Attraction - a fraudulent marriage

6. Surprise

Chris closed the fridge with a certain finality. "Ayden can't be trusted around food."

"Is he on a diet?" A seriously insensitive thing to say, but my filter had a way of taking a vacation more days than not.

"No, he's just a lousy cook. Everything he touches turns rancid."

That had to be an exaggeration, but who didn't like to twist a tale once in a while. "Fine, I won't let him touch the food. Anything else I should know?"

"Don't anger the neighbors."

Now, that was a lousy piece of advice. No party could survive such diligent restrictions.

A few of Chris' friends arrived first. They were quick to take advantage of the alcohol but seemed like a nice crowd. He knew them from university, so no wonder they were fond of free drinks. I cued one of my standard playlists and continued to prepare snacks rather than socializing.

When the doorbell rang again, I heard Chris mumble something about his brother. Allowing excitement to cleanse away my sullen thoughts of flight tickets and lost opportunities, I left the kitchen with a fresh Cosmopolitan in my hand. It almost fell to the floor when I spotted the guys in the foyer. Yes, I recognized him. Ayden's face was all over the States fronting the latest campaign of Hugo Boss. Holy moly. He was a fine specimen, but I wouldn't mind being seen with his husband, either.

Glancing over at Chris, I tried to spot the resemblance between him and his brother. It was there, but Ayden had more of a classic model look than Chris had. Ayden's hair was a shade darker, but the weird silvery-gray eyes were the same.

They caught me staring, but instead of betraying my embarrassment, I walked over. "You must be Ayden."

He took my hand and gave it a firm shake. "And you must be Joachim. Chris told me you'd be here tonight."

"Sweet cheeks likes to brag about me to his friends."

Ayden's partner spluttered out a laughter. "Chris finally got a nickname." He received a slap on his shoulder from Chris in reply.

"Shut up, Cal. If you dare calling me that I'll have Ayden cook you food for an entire week."

"No, please no," Cal replied, sounding absolutely horrified. Maybe there was some truth to Chris' story, then.

Dante entered the hallway and slipped a phone into Chris' hand. "I think they're on their way up. You got a message from Cameron."

I gasped. "No. I'm not ready. They can't." I rushed into the living room. The music had to be perfect—not this bland shit I'd thrown together one day during a particularly bad hangover. Adam deserved so much better.

Skidding to a halt by my laptop, I almost spilled my drink again. To avoid mishaps, I downed it in long gulps and set the glass aside on the wide window sill. Feeling both excited and strangely nervous, I scrolled through my playlists and found a track that was passable. I cued it just as I heard the front door open again. The music began to pulse with a steady beat, doubling my excitement.

"What's going on?" Adam's voice betrayed genuine surprise.

Chris grinned and looked at me as I approached. "Joachim thought you deserved a welcome-home party."

"Joachim." Adam's smile widened and he almost cracked my ribs with his tight hug. "You shouldn't have."

"Oh yes, I should, and I did. I won't take all the credit, though. We've all pitched in today." I swelled with happiness as I caught the sparkle in his blue eyes. This was exactly what I needed. Perhaps that was selfish, but I didn't do this for myself, I did this for Adam. I'd missed him, and I would miss him even more if they kicked me out of this country.