Page 18

A creature of neatness and habit, Richard had unpacked the minute he returned home. The little note Lucas had left him was resting safely in a decorative box that had sat empty for the past few years. Richard had picked it out to make his shelves look aesthetically pleasing, never knowing it’d one day house a precious memory of his soulmate.

Richard had slept little, so perhaps that was why he was feeling sentimental. Or it could’ve been finding the one person on the planet that his soul wanted. A soulmate was something Richard had claimed not to want, but everything was different now. Although obstacles lay ahead, Richard refused to allow himself to stress about the future.

For one day, he’d revel in the unexpected.

An impulse to give in to desire—along with Maribeth’s unwavering need to ensure Richard didn’t hide—had changed his life. Time would tell if it’d be a positive thing or if he’d wind up miserable, but for twenty-four hours, Richard refused to overthink it. Lucas was his friend and coworker. However, they had a lot to learn about each other.

And Richard wanted to explore the incredible passion that had flared between them the previous night. Their second climax had happened nearly as quickly as the first, but they’d devoted extensive effort to kissing. Touching his lips to Lucas’s was easily Richard’s new favorite thing.

“ Ow ,” Richard complained as his cousin interrupted his delightful recall of his nocturnal activities.

“Someone is wearing a secret little smile today,” Maribeth whispered.

Richard cast her a side-eye look. “Today is about Gabriel and Eric.”

“At least tell me if it was good.” Color heated Richard’s cheeks, and he nodded. Maribeth responded with a feral smile. “Yay. Details, please.”

“Later.”

“Fine, but the longer you put me off, the more information I’ll want,” Maribeth insisted.

Richard didn’t bother to reply. His cousin wouldn’t be satisfied by anything other than every minute detail no matter what, and he hoped she was sticking around long enough to get them. With Gabriel and Eric leaving in a few hours for California, he expected Maribeth to head to New York soon. The teleportation crystal she’d left at her condo would make her return trip take a matter of seconds.

The phone in Richard’s pocket chirped, and he yanked it out of his comfy pants. But before he could read his screen, Maribeth’s head blocked his view.

“Who is it?”

“I can’t see through your thick skull so I can’t tell you,” Richard stated dryly.

“Oh, it’s Douglas.”

Maribeth moved out of the way, and Richard tapped the screen to peek at the message. The inspirit wanted to talk. Richard hoped everything was okay.

“What’s wrong?” Maribeth asked.

“Not sure, Douglas wants to talk to me.”

“Tell him to come over. Rosalind and Clark are going to hog Gabriel and Eric today, so we don’t have shit to do.”

“Can you let Gabriel know we’re having company?”

“Of course, babe,” Maribeth replied, unfolding herself from the sofa. “Smells like David made coffee, do you want some?”

“Love some, I’m exhausted.”

“Stop teasing me. Either tell me everything or stop bragging about your lack of sleep.”

Richard tuned her out. She’d learn about Lucas soon, and he wanted to ensure nothing was wrong with Douglas. His fingers flew across the screen with an invitation to come to the house.

By the time Maribeth returned with a steaming mug for Richard, Douglas was already on his way. He thanked Maribeth and drank deeply of the delicious brew. No one made coffee as delightful as David did, and Richard appreciated what an artist the inspirit was in the kitchen.

“Hmm, I’m going to miss this when I go back to New York tonight.”

Richard sighed. “Do you really have to leave so soon?”

“Everyone will be at work tomorrow, including you, how would I entertain myself here? No, I have things to do.”

“Like what?” Richard asked. “Have you decided on a field of study in school?”

“I don’t know if I want to do school yet.”

It was frustrating that Maribeth had been gone for three months and she remained undecided about her future. If she didn’t need to be in New York for any reason, Richard wanted her home. But he couldn’t act like a petulant, selfish brat, so he kept that to himself.

“Career or job instead?” Richard asked.

Maribeth shrugged. “Mostly I’ve been visiting museum and reading books. I’ve lost count of how many books I’ve read.”

“Keep track of them so you can impress me with all your newly gained knowledge.”

“I’ll start, okay?”

“Good. How’s the shopping?”

“I’ve barely bought a thing. It’s no fun without you. My condo is practically barren. You should come to New York and help me.”

“It’s about time you invited me,” Richard said. “Of course I’ll come.”

