Page 20 of Fated Mates and How to Seduce Them (Fated Mates #4)

André’s voice came through clearer once more. “ Ian, what about the other passengers ? Are they able to get home all right ?”

“I think some of them can—they’re calling for pickups—but not others. Why?”

“ Dad’s offering to send vans to pick everyone else up and take them home .”

So André’s generosity came from his father, eh? Ian somehow wasn’t surprised by that. “Let me ask.”

Ian stood and waved to get people’s attention. “I can get vans here to pick people up and deliver them home! How many need a lift?”

Roughly a dozen hands shot up in the air. Ian counted them twice to be sure before saying, “Thirteen people.”

“ Thirteen ? Okay. Tell everyone to sit tight. We’ll be there as soon as we can .”

“Thanks, André.”

“ I’m super happy you called me. I’ll reward you for that later. See you soon !”

Reward, huh? Ian hung up and stared suspiciously at the screen. He did not trust André and rewards. Somehow, he doubted it would be the same level of rewards he gave the kids.

He texted André the location and then was at a loss as to what to do next.

The pregnant woman turned around in her seat, pushing a wisp of dark hair from her face. “Who’s coming for us?”

“André,” Ian answered. He almost didn’t say it, but tacked on, smile shy, “The guy I’m dating. He said he’d be here soon.” Maybe saying this aloud would help manifest it.

She lit up with a smile of her own. “He’s a good boyfriend to come without even harassing you for it. Good for you. Wait, let me see a picture. Is he handsome?”

“Very much so.” Ian opened his gallery. The truth was, he had an embarrassing number of photos of André on his phone. Half of them were him playing with Casper. The other half was a mix of him playing with the kids or snuck when André was totally unaware of him.

If Ian were on trial for being in love with André, the pictures alone would guarantee a guilty verdict.

She took the phone so she could see better and pursed her lips in a whistle. “Wow. He’s stunning! How did you catch him?”

“Ha, no, he caught me.”

Oh, he definitely had her attention now. Future mother was all ears. She handed the phone back, tone eager. “Tell me the story. I love a good romance.”

They had nothing better to do for the next hour, so Ian didn’t see the harm.

He started at the beginning, of how he’d saved André at the bar, and then wound it down to now.

Told like this, it did seem ridiculous how long he’d waffled in indecision when, in retrospect, he’d been falling for the man from the first moment.

She sighed, a woman well satisfied. “How sweet. Love at first sight, at least for him. So you haven’t told him yet that you officially want to date.”

“No. I need to come up with a good plan, but it escapes me at the moment what to do.”

The grandmotherly woman across the aisle from them leaned in.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I can’t help myself.

Young man, you’re right to hold on to him.

Your André is a good person. Now, when my husband and I got together, he didn’t do anything fancy.

He took me on a picnic near the river, gave me a bouquet of flowers, and asked me to go steady.

It’s one of my fondest memories. You don’t need to go over the top. ”

Mother-to-be nodded firmly. “No, you really don’t. He’s been waiting for you all this time. He’ll be happy to get a yes, no matter the setting. Do something sincere and simple; that’ll be enough.”

A picnic near the river, huh? Ian could do that. They were right. André wouldn’t care about the setting so long as he finally got a yes. It was Ian who felt like he owed the man some romance after two months of dragging his feet.

“I thought maybe dinner at a nice restaurant somewhere, or something coupley, like matching bracelets?” Ian looked between both women for their opinions.

He got instant smiles in return.

“There you go,” the grandmother encouraged. “That’s a lovely idea. He’s one to wear accessories, then?”

“Sometimes. He likes to buy others gifts; he does it all the time. It’s about time I did the same for him.”

“Good idea. Do that.”

“Thanks.” Ian was at a loss as to what style or where to get the bracelets, but he could figure that out later when he had better internet access.

His phone buzzed with a message from André, saying he was thirty minutes out. Oh wow, he was making good time.

It would be best to have everyone organized and ready to go by the time he got here. Ian stood again and clapped his hands lightly. “All right, before the vans get here, who’s going where? Let’s divide people up so we’re efficient about getting home.”

People gladly cooperated, listing off where they needed to go to and how far away it was. He organized them into two groups, one of them going into the suburbs and stopping there, the others going farther into the city.

It seemed like no real time had passed before Ian spied a familiar white sports car pulling in ahead of the bus. André. He must have sped most of the way to get here so quickly.

