Perfect Alignment (Thorne and Dash 3)

“He’ll be fine,” Kathryn insisted. “Go on, your dad’s waiting.”

“You’re sure of that, huh?” Thorne asked after the door had closed.

“I am. Now, what did Riley say?”

“Nothing. He just stared at me, looking scared and fucking guilty.”

“What did Marc say?”

“That I didn’t understand, but I do. Marc is young and hot, and Riley needs more than I can give, and I should—”

Kathryn took hold of his shoulders. “Thornwell Shipton, Riley loves you.”

“He told me Marc stayed over the last time I was gone. How long has this been going on? I thought—”

“Thorne!” Kathryn shook him, and he jerked away. “This is ridiculous. You’re all out of sorts about the wedding, and you’ve convinced yourself you saw something when there wasn’t anything to see.”

Had he? Oh God, what if he had. “It doesn’t matter.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“Either way, we’re fucked.”

“Thorne. I don’t think you’ve ever been more of an idiot than you are right now. Aren’t you supposed to get smarter the longer you’re in a relationship?”

Thorne didn’t know what to think at that point. He felt like he was falling to pieces. “I love him. Oh God, I love him.” He buried his head in his hands, and Kathryn held him tightly while he sobbed.

“The whole wedding thing has fucked us both up,” he said when he’d cried himself out. “I should never have proposed.”

“That’s absurd. You should’ve just been honest with him.”

Was she serious? “You told me to do whatever he wanted.”

Kathryn sighed. “I’m sorry. I think I was wrong about that.”

“Can you say that again?” She never admitted to being wrong.

Kathryn had the nerve to smile. “At least that sounds more like the Thorne I know.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Riley stared at the door left half open. “Did… Did he just…”

“Breathe, Riley.”

“How could he think…? That fucking bastard!” Riley grabbed a book from the nightstand and threw it as hard as he could. It hit the back of the couch, and the ancient spine split in two.

“Oh my God!” Riley couldn’t believe what he’d done.

The horror on Marc’s face only made it worse. “Was that…?”

Riley raced to the couch, dropped to his knees, and picked up the two halves of the first edition of Thorne’s favorite book, Swallows and Amazons, the book Riley had bought as a gift for him when Thorne had purchased a boat. Tears rolled down his cheeks, slow and silent. The world wavered, and his vision darkened.

Marc was suddenly right there. “Put your head between your knees.” His hand on the back of Riley’s neck coaxed him to do as Marc said.

He was going to pass out. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t…

“Take long, slow breaths,” Marc urged. “In. Out.”

Marc kept his hand on Riley’s back. Soon Riley was following his instructions. Letting Marc essentially breathe for him.

“You think you can stand up and walk to the couch?” Marc asked.

“No.”

“Riley?”

“I don’t want to move. I don’t think I’ll ever want to move.”

Marc took the book from him and laid it on a table beside the couch.

Riley stared at it. “It’s ruined. I ruined it.”

“Let’s not worry about that right now. You and Thorne are more important.”

“Why would he think…? How could he not trust me? I…”

“Sit down. Let me get you a drink.”

“I don’t think that’s—”

“Just a soda. You need something cold. You can sip it.”

Riley nodded. “Yes, Mom.”

“If