Page 2 of Seal the Deal
“Don’t worry, doll.” Denise walks closer, and Andrew automatically bends himself in half so she can kiss his cheek. “I know it wasn’t your fault.”
“Hey,” Charlie gasps. “How do you know it was me?”
Denise levels her sternest look at Charlie. She’s short in stature but solid, and her fresh undercut and perfectly tailored suit give her an intense air. “Charlie King, it’s always your fault.”
Charlie opens his mouth to protest then laughs. “Fair.”
“You two go find Alec. I’ve just got to make a call, and then I’ll come in to start marking for adjustments.”
Andrew’s been to Denise’s enough over the years for custom pieces or basic tailoring that he knows her place as well as his own home. With a hand at Charlie’s back, he guides him through the door that leads to the fitting areas. Moving directly to the first door, he knocks twice.
“That better fucking be you two.”
“It’s us two,” Andrew confirms.
The door swings open to reveal their youngest brother Alec. Despite his frazzled expression and messy curls, the custom suit makes him appear older than Andrew is used to, especially since he usually lives in athletic wear or oversized cropped t-shirts. Even though Alec is twenty-two now and engaged, it’s sometimes difficult to think of him as a fully-fledged grown up.
“You look handsome, Alec.”
“Yeah? I feel kind of weird.” The pinch between Alec’s eyebrows intensifies as he smooths a hand down his belly, fingering the sky blue buttons on his silk shirt. “You think Theo will like it?”
“Theo is going to love it because he loves you,” Andrew tells him.
Alec stands just a little bit taller. “Thanks.”
“Theo’s going to sob like a baby when he looks at you.” Charlie moves around Andrew, wrapping Alec in a hug. “I also might cry. I can’t believe my little baby is getting married.”
“Not a fucking baby,” Alec huffs, returning the hug with such force Charlie falls into Andrew, who is then pulled into the hug. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but nice too. Andrew lets himself appreciate the contact for several long seconds before stepping out of the embrace.
“Has anyone made sure Theo and Jason are actually getting dressed?” Andrew questions, well aware of the way the two of them can get distracted. “Maybe I should check on them.”
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Alec says. “Emerson usually keeps Jason on track, and when Jason is on track, so is Theo. Don’t worry about them though, I want to see you in your suit too. You and Charlie both. Don’t make me be the only one in a penguin suit.”
“That’s technically a suit not a tuxedo,” Andrew points out.
“Whatever. It doesn’t stretch,” Alec huffs.
“You could’ve gotten married in sweats, you know,” Charlie says. “There’s no rule that you have to wear a suit to get married, and even if there was, rules are meant to be broken. If I ever got married, I’d wear Crocs and maybe some comfortable linen pants.”
Andrew snorts. “Pretty sure Eden would kill you if you tried to get married in Crocs.”
“I know,” Charlie grins. “That’d be fun.”
“Weirdo,” Alec laughs, expression sobering. “Are you thinking about proposing?”
“Fuck no, Eden would kill me and not in the fun way. I was just talking in hypotheticals.”
Charlie shrugs, brushing it off further when Alec asks more questions, but Andrew can’t help but wonder. For all Charlie was commitment-phobic before he met Eden, and for all Eden rails against social expectations, both of them are deeply committed to each other in their weird way. They just work, and whether they ever get married legally or not, Andrew is pretty sure they’re endgame. The same way Alec and Theo are. The same way Jason and Emerson are. All of his brothers have a significant other, a partner they love deeply who makes them happier than they’ve ever been.
As happy as Andrew is for all of them, and as much as he adores all of his brothers’ partners, a seed of jealousy and discontent settles in his chest when he thinks about them all paired off. All of them are so happy. Andrew is happy for them,too. Even if it makes him hyper aware of how single he is, and the fact that he doesn’t have anyone special to bring to the wedding this summer.
At Andrew’s urging, they’re doing the fitting early. There are still four months until the wedding. He might find someone. Maybe. No sooner does he think that, he wants to laugh. If he hasn’t found someone who wants to be around him by now, after over a decade of failed dating attempts, he’s sure as shit not going to find someone special enough to bring to his little brother’s wedding. Instead, he’ll be doomed to be the eternal bachelor.
“Earth to Andrew.”
“Huh?”
“I said ‘Earth to Andrew,’” Alec repeats. “You okay? You zoned out.”
