Their Reason Read online

  “I know!” Javier laughed at him. “I’m so happy for you guys. Thank you for letting me be part of it.”

  Red grabbed up their empty ice cream cups and stood. “Come on, let’s go back to your place. Bull should be done talking to Owen by now and we wanted to tell everyone else together.”

  “Uhm,” Javier started once they were on the road. “Not that I want you to take it back or anything, but won’t Craig be upset?”

  He considered that for a minute and shrugged. “I know he’s my brother and we’re working on that whole family thing. But Javi, when Bull asked me who I wanted to ask to stand for me, you’re the first…no, the only…person that came to mind. This is our wedding and we’re only doing it once, so we’re going to do what makes us happy. Isn’t that what you told me? To focus on ourselves for once.”

  “Definitely.” Javier nodded and squeezed his hand. “It’s going to be amazing, I just know it.”

  Red knew Javier was right and not just about the wedding. His life was amazing and with Bull as his husband, it would only get more amazing every day.

  Chapter 4

  Yeah, you big meathead, I love you

  Startled. That was the only way to describe the look on Owen’s face when Bull asked him to be his best man. Not when he said that they had finally set a date or even that they were doing it so quickly. Owen had been excited then, asking him all the right questions, offering to help in any way he could. After the rocky moment in their kitchen so many months ago, Owen and Red had become more than friends. They were brothers in all but name and Bull was determined to remedy that immediately.

  Still, Owen had seemed truly surprised when Bull asked and he honestly didn’t know why. Their own sometimes rocky relationship didn’t change the fact that he loved his brother unquestionably, and would be there for him no matter what. Was he wrong in assuming Owen felt the same way?

  “Me? Are you sure? I mean, I’m honored and all, but I thought you’d ask Jared or Kieran, or even Ty,” Owen stammered and looked down at his feet.

  “Why?” Sure, they were all good men, great friends, brothers-in-arms, and they wouldn’t hesitate to stand at his side if he asked. But why would his own brother think he would ask one of them first?

  “Because, well—” Owen flushed, shuffled his feet, and looked around frantically. Bull suddenly wished he’d thought to have Chris join them. Chris was the only one who seemed to calm Owen’s erratic nerves. “I’ve screwed up so much. Not just my own life, but our relationship. I expected you to fix everything, and then lashed out at you for helping. I…the shit I said to Red…”

  “Is long in the past. All of it.” Bull grabbed Owen’s chin and forced him still. That frantic gaze met his and Bull could see all the turmoil his brother couldn’t seem to let go of. More and more he wondered what had caused these reactions in his brother. The crap he got into—running with the wrong crowd, dabbling in drugs—was petty shit. He wasn’t a bad man, just a misguided one who thought they were in competition. What—or worse who—had put those thoughts in Owen’s head? And what continued to haunt him? Bull no longer believed it had anything to do with his drug bust. “You’re not that man anymore, Owen. I don’t see you that way and I know Red doesn’t either. Why would I ask you? ’Cause you’re my brother and I know, no matter what, we’re there for each other. I love you, man.”

  “Shit. Just…shit.” Owen sniffled, coughed, and jerked his head back. “Shit, why’d you do that?”

  Bull could only watch in baffled amusement as his brother lost his shit right there. The sniffle turned into a sob, then the waterworks started, and Owen lurched forward. Strong arms grappled around him, hands grasping for purchase, as Owen sobbed against his chest. It was the ugliest cry Bull had ever heard. Even Red hadn’t sound this pained when he finally shared the truth about his life. How long had Owen been holding this in?

  Bull held him, rocked him and, shameful as it was, considered again whether he should get Chris. Owen never responded well to his attempts to help, never took comfort in their relationship, and he feared he wasn’t the right man to help him through whatever this was. But, damn it all, they were brothers.

  Owen jerked away and roughly wiped the tears from his face. “Sorry, I don’t know what the hell that was.”

  Bull didn’t know what the hell it was either. What he did know was that his brother needed help and he didn’t think he or Chris were going to be able to fix it. “Have you considered talking to someone?”

