Page 179 of Adored

Only, the look on Poe’s face was changed. Gone was the humor.

“You good?” Gamble asked.

Poe headed his way, and rested his head on his shoulder above his medals.

“I love you. It just hit me. We’re a family,” he said. “It made me want to weep. We can always do this, and it’s ours forever.”

Yes, yes, it was.

He kissed him on the temple.

“We are one,” he said. “I’m good with that too. I like being your person.”

Wasn’t that the truth?

He was his person.

When he held his hand, Poe stepped back.

“Let’s go get this done. I’m sorry for what you’re about to go through,” he admitted.

Gamble lifted a brow.

“What I’m about to go through?”

He laughed.

“Every single nosey person is going to be curious and want to know more about the man who got me to marry him. I’ve had my mother trying to set me up with countless ladies for a long time. There are going to be more tears, and not for the death of my parents.”

Oh, hell, no.

If he saw one woman hovering, that shit was ending fast.

“I will punch ladies in the face,” Gamble said. “I don’t often, but one hand on your ass, and I’m breaking fingers. I don’t care if they’re a Duchess, a princess, or freaking Cinderella looking for her prince. You are not eligible, nor are you available to anyone but me.”

He nearly swooned.

Why did he think he wasn’t kidding?

Then again, he’d do the same thing.

After cleaning up, and getting back to pristine order, they left Rufus up there, so he didn’t gain four hundred pounds stealing snacks from everyone. As a couple, a unified front, they headed down.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Gamble held out his arm, and Poe tucked his hand into it as they were about to be seen by everyone there.

When they walked into the room, Poe recognized many of the faces. They were friends—not his friends, but his parent’s, and he appreciated them coming.

When he came to a stop, Gamble stopped beside him, ramrod stiff, and not messing around. He saw the looks, and he didn’t like some of them.

There were more than a few looks of disgust when people put two and two together and came up with the answer that Poe was gay.

Only, Poe ignored it better than Gamble could.

“Thank you all for coming. We would like to thank you for spending your time here for afternoon tea. Penelope would be tickled pink,” he said.

Everyone nodded and murmured.

“My father would be appalled. You know how he was. If he had to be around people, he’d get all twitchy. I think though, today, he would be thankful that you all came here to say your goodbyes.”