Page 23 of Club Royal: Calendar Collection

Freddie’s health scare had hit them more than either of them had expected, but it had also brought them closer than ever before.

And when they had both started researching, they had found that so many men still didn’t get themselves checked.

It was a killer, and it was fairly easy to diagnose for the most part.

And when they had come across Movember, it had become something dear to their hearts.

Other charities were, too, but ones that affected the person in question would always have more of a kick than others. He was sure other people were the same.

Giving the others something to do to unknowingly take their minds off the news Freddie would eventually give them was something of a fantastic idea.

He wasn’t sure how it was going to work, and if it would actually do anything to keep the spotlight off themselves and on the charity.

They’d discussed it with Mav and Kai, and both had agreed that it was a thin line, but there was a high probability it would do a lot more good than harm.

So they were going with it. Once it was over, they would know if it had helped, and they would be able to use this as an example for other charities they wanted to support.

It was all hands on deck once Freddie had laid down the rules of the competition.

Damon had shaken his head when he’d heard them, and inside, he was cheering for the audacity of doing it.

They had to fit seven parties into November, and he wasn’t sure they could do it, especially as it was already the third day of the month.

“So, we’re going in age order, excluding Andrew, who will be last,” Mav said, leaning forward over the table.

“Freddie’s is first, which you’re doing on the eleventh.

And then it’s Douglas on the fifteenth, Patrick on the eighteenth, George on the twenty-first, Henry on the twenty-fourth, Christian on the twenty-seventh and then Andrew on the thirtieth. ”

Henry blew out a breath. “That’s a lot of parties. Are we even going to get anyone to come to that many?”

“It’s not so much the number of people who come, it’s what the organisers do with their time,” Freddie said.

Worried was Damon’s first name right then. He had no idea how they were going to pull off a party in less than eight days when they didn’t even have a theme yet.

“Let’s get to it!” George said, clapping his hands and standing. “It’s party season, boys!”

“What have we done?” Damon murmured, shaking his head again.

“Come on, honeybun,” Freddie said, linking their arms. “Let’s get our heads together.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “And grab Nick. Stat.”

Damon enjoyed seeing Freddie with a more light-hearted demeanour. The scare had pulled a cloud over them, and even with the good news of being clear, that cloud had never truly disappeared. At that moment, it was a lot lighter.

True to his word, they detoured to Sec HQ, where they found Nick, who was more than happy to renounce his desk duties to help them.

It took them several hours of brain dumping before they came up with something half decent, according to Damon.

Then it was all hands on deck. Damon ended up with the task of locating decorations for their theme, and luckily, it wasn’t that difficult.

He was glad he didn’t have to source some of the other things they had agreed on.

By the time the day of the party arrived, everything was ready to go.

Freddie was excited. Not only had his moustache begun to look good rather than scraggily, but he was sure the party would be a hit.

Damon’s moustache wasn’t doing as well as his husband’s, but he didn’t mind.

Maybe it was copying his state of mind. He was hoping with everything inside him that the party would do well because he wanted to see that excitement and happiness on Freddie’s face for as long as possible.

At six o’clock that evening, the ballroom was fully decorated and kitted out, and Damon was already exhausted. Freddie, however, was on cloud nine.

“Right,” Freddie said, “now we need to get ready. We need someone at the door to ensure no one goes in before the big reveal.”

“I’m still not convinced that keeping the themes a secret was the best choice. Won’t people feel out of place if they’re not dressed right?” he asked.

Freddie clapped his back. “But it doesn’t matter. That’s the point. We need to forget about conforming and instead have fun.”

They were back in the room just before seven o’clock to welcome the first guests, and as they waited, Damon looked around, seeing it in the eyes of those who would soon enter.

Choosing a cowboy theme wasn’t his first choice, but he had to admit that it worked.

There was a bull to ride in one corner, cowboy hats to give out to those who wanted one, all the American-style food anyone could wish for, and a band ready to play the most popular country music, with instructors ready to teach line dancing.

As he’d said, it wasn’t his cup of tea, but it looked damn good.

And when their guests entered, they loved it—just like Freddie said they would. Drink flowed, music played, games ensued, and everyone stayed way past the time the party should’ve ended, but nobody cared. Towards the end of it, Freddie quieted everyone.

“I just want to thank you all for taking part in this event. It wasn’t expected, but I think it’s something we have all needed.

Time to relax. Time to let go. Time to breathe.

It’s been amazing, and I want to thank you all.

Your donations have raised an amazing six thousand pounds for the charity.

” Cheers rose, and Freddie let it go before he raised his hands to lower the volume.

“And don’t forget, this is not the only event this month.

The idea is to bring as much awareness to prostate cancer as we can.

We enjoy these events, but the end is not for us.

It’s for everyone else who needs us. The next event is in three days.

Let’s see how much money we can raise and how many people we can reach—enjoy! ”

Damon shook his head, smiling. His husband had always worried about being a worthy leader, but he was so much more. He had been born into the role, yes, but he was perfect for it, too. Life might never turn out the way anyone expected it to, but it sure was fun getting there.

****

“I cannot believe we pulled it off,” Kendal said as they reclined on the sofa next to Kean on the day following the final party.

“I don’t think I’ll ever think of these themes in the same way again,” Eddie said, his eyes closed as he lay across George’s lap, still seeming half asleep.

They had pulled it off, and in spectacular fashion.

Douglas’s theme had been Australia; Patrick’s, of course, was music; George’s was book-themed; Henry’s was historical, mainly Victorians; Christian’s theme was childhood, which fit very well with Oscar; and Andrew’s was, surprisingly, famous people throughout the years.

Everyone was exhausted, but it was a good exhausted.

“Freddie, what was the final count of donations?” Andrew asked.

Freddie reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his hand smoothing down his moustache.

Damon took a second to look at all the people in the room.

Everyone had grown moustaches, including Oscar and Christian, even though Freddie had given them a pass.

It had been so cute to see Oscar playing as a little when he had a tidy moustache above his lip.

Most of them would be shaving them off again, but he wasn’t sure whether Freddie would.

His husband couldn’t decide. But one thing he did know, after this donation reveal would be another reveal.

“We raised over fifty thousand pounds all told,” Freddie said.

“And we will match it,” Andrew said.

Freddie stared at him, eyes filling with a rare moment of vulnerability.

He cleared his throat. “There is another reason I wanted to do this,” he said quietly, and everyone focused on him.

“I recently had a scare. It ended up being good news, but it was a difficult time for us.” He met Damon’s gaze, and Damon’s heart hurt for him.

For them all. “This is going to be another of my charities from now on. We need to raise as much awareness as possible of this. We need to break the silence. Stop the uncomfortable conversations. We need to bring this out into the open, and if we have to lead by example, we will. I will. Tomorrow, I will be announcing what we’ve achieved, and I will also be sharing my story. ”

Damon moved closer, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “We will be sharing our story. Because it’s not just the people who have it that are affected, it’s also the people around them.”

Freddie kissed him.

****