“You had a wedding to help plan, I couldn’t drag you there before yesterday. Check your schedule and pick a week where it’s relatively calm at work, okay?”

“I’ll scour my calendar with my assistant in the morning.”

The doorbell rang, and Richard finished his coffee. A minute later, Douglas walked into the living room. Richard stood and hugged the inspirit, as did Maribeth.

“Maribeth, I don’t want to be rude, but do you mind if I speak privately with Richard?” Douglas asked.

“No worries, sweetie, it’s a big house, I’ll go bug David or annoy Gabriel by asking him details about his wedding night.”

Richard chuckled. “Stay here, Mari. Douglas, let’s go use the office. My mother forbade my father from entering this weekend, so it’ll be empty. We can shut the door so no nosy busybody like Mari spies on us.”

Although Maribeth rolled her eyes, she didn’t bother protesting her innocence. Richard led Douglas through the house to find that the office was indeed unoccupied. Once inside, Richard sat on a dark loveseat and patted the cushion next to him.

“Talk to me,” Richard insisted.

Douglas accepted the silent invitation to sit, and his gaze met Richard’s. “I’m sorry to disrupt this weekend, but I couldn’t wait any longer to talk to you.”

“It’s okay. My parents are helping Eric and Gabriel sort through their gifts, we’re going to have dinner, then send them upstairs to pack for their surprise trip. Mari and I were watching TV. You aren’t interrupting anything.”

“We’ve been friends for many years. I like to think we’ve complemented each other well in the office.”

“Absolutely,” Richard said. “Look at how well the wedding went yesterday. We did that. Our failures have been few and far between, and each one a learning experience for the future.”

Shifting awkwardly next to Richard, Douglas stopped to take a deep breath. Something was clearly bothering the inspirit, and that worried Richard. Had something happened between the wedding and today?

“Douglas, whatever’s on your mind, you can trust me. I’ll always be here for you.”

“I thought this would be easier,” Douglas commented quietly. “On the way over here, I must’ve practiced how I’d say this a million times. But it’s so much harder with you sitting next to me. For so long, I decided I was wrong about how I was feeling, even though we’ve been close. Last night, you were so concerned about me. I knew I couldn’t hide any longer. That we couldn’t pretend anymore.”

Thoroughly confused, Richard rapidly sifted through his memories and tried to pinpoint what Douglas meant, but he was clueless. Which was why he was unprepared for Douglas to take his hand.

“I know it’s a big gamble,” Douglas said. “But I think we owe it to ourselves to find out. If we’re wrong, we’re both adults. We can be friends and move on. I promise.”

“Owe it to ourselves to find out…” Richard replied. A heartbeat later, realization dawned and horror filled him.

“If we’re soulmates,” Douglas finished before Richard could unglue his tongue from his mouth to speak.

Richard carefully stood and walked to the desk his parents unofficially shared. It wasn’t about putting physical distance between him and Douglas so much as gathering his scrambled brain cells. Just the previous night, he’d stood in front of Lucas and asked the man to share his bed.

The humiliation of nearly being told no was so fresh in his mind that tears sprang to his eyes. Richard didn’t want to hurt Douglas, but he had no choice. They were friends. Richard had no romantic notions about being with Douglas, nor had he ever. He wasn’t attracted to him. And all those points were moot anyway because Richard had a soulmate.

How the fuck was he going to walk into work tomorrow and share that with the world?

“Richard, I know you’ve sworn off sex, relationships, and any notion of finding your soulmate, but surely this weekend has proven to you how wonderful it can be when the right two people find each other,” Douglas pleaded, breaking Richard’s heart further.

“Please stop,” Richard begged. It was cowardly to allow Douglas to keep speaking. All Richard could do now was try to protect Douglas’s feelings as much as possible. Richard turned to face him and wished he had the power to stop the pain Douglas was about to feel. “I’m incredibly sorry if I’ve led you on. The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt you. Please know that. I’d crush my own spirit before I’d cause you an ounce of unhappiness. But I don’t have the same feelings for you that you have for me.”

“Are you saying that to keep from taking a chance?” Douglas asked, his eyes wounded and narrowed.

“No, you’re one of my dearest friends. No one knows me better than you, Mari, and Eric. In my head, you’re in the same category as Mari, Eric, Gabriel, David, and my parents. Family, Douglas. That’s what you are.”

