Their Reason (2 page)

“You’re frowning, Jon.” Red nipped his lower lip, suckling it before swiping his tongue across it. “I need you here with me now, not beating yourself up over lost time. We accomplished so much together and not just for ourselves. To see Saul and Javier finally put the past behind them makes it worth the wait. And having little Ava and Luc come into our lives…Jon, it was worth the wait. I never for a second doubted my place at your side or in our family.”

The words meant everything to him and only made him want Red more. With Red tight in his arms, he reared up to his knees and guided those long legs around his waist. “I need to be inside you, Ian.”

They rarely went for quick and dirty. Even when they snuck away for a lunch time quickie, they wound up getting lost in each other and had to suffer the knowing smirks from the men in the garage. Right now, though, that need to make Red his in every way had a hold on him.

“I love when your caveman comes out.” Red grinned knowingly and reached for the lube on the nightstand. He slicked his own fingers and reached back to prepare himself. Those whiskey eyes held his, showing Bull all the lust and love he needed to see, which only made what Red was doing that much hotter. Fuck, he loved how free Red was in the bedroom. Generous, inventive, teasing and demanding, and Bull would never take that for granted.

“Tell me how that feels,” Bull encouraged when Red moaned and his eyes glazed over.

“Hot, slick, tight…empty. Still tender from last night, but so very empty, Jon.” Red blinked, focused, and pinned him with a scorching look. “I need you inside me now.”

Red tried to scramble to his knees, but Bull held him firm. “No, I need you wrapped around me.” Then he grabbed two handfuls of that perfect ass, lifting Red enough so that he could reach back and guide Bull inside. There were definite perks to having a flexible lover with long limbs. The slow slide into that welcoming heat was all the gentle Bull could muster and he loved the contented sigh Red made as they connected once again.

“Make me yours, Jon,” Red demanded as he tightened his arms and legs, and tilted his head back, knowing full well that Bull would want his neck.

When one slender hand ghosted over his scalp, Bull was lost. He rose up, secured his hold on his lover and did what they both wanted. The ride was rough, almost desperate, but he knew it was what they both needed. This physical representation of the desperate need they had for each other went beyond sex. Being together was their haven, the only place they were truly safe from the demons that once ruled their lives. They were partners, lovers, friends, and soon they would be husbands, declaring their intentions before those who were most important to them. Red filled up all the empty places inside him and he only prayed he did the same in return.

“Jon.” The whispered warning tightened his balls. Red was close, so close, and Bull knew he would come from this. Could feel the pulsing of Red’s cock trapped between their bodies. “Together. Always together. Promise me.”

It was a promise he would gladly make and one he would do anything to keep. “Always, Ian.”

The hand on his scalp urged him down and he covered Red’s mouth, sinking deep, mimicking the hard thrust of his body. Bull felt Red shudder, felt those long limbs clench, and the first spurt of come between them felt like a hot brand across his flesh. All he could do was hold on tight and follow him over the edge. Red shuddered again, moaned his name, and went boneless in his arms.

“I love you, Ian,” Bull promised as they continued to kneel there, drawing strength from each other.

“You better love me, Jon, ’cause I love you so much.” Red blinked up at him and smiled. “Now carry me to the shower, caveman. We have a wedding to plan.”

Chapter 2

It was meant to be

“Are you sure you don’t want to invite the rest of your family?” Red stood at the stove flipping pancakes while Bull put together the guest list. Bull had been careful not to divide the list up into sides, knowing full well that Red would only be willing to invite Craig and Tommy from his side. In contrast, Bull had aunts, uncles, and cousins who were close enough to expect an invitation.

Not that he hadn’t met the uncles and cousins that Craig raved about. They all flew down for a weekend, understanding his need to do it on familiar ground, and Tommy arranged a brunch at their hotel since Red wasn’t eager to open their home to them. But it had been awkward. No, worse than awkward. The disbelief, anger, hurt, and guilt were overwhelming, and none of them could seem to get past it. With every sad look, every apology, every expression of horror, he felt more and more nauseous. Even Tommy had been annoyed by their behavior, but it was Bull who finally put an end to the nightmare. With a “call us when you get your heads out of your asses” as his parting shot, Bull wrapped a strong arm around his shoulders and guided him out to the car.

