Wedding in T minus twelve days . . .
Grady stared at his brother over Skype and tried to let the words sink in. It was far too late on a Monday night to be dealing with this level of bullshit. “So you’re telling me Father has arranged an engagement for me at your wedding. That’s the big announcement he wants to make? To the press. My engagement to a man I’ve never met.”
Lincoln was his elder by five years. He’d been the protective older sibling for nearly as long as Grady could remember, stepping between him and their father—or, for that matter, anyone else who tried to take advantage of him. It wasn’t until Lincoln left home to attend university in England that Grady had been on his own and had needed to fight his own battles. Not that Lincoln didn’t still have a tendency to insert himself when he saw the opportunity.
Like now.
Lincoln shook his head, his gaze slipping over the top of the computer monitor to something beyond. “I heard him talking to Les Bouchard yesterday, the CEO of Blitz Can Promotions. Do you remember him?”
“Tall, lanky dude? Salt-and-pepper hair and killer brown eyes?”
“Only you would say that, but yes. His son just came out a few months ago, and from the sound of things, Father’s been helping Les learn how to deal with the revelation.”
Despite many faults, his father had always been supportive of his sexuality. Which, when he thought about it, made little sense to him considering that everything else Grady did seemed to piss his father off. “Poor bastard.”
“No, poor you. They decided that Les’s son will be the perfect person for you. And not in the ‘we should push them together and see what happens’ kind of way. More in the ‘hey, they should get married and adopt all the children and we can get major press from it’ way. He’s a bit younger, but more of a rule follower. I have no doubt Father would be able to manipulate him into doing just about anything he wanted.”
“That’s all I need. Someone in Father’s pocket determined to keep me in line. I don’t know why you’re worried. I’ll tell Father to piss off the way I normally do, and everything will be okay.”
Lincoln looked over the screen again. “Yeah, that’s what I was scared of. You can’t give in to your normal instincts. To get angry and piss everyone off around you. Not when we’re trying to have this day. Make it special.”
The next thing Grady knew, Serena came around and sat beside Lincoln on their couch. She smiled and waved at him. “Hey, you.”
Grady waved back. “Serena, it’s not too late to elope. I totally think you should. Stay as far away from our shit-show of a family as you can.” Serena was a beautiful, intelligent woman who was more than capable of handling their father, or anyone else in their family. Including himself. Lincoln had met her at Lancaster University when he’d been attending for his bachelor degree in business. She was the reason he’d delayed coming back to Canada after he’d finished his degree. If Grady had escaped his father’s foul mood and met a hot Brit, he would have done the same.
She grinned as she tucked her black hair behind her ears. “And miss seeing you in a tux delivering a speech? No way.” Sliding her hand over Lincoln’s, she leaned closer to the screen. “You can’t tell your dad to piss off this time.”
“Oh?” If Serena was getting involved, then there was more to this than Grady first thought.
“I’ve recently taken over a project management role at your dad’s company. As I was leaving for the day on Friday, I overheard your dad talking to Les. Apparently Les is worried that his son is not marriage material, something about him being timid and awkward. Your father decided that he’s exactly the right personality to keep you in line.”
“And?” Because when it came to his father, there was always something else.
“And if the engagement goes through, Les will support your dad’s bid to build a new multipurpose entertainment stadium.” Serena bit down on her bottom lip before sighing. “It would be the ultimate development opportunity for the company. Really, if it didn’t hinge on you getting engaged, I’d be all for this.”
Of course it had to do with money and absolutely nothing to do with Grady’s happiness. “So even if I try to push back, he’s going to do everything in his power to make sure I get engaged to this guy.”
“Pretty much.” Serena threaded her fingers with Lincoln’s. “Look, I know you’re probably going to kick up a stink. Normally, I think that’s all it would take to make it go away. This time, it won’t be that easy. His new stadium development is huge and an amazing opportunity. Barnes Retail Development would be positioned to be the de facto leader in BC for this sort of thing. His reputation isn’t on the line so much as it would send the company to the next level.”
