Crash & Burn Read online

  “We can do this later,” Zane offered, but Ty was already shaking his head. Zane took a step and rubbed his hands up Ty’s arms, squeezing gently. “You want him here, Ty. We can do this later.”

  “No,” Ty said, and his voice wasn’t shaking any longer. “You’re the only person I care about being here.”

  Zane pulled Ty in for a kiss. He was wearing the blue suit Zane loved so much, at Zane’s insistence, and Ty had demanded Zane wear his charcoal pinstriped suit tonight. Zane was happy to oblige. By the time they went to bed, Zane would be able to call Ty his husband, and both of their suits would be wrinkling on a floor somewhere.

  A knock at the door saved the blue suit from Zane’s wandering hands, and Ty pulled away with a wink. He opened the door to his brother’s smiling face. Deuce was dressed sharply, and was holding a plastic container in his hand.

  “I’m so going to be the favorite after this,” Deuce crooned as he stepped into the room.

  “Deuce, the maid of honor died at your wedding,” Ty said.

  “Well, I didn’t kill her,” Deuce argued. “Ma’s going to disown both of you.”

  Ty nodded and gave Deuce a hug. “We’d have to do this in Maryland regardless of what kind of ceremony we had elsewhere. Might as well do it now.”

  “Can’t wait to watch you explain that to Ma.” Deuce turned to Zane and offered him a hearty handshake. “Y’all ready?”

  Ty met Zane’s eyes. The hazel was glinting in the light, and his lips curved in a smirk.

  “Oh yeah,” Zane said, unable to fight his grin. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

  “You nervous?” Deuce asked them.

  Ty snorted and shook his head.

  “That’s a yes,” Deuce said wryly.

  “Shut up, I’m not nervous.”

  “Yes, he is.” Zane softened the words with a fond smile in Ty’s direction.

  Deuce handed Zane the container he’d brought in, then patted him on the shoulder. “Take your time. We’ll be in the lobby, ready when you are.” He squeezed Ty’s shoulder in passing and then left them alone once more.

  Zane lifted the container. The plastic was clear, but fogged over from whatever Deuce had in there, so it was impossible to see the contents.

  “What is that?” Ty asked.

  Zane shrugged, then shoved the container at Ty. “He’s your brother . . . you open it.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Why not?”

  Ty huffed. “Well, why don’t you?”

  “Because . . .”

  “He handed it to you, it’s obviously yours to open.”

  “But he’s your brother. You should open it.”

  “I can’t,” Ty insisted.

  “Why?”

  “Because it might be alive.”

  “Why would it be alive?” Zane cried, and he shoved the container into Ty’s arms.

  “I don’t know!”

  Zane snorted and popped the lid. They both winced away from it, but nothing fuzzy or breathing jumped out. Ty lifted the lid and stared for a second, then broke into a wide grin.

  “Deacon, you sly son of a bitch.” He held up a small boutonniere and twirled it between his thumb and forefinger. It was made of a single orchid.

  “Orchids?” Zane asked.

  “I told him about the black market orchid thing when I first realized . . . well, that I was in love with you,” Ty admitted. Then he smiled and turned the boutonniere over. “He made fun of me because he said black market anything was not romantic. God, I can’t believe he remembered.”

  Zane took the container from Ty and set it on the desk nearby. There were three more boutonnieres in there. Deuce had obviously planned for Zane to have someone at his side, but Zane didn’t need anyone else. He had everything he could have wanted today.

  He took the orchid out of Ty’s hand, their fingers lingering as their eyes met.

  “Come here,” Zane whispered, and dragged Ty closer, kissing him gently as his palm slid against Ty’s cheek. “I love you. So much.”

  Ty had his eyes closed, his nose pressed to Zane’s. He was trembling, and it made Zane smile. He never thought he’d see the day that Ty Grady was nervous.

  Ty must have felt Zane grinning, because he took a deep, shaky breath and said, “Go ahead and laugh. I feel a little like I’m going to yark all over you, though, so you’ll get what you deserve.”

