapped their body around him, holding him, as he took deep, shuddering breaths. His hair was wet with sweat, and Jamie rubbed knots out of his clenched shoulders until slowly he began to relax.
“Fuck, Jamie,” he said as soon as he could speak. “Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t you dare be sorry for that,” Jamie said fiercely.
Edgar buried his face in Jamie’s neck. “I just wanted one night,” Edgar said softly, and Jamie could hear his exhaustion, his mortification. “Just one night where they’d leave me alone and I could be a normal boyfriend. Someone you could bring as the date to your sister’s wedding and meet your parents, and not…”
He sighed.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” Jamie asked.
“No, I just… I’m sorry, I just really wanna go home.”
“Of course, let’s go home.”
Edgar shook his head. “Stay. I’m gonna ask Poe to come get me.”
“I want to come with you. Make sure you’re okay.”
Edgar kissed them, and Jamie tasted salt. “Don’t leave in the middle; you’ll freak out your family. Go smooth things over with them. Have some cake.”
Jamie snorted. “It’s probably pretty good cake.”
Edgar held up his phone. “Poe’s coming.”
“Okay. I’ll walk you out.”
Jamie helped Edgar up, and they walked slowly down the hallway to the exit.
Outside, the wind was cool, and a sharp crescent moon rose above the trees. Edgar tipped his head to the sky and sucked in a deep breath. Jamie stroked his back. He’d sweated all the way through his coat.
“I don’t suppose…” Edgar said.
“Hmm?”
“That your family will ever give me another chance?”
“If they don’t, then they’re not people you wanna have in your life anyway,” Jamie said fiercely.
Tires crunched the gravel in the roundabout, and Poe’s truck pulled up.
“What did your weird family do to my brother?” Poe asked, then cackled to himself.
“Thanks for coming,” Jamie said.
“Eh, I was out anyway. Bones will only sleep in the car seat this week,” he explained.
Jamie opened the door for Edgar and saw Nour asleep in the back seat. Jamie patted Edgar’s chest and kissed him gently. Then, from the corner of their eye, they saw a small furry white kitten head pop out of the middle of Poe’s chest.
“Oh my god,” Jamie said. They kissed Edgar again. “I feel good releasing you into these capable paws.”
Edgar looked into their eyes for the first time since they’d left the dinner. “Will I see you later?” he asked hesitantly.
Jamie smiled. “Definitely.”
***
Inside, the cake had been served and the champagne cleared, and things seemed to be winding down. Dave’s contingent was leaving for a bar, and Emma’s was going back to the hotel, where they were preparing a spa night for Emma. Dave’s mother and Jamie’s dad appeared to be settling up with the caterers. Jamie headed for the dessert table before it was wheeled away, giving the area where Edgar had seen the ghost a wide berth.
They took a piece of cake with part of a white golf ball of frosting. The frosting was grainy with sugar and too sweet, but the chocolate cake was rich and moist, and Jamie commended Edgar’s judgment.
They managed to avoid their mother while everyone said their goodbyes, at the cost of getting caught in a conversation about mortgage lending with Dave’s mom. But the second everyone had filed out, Blythe rounded on Jamie.
“Honey, please.” She sounded concerned. Jamie had anticipated anger and hadn’t prepared for this approach. “That man seems kind, but he is clearly not a suitable partner for you.”
“Why is that, Mom?” Jamie asked through gritted teeth.
Their father joined the conversation, drying his hands as he approached. “He’s clearly unstable,” Hank answered. “Come on, sweetie. You don’t—”