Grady wasn’t a kid, and he certainly wasn’t naïve enough to think his father would simply let his plan go. But the idea that his father would think that he could simply snap his fingers and Grady would sacrifice his happiness for a business deal was insane.
Based on the mutual look on their faces, there was more to this story. “Just spit it out. What’s he going to threaten this time?”
“Justin told me that Father is going to cut you off financially.” Lincoln’s eyes grew stormy. “No financial support whatsoever if you try to do anything that would stop this deal from going through. He’s already moved your things out of the condo downtown and rented it out to a visiting executive. You’ll have to live at the house.”
“Shit.” If Justin had walked into the hotel room and sucker-punched him in the gut, it would have hurt less. “That asshole.”
He couldn’t do it, couldn’t get engaged to some kid he didn’t know. He didn’t know what to do with his own life, let alone how to manage it with a guy who hadn’t quite figured out what it meant to be gay. “I can’t believe he’s doing this to me.”
“It’s a step way farther than I ever thought Father would go with you. It’s beyond wrong.”
Lincoln and Serena looked at one another in a way that immediately put Grady on alert. “What?”
Serena smiled in that sweet way she did when she wanted something. “Well, there is a way you could get out of this and the only thing you’d be out is the condo. You could already be engaged.”
“What?”
“Hear me out. If you’re already engaged to someone, your dad can’t very well force you to get involved with Ryan Bouchard, and he’ll have to do something else to secure his deal. He saves face with Les, and you can even offer to help his son meet some people. Then once that’s done, you’ll be able to have an unfortunate breakup and go back to . . . whatever it is you do.”
Oh hell no. “That’s a terrible idea. Like, the worst thing in the world that I could ever do.”
Lincoln slid forward, mirroring Serena’s pose. “No, it’s not. Father is an asshole, but he won’t do anything to ruin his reputation. This way he can simply shrug off the unfortunate timing. Bouchard is a reasonable man and genuinely seems to want what’s best for his son. He’s just letting Father push him in a direction that isn’t right for anyone.”
“Except for your father.” Serena patted Lincoln’s thigh. “We have a friend here who would be a great pretend fiancé.”
“Someone I’ve never met before? Like Father would believe that.”
“Well, it’s better than the alternative.”
They meant well, but Grady knew that his father would see through things if they weren’t done properly. If he did this, then it would be on his terms with a man of his choosing. God only knew how long it would take for this deal of his father’s to go through, especially if he took the engagement option off the table. Whoever agreed to this would have to be willing to put up with a lot of shit for an indeterminate period of time. It also had to be someone Grady wouldn’t mind spending days on end with.
Too bad for him, he thought most people were assholes who’d be more than happy to take advantage of the situation.
His mind screeched to a halt.
Max.
Lincoln chuckled. “Okay, so clearly you just had an idea. Because the look on your face is priceless.”
He wasn’t ready to share this, not yet. There were too many things that could go wrong still. “Leave this with me. I’ll have a plan in place before I have to come out for the wedding.”
“Dude, you have difficulty planning what you’re going to eat for your next meal. There’s no way—”
“Lincoln, I’ve got this.” When Lincoln snorted, Grady made sure to grin. “Come on, trust me. I have a plan that might work.”
If he believed him, Lincoln wasn’t showing it. “Okay, brother. We probably won’t have time to chat again like this. We’ll see you when you come home.”
Grady signed off, but his brain kept turning the problem and solution over and over in his mind. Sure, it was more than a little crazy, but the foundation had already been laid. Justin had pictures of him and Max together in a hotel. Justin had been less than convinced with Grady’s explanation about their relationship, so it wouldn’t take much for him to believe there was something else going on.
All Grady had to do now was convince Max to agree to fake agree to marry him.
Piece of cake.
Max leaned against the center support beam at Ringside Gym and stared at his bickering friends. Zack and Nolan had only been together as a couple for a short time, but they were picking at one another as though they’d been married for fifty years. It was disgustingly cute.
Currently, Nolan was leaning over a table in their office a short distance away, trying to show Zack the error of his ways when it came to the second phase of renovations for Ringside. For his part, Zack was intently checking out Nolan’s ass.