  Zane took Ty’s face in both hands and backed up just enough to look into his eyes. The boutonniere was still between his fingers, and he set it on top of Ty’s head so he wouldn’t squish it. He chuckled when Ty didn’t even complain.

  “Tell me why you’re nervous,” he said, low and gentle. “And then I’ll tell you why I’m nervous.”

  Ty took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know. I desperately don’t want to fuck this up.”

  “It’s just an, ‘I do,’ Ty. Even if you fuck it up, who cares? We’ll still be married. We’ll still be us.”

  “I know. But I think . . . I think I never thought we’d make it here.”

  “You thought I wouldn’t say yes?”

  “No. I mean, no, I . . . I didn’t think we’d live long enough to be here. And something about today feels like borrowed time.”

  Zane’s brow furrowed, and he took a tiny step closer. “Then let’s take that time and ride it hard and put it up wet, baby.”

  Ty laughed, closed his eyes, and nodded. “I love you.”

  Zane kissed him as warmth spread through him. “You want to know why I’m nervous?”

  “You’re not nervous. You’re pretending to be so I won’t feel stupid.”

  Zane was silent, a smile pulling at his lips. He kissed Ty again, lingering over the familiar taste, the scent, the beautiful fact that being able to take Ty in his arms and kiss him whenever he wanted wasn’t unique anymore.

  But it was sure as hell special.

  “You’re right,” Zane whispered. “You want to know why I’m not nervous?”

  Ty nodded against Zane’s cheek. His eyes were still closed.

  “Because there’s not a thing in the world that could fuck this up. Including you.”

  Ty barked a laugh and finally opened his eyes. “Promise?”

  Zane grinned. “I do.”

  Ty had convinced the Honorable Henry Freeman to meet them at the harbor that evening. It was a Monday night, and the harbor front was empty. The aquarium was lit up, though, and so was the USS Constellation out on the water. Ty hadn’t intended for the nineteenth-century sloop of war and the neon waves on the side of the aquarium to act as their backdrop when they said their vows, but he certainly wasn’t going to admit that when the others started talking about how perfect it was.

  Zane took his hand as they strolled toward the water and slowed him to a stop, letting Deuce, Livi, and Amelia move ahead of them.

  Ty turned to meet his eyes, taking a deep breath to try to steady himself.

  Zane smiled warmly and squeezed his fingers. He took Ty’s lapel in one hand and held up one of the orchids Deuce had brought them. He was already wearing one on his lapel, and he moved to pin the other one to Ty’s suit, his brow furrowing in concentration.

  Ty gazed at him, loving the way Zane looked when he was focused on something. Zane glanced up briefly, meeting his eyes. There was a lot of pain in their tumultuous past. There were a lot of things they’d said and done to each other that could have broken them. They’d been able to move beyond them, though, bracing themselves with love and loyalty and trust.

  Ty opened his mouth to tell Zane that he loved him one more time, but he gasped instead when Zane stuck him with the pin on the orchid.

  “Shit, sorry,” Zane said, laughing breathily before he was able to curtail it.

  Ty grabbed his face and kissed him.

  “Not yet, you yahoos!” Deuce called from further down the water.

  Zane was grinning when Ty let him go. He took Ty’s hand in his and they moved to join the othe
rs. Judge Freeman had just arrived, carrying a small leather book and a traveling mug that may or may not have contained alcohol. He shook both Ty and Zane’s hands, then handed Deuce his mug and waved his book.

  “Where are we doing this?”

  Ty glanced around them. They were near the edge of the sidewalk, with the water lapping at the concrete pilings and a rope that was supposed to keep adventurous sightseers from toppling into the harbor. The USS Constellation was so close they could hear her creaking. Music played from the restaurants and shops near the aquarium. Snow threatened with a few stray flakes, and the wind off the Atlantic was bracing. It was a little chaotic, to be honest, and the dichotomy of the busy harbor and the calm water were striking. Then Ty saw the massive chain on the Constellation disappearing into the depths where she was anchored, and he grinned.

  “This is perfect,” Zane answered before Ty could do it.

  Ty turned to him, and suddenly all his nerves dissipated like they’d been taken by the breeze.

