Chapter 28

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ADAM

ADAM GRINNED as he fussed with his hair, getting ready for the wedding. He and John would have to leave in about ten minutes, and Adam couldn't wait to get over there and make final preparations.

Trevor and the band—minus their singer—had come into town almost a week ago, and their rehearsals had been perfect. It didn't hurt that Vista Robles's event room had amazing acoustics. And the ambiance of the place was exquisite. Adam had watched the space get decorated while they'd been rehearsing, and it had felt like stepping into another world. The lights and flowers were all tastefully done, but lent the room enough of an ethereal air to make it feel magical and romantic.

"You ready?" John asked, standing just behind him, their gazes connecting in the mirror.

"Yeah." Adam gave his reflection one last check, then whirled around to face John, tipping his head to one side. "How do I look?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

He was teasing, but John's expression turned serious as the man studied him.

"Good," John finally replied. "How are you feeling? How's your energy today?"

Adam took a moment to consider it. "Better," he admitted. He'd started feeling almost back to normal, and then his energy had tanked again for a day or two. The healing process was taking way longer than expected, but he was finally starting to see daylight. "Fuck. I have no idea how Sky did this all on his own."

"His own?" John asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah." Adam nodded. "He had nobody to help him, but that didn't stop him from getting top surgery. I didn't even find out he got it until after the fact or I totally would have driven up there to take care of him. I mean, I would have been a nervous fucking wreck, but still." Adam paused. "And he still wants more surgery! Shit. I'll have to call him. Insist he come down here. Or maybe I'll go up there."

John smiled. "You're such a good boy, you know that?"

Adam grinned back as he said, "I can't imagine going through this by myself. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"And you'll never have to know," John swore. He gave Adam a quick kiss, then said, "We'll get a good night's sleep tonight, and then take it real easy tomorrow. How's that sound?"

Adam scowled. "The doctor finally cleared me for physical activity. If you think we're going to bed tonight without you fucking my brains out–"

John barked a laugh, but then he quickly sobered. "Only if you're up for it."

Adam tensed, hearing the hesitancy in John's voice.

"What's wrong?" John asked, studying his face with worry.

"Is this…Are you…Does this turn you off now?" he asked, gesturing vaguely at his chest.

"What? What do you mean?"

"You haven't made a move to touch me at all."

"Christ," John swore under his breath. "Is that what you think?" He slipped an arm around Adam's waist, pulling their bodies hard up against one another. And hard was an understatement. John's cock was like steel inside his pants where it pressed against Adam's belly. "I just didn't want to wear you out."

"Oh fuck," Adam gasped. "Let's be late to the wedding."

John barked another laugh. "Oh no. Not happening." He leaned down, cupping Adam's face with both hands. "But if you think for one second that I'm not dying to rip all your clothes off and touch every inch of you," he growled. " Every inch," he added, purposely trailing his fingers down Adam's chest, "then I'm going to prove it to you."

Adam's nostrils flared. "H-How?" he gasped.

"I'm going to tie you naked to my bed and spend an hour just teasing you by rubbing my cock all over your chest," John began, his voice husky, "and then I'm going to fuck you until we both pass out."

Adam's eyes went wide. "Holy shit. Yes. That. All of that. Twice. Okay, maybe three times."

John chuckled, then swatted him playfully on the ass. "Come on. We don't want to be late."

Adam squawked. "You're gonna say all that and then make me wait ?"

John bent down again, putting them at eye level. "You know you're dying to sing."

Adam grinned. John was right, of course. Horny as Adam was, he was itching with the need to get up on that stage and belt out the absolutely incredible set list that Trevor had put together.

John got him into his work truck and drove them across town. Adam softly sang along with the radio, warming up his voice. He glanced at John as the man navigated the windy, country road leading towards the vineyard. John looked more and more tense as they went, his shoulders rising and his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

Adam winced. "You okay?"

John blinked, then quickly glanced at him before focusing on the road again. "Yeah. Why?"

"You don't have to come, if you don't want. I mean, it won't be that big of a wedding, but I know how much you hate crowds…"

"I'm fine," John assured him, reaching over to pat his hand. "You just be my good boy and focus on singing, okay?"

Adam grinned. "Yes, Daddy."

John sucked in a breath, his eyes flashing and his nostrils flaring as a low growl escaped him.

Adam laughed. He loved the way John reacted every time he said that word.