Nolan pointed to something on a stack of papers. “If we don’t get the saunas started in the next month, then it will push back the renovations for the second floor. We really want to get that opened as quickly as possible so we can increase our revenue by adding the yoga studio.”
Zack looked over at Max and made the most amazing face of exasperation he’d ever seen. “Boxers don’t do yoga.”
“They should. It increases flexibility and helps to decrease injury. It’s like this whole trend thing and would be a great bonus for everyone.” Nolan straightened up. His gaze narrowed as he pointed at Max. “Back me up here.”
Yeah, no, he really didn’t want to get involved in this. “I’m the silent partner in this adventure. Therefore, I’m invoking my right to remain silent.”
“Coward,” they both said at the same time.
“Yes, yes, I am.” While he might be the prime investor at this point, he was under no illusions as to who ran Ringside. Despite his title, it wasn’t Zack.
Not that Max had any plans to inform him of that.
Zack took Nolan by the hand and pulled him close. “Listen, I know you have this timeline down to a T. I’m not questioning your ability. But we’re running close to the line with the budget. We’re doing well with renovations on this floor. It’s best to open with what we have and secure clients before we push ourselves.” He then kissed Nolan’s forehead and smiled.
It was amazing to see Zack this happy. He and Nolan had only officially started living together a few weeks ago, but there was no missing how perfect they were for one another. Hell, anyone who could work with Zack day in and out was a stronger person than Max. And he considered Zack his best friend.
“I have to say I agree.” Max pushed away from the beam and walked over to the ring. “You guys have done such an amazing job with everything. Best to take things at a manageable pace. Finish up the first floor, set a target for membership numbers so you have enough in the bank to pay staff for six months ahead, then look at expansion. You can even use the expansion as a promotion to encourage members to keep coming back, or encourage their friends to come as well.”
Nolan groaned. “I thought you were going to stay silent?”
“Naw. Just wanted to piss you off.” He grinned. “Mind you, if you can get another investor, you can always revisit options.”
It was strange and wonderful to see the gym that had given him an outlet as a teen finally brought back to life. Shit, it looked even better than it had when he, Zack, and Eli had started training here as teens. The walls were freshly painted, new lights shone, and the smell of wood flooring being installed hung in the air. Much better than the dust, mold, and sweat that had previously perfumed the building.
This place had become his second home when he and his mom had moved to Toronto. Being without his father had been hard. The chance to vent his frustrations, to get to know other boys who were not only his age but were also gay, had probably saved him from going down a path that would have been difficult to come back from.
Max ran his hand along the ring’s bottom rope, one of the few things they hadn’t changed out yet. Solid as ever.
“Hey.” Zack came up beside him, placing his hand on the rope next to Max’s. “Are you okay?”
Nolan was still in the office, leaving Max alone with Zack. While he really liked the other man, Max wasn’t quite at a point where he wanted to share some of the more personal parts of his life. “Not really.”
“What’s going on? Not Frantic, is it?”
“No, that place will survive an alien invasion.” Dropping his hand, he turned to lean back against the ring. “I was talking with Mom last night.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Good. Not that she’d tell me otherwise, but yeah, she sounded good.”
Zack turned and mirrored his pose. “But?”
Yes, there was always a but. “Dad’s not doing great. He was at the doctor last week about his arthritis. They want to get him in a wheelchair.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. You know Dad and how he would have reacted to that.”
Zack chuckled. “I hope he didn’t punch anyone.”
“Naw, he’s too scared of Mom. She convinced him to use a walker at least.” Max shook his head, picturing the entire encounter in his head. “I hate that they’re so far away.”
“Ask them to move here. There are condos that would work well for them. Or even a decent apartment. Nolan and I can help out if you need.”
“I’ve been trying. They’re just stubborn.” Max bumped his shoulder against Zack’s. “Thanks though.”
“No problem.”
The conversation with his parents had been a little more intense than that, but he didn’t want to drag Zack into matters there was no real way he could help with. In addition to talking with his mom, Max had taken the opportunity to talk to his dad. From the second he’d said hello, Max could tell that he was in pain.
