The response Matt had been going to say, a joke about Santi’s sweet tooth possibly, or an offer to get him some of the sparkling cider the kids might be drinking, never left him.
“I rank up there with cake?” he asked instead, after getting up and heading toward the kitchen. He held open the door.
In the light of the kitchen, Santi’s face looked darker, flushed as he came in from the cold. “I can get cake anywhere. But there’s only one Matty.”
“I know you’ve heard all the words on love tonight, and you’re all eyeing that cake waiting for me to shut up.”
Matt had listened attentively to his cousin describe how grateful he was for a girl like Ella and tuned out somewhere around Ella thanking them all for welcoming her and hoping she’d see them all at the “official” engagement party. But his father’s voice brought Matt’s gaze up from watching the side of Santi’s face as he reacted to whatever was said.
“But I wanted to say, it was an honor to host this tonight for these two.” Matt’s father was tall and dark, with silver at his temples and a slight spread around his middle. He was good at the business side of things, and had more social grace than Matt’s mom in a lot of ways, but Matt always thought his dad would have been most comfortable if they’d let him stay out in the fields. He didn’t care about wine as much as he cared about the land and the label and the grapes themselves.
“I’ve had several of these dinners now, raised more than a few glasses to success and young love, and let me tell you, it never gets old.” His dad paused to look over the crowd, then he grinned. “So if more of our next generation would get their act together… start to take things seriously… settle down… know you’d make me very happy.”
“Subtle,” Santi whispered, while three or four of the people in Matt’s immediate area turned to look at him. Aunt Raquel’s second husband nudged him in the side and said, “Wink wink,” out loud.
“We just want them to be happy,” Matt’s mother broke in loudly and lifted her glass. “To their happiness.”
There had already been a few toasts, but people were happy to toast again. Santi wasn’t, so Matt wasn’t, and it wasn’t a hardship, although in the right mood he liked champagne.
Warm fingers curled around his wrist, squeezed, and then let go before Matt could glance down to see Santi’s hand on him.
Santi was facing away. “Idon’t get speeches like that. I am both relieved and offended. Do you realize what this means?” he went on when Matt didn’t speak. “All we have to do now is congratulate the couple. That is our last social obligation to fulfill tonight and then we can do as we please before we finally escape.”
Matt nodded in understanding and then in determination. The only thing making it worth it to have left his bed and his book was this unexpected time with Santi, and he wasn’t going to waste more of it if all he had to do was be polite. He was polite every day. Smiling and affable and just helpful and incompetent enough to get out of having to be more helpful. He could do it even when the very thought of it made his bones heavy.
Something like surprise flickered across Santi’s face, but Matt was already sweeping forward, intent on Richie and Ella where they stood near the cake. He moved through relatives and catering staff and reached back once to brush his hand over Santi’s sleeve to make sure Santi was with him.
Matt got his smile up just in time for Richie to see him and pull him into a one-armed hug. Ella offered her cheek, so Matt kissed it. Santi did the same, eying Matt incredulously the whole time.
“Congratulations,” Matt told him sincerely. “I couldn’t be happier,” he added, a little less sincerely, although he doubted Richie would notice. Richie was blissfully in love as well as enjoying some quality champagne.
Richie took a sip and then gestured to Santi with the hand holding the glass. “You keeping Matty out of trouble?”
Tectonic plates shifted below Matt’s feet. The world tilted.
“Since when do I get in trouble?” he wondered out loud, not moderating his tone or his volume.
Santi pressed a hand lightly between his shoulder blades.
Matt adjusted, brightening his smile and widening his eyes innocently. “You’re the one we have the video of at Nicky’s bachelor party. You remember? Don’t you, Richie? Or did the coke you got from that guy behind the bar make it all a blur?” Matt’s younger cousin might be getting married, Matt might be the family disappointment, might have a reputation for uselessness that he’d cultivated, but he wasn’t in the mood to be the receptacle of other people’s issues.
Ella glanced to Richie with a worried frown.
“He’s joking,” Richie assured her quickly before frowning at Santi, as if Santi had said it.
Right. He thought that was Santi’s influence. Even Nicky would have known better than that.
Santi came up to stand at Matt’s elbow. “Matthew here leads a charmed life. He’s never been in trouble. Not that I can remember.” He stopped to give Ella a friendly look. “He’s disgustingly respectable. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise—even Matt.”
Richie shot Santi a disgruntled look but then had another sip and was pleasant again. “Santi. My man. I haven’t seen you in a while. You been back in the city?” He turned to his fiancée without waiting for Santi to respond. “So, last year, Santi had this birthday party. There was some online talk about anevent, so we all showed up.”
“Crashed it,” Santi corrected, but nicely. Matt thought it was even genuine. “I wasn’t expecting the entire flock of younger Del Pretes to appear. They were quite a hit.”
Richie snickered. “Yeah. Especially Matty.”
Everyone turned to Matt. Matt shrugged.
“We were at a drag club in the city,” Richie explained to Ella. “You sent them all over to him, right?” he asked Santi, grinning, before returning to setting the scene for Ella. “Matt wascoveredin gay guys.”