They reached the vineyard and parked over by John's office, then walked to the event room. The moment Adam met up with the band, everything became a blurred rush of activity. Final setup and sound checks. Last-minute confirmations about set lists. Instrument tuning and vocal warm-ups. Then the chaos of guests arriving and people mingling and greetings and introductions happening all around.

The wedding itself was short and sweet. Everett stood at the altar with his brother, Laurie, serving as his best man, while Adam stood across from them, watching as Morgan's parents walked him down the aisle. Adam felt a pang of envy, but he couldn't help smiling in happiness for his friend. Especially when he saw the way Everett and Morgan couldn't take their eyes off one another. They were so in love, it was almost blinding.

Everett and Morgan exchanged vows and rings, then walked back up the aisle, hand-in-hand as a married couple. Laurie followed them, joined by Griff and Nicky, then John got up and took Adam's arm, the two of them bringing up the rear of the procession before all the guests got up and began to move, a chaotic blur of color and noise.

Everyone got settled in at the dinner tables and began to eat, but Adam was too excited to do anything but pick at his food. The band were playing some instrumental pieces without him during dinner, creating some nice background noise while everyone chatted and ate, but Adam was itching to get to the next part.

John poured himself a glass of wine from one of the bottles on the table, then looked at Adam. "Would you like some?" he asked.

Adam took a moment to think about it. He still never felt that itch to crawl inside a bottle anymore, not since discovering those tapes that his dad had relabeled. All the chaotic noise in his head was gone. But he also had to admit that he wanted to enjoy something that was such an integral part of John's life.

"You pick," Adam insisted.

John gave him a proud smile, then reached for a bottle of riesling and poured Adam half a glass.

Adam grinned. He loved that John had taken control and decided how much he could have. Adam picked up the glass and took a sip, savoring it. Partly because he loved the taste and wanted to prolong his enjoyment. Partly because he knew there wasn't much of the riesling left, and that there wouldn't be for some time, thanks to the fire.

John's smile was bittersweet as he watched Adam drink. Adam set down his glass and gave the man a quick kiss, one of thanks and sympathy. John had grieved the loss of the vines, but Adam saw the renewed hope in the man's eyes whenever he talked about the cleanup efforts and the plans for replanting in the future.

Adam couldn't wait for that day. John would be so thrilled to see something growing on that land again. Adam took another sip of his wine, catching John's glance as he did so. Fuck . He loved the subtle look of pride on John's face whenever he drank something that John had created. It sent a tingle all through his body, knowing that he was getting to enjoy something that John had made.

He set the glass back down and tried to go back to eating, but he could barely sit still. Adam couldn't wait to get up and sing. He looked over at John. The man took a healthy gulp of his own wine and had barely touched his dinner, either.

"You're hating this, aren't you?" Adam asked, both amused and concerned.

John gave a start. "What?"

"The crowd," Adam clarified.

"Oh." John's brow furrowed as he looked around, almost as though he hadn't even noticed all the people in the room. "Yeah."

Adam frowned. John was acting weird. If anything, the man looked nervous, but Adam couldn't begin to guess why. Before he could say anything, he heard the clink of a knife against glass, and looked up to see Laurie rising from his chair, getting everyone's attention.

A grin took over Adam's face as excitement crashed through him. Speeches meant dinner was almost over and the singing and dancing would soon begin. Trevor darted over from the stage and handed Laurie a cordless microphone, then hurried back to his post.

"Hello, everyone," Laurie called out once the room fell silent. "I'm Laurie, Everett's kid brother," he introduced himself, clapping Everett on the shoulder, sitting beside him. "I'm so glad Ev asked me to be his best man. I mean, why wouldn't he? I'm awesome." Everyone laughed, including Everett, who shook his head. "But it meant I'd get to reminisce about how Everett and Morgan met. I didn't get to witness their actual meeting, but to hear Everett talk about it, it sounds like a fairy tale story of love at first sight. This man walked into a coffee shop to escape a sudden downpour of rain, and locked eyes with this sweet, beautiful boy from across the room." Laurie paused. "Did I mention Ev had always been straight until he met Morgan?"

Everett blushed and covered his eyes even as he chuckled. "Laur."

Laurie laughed. "But really, it was fate. Ev and I had just enjoyed an amazing bottle of wine at dinner when, a few days later, the winery from which that bottle came just happened to come up for sale." Laurie waved his arms, indicating the space around them. "So of course, Everett had to come down and check out the property for himself, only to run right into destiny. Except my normally impetuous brother decided to play it safe for once, and actually walked away ." The crowd gasped. "But fate was having none of it. And neither was I. So as soon as Ev finally pulled his head out of his ass and realized Morgan was it for him, I drove him back down here and made sure he got his happy ending."

Everett laughed again and reached up to lightly punch his brother in the arm.

"And because of that," Laurie continued, "because you introduced this die-hard city boy to this quaint little town, I found my own happy ending, too." He turned to Nicky, seated on his other side, and brushed his knuckles down the boy's cheek, then reached across Nicky and squeezed Griff's hand. Laurie turned back to Everett, giving him a cocky grin. "So thank you for that."

The crowd laughed.

Laurie waited for the sound to fade, then his smile sobered. "But, in all seriousness, Ev, you're the best big brother a guy could ask for. And after all you've been through, everything you've lost, I think all of it was leading you right here. Right into the arms of a boy with a smile that can light up a room."

Now it was Morgan's turn to blush.

"Morgan," Laurie continued, "you've brought light and joy into my brother's life, and I'm proud to call you part of my family. Everett, you're an amazing big brother, an incredible man, and you deserve every happiness in the world, and I'm so glad you've found it." Laurie paused. "No, you know what? It's not a happy ending. It's a happy beginning. Because this is the start of the rest of your life, and I know it's going to be fantastic." Laurie picked up his wine glass. "To Everett and Morgan."

Everett shot to his feet and pulled his brother into a bone-crushing hug. Adam joined the crowd in a cheer, then felt his heartbeat ramp up when Everett sat back down and Laurie handed off the microphone so Adam could have his turn.

Adam looked down at John, who gave him an encouraging nod. Holy shit . He was actually nervous. Adam never got nervous on stage, but this felt different.

"H-Hey, everyone," Adam began, clutching the microphone with both hands. "I'm Adam Barnes, and Morgan is one of my best friends in the world. Like Laurie, I got to be part of Everett and Morgan's beginning. In fact, I even got to witness the moment they met. Watching Everett come into the coffee shop, dripping wet, and seeing the look on his face when he first spotted Morgan." Adam chuckled. "I was standing behind the counter, watching the two of them shyly flirt with one another. I'd never seen Morgan light up quite like that. He was absolutely giddy."

Morgan squeezed his eyes shut and laughed.

"And then I got to see Everett come back to the coffee shop, looking for Morgan, except Morgan wasn't working that day. And Everett left again without offering up so much as his name, let alone a way to contact him. For a while there, it seemed like they'd missed their chance. But then Everett gave up everything—his business, his life, everything he'd built up in the city—to come down here and start over, all so he could build a new life with the boy who'd captured him completely by surprise."

A series of awww s sounded through the room.

Adam turned to Morgan. "Mor, you're one of the nicest people I've ever met. You had faith in me when anyone else might have simply kicked me to the curb. I'm honored, beyond words, to call you my friend. To have you in my life. And to get to be part of this day. To witness your happiness. Because you deserve it. You deserve every bit of the joy you've found with Everett, and I know the two of you will weather any storm, no matter how rough, because your love is one of the strongest things I've ever seen."

Morgan blinked rapidly and swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Everett," Adam continued, "you've given Morgan love and companionship, strength and support. You've made our little family grow, and added to the safety that we all feel." Adam knew he was being vague, wanting to keep the words toned down for the sake of those in the crowd who might not get their kink, but he saw perfect understanding in Everett's eyes. The man gave him a grateful nod, and Adam went on. "Thank you for making Morgan so happy. And thank you for letting me be part of this incredible day." Adam picked up his wine glass. "To Everett and Morgan."

"To Everett and Morgan," the crowd cheered.

Adam took a sip of his wine, then quickly set down his glass and gave Morgan a hug before he straightened back up and clutched the microphone again. "And now," Adam continued, stepping away from his chair and heading towards the stage. "If you'll all please join me in welcoming them for their first dance as a married couple." Adam jumped up onto the stage and fitted the microphone into the stand. "Ladies and gentlemen, Mister and Mister Everett and Morgan Scott."

The crowd cheered as Everett and Morgan stood up and moved, hand-in-hand, out to the center of the dance floor as the band began to play "Something Just Like This."

Adam poured everything he had into the song, grinning all the while. He lost himself inside the music, feeling light and happy and grateful.

And when he gazed across the room and saw the way John was looking at him, Adam's heart felt so full, he thought it might burst.

This might have been Everett and Morgan's day, but Adam was pretty sure he himself was the luckiest guy in the world.