Brian

“Shit!” Brian took off running, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he pushed people out of the way. Justin was talking to his mother and several of her friends, oblivious to the man headed toward him.

He wasn’t fast enough, Ethan reached Justin first. The man grabbed Justin's arm and spun him around to face him.

“What the hell is going on here?” he shouted, still holding the blonde's arm.

Justin cried out in surprise and tried to pull out of Ethan’s grasp, but the other man held on tight.

Finally reaching Justin, Brian positioned himself beside him, hands balling into fists at his sides. “Get your hand off him now.” His voice was dangerously low.

Jennifer appeared from behind him, livid at what she had to see as a wedding crasher- one who was accosting her son, no less. “Just who do you think you are?”

“Who am I?” Ethan shouted. “I am Ethan Gold. The groom!”

A collective gasp spread across the crowd.

“What the hell is going on here, Justin?” He jerked on Justin's arm.

Brian wanted to beat the shit out of the dirtbag, but the guy had to let go of Justin first. “I’m warning you, Evan,” Brian said, taking a step forward. “Let go of him now.”

The dark-haired man frowned. “It’s Ethan, actually. And who the hell do you think you are?”

“I’m his husband. Now. Let. Him. Fucking. Go!”

Brian weighed his options as the other man turned to face him, his mouth gaping wide open. He could try to deck Ethan, but he didn’t want Justin to get caught in the middle. He heard someone come up behind him, and when he glanced back, he wasn’t surprised to see that Ted literally had his back.

Justin's face was pale, and he cast a nervous glance at his mother, then at his ex-fiancé. “Ethan, let’s go somewhere more private, and I’ll explain.”

A black look washed over the fiddler’s face. “Oh, you’re going to explain all right.” He moved through the crowd, dragging Justin with him.

As Brian followed, he waved over Daphne and Molly, who’d hurried over to them. “Call the police.”

Molly held up her phone. “Already done.”

Ethan didn’t stop until he reached a concrete pad at the edge of the gardens. Brian took comfort in the fact that it was at least a somewhat private place. Not that this was a private moment. There were six people watching Ethan maul Justin- Craig had joined the group, looking like he was going to murder Ethan Gold himself- but one look at Justin's face told Brian how humiliated he was.

“Start talking, Justin.” Ethan’s fury grew and he dug his nails into Justin's shoulders. “Who is this clown?”

Brian’s own temper raged and he started to lunge for the man out of instinct, but Ted held his arm and growled under his breath, “Not yet.”

Justin took a deep breath and swallowed. “Brian.” He shot a glance at his mother. “Brian Kinney.”

Anger spread across Jennifer’s face when she realized she’d been duped.

“Brian,” Ethan said with a sneer. “Were you screwing him while we were together?”

“What?” Justin asked in horror, then his fear gave way to anger and he glared at him. “No, Ethan. I’m not a cheating bastard like you are!”

“We broke up six weeks ago, Justin, and you’re marrying this-” he waved his hand toward Brian. “-this shithead. You’re telling me he wasn’t fucking you all along?” He jerked on Justin’s arm again and the blonde winced in pain.

Brian had about reached his limit. “If you care about him at all, let him go.”

“You mean care about him like you do?” Ethan released a bitter laugh.

“I love him.” Brian held up his hands, pulling loose from Ted’s hold. “I wouldn’t dream of hurting him, but you’re hurting him right now. So let him go, and we’ll talk about this.”

Ethan shook his head, seeming to just notice the others who’d trailed after them. “This doesn’t concern the rest of you. Everyone leave, but you.” He pointed at Brian.

Jennifer’s face twisted with rage. “You are manhandling my son, you miscreant. Let go of him now.”

Ethan’s gaze turned to Justin's mother, and his grip loosened a bit.

Justin finally seemed to regain his senses and used the opportunity to stomp on Ethan’s foot and elbow him in the stomach. Releasing his arm with an angry shout, Ethan reached up to hit Justin.