  “About what?” Owen looked at him warily. Yeah, this was more than petty crimes.

  “About whatever it is that you’re keeping inside.” Bull sighed and grabbed Owen up in another hug. “I’d say you can tell me, but I don’t think you will. I hope you’ll tell Chris, and yet that cry just now makes me think you need more than either of us can give you.”

  “Chris is—” Owen started and stopped, frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “He looks at me differently lately, like he’s waiting for something. What’s he waiting for?”

  Bull just shrugged. It wasn’t like Chris was confiding in him, or anyone for that matter. He’d seen the looks too, they all had, but whatever Chris was looking for he was keeping to himself. “I don’t know, maybe you should ask him.”

  Owen’s eyes widened comically and he sputtered, “What the hell are we talking about this shit for? You’re getting married in three weeks! Honestly, Bull, be selfish for once. Tell me to shove my issues already.”

  “All right.” Bull grinned. His brother had issues, but he damn sure had come a long way. A year ago he wouldn’t have noticed, much less cared, that his issues had taken over a conversation. It was the most encouraging act he’d seen from Owen in a long time. “What the hell, man? You gonna be my best man or what?”

  “Damn straight I am. We’re brothers, for fuck’s sake, of course I’m your best man.” Owen crossed his arms and grunted. “I’d have kicked your ass if you asked one of the others.”

  Probably not. Owen would have sulked and convinced himself that he was a failure, but the bravado was good. Maybe if he kept talking smack, he’d start believing it. Bull grabbed him in a headlock and started tickling him. “You think you can kick my ass, huh?”

  “It’s the wiry ones you gotta watch out for, bro, you know that.” Owen warned, letting himself go lax so that his weight unbalanced them. Surprised by the ploy, Bull overcorrected and Owen was able to slip away. He righted his clothes and smirked. “You know I can hold my own if I have to. I just don’t want to bruise that pretty face before your big day.”

  “Red would’ve kicked your ass if you did.”

  “Exactly!” Owen gave an exaggerated shudder. “That redheaded spitfire of yours is scary when he’s all about protecting his man.” Yep, and Bull liked him that way. “So, who’s Red asking to stand for him? Craig?”

  “No,” Bull said. Red had accepted Craig as his brother, had kept the lines of communication open, and they were getting closer all the time. But when the subject of who to ask came up, Red hadn’t hesitated to say Javier. So often he would catch them with their heads bent together, talking and laughing, and he could easily picture them much younger. Little partners in crime. As often, he saw Saul watching with the same affectionate amusement and more than passing gratitude. Red brought something out in Javier and Saul firmly believed that Red’s friendship gave him the strength to face his fears. “He’s asking Javier.”

  “Of course.” Owen nodded, seeing the obvious. Now that he was living in Saul’s house, he had a ring side seat to all the various dynamics that he’d only witnessed from the outside before. Issues aside, he was neither stupid nor obtuse. “Javier will be thrilled.”

  “Yeah, he will,” Bull agreed as he nodded gravely. “I just hope he doesn’t blubber all over Red the way you just did.”

  “Fuck you,” Owen grumbled, his lips twitching as he tried to hold back his laugh.

  “Had I known I was going to get that reaction, I’d have just called
or sent a text.” Bull stopped trying to hide his grin and laughed outright when Owen’s eyes narrowed on him.

  “Asshole.”

  “Yeah, but you love me.” Right? Bull said it freely and often, but it was rare for Owen to say it back.

  Green eyes so much like his own rolled comically and Owen looked at the ceiling as if asking for the answer. “Hell if I know why, but yeah, you big meathead, I love you.”

  Bull put a hand over his heart and gasped dramatically. “Wow. That was so heartfelt, I think I might need to sit down.”

  Owen just rolled his eyes again. “So, come on, tell me what you need me to do. Do I gotta wear a monkey suit? Carry the rings? Throw the bachelor party? Strippers…”

  Bull shook his head quickly. “Hell, no, there will not be strippers!”