Grandmother lightly smacked Ian’s arm. “Is that him? Oh, it is!”

André stepped out of the car, dressed in a black trench coat to ward off the drizzling rain, still in a tux and with his light brown hair styled in a rakish way. Like this, he looked rather the part of a dashing prince coming to the rescue.

At the sight of him, Ian’s heart skipped a beat.

Calm down, heart, don’t get so excited just at the sight of the devilishly handsome man. You’re embarrassing.

Ian moved to meet him, traveling quickly down the narrow aisle of the bus, and rendezvoused with André right near the door. André’s expression was one of deep concern, and he cradled Ian’s face in his hands, blue eyes sweeping over him.

“You’re not hurt, right?”

“No, I’m fine,” Ian assured him. “We’re all fine. The driver kept the bus under control, all things considered.”

André sighed in relief. “Good. I’ve got two passenger vans right behind me. We’ll get everyone home. You too, sir.”

The driver ducked his head in thanks, although he looked a bit bemused to have this tux-wearing young man showing up. “Thanks. I didn’t look forward to the walk home.”

“You won’t need to.”

The driver mouthed to Ian, Who … ?

Grandmother moved ahead, too, all smiles. “You’re Ian’s André. It’s so nice to meet you! Thanks for coming to the rescue. Look at you, handsome as a prince and acting like one. You’re as kind as Ian described you.”

André pointed a finger at himself in question, but he liked the way she referred to him, no doubt about it. He was all smiles. “You’re making me blush, ma’am. Oh, there’s the vans. All right, how to organize you all?”

“I’ve got everyone organized,” Ian assured him. “The first group will go directly to the suburbs along this road. The other group travels beyond that and will make three stops.”

André shook his head in amusement. “Of course, you have everyone organized before I can even get here. Why am I not surprised? Let’s get people loaded up and going. No one wants to be here all night.”

People were motivated to get home, so they were quick to offload and get into the vans. Ian helped the expectant mother down from the bus, not wanting her to slip, and she accepted the help gracefully, only to lean in to whisper in his ear.

“He’s darling, your André. You’re smart to keep him. Good luck!”

Ian ducked his head as he smiled. “Thanks. Get home safely.”

“I’d say you as well, but I know André will make sure you do. Good night, Ian, and thanks so much for the help. Thank you, André!”

André, near the first van, gave her a wave.

All right; people who hadn’t been picked up were settled in the vans, with just Ian and André left now.

The rain had let up a little while they loaded people in, but it started to come down harder now.

Ian hurried for the car, as did André, and they were quick to get in and shut the doors.

Not a moment too soon, either, as the heavens opened.

“Safe!” André declared with satisfaction, gesturing with his arms like an umpire.

In the privacy of the car, Ian could take a moment and talk to him. “No one was upset with you that I pulled you out of the party, were they?”

André waved his concern away. “Honestly, I was kinda bored. I was happy to have the excuse to escape, and my parents were only concerned about you. Dad handled the logistics of sending people with the vans. All I had to do was supply the address.”

Well, that was reassuring. “Good. I didn’t want to get you in trouble.”

“You didn’t. Now, where to? Your dorm?”

Ian of yesterday would have said yes. But he knew that wasn’t what André wanted to hear. He wanted to spend time with Ian. It was about time to give André more of what he wanted. “Well, you can, but…I can’t sleep over at your house?”

A beat, and André looked in danger of his eyes falling out of his head.

But then a slow smile took over his face, so bright he was almost painful to look at.

“You’re seriously making me happy tonight.

First, you call me for help. Now you want to stay the night with me?

Absolutely you can sleep over. If this is my reward for helping you, please demand things of me more often. ”

Silly man. Ian fully intended to declare himself properly, but he had no intention of leaving them in limbo even a second longer, either. He wanted to respond to André. He wanted to indulge them both instead of keeping a subtle distance between them.

With that affirmation in mind, he caught André’s chin and gave the man a kiss on the cheek.

“That’s your reward for coming to the rescue,” Ian corrected him, voice husky, delighting in André’s surprised expression. He was too cute. Ian would have to surprise him more often. “Me staying the night with you is only because I want to stay the night with you.”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you today,” André managed, eyes still wide as saucers, “but I like it.”

“I bet you do. Drive, André. Let’s get home before this storm gets any worse.”

It took André two attempts to tear his eyes from Ian and finally start the engine. “Yeah…uh, yeah, let’s do that.”