Brian didn’t waste a second. He lunged for Ethan, knocking him to the ground as Ted pulled Justin out of harm’s way. “You son of a bitch! Keep your hands off of him!” He swung at Ethan, connecting with his jaw. “You never deserved him!” Ethan pushed Brian away from him, then got to his feet and punched Brian in the stomach.

“Ethan!” Justin shouted. “Leave him alone!” He tried to lunge for them, but Ted held him back.

Brian got two more punches in before the men broke apart and leered at each other.

“What do you want, Ian?” Brian asked, breathless. “Do you want him to say he cheated on you? Why? So you won’t feel like such a fool for letting him go?” He clenched his fist then flexed it. “That’s why you’re here in Pittsburgh, right? Because you realized what a complete idiot you were to cheat on him? Now he’s moved on, and you can’t accept responsibility for that, so it’s easier to fucking blame him!” He stepped closer and jabbed his finger at Ethan’s chest. “But that’s on you! You had two years to treat him right, but you were too stupid to see what you had.”

Ethan’s face hardened. “He’s not yours.”

“We’re married. Deal with it.”

Ethan swung at him again and Brian stepped backward and out of the way.

“Enough!” Jennifer shouted, the authority in her voice unmistakable.

Both of them stopped and turned to face her.

“Ethan, you have five seconds to leave my sight. Never contact my son again.” Her eyes narrowed.

Brian’s eyes shifted to Justin, a question in his eyes.

“We’re done, Ethan. There’s nothing left to say,” Justin said without hesitation. “Go.”

Jennifer’s voice was icy. “Your time starts now, Mr. Gold.”

“You’ll regret this someday, Justin,” he shouted.

“You keep telling yourself that.”

Ethan stomped up the steps and toward the entrance to the gardens.

Craig appeared at the edge of the group. “What happened?”

Jennifer ignored her husband and turned her attention to Brian. “Mr. Kinney.”

Brian lifted his chin. “Yes, Mrs. Taylor?”

“How long have you known my son?”

“Four days.”

“Four days?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You met on the plane?”

“Yes.”

“And you just got married?”

“Yes.”

Justin pulled free from Ted’s hold. “Mom, I can explain.”

“You can explain why you told me this man was Ethan Gold.”

Justin hesitated, looking over at Brian. Brian nodded his encouragement.

Justin turned toward his mother. “I broke up with Ethan six weeks ago, and I was afraid to tell you.”

“Why?” Jennifer demanded. “Do you really think I would want you to marry someone who would cheat on you?”

Justin looked torn. “You kept telling me how much the wedding cost and that you couldn't get refunds.”

The fury in Jennifer’s face dissolved into sorrow and her shoulders sagged. “So you chose to marry a stranger rather than tell me your fiancé cheated on you?”

Justin started to say something, but kept his mouth shut.

“We can get this annulled.”

“What?” Brian asked. Daphne voiced her protest, but he was too distraught to register what she said.

Justin gasped. “You would do that?”

“Of course, I would do that. You’re not stuck with this. I’ll take care of it.”

Justin looked between Brian and his mother and took a deep breath. “What if I want to be stuck with this?”

A smile appeared on Brian’s lips.

Jennifer’s eyes widened. “Why on earth would you want that, Justin?”

“Because I love him.”

“How? You hardly know him.”

“I don’t know. I just do. I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone before.”

“So you’re married to Brian?”

Justin gave him a bright smile that sucked his breath away.

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

Suddenly, Brian nearly lost his balance when somebody pulled him into a big hug. “Brian! I can’t believe you just got married!”

It was Michael. Brian couldn't help smiling and hugging him back. “Glad you were there to see it, Mikey!”

