Page 9 of Once Upon A Valentine
“Gibson already left but Dawson and Beau are still here.” Ash shot a look at him and then frowned, “Wait, this wasn’t planned?”
“Nobody included me if it was.” Bran harrumphed and then shook off the bitterness that tried to spread through him, “Hey, wait a second Ash… can we uh… talk?”
Ash paused, turning to face him with a confused expression, “Sure?”
“I um…” Bran fumbled with words, shoving his hands into his pockets, “I came by to apologize to Roman about last night but, now that I’m here, I realize I owe you just as much of an apology. Probably more so even because you’re new to our family and last night couldn’t have been easy for you with me making a scene and being such an asshole. So, um… I’m sorry, Ash. I’m really sorry and I promise I’ll do better in the future if you can find a way to forgive me.”
“Oh.” Ash looked surprised by the apology, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times before he shook his head, “You’re forgiven.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” Ash smiled again, easy and carefree, “I figure you were dealing with your own problems last night and Roman and I made an easy target. As long as you’re sorry and say it won’t happen again, I have to forgive you. Like you said, we’re family.”
Relief coursed through him and Bran wanted to reach out and hug this man that was so kind and understanding. Ash Beaumont was a good man but more than that, he was the right man to make Roman happy. After decades of being a reclusive bastard, Roman finally seemed to be regaining some of the joy that came with living and Bran knew they all owed that to their Uncle’s new boyfriend. Whatever hesitations he may have had about his uncle taking up with a man basically the same age as his nephews, Bran let them go in that moment. Anyone who could so easily accept an apology and call him family, was an old soul with more love to give than he would ever take in return.
“Thank you, Ash.” Bran swallowed past the lump in his throat, “I appreciate that.”
Ash nodded but kept his eyes on Bran as he lowered his voice, “You still owe your uncle an apology though. You know, maybe better than anyone, how hard it was for him to put himself out there and come to that party last night. He only went for Gibson and for you boys and you purposefully made him uncomfortable.”
“I know. I’m here to make it right.” Bran felt thoroughly chastised and stared at the ground.
“Good. And don’t ever do it again. Family or not, I will beat your ass if you hurt Roman.”
Bran glanced back up and found Ash smiling again. He chuckled but nodded in agreement. Those were terms he could definitely live with.
“Okay, come on then. Like I said, they’re in the living room pretending to work out some big problem with the wedding venue I think.”
“The wedding venue?” Bran fell into step with the other man, “For Gibson you mean?”
“Yeah. Beau and Dawson have put themselves in charge of the planning apparently.”
“But Felix…” He started to say but Ash laughed.
“Owns a party planning company? Yeah. I said the same thing to my brother but alas, he’s determined that a groom shouldn’t plan his own wedding and that taking on the task will be his gift to his boss.”
Bran nodded, playing catch up on everything Ash had just told him. He’d all but forgotten that he and his brothers had only known to hire Ash as Roman’s assistant because he was the brother of Felix’s protégé. Beau Beaumont was Ash’s younger brother. He and Felix worked together which was how Ash had been brought into their lives.
They turned the corner into the living room and Bran caught sight of his own younger brother sitting on the couch, very close to Ash’s younger brother. He would have made a smart remark about their incestuous ways if he hadn’t already been here to apologize for being an asshole. Instead, he only pasted on his best smile as the pair of them glanced up at Bran’s entrance.
“Told you he’d complete the trifecta.” Ash moved past Bran, towards the chair where Roman was seated and slid onto the arm with a warm smile. “I win.”
Roman’s lips twitched into a hint of a smile as he put an arm around Ash, but his eyes were stormy when they moved back to his nephew, “Hello Branson.”
“Uncle Roman.” He tipped his chin slightly. “I was uh… hoping we could talk.”
“And, that sounds like it’s our exit.” Beau stood up quickly, shooting a look at his brother and then at Dawson.
Dawson raised an eyebrow, “What? Why?”
Beau rolled his eyes, “Don’t play dumb. It’s not a good look on you. Now come on. We’re leaving them alone to talk. I’ll go start the car and get it warmed up.”
With a brisk nod at Bran as he passed, Beau strolled out of the room and towards the front door. Dawson still didn’t budge from his spot on the couch. His brows knit together and his lips pursed, a sure sign he was thinking hard about what to do next. He seemed unsure if leaving Bran alone with their uncle was a good idea, so Bran did what he usually did when he wanted to get rid of someone, he prodded at a weak spot.
“You got Beau playing chauffer for you now, Daws?” He wagged his brows playfully but Dawson only scowled at him, just as he’d known he would. “Uncle Roman took Ash as his assistant and then his lover, are you were trying to follow in his footsteps?”
“Branson.” Roman warned in a deadly serious voice.
“You’re such a dick.” Dawson stood from the couch and grabbed a notepad that had been sitting on the coffee table in front of him. “We’re helping plan the wedding for Gibson and Felix and we wanted to check with Uncle Roman on venue options. Beau’s not working for me. We’re working together because we’re friends.”
