Part 15 (1/2)

oWill you hold still!o Grayson tugged at the ends of the ascot he vainly attempted to fasten around RogerAEs neck, forcing his brother to stop fidgeting. Grayson suppressed a smile. RogerAEs restlessness stemmed from the fear that after all theyAEd been through to repair their relations.h.i.+p, Sandy would develop cold feet and leave him at the altar.

Aside from fretting that heAEd never get Roger properly dressed, Grayson realized he had no such reservations about Amber. SheAEd be there, on time and looking gorgeous.

No, the cold feet were definitely RogerAEs. It was GraysonAEs job to see he got to the church on time. Grayson had solved the problem by d.o.g.g.i.ng RogerAEs footsteps for the past three days, even putting up with his company as an overnight guest the night before the wedding. Which left Amber to find somewhere else to spend her last evening as a single woman. SheAEd willingly agreed, practically fleeing the house.

oSpend the evening watching two confirmed bachelors have a nervous breakdown?o sheAEd remarked halfway out the door with her overnight bag. oNo thanks...o...b..t then sheAEd come back in and kissed him thoroughly, reminding him what he was missing. oSee you tomorrow,o she said, then added pointedly, oYou too, Roger.o The double wedding had been RogerAEs idea. If they were both planning weddings, why not share the expenses, he reasoned. Why celebrate just New YearAEs Eve when they could be celebrating their marriages as well. Deep down, Grayson knew the real reason. If Roger was going to take the plunge, he wanted company.

Aside from the bow tie, the tuxedo he had to wear, and the flower pinned to his lapel, it didnAEt seem so bad so far. Friends and relatives were coming from all over to drink champagne, to wish them well, to marvel that the Charles brothers were finally getting married.

Outside fat snowflakes rapidly covered the ground in white. Enough snow to snarl traffic and cause delays everywhere. Grayson wasnAEt worried. Amber would make allowances for the weather. Amber always had a Plan B, usually even a Plan C. And they werenAEt taking off for Hawaii until tomorrow.

Roger was a bundle of nerves. He paced, fretted, re-pinned his boutonniere for the millionth time, and creased the ascot Grayson just finished tying.

oStop messing with it!o Grayson resisted the urge to reach and slap his hand. Spending the past couple of days with Roger had been worse than baby-sitting a hyperactive two year old. He was honored that Roger wanted to share the most important day of his life. But the last nerve wracking hours before the wedding and the imposed closeness of having both of them under one roof frayed his nerves.

Roger, he thought with a deep sigh of relief, was not going to Hawaii. When Roger had offered to make their wedding a double, he feared his brother would suggest they double up on the honeymoon as well. Sandy had her heart set on Bermuda as a honeymoon destination, and Roger had happily complied. Though there was little he wouldnAEt do for his twin, all his thoughts were for Amber and the two weeks they planned to spend together far away from the distractions of work. And family.

The police held custody of James Heck. John Barlow had finally been charged with embezzling. Though Barlow had managed to raise his bail money, the courts would decide his fate. With his partners.h.i.+p with Barlow dissolving, Belaoussoff, Bekar, Karulis and Lacey had offered Grayson a place in their firm.

Not again, Grayson had decided. The only partners.h.i.+p heAEd have from now on was one with Amber. Deciding to take his chances starting his own firm, heAEd hired Amber permanently to do his investigative work. Amber he could trust.

RogerAEs fidgeting brought his thoughts back to the present. His twin threatened to unravel his hard won composure completely.

Why had he ever agreed to hold the wedding at his house? Though the setting was idyllic, the scenery stunning in winter, if theyAEd married in a church in town, he could have locked Roger in a hotel room for the night and at least have got himself some sleep.

Too late, he thought with a glance into the living room that now hosted chairs neatly arranged to form rows and aisles. Guests arrived by the minute, in spite of the holiday and the bad weather. The hum of conversation mingled with the festive smell of pine and roses. No, best to marry in his house, so they could cherish the memory of their wedding each day.

In a few short hours the festivities would be over. Roger would be SandyAEs problem.

Amber would be his forever.

The start of a new year and a new life. He couldnAEt stop a smile from working its way across his face. Until he looked up to find Roger scowling out the window.

oWhat is it now?o oTheyAEre late.o oHow late? Thirty seconds?o oItAEs already five after six.o oAnd the weatherAEs bad. Relax, Roger. TheyAEll be here.o ****