“Dad, why don’t I take some more time off and come out again to stay with you guys?”
“I told you, we don’t need your help, son. Just stay there and run that place of yours.”
“I know Mom won’t say anything, but I’m worried about how she’s feeling and about you. It’s really not a big deal if I—”
“No. We don’t need you. I don’t want you coming.”
He’d said it with such finality, any rebuttal Max had intended to make evaporated. His parents didn’t need, nor apparently want, his help. It was becoming a strangely common theme in his life. Frantic was pretty much a well-oiled machine these days. When he’d been in Calgary a few months earlier, Cameron had taken over for him seamlessly. The three to five phone calls a day he’d been expecting never materialized, leaving him feeling more than a little lost. He’d gone from being overwhelmed to bored in the space of six months.
Nolan had Ringside renovations well in hand, and Zack had stopped coming by to chat as frequently. Not that Max was jealous of their relationship, but he was starting to miss hanging out with his best friend.
Nolan strode out of the office, flashing them a smile before heading to the back room. The normal hard set of Zack’s face melted away. “I wouldn’t have guessed that having a live-in partner would be as appealing as it is.”
“Dear God, Zack Anderson is smitten.”
“Asshole.”
“I take it the sex is good.”
Zack snorted. “Of course. But it’s more than that. The little things. I like bringing him coffee in the morning. He’s brought his own touches to the place that make it feel more like home. I’m happy.”
That was quite the statement coming from his friend. “That’s good. You deserve to be.”
“So do you. Why don’t you go on a trip to a singles resort or something? The bar is doing well, and we’ve got the gym covered.”
“I can’t believe Mr. Workaholic is standing here lecturing me on taking personal time.”
“That’s because I’ve finally learned that working yourself raw means nothing if you don’t have someone there to share in the success.”
It wasn’t that long ago when Max had been the one lecturing Zack on the need to get out there and start dating. Funny the difference a few months could make. He looked up as a shadow passed across the front door, blocking out the light. “Look, you have a customer already.”
“Nolan will be thrilled.” Zack strode over to the stranger, opening the door to chat briefly. When he looked over his shoulder at Max, there was something odd in his gaze.
It took a moment for Max to recognize Grady when Zack let him in. A trickle of excitement shot through him, making his body twitch with a strange mix of anticipation and annoyance.
Grady had been skirting the fringes of his mind since his run in with the suit in the alleyway. Someone trying to bribe him to keep quiet about Grady’s indiscretion was as mind boggling as it was offensive. No matter how attractive the man was, the last thing Max needed was to have anything to do with a rich-boy reality star.
Max crossed his arms. “What are you doing here?”
Zack cleared his throat. “I’m going to go check on Nolan. See if he needs any help.”
Max glared at his friend’s retreating back. Traitor. He turned back to Grady, ignoring his unexpected annoyance. “Again, what are you doing here?”
Grady shrugged as he sauntered around the gym. “I still have a few days in Toronto, and I thought I’d come see some of the sights.”
“That bullshit is so fresh they’ll be able to smell it in Buffalo.”
A laugh burst from Grady. “You’re funny. And correct. I was actually trying to find you. Not an easy thing to do when half your staff don’t even know what you get up to when you’re not at the bar.”
Really, there were only a few people who knew anything about his side venture with Ringside. Fewer still who would pass on that information to a stranger. “Teddy?”
Grady nodded. “I have apparently left an impression on him. He said he didn’t like me on Canadian Celebrity House, but thought it was nice of me to come back to thank you.”
Max stepped away from the ring and walked counter to Grady, coming closer slowly in a meandering spiral. When they were only a few feet away, he stopped and frowned. “So you tracked me down. I’m here. What exactly do you want?”
Grady cocked his head to the side, his eyes sparkling much as they had the night Max had dragged his drunk ass back to the hotel. “Well, I have a question for you. It’s pretty simple. A yes or no sort of thing.”
Max crossed his arms.
Grady straightened. “I guess there’s no beating around the bush. I was wondering if you’d like to get engaged?”