I’ve been so angry, blaming him for his lies, but this lie is the worst of them all. It’s extremely fucked up of me to keep him out of the dark on his assault, and the second Sean has evidence, I’m telling Paddy the truth.
I’ll help him heal, and raise his son. Though, I don’t know how I’m going to stomach looking at Camille after this. It’s taking everything in me not to murder her, and the only reason I haven’t gone to New York and killed her myself is because she’s pregnant. I’m going to have to get this shit under control in the next ten weeks, because if not, she’ll be handing the baby over to Paddy and I’ll be beating the fuck out of her until she can’t breathe. And Paddy will never forgive me for that.
I look in the mirror, taking in the sunken set of my eyes. I haven’t slept well in months, and it’s caught up to me, but damn do I look great in this tuxedo. Running my hand along the smooth, freshly shaved skin of my cheek structure.
A soft knock on my bedroom door sounds. “Come in.”
I turn, Scotty opening the door. He’s already dressed and ready for a wedding in his mafia uniform. “Look at you. Four weeks and back on duty.”
He grins, brown eyes sparkling. His hair is longer than the usual buzz cut, and the three-week scruff is turning into a thicker beard. “Not back yet. Just attending as a guest. Congratulations.”
“No need for celebrating. It’s just to prevent bloodshed.”
Scotty fixes my tie for me, a shimmer in his eyes that I know is the hint of tears threatening their way to the surface. “No, Griff. No matter how you cut it, this is love. You’re sacrificing your happiness to save the man you love.”
I choke on air, trying not to cry, too. “I’ve worked so hard to get the fuck out of here, Scotty.”
He grips my bicep, pulling me in for a brotherly hug. Our foreheads touch, one of his hands gripping the back of my neck. “And you would have, except your heart’s beating right here in the thick of it.”
Huffing, I try to compose myself and keep from sobbing. Everything he’s saying is exactly what I’m feeling. And I hate how right he is. I pull away from him, shoving him away. “Why are you being so fucking emotional right now?”
Laughing, he shoves me back. “Because we’re just two fucked up men who maybe don’t deserve to be happy. And here you are, marrying your best friend. It doesn’t matter that it’s for ulterior motives. What matters is it’s happening.”
I get a hint of curiosity, wanting to know if he’s saying this from experience. Is he unable to marry his best friend? I scan through the possible off limits people in his life, but don’t get far. Not when there’s another knock on the doorframe before Haley walks in.
“Look at these fine men.” She makes a show out of checking us out, letting out a cat whistle. “Dang. Maybe I should read some mafia romance after all. I’ve got some good material for my spank bank.”
“Gross,” I laugh, embracing her. My hands wrap around her shoulders, and I press a kiss to the top of her head.
She pulls away, handing me a plastic bottle of iced tea that’s got a bow on it. Smirking, I take it. I already know the brown liquid inside isn’t tea, but Jack Daniels.
“I really wanted to get you something special today. It didn’t take me long to remember this day. It was the first time I got to know the both of you. The first time I laughed while we were deployed, and I realized it’d been the first time I went longer than an hour thinking of all the ways I could end my misery. So, I thought an old memory justifies as something old.”
I unscrew the blue lid. “Something blue,” I say, holding it up to her.
She nods, excited I’m catching on. “The Jack is something used because I totally swiped the open bottle from Cal.”
Scotty laughs. “And how is it something new?”
Haley’s hazel eyes sparkle, and I know she’s trying not to cry, too. This day is becoming way more emotional than I ever thought a marriage of convenience could ever be. “Because we’re going to drink to new memories that will be created from this monumental day.”
She inhales, glancing at the floor, then takes a few slow, intentional breaths. “This may seem like a loveless day, but it’s not. You’re marrying your best friend. And you’re going to raise a baby together.” She takes the bottle, raising it in the air. “To making the most of every situation, no matter how much we want to quit.”
After a long gulp, she hands over the bottle. “Thanks for trying to make this shitty circumstance into something special,” I say after taking a swig. I hand the bottle to Scotty, who drinks next.
“Let’s get going,” Haley says. “We have to pick up Declan and Saoirse on the way.”
Scotty groans. “Of course. We couldn’t get Sean and Callum?”
“What do you mean?” Haley asks as we all pile out of the bedroom.
“Scotty’s got a hard on for the Murphy princess,” I tease.
“Yeah,” Scotty says with as much enthusiasm as a kid being forced to eat his greens. He shoots me a death glare over his shoulder. “It’s more like a deep hatred for the way she treats the people she deems as the help.”
“Saoirse treats everyone with nothing but pure sweetness. If she treats you like crap, you probably deserve it,” Haley says. “What did you do?”
“Oh, she’s been a brutal bitch to all of her guards. Scotty here was on her detail for five years. He’s the only one who ever made it more than two months. You didn’t know?”