  Freeman cleared his throat, opening his book as Ty and Zane faced each other. Deuce and Livi hurried to their sides, and Amelia reached into a little box she’d been carrying and chucked a handful of dissolvable heart-shaped confetti at Ty and Zane’s feet.

  “Not yet,” Livi whispered, and she managed to grab Amelia before the little girl could dump the rest of the box on Zane’s shoes.

  Ty and Zane both had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing.

  Freeman gave them a moment to make sure they were ready, then reached into a front pocket and extracted a pair of reading glasses. He slid them on and smiled at them, then put a finger on the page. “Here we are.”

  Ty couldn’t take his eyes off Zane, who was watching him ardently in the glow of the lights off the harbor. He was certain that whatever Freeman said next, he would never remember anything beside the look in Zane’s eyes.

  “We are gathered here tonight to join these two lives, these two hearts, these two souls, in marriage. If there is anyone present here today who objects to this union, please take it up with the two armed federal agents who are getting hitched.”

  Zane winked at Ty, reaching for him. Ty gripped his hand, holding on to him like they were in danger of blowing away with the heart-shaped confetti swirling at their feet.

  “Do you have vows?” Freeman asked.

  Zane nodded, but he didn’t move to take out a piece of paper or any notes. He licked his lips instead and took a deep breath. “Ty,” he said, and the sound was almost lost in the night. “Some roads to love aren’t easy, and I’ve never been more thankful for being forced to fight for something. I started this journey with a partner I hated, and a man in the mirror I hated even more. The road took me from the streets of New York to the mountaintops of West Virginia, from the place I born to the place I found a home. It forced me to let go of my past and face my future. And I had to be made blind before I could see.”

  Zane swallowed hard and looked down, obviously fighting to finish without choking on the words or tearing up. Ty realized his own eyes were burning, and it wasn’t because of the cold wind. Zane squeezed Ty’s fingers with one hand, and he met Ty’s eyes as he reached into his lapel with his other.

  “I promise to love you until I die,” he said, his voice strong again. He held up a Sharpie he’d had in his suit, and pulled Ty’s hand closer to draw on his ring finger. With several sweeping motions, he created an infinity sign that looped all the way around the finger.

  When he was satisfied with the ring he’d drawn, he kissed Ty’s knuckles and let him go, handing him the Sharpie.

  Ty grasped the pen, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Zane. He ran his thumb over Zane’s palm. He had a set of vows he’d jotted down on a note card, folded up in his pocket, but he left them where they were and gazed into Zane’s eyes, their past flashing in front of him, their future opening up in his mind.

  He took a deep breath. “I promise to never leave you alone in the dark,” he whispered.

  He pulled Zane’s hand closer and pressed the tip of the Sharpie against Zane’s skin, curving the symbol for forever around it. When he was satisfied, he kissed the tip of Zane’s finger and slid the pen back into his lapel pocket.

  Freeman coughed and turned a page in his book. “Do you, Zane Zachary Garrett, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?”

  Zane’s lips curved into a warm smile. “I do.”

  Freeman turned toward Ty. “Do you, Beaumont Tyler Grady, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?”

  “I do,” Ty said, almost before the question was finished.

  “Then by the power vested in me by the state of Maryland, I pronounce you legally wed.” Freeman slapped his little book closed. “You may now share the first kiss of the rest of your lives.”

  Ty had fully expected to have the urge to grab Zane and plant one on him out of sheer impatience and joy, but as he stood staring at his brand-new husband, it was as if they were moving underwater. He touched the tips of his fingers to Zane’s cheek, then stepped closer and used both hands to cup his face with the utmost care. Zane was still smiling when they kissed, and it was slow and gentle, Zane’s hands at Ty’s ribs pulling them flush.

  “Okay, now,” Livi whispered somewhere to their side, and a moment later they were both pelted with handfuls of heart-shaped confetti.

  Zane laughed and finally wrapped his arms around Ty, squeezing him tight. The others continued to toss the confetti at them, even handing out bits to people passing by so they’d be sure to get covered from all sides. They laughed into the kiss, not caring. They were still locked in their happy embrace when Deuce turned the box over above them and rained little, bitty hearts down on their heads.