A few moments later Debbie, Emmett, Lindsay and Melanie joined them. Emmett was completely out of control, clapping his hands and babbling about how wonderful the wedding vows had been. Debbie threw herself at Brian. “I can’t believe it, kiddo!” She let go of him and grinned. “Now you have to tell me what this boy did to change your whole I don’t do boyfriends and fuck marriage attitude within a few god damn days.” “I wasn’t sure if that was really Brian Kinney standing in the middle of the church at first,” Melanie smirked. “What did they do, brainwash you?” Brian rolled his eyes and pulled Justin close, who gave his friends a shy smile. “He didn’t need to brainwash me. Just look at him. He’s fucking perfect.” Justin blushed and Debbie pulled him into a hug as well. Brian frowned because she nearly crushed the blonde. “Welcome to the family, Sunshine!” Justin smiled. “I’m glad to get to know all of you,” he said. “You’re really something else, sweetie,” Emmett remarked and put an arm around Justin's shoulder. He smiled at Brian. “Good choice, Brian. He looks delicious. I would like to taste a piece of his cake.” Brian glared at him and removed Emmett’s fingers from Justin’s shoulder. “You’re not going to taste anything, Honeycut,” he snorted. Lindsay took Brian’s hand in hers. “I’m so glad you finally found your special someone, Brian,” she whispered and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “I’m glad you’re here, Linds,” he answered and gave her hands a squeeze. A few minutes later, they were all talking and laughing and having a good time. Eventually, Gram joined them and began a conversation with Emmett who seemed to adore her to no end. Brian didn’t really listen, but he was pretty sure they were talking about nudist colonies in Belize.

Brian endured several rounds of photos with the drunk photographer, who hiccupped in between shouting orders, a wedding cake that nearly fell over, and Jennifer’s spiraling mood swings as she came off her pain meds. It was one of the best days of his life.

When Craig introduced him to Charlie Graham (aka the partner’s son) and his fiancé Blake, Brian realized he’d completely forgotten the original purpose for carrying on with the charade of the wedding. His back stiffened, and he forced himself to shake the man’s hand. Brian looked over at Ted, a couple of places down the line. They exchanged a nod, then Ted’s gaze followed Charlie to his seat.

Justin

Justin was having a great time with Brian’s friends when he suddenly glanced into the face of his mother. She reached up and pulled him into a tight hug. “I’d ask you if you’re sure, but the happiness rolling off you tells me that you are.”

He swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

She broke loose and looked into his eyes. “Why would you be sorry?”

“You know...for not telling you sooner.”

“You seem to be happy with Brian. That’s all that matters to me.”

Justin's heart warmed and he realized Brian was watching them, his expression a bit worried. He took the brunette’s hand in his and turned to his mother. She smiled. “I can’t wait to get to know you better, Brian. Anyone who can make my son beam with so much happiness is a very welcome addition to our family.”

Brian gave her a polite smile. “Thank you, Jennifer.”

Brian

Finally, Brian saw Blake head up to the administrative building, where the restrooms were located. Ted followed about thirty seconds later with Daphne close behind. The heavy sense of responsibility that had been plaguing him finally sloughed away.

Brian spun Justin around on the dance floor under the stars. The band Jennifer had hired was surprisingly good He knew they should be mingling with their guests, but he didn’t want to lose this perfect moment with his partner.

A couple of dances later, Justin seemed to notice that Brian’s attention drift up the small hill, and glanced around. “Where’s Ted?”

Brian gave him a knowing look. “He’s getting our proof.”

“Do you think he’ll get it?”

Brian grinned. “Yeah.”

“What about my dad?” Worry lines wrinkled Justin's forehead.

“Hey.” Justin looked up at him. Brian took the blonde's face between his hands. “Let’s find out what Blake tells Ted, then go from there.” He leaned down to kiss the other man. “By the way, I’m very eager to start our honeymoon.”

A wicked gleam filled Justin's eyes. “Patience, Mr. Kinney.”

Ten minutes later, Ted emerged from the administrative building, searching the crowd. Brian nodded, then gave Justin a lingering kiss.