  “Come on, man, hot guys in g-strings gyrating in your face? Tell me you aren’t looking forward to that.” Owen grimaced as if the idea didn’t even appeal to him.

  “Shocking as it may seem, no, I’m not.” Bull cocked his head and tried to imagine his brother in a strip club pushing dollar bills in g-strings and just couldn’t. “You don’t go to those places, do you?”

  “Naw, man, but I would if that’s what you wanted.” Owen paused, his face deep in thought. “A guy on the crew got married a couple of months ago and they had this joint bachelor / bachelorette party. Joint friends of the couple getting together for dinner and doing a pub crawl. Everyone chipped in for one of them party buses, and to cover the bride and groom’s food and drinks. It was pretty cool.”

  Now that sounded better and something completely different from just getting together at the local bar down the street. They hadn’t really considered a bachelor party because they didn’t really consider themselves bachelors. No, they were already partners who were committed to each other for the long haul. Still, the idea of just cutting loose with their friends had a lot of appeal.

  “I like it and I think Red would like it.”

  “He doesn’t drink, though.” Owen frowned a little. “I always forget the important shit like that. I’ll talk to Javier and we can figure something else out.”

  “It’s still a great idea and he doesn’t care if we drink.” Bull knew he spoke the truth. Red was adamant that no one hold back because of him. It didn’t make him uncomfortable and, in a lot of ways, he proved to everyone that it was possible to have a good time without alcohol. Not that they were raging drunks before, and they weren’t holding back out of deference for him, but they’d both noticed that their friends had seemed to gradually cut back.

  “It is a good idea, but it doesn’t have to be a pub crawl.” Owen waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I need to talk to Javi, not you. He and I will come up with just the right thing. I’m thinking the Saturday before, so keep your calendars clear and be ready to party.”

  The front door slammed shut below and Bull looked at his watch. He and Red agreed that after they spoke to Owen and Javier separately that they would meet up to tell the others. “That’s probably Red and Javi. We were going to make the big announcement after we talked to you guys.”

  Owen nodded and gestured toward the door. “You invite the sisters?”

  “Of course. Last thing I need is for either one of them to hear it from someone else.” They both shuddered at the thought. “Hey, Owen?”

  Owen pulled his bedroom door shut and followed him toward the stairs. “Yeah?”

  “You ever been asked out on a date?” The question of what Chris was waiting for intrigued him. Physically, the boy was a force to be reckoned with, but what was he emotionally? As far as Bull knew, Chris was fifteen when his step-father started beating him, eighteen when he went to jail, and twenty when he went to the FTR. In the three years since, Bull had never once seen him with a man. Never heard of him going on a date. It was entirely possible that Chris had no clue how to move a relationship forward. Hell, it was entirely possible he was a virgin. Where Owen needed Chris’s strength, Chris just might need Owen’s experience.

  “Uh, sure?” Owen looked at him like he had two heads.

  “Huh. I wonder if Chris has.” Bull saw the realization hit Owen like a sledgehammer and hoped he had the wherewithal to be what Chris needed. He’d bet his last paycheck that Chris was hoping the same thing.

  Chapter 5

  Will they just give you kids at Disney?

  “According to the Florida clerk of the courts website, we can get our license in any county and get married in any county, not just the one that issued the license.” Red was sprawled out between Bull’s legs on the couch, the laptop perched on his thighs so they could both see the screen, but he knew Bull had reached his limit. With his head back and his eyes closed, he looked more tired than Red had ever seen him. Their plan to call the rest of the guest list personally was preempted when the phone started ringing at dawn and didn’t stop until Bull shut all the ringers off. The old biddy network must have been burning up after making the announcement at Saul’s house the night before, because those not in attendance weren’t content to wait for an invite. The only ones still not in the loop were Tommy and Craig, but they were both too exhausted to make that call. “So we don’t have to make a special trip to Orlando, we can do it right here in Miami. Do we want to take the four hour pre-marital course? Supposedly we’ll learn how to communicate, work through conflicts, and increase our chances of having a fulfilling, lasting marriage. Oh, and we’ll make a blueprint as a guide for our marriage. What the hell does that even mean? Anyway, it’ll save us like thirty bucks.”