Douglas stood, and his mouth firmed. “So, now I’m like a brother or cousin to you? I think you’re denying the chemistry between us. Otherwise, why would you be so upset? Why are you crying?”

“Because I know I’m hurting you.”

“You’re hurting yourself too. Denying your soulmate is ridiculous. For years I’ve held on to the hope that we’d act on the passion I know you feel between us. I’m not kidding myself. You’re the one deluding yourself. I’ve waited for you to move past your silly convictions, but I can’t do it any longer. If you don’t take a chance with me now, I won’t offer this again. One invitation to find out, Richard. That’s it. Take it or leave it.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Richard whispered through his tears.

Douglas glared, straightened his shoulders, and marched to the door. “ Won’t , you mean. I hope you’re right and we’re not soulmates, because I don’t deserve to be alone just because you’ve decided to be a martyr. See you tomorrow, Richard. Unless, of course, you’re going to have me fired for daring to ask you to get over three bad nights with total strangers.”

With those words, Douglas charged out, and the door banged loudly against the stopper. Richard stood in silence and wondered what to do. Douglas was furious, and Richard couldn’t blame him. It’d been incredibly brave to put himself out there and invite Richard to do something that had every possibility of permanently altering their relationship.

Douglas was entitled to his hurt and anger. If there were any changes in employment, they’d be made by Douglas. There was no way Richard would ever consider firing him. It’d be awkward, but Richard dearly hoped they could someday find common ground again. Was that asking for too much?

Swiping the last of his tears away, Richard headed out of the office to rush upstairs and scrub his face, but he bumped into his mother.

“Richard, love, what’s wrong? I was coming to find you to find out if we needed another plate for dinner. Will Douglas be joining us?”

Richard shook his head and didn’t fight as his mother pulled him into a hug. “No, Douglas left.”

Gabriel charged into the hallway. “Richard, what’s wrong with Douglas? He just slammed the front door.”

“Slammed the door?” his mother asked as Richard pulled away to gather whatever wits he had remaining. His weekend was turning out to be far more tumultuous than he could’ve ever imagined when he’d woken up the previous morning. “That doesn’t sound like our Douglas.”

“We had a disagreement of sorts,” Richard revealed. “But we’re not going to discuss it. This is a happy weekend for our family, and this can wait until tomorrow.”

“I wish everyone would stop acting like the world needs to stop because Eric and I were married yesterday,” Gabriel complained. “This weekend was a celebration of our relationship, but I’m far prouder to be his soulmate than his husband.”

The inspirit stalked off, and Richard swore his entire body sagged in disappointment. “Great, now I’ve pissed off Gabriel.”

“He’s annoyed with your father, not you. Gabriel dared mention business and wasn’t pleased by yet another diversion by us to keep everything focused on the wedding. Now, tell me what happened.”

“Mom?” Eric called out a second before he found them. “Have you seen Gabriel? Wait, what’s wrong, Richard?”

“Enough of this,” their mother said. “Let’s find everyone and have a chat in the kitchen.”

Richard allowed himself to be led to the kitchen. As promised, his mother located a scowling Gabriel and a curious Maribeth, and brought them along with Eric, Richard’s father, and David into the room with the stone-gray cabinets.

Gabriel tugged Eric close, and Richard nearly smiled at the sour look he gave Clark.

“Okay, secrets are done,” Rosalind announced. “We were going to wait until after dinner to tell you this, but Eric and Gabriel, you have one more thing to do today. You need to pack. The two of you are spending a week at the house in California. This is not optional. A car is picking you up. Work talk can wait until your honeymoon is over, understood?”

“I can’t argue against a week with Eric,” Gabriel replied. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness. But you could’ve told us instead of lecturing me about staying focused on the wedding this weekend when I asked a single question about work.”

“Rosalind made me swear not to spoil the surprise,” Clark protested.

“No fighting, gentlemen. Your gratitude isn’t necessary, Gabriel. All we want is for you and Eric to relax and enjoy yourselves. Weddings are stressful.”

Eric smiled. “Honestly, we barely did anything thanks to everyone here.”

“No thanks are necessary, we were happy to do it,” Rosalind said. “Now, Richard, since we’re no longer keeping secrets, is everything okay with Douglas?”

