Page 46 of Party of Three

“Proverbs 12:5,” she said quietly. “The thoughts of the righteous are just, the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”

“Okay,” Buckley said softly, then he swallowed, which was what he usually did when he was about to cry.

“My son, he is a righteous man. And I allowed a wicked one to drive him from me.”

Mateo’s father stepped forward and gave Buckley a quick, hard half hug.

Mateo had his mother’s full attention again. “Everything he said to me felt wrong. But I ignored it. I ignored what was in my heart because I thought he was a man of God. But he was dishonest andweak. And you have always been strong, Mateo. And I let that bad man rise above you in my heart.” Taking Mateo’s hands, she looked back over one shoulder at Buckley. “Will you join us for Christmas? Both of you?”

Bothof them…

Behind his sister, who was sobbing quietly into one fist, the villa’s door stood open to the sun-splashed stairs outside. The space beyond was empty.

Bothof them…

An invitation for two at the very moment they were about to become three. An invitation he thought he’d lost forever simply for being himself.

He met Buckley’s gaze. His soft, wide-eyed gaze, a look that told him it was his decision to make. Buckley gave him a small nod. It said this decision was his to make.

So Mateo made it.

16

The fact that he’d broken a promise to Mateo didn’t even occur to Jeff until he was back in his own kitchen, bracing himself against the fridge with one hand, freshly opened beer bottle in the other. The sense of almost instant loss had turned into a dull ache on the ride home. Now it gained sharp edges. Edges of shame and embarrassment.

He’d looked them both right in the eye and told them he wouldn’t leave before their meeting, and he’d done precisely that. Worse, hours had gone by and his phone was dark. No calls, no texts. Of course not. They were probably having a celebratory dinner, crying and embracing, so overwhelmed by the joy of their unexpected family reunion that their memories of the night before and the night before that had become a dull, horny haze.

His memories of the time they’d spent together would never become that, he knew.

He’d brushed up against something unforgettable this weekend. A sense of connection that felt perfectly right, perfectly balanced between three equally strong-willed men. A way to love and be intimate with the man who’d filled his dreams for years, and a new love with a man who challenged him while also taking everything he had to give with a seductive, satisfied smile.

But fate had intervened, just like it had when his parents had vanished. Just like it always did when he lost his head, always with the same message.You don’t get good things when you lose control. Stay the course; stick to the plan.

Now, he had no choice but to draw comfort from his orderly and immaculate apartment, its little reminders of the life he’d built for himself. Sure, he’d looked forward to the moment Buckley might rib him over his meticulously organized storage room, with its shelves of neatly labeled baskets containing everything from cleaning supplies to car parts. But that moment would never come.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, he’d be back on base, surrounded by deference and respect and Marines he’d know better than to fall for. Their boyfriends included.

Walking out of Sapphire Cove was the right choice. The lack of text messages on his phone was proof.

He’d finished off a second beer and was halfway through aTop Gun: Maverickrewatch when there was a knock on his front door.

It was loud.

And it was angry.

As soon as he saw Mateo and Buckley standing on his front stoop, everything felt suddenly reversed. It was the last few hours since he’d left Sapphire Cove that felt vague and unreal, not the passion-filled days before. Those were suddenly vivid and overpowering once more.

Then Mateo shoved him.

It wasn’t hard enough to knock him back more than a step. The surprise of it caught him off guard, not the force.

The man who’d dominated his fantasies and dreams for a year and a half took a step inside without being invited, eyes blazing with an anger Jeff had never seen in them before. “Courage is the mental, moral, and physical strength ingrained in Marines. It carries us through the challenges of combat and aids in overcoming fear. It is the inner strength that enables us to do what is right, to adhere to a higher standard ofpersonal conduct and to make tough decisions under stress and pressure.”

Jeff backed up another step, which allowed Buckley to step inside behind his boyfriend and pull the front door shut. They were both dressed as they’d been that morning when he’d left.

And Mateo wasn’t done. “Honor guides Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and moral behavior. Neverlie, never cheat or steal; abide by an uncompromising code of integrity; respect human dignity and respect others. Honor compels Marines to act responsibly, to fulfill our obligations and to hold ourselves and others accountable for every action.”

“Yeah, I’m actually still a Marine. I don’t need the Core Values read to me.”

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