“I want to invite the people that matter to both of us, together. Neither of us want a big, fancy thing, right?” Bull glanced over and he nodded quickly. They weren’t the fancy type. “We agreed on something intimate and fun. Thirty people is intimate and Disney is fun.”

“Really? When was the last time you visited the mouse?” Red just shook his head as he put their breakfast on the table and took his chair. “You’re suggesting it because it’s on my bucket list, but is that really what you want?”

“It’s actually pretty perfect. A small ceremony and reception, and then we can all cut loose in the parks. Intimate and fun.” Bull looked so pleased with himself that Red allowed himself to get excited. Did he want to get married in Disney? Hell yes! It was just shocking to think that Bull would be agreeable to it, even more that he was the one suggesting it. “So it’s been a couple of decades since I’ve been there, that’ll only make it something new we can experience together.”

How could he argue with that? He couldn’t and he didn’t really want to anyway. Maybe it was another throwback to the things he didn’t get to do as a child, but every commercial—and they were constant—only increased the longing, and he loved Bull more for indulging him.

“It’s going to be crazy hard to arrange a last minute wedding there,” Red pointed out, trying desperately not to get his hopes up. “And ridiculously expensive and…”

“We’re only doing this once, so who cares what it costs?” Bull powered on the laptop and dove into his pancakes while he waited for it to boot up. “As for it being last minute, we’ll let them know we’re flexible. That we’ll take anything they’ve got available. This is going to work, Ian, I promise.”

Bull’s promises had a certain calming effect on him. If he was confident that it would all work out, then Red had no problem setting aside his doubts. He pulled his chair closer to Bull so they could both look at the laptop and let himself get swept up in the planning. They ate and clicked through all the possible options on the site. Everything from ceremony and reception venues to flowers, food, cakes, photography, and entertainment.

“Don’t look at the price,” Bull warned when he choked over the starting price for one of the packages. “I’m it for you and you’re it for me. If making you a Connor costs us a hundred dollars or a hundred thousand dollars, I consider it money well spent.”

Before he could say anything, Bull thrust a notepad and pen at him and started going through the options again. By the time nine o’clock rolled around, they had a pretty good idea of what they wanted and what they were willing to accept to get it done quickly. Sounds of the garage coming to life below filtered up to them as they drifted into Bull’s office to make the call. Saul had agreed to cover things, and for sure he was curious as to why, but they had no plans to tell anyone until the arrangements were solidified.

As they waited on hold, the theme from Cinderella sounding tinny through the speaker phone, Red could only look over at Bull in wonder. “We’re really doing this?”

He was going to be Ian Connor. He, the scrawny throwaway, was going to be a husband, brother, and uncle. For real. He would have a family name, not some generic label given to him in an orphanage. Tommy had asked him, offered to jump through whatever legal hoops were necessary to give him the family name he’d been denied, but he’d brushed him off. As stunned as he was that they were actually making the plans, Bull had promised him forever and had given him a ring, and Red knew he’d refused Tommy’s offer because he was just waiting for this moment. Despite accepting Tommy and Craig, he’d long ago given up the dream of being part of his birth family. This right here, being part of Bull’s family, meant so much more. They had no obligation to him. They welcomed him with open arms, accepted him for who he was, liked and loved him with no hesitation.

“Disney Weddings, my name is Paul, how can I make your dream wedding come true?” The male voice coming through the speaker made him jump a little and Bull grinned. Yes, those green eyes promised, they were really doing this.

“Morning, Paul,” Bull responded to the kind voice. “You can help us get married.”

The man chuckled. “I’ll do my very best. Can I start by getting your name and the name of the bride?”