“Why did he slam the front door?” Gabriel asked.

“Wait, he did what?” Maribeth inquired. “First he needs to speak to you privately, and now he’s slamming doors. Did you two fight, Richard?”

Richard ran his hands over his face and acutely felt his lack of sleep as fatigue settled into his bones. “It wasn’t a fight. Douglas was angry. He believed something was between us, and I didn’t agree. I couldn’t lie to him, and he was understandably upset. Hopefully, we’re still friends.”

“Did he tell you he has feelings for you?” Gabriel inquired.

“Did you know?” Richard asked, his gaze widening. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know for sure, I wondered. But that was many months ago now. One of the nights at the club, I thought he had feelings for you. I never spoke about it with him. I thought if I was right, he would’ve acted on it by now. But nothing came of it, so I assumed I was wrong.”

“Again, why didn’t you mention it to me?” Richard demanded. “Maybe I could’ve changed the way I interacted with him so he’d know that I wasn’t interested in going to bed with him to find out if we’re soulmates!”

“Richard, I was assuming,” Gabriel insisted. “And if I’m being honest, I didn’t think about it again. I was dealing with my own shit.”

“And by shit, you mean finding out that you had a soulmate,” Eric remarked with a mischievous grin for Gabriel.

“Exactly that,” Gabriel replied.

“Richard, relationships are frightening,” his mother said. “But a soulmate is a beautiful thing. You deserve the happiness of a partner. Take a chance. A little risk can hurt sometimes, but you know there’s only one way to find your soulmate.”

Maribeth slung her arm around Richard’s shoulders. “Life is different for everyone. Richard has made it clear he doesn’t want to be involved with anyone. When he’s ready, he’ll try to find his soulmate, right, Richard?”

“It’s okay, Mari, I’m discovering quickly that secrets aren’t my thing,” Richard stated. “I told Eric and Mari I didn’t want a soulmate, but—”

“Richard, sometimes what we need isn’t what we want,” his father interrupted.

“Would it really be so bad to find your soulmate?” his mother asked. “You’ve been dear friends with Douglas for years. Think of all the time you spend together. Perhaps the universe or destiny is trying to tell you something. You’ll never know if you don’t take a chance.”

Richard glanced around the room and wondered what the fuck to do. Which was an absurd line of thinking. He had a single choice. And he hoped Lucas would forgive him for blurting out the truth.

“I can’t do that

—”

“Richard, yes you can,” his mother insisted, her blue gaze growing annoyed. “Nothing is more important in life than your soulmate.”

“Please, just listen,” Richard countered, proud of his ability to speak so clearly through clenched teeth. He hadn’t expected days of such violent swings from one emotion to another after finding his soulmate, and he was over it. “I can’t have sex with Douglas to find out if he’s my soulmate. And before anyone gives me a million reasons why I’m wrong, let me ask you a question. How soon after you discover your soulmate does the equipment stop working for someone else? I need to be sure so I can give you every bit of information you need to stop arguing with me.”

“Oh shit,” Maribeth screeched and yanked Richard around to face her. She shook him so hard he swore his bones rattled. “Last night was the night, wasn’t it? That gorgeous fucking man is yours!”

“Maribeth, kindly explain what you’re talking about,” Rosalind insisted. “Which gorgeous man? What happened last night?”

“Richard, tell them,” Maribeth shouted. “We need champagne. I’m so glad I threatened to give him that key last night. Otherwise, you would’ve missed out on your soulmate. Your soulmate, Richard!”

“Soulmate?” shouted everyone but Maribeth, Richard, and David.

Richard bowed his head to hide his smile. “I slept with Lucas last night. He’s my soulmate.”

“Get him on the phone. Get him on the phone right now, Richard. Invite him here for dinner,” his mother demanded. “Now, Richard.”

There was no actual choice, so Richard accepted hugs, then texted Lucas. He hoped the inspirit was ready to be enthusiastically included in their family. Meanwhile, Richard wondered how he could be so cautiously optimistic about his relationship with Lucas while also completely distressed by the events of his afternoon.

He sincerely hoped Douglas had a sturdy shoulder to cry on and that he would move past his feelings for Richard quickly. The inspirit deserved happiness, and Richard begged the universe to bring it to Douglas soon.