  Ty got the key into the door just before Zane hit him from behind and pressed him against it. He grinned and shook his head. “I have a surprise for you,” he said as Zane kissed his neck.

  “Oh, really?” Zane splayed his fingers against the door beside Ty’s head. The brand-new tattoo on his ring finger was still red around the edges. Ty couldn’t take his eyes off it. Zane had worn a gold one in the past, and they’d both had silver even if it had been fake. Ty had also lost or utterly destroyed two engagement rings, so Zane had refused to buy him a wedding ring, knowing it would just get crushed, cut off, or cost Ty his finger. The only solution, Zane had decided, was to tattoo it on.

  Right after the ceremony, they’d headed for a local place owned by an artist friend of Zane’s, and they’d made the rings permanent. The proprietor, Tudor, had even insisted they throw an impromptu wedding reception right there in the tattoo parlor. When Ty and Zane had escaped the revelry, Tudor had been waltzing with Amelia, and Deuce and Livi had been considering getting inked.

  The tattoo Ty now had on his ring finger was the simple wrapped infinity symbol Zane had drawn, but when he moved his middle finger, it revealed an anchor woven in. A hidden reminder of what Zane was to him. Zane’s was the exact same thing, only with a simplified compass incorporated in.

  Zane had rambled about the symbolism as he’d added the compass and anchor with his Sharpie, about how they were both different things to each other and different people but part of the same thing. Ty had been too distracted by the utter ridiculousness of how much that tiny needle hurt on the webbing of his finger to engage in philosophy at the time.

  “Ty,” Zane whispered against Ty’s ear. “Have you gotten distracted by something?”

  “Yeah,” Ty murmured, then grinned. “My husband.”

  Zane grabbed Ty’s arm and turned him around, pushing him against the door and kissing him possessively. “That sounds so good when you say it.”

  Ty raised an eyebrow and nodded. “I’ll be sure to scream it later. After I show you your surprise.”

  Zane took a deep breath. Ty got the door unlocked and shoved it open, pulling Zane into the row house. It was the first time he’d set foot in there for over a week. Their plan had been to come here to gather some clothes for T
y, but Ty hadn’t quite divulged all the information he had.

  Zane was silent as he followed Ty into the living room, looking around as if he thought Ty’s surprise might be alive and need a litter box.

  Ty spread his arms wide, beaming at Zane in the half-light. “It’s clear.”

  “What?”

  “I killed the bugs,” Ty said with pride in his voice that probably wasn’t deserved, considering he’d gotten rid of the listening devices by pretending to be the clumsiest ex–special forces person ever.

  “The house is clear?” Zane asked, a smile growing as he looked around the row house again.

  Ty nodded. “I know we wanted to use them to seed information, but it’s been almost two weeks, and . . .”

  “It wasn’t working, I know,” Zane finished for him. “That means I can come home?”

  Ty sighed in relief. A part of him had been afraid Zane would be irritated that he’d acted without consulting him. “For now it does. You want to see what I’ve done?”

  “What have you done?” Zane asked, dread filtering into his tone.

  “Well, I needed a good excuse for destroying the furniture upstairs and throwing it out. And then . . . well, it ended up destroyed. So I got us a new bed.”

  Zane perked up as he moved closer. They hadn’t even bothered turning the lights on, and his shadowed features in the dim living room sent a thrill up Ty’s spine. “New bed?”

  “It’s a king-sized bed,” Ty said with a slow, crooked grin.

  “I hope it’s sturdy.”

  Ty shrugged. “I haven’t been in it.”

  “Oh, we’ll have to fix that,” Zane said, drawing the words out as he approached.

  Ty snickered. He took the few steps to close the distance between them and brushed his lips against Zane’s. “Welcome home, Zane.”

  Zane smiled and kissed him gently. “Husband.”

  “That’s right. Now, come on, I want to show you your new bed.” Ty took Zane’s hand and tugged him toward the stairs.