Page 60 of Playing for Keeps

Luke laughed and the sound was like a soothing balm rubbed on a sore muscle.

“Hey.” Someone slipped in between us and wrapped his arms around Luke.

Jonathan.

“Hey, you made it.” Luke’s voice was full of affection.

Jonathan was breathless as he pulled back, two spots of color on his cheeks. “I thought I wasn’t going to get here in time.”

“The reception is about to begin.”

“Awesome.” Jonathan smiled at Luke, then turned to me. “Hey, Ethan.”

“Hey.” I forced a smile.

Shit, I felt awkward around Jonathan, having spent the last few hours wrestling with my feelings for his boyfriend.

And there was no escape because the seating arrangements had me at the same table as Luke and Jonathan. And why wouldn’t Aiden Jones have put us together? The whole team knew Luke and I were friends.

But sitting there listening to the speeches about Aiden and Tyler, about the struggles they’d overcome to be together, was a special kind of torture with Luke right next to me.

I really needed to lighten the hell up.

My gaze drifted around the room until it settled on the pristine cake waiting to be cut later in the night.

I leaned toward Luke and whispered, “Will you cover me with a distraction while I rearrange the two grooms on top of the cake into a far more interesting position?”

Luke chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m not helping you sabotage the wedding of the first two gay New Zealand rugby players.”

I pouted. “Spoilsport.”

“Fuck, Reuban was right, you really have a death wish sometimes.”

His words stopped me short.

WhydidI have this itchy, antsy feeling inside that made me so desperate to pull a prank? Was it because I wanted to distract myself from my feelings for Luke?

How much of the shit I’d pulled when I was a kid was about distracting myself from the crap in my life that I couldn’t control?

Fuck, we really needed to rename today “Ethan Navel-Gazing Day.”

I needed to get out of this mood. If pranks weren’t going to cut it, then I’d go for jokes.

“You know, you can tell it’s been an emotional day because even the cake is in tiers,” I whispered to Luke.

Luke’s lips twitched. “I think that’s the worst joke you’ve ever told, and that includes the ‘your mama’ phase in high school.”

“Oh, I’d forgotten about those! ‘Your mama’ jokes were awesome!”

Luke had his elbows on the table, his fingertips on his temples. “Shit, what have I done?”

“I wonder how many I can remember,” I said contemplatively.

Luke sent Jonathan a remorseful glance. “I’m sorry for my part in what’s about to be inflicted on us.”

Jonathan looked confused, but I plunged straight in.

“Your mama’s so stupid, she stared at a cup of orange juice for twelve hours because it said concentrate.