Oh.
Red looked at Bull and felt the ground shift beneath him. Sure, Florida had passed the marriage equality law, but did Disney have to abide by it? Bull’s confident smile never faltered when he said, “I’m Jon Connor and my husband-to-be is Ian Jones.”

There was a pause on the other end, a little hitch of breath, and when the man finally responded they could both hear the smile in his voice. “It will be my pleasure to help you and Mr. Jones arrange the perfect wedding day. And, please, forgive the slip. It’s a habit I’m desperately trying to break.”

“No worries,” Bull assured and Red breathed a sigh of relief. First hurdle overcome, now if only the rest of the call would go so smoothly. “Paul, I’m gonna cut to the chase here. We aren’t looking for big or fancy, or anything that involves a lot of time or planning. We’re looking for intimate, thirty guests max, and fun.”

“And fast,” Red rushed to add. “Like, this month.”

“Intimate and fun I can handle. Fast, though, hmm…” Paul hesitated and they could hear him tapping away on his keyboard. “Did you have a date in mind?”

“No,” Bull answered. “You tell us when and we’ll be there.”

Paul hesitated again, then tried to be the voice of reason. “I understand the desire, but are you sure your guests will be able to drop everything on such short notice?”

“Those who can be there will and those who can’t will be missed. Either way, we’re ready now.” Bull’s response seemed to take the wind out of Paul’s argument. This guy didn’t know them and didn’t know those closest to them. Yeah, it would take some arranging, but Red couldn’t think of a single person on their list who wouldn’t drop everything for Bull. After all, he’d been dropping everything for them for years. “Any day, any time, midweek, weekend—you give us our options and we’ll go from there.”

“Okay, let’s see what we can do.” Paul’s voice didn’t sound all that encouraging, but Bull continued to smile confidently. There was more tapping, some curious humming, and every second felt like an hour. “Well, okay, wow, this is totally unexpected, but we did just have a cancellation that would be perfect for you.”

Red never thought he’d feel happy for someone else’s misfortune, but the little lick of excitement couldn’t be denied. “Really?”

“Yeah, okay, let’s go through this and see if it works.” Paul did a little more tapping before saying, “It’s a Friday, the twenty-second of May. Does that work?”

“Sure, like we said, we’re open,” Bull responded as Red jotted down notes.

“Right, right. Okay, we can do the ceremony at noon at Sea Breeze Point. It’s our gazebo on the shore of Crescent Lake at the Boardwalk Hotel. Then we can follow that with a reception on the other side of the lake in the secluded Crescent Cove. The short walk around the lake is a favorite for taking pictures. If you’re on our website, I can send you links to both venues so you can check them out.” Again, Paul was tapping away. “As I mentioned, this was just cancelled, and the couple had reserved a block of rooms at the Beach Club, which is also on that lake. If you’re interested in taking this over, I can hold that same block of rooms for your guests. How many rooms do you think you’ll need?”

Red glanced over the list quickly and said, “Thirteen, including ours. Can we have them from Thursday to Monday, since it’s a holiday weekend?”

“That’s doable,” Paul agreed, the surprise still clear in his voice. “Honestly, I’ve never had this situation happen before. I mean, we’ve had people cancel, though it’s rare, but not where we had another couple fit so perfectly into the spot so quickly.”

“It was meant to be.” Bull gave him a heated look and Red knew he wasn’t just talking about the seemingly easy arrangements. They were meant to be. It was just that simple.

“The couple also arranged for a special viewing area for IllumiNations, the fireworks at Epcot. Would you want that as well?”

“Absolutely.” Bull leaned forward to look at Red’s notes and nodded. “We’re on board with all that. What do you need from us to get this locked down?”

“Well, we still need to discuss food, flowers, linens, photographers, music…”

Bull cut him off quickly. “Paul, keep it simple. We’re not fancy. The wait staff can walk around with trays of hors d’oeuvres, but I like the idea of a buffet for the main course. Fancy but not too fancy. Oh, and an open bar of course.”