“Keep that up and I’ll skip the rest of my own reception,” Justin groaned.

Brian gave him a smirk. “Hold that thought. I need to talk to Ted.”

“Okay.”

Brian made his way through the crowd until he discovered Ted.

“Did you get it?” he asked, keeping his gaze on Justin.

“Piece of cake. Graham’s kid put him up to it. His dad didn’t want to make him a part of the firm, so he needed to give them something they couldn't refuse. We were at the same conference, and Graham knew about the design because I ran my mouth a bit too much. Blake was with him, and you know the rest of the part.”

Brian scowled. “It’s the next part I’m interested in.”

“Charlie gave the plans to his dad, passing them off as his own.”

“So, no one else knew they were stolen?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“But what about the email from the attorneys in Craig’s personal email?”

Ted grinned. “I cracked his email.”

“What? When?”

“While you and Justin were busy making goo-goo eyes at each other during dinner, I kept trying different combinations until I broke it.”

“And…?”

“It looks like Craig caught wind of our application being denied. He realized that Charlie had acquired the plans illegally. He was checking to see what ramifications it would have on the firm, given that the other principals had no prior knowledge of the crime.”

“That means Craig is innocent.”

“In this? Yes.”

Brian lifted his eyebrows in question.

“There’s still the issue of him taking money from his company, but that’s their problem, not ours.”

“So we won?” Brian asked, incredulous.

Ted nodded. He looked over at Justin and smiled. “Looks like you won, all right, Bri.”

Brian couldn't believe it. They had saved his business and he had a future with Justin waiting for him.

2 months later

Justin Taylor-Kinney pushed open his apartment door, terrified he was too late. “Brian!”

“In the bedroom.”

Justin shut the door behind him and dropped his keys on the entry table before he hurried down the hall. Brian was bent over a suitcase, zipping it closed. “I got tied up at the gallery, and I thought I missed you.” The blonde's voice broke and he felt ridiculous.

Brian might be flying to Seattle because of his business trip, but he’d see him in two days. Only, two days were such a long time without him.

Brian stood upright and turned to him, the look in his eyes making Justin tingle from head to toe. How could he always make him feel that way?

The taller man pulled him into his arms and kissed him. When he lifted his head, he smoothed the hair back from Justin's face, searching his eyes. “I think I should postpone my trip and leave when you can get away on Wednesday.”

“No, don’t be ridiculous,” Justin answered, more for Brian’s benefit than his. “You have to be there tomorrow for the big meeting with the new investor. You have to be there to oversee everything.”

“You’re more important than some business meeting, Justin. Besides, Ted can take care of it.”

Justin snorted. “You’re sure?”

“He’ll be there anyway. He’s flying with me.”

Brian kissed him again, taking his breath away. His knees weakened and he wrapped an arm around Brian’s back, holding him to his chest. “I’m not sure I can be away from you for two days. The longest we’ve been apart is twelve hours,” he sighed.

Brian looked up at him and grinned. “Some people would find that nauseating. Molly, for example.”

“Good thing we’re not like that.”

Justin looked down at Brian’s chest and smoothed several imaginary wrinkles from the brunette’s shirt. “No.” he forced his voice to sound firm. “You need to go, and I can’t come with you today because of my meeting tomorrow. I’ll fly in on Wednesday for Daphne's wedding weekend like we planned.”

Brian placed a lingering kiss on his lips. “Being responsible sucks.”

Justin laughed. “I couldn't agree more.”

“Do me a favor,” Brian murmured against his lips.

“Anything,” he sighed.

“If some man sits by you on the plane…don’t accuse him of being a terrorist.”

Justin gave him an ornery grin. “Well, the first time I did that, it was a good thing.”

Brian kissed him again. “I couldn't imagine my life any other way than it is now.”

“Neither can I.” Justin looked deep into the other man’s beautiful hazel eyes. “Neither can I.”