  Bull chuckled, but didn’t open his eyes. “I think we’re good and, at this point, does thirty bucks matter?”

  “I guess not.” Red shrugged and continued clicking around. “There are more emails here from Paul and the DJ and…”

  “Just stop for a few minutes.” Bull tugged the laptop out of his hands and rested it on the coffee table. “We both need a break.”

  When Bull started rubbing his arms, he settled back and closed his eyes. Bull was right, they needed a break. They’d been at it since the crack of dawn yesterday morning, planning and talking to every person Paul put them in contact with. Then the emails started. Everything was a contract and the deadlines were short. Of course, that was their own fault for wanting it fast, but that was before he knew what all was involved in wedding planning. He always thought of himself as an organized person, but this felt beyond his scope. What if they missed something and didn’t have time to correct it?

  “You’re thinking too hard,” Bull whispered, squeezing his shoulders.

  “I can’t help it. There’s like a hundred emails waiting for us and you know there’s gonna be just as many voicemails when you turn the phones back on.” Red thumped his head back against Bull’s strong chest. “It was supposed to be simple, fun…”

  “And it will be.” Bull kissed the top of his head and adjusted his position on the couch so they were both sitting up straight. “You aren’t going to be able to turn that brain off, are you?”

  “No.” And he really wanted nothing more than to sprawl out with Bull, some popcorn, and whatever was new on demand.

  “Okay, I’ll make you a deal. Let’s get out of here for an hour, hit up that little Thai restaurant on the beach. No phones, no email, no laptop or tablet. Just you and me, the sunset and some curry. Then we’ll come back and tackle the inbox. Whatever doesn’t get done by ten, we’ll finish in the morning.” Bull tipped his chin up and gave him a look that was equal parts encouraging and beseeching. They needed to walk away, clear their heads, and come back at it with fresh eyes and a full stomach. “Deal?”

  “Deal,” Red agreed quickly. Right on cue, his stomach growled and Bull nudged him up. “Can we walk?”

  “Then it will take longer than an hour,” Bull pointed out.

  That was the idea, so he just grinned and nodded. “I know.”

  The walk over took a little longer than it should have or maybe their steps were just slower, but
considering what was waiting for them at home, who could blame them? Red didn’t want to say it out loud, but he now knew why people eloped. Simple and fun was complicated, but he reminded himself that the reward was having Bull as his husband and that was so worth any work he had to put in. Once they made all the decisions, it would be easier. They could sit back, let Paul and his team of merry Mouseketeers handle the heavy lifting, and it would perfect. He knew it would be because Bull promised it would and Bull never broke a promise.

  “Bull! Red!” The screech had everyone in the restaurant turning to look and, as tired as he was, Red couldn’t help but smile when they spotted Ava and Luc bouncing in their seats. They waved the host away and crossed the restaurant, meeting Chase’s apologetic smile with a reassuring one.

  As soon as they were close enough, the kids glanced back at Ty, waiting for his nod of permission before launching themselves out of their chairs. Amid squeals and hugs, Red felt more of the tension drain away. Ava and Luc were going to love Disney, and he couldn’t wait to experience it with them. Rory was still too young to really appreciate it, but that would only give them a reason to go back.

  Ava grabbed his face and smashed her nose against his. “Uncle Chase said we’re getting married with you at Disney World! Will Mickey be there? Minnie? Can I wear my Elsa dress? I’ll be the prettiest princess there!”

  Red hugged her tight, her enthusiasm reigniting his own. “Of course Mickey and Minnie will be there!” She squealed again and he glanced over to see Luc whispering in Bull’s ear. “What are you two whispering about so intently?”

  “Just some guy talk.” Bull grinned at him. Of course Bull would tell him later, they didn’t have secrets between them, but little Luc didn’t need to know that.

  Red pretended to be disgruntled, which had Luc giggling and whispering like mad in Bull’s ear. He rolled his eyes at their antics and gave his attention back to Ava. “Now, what do your Uncles say about wearing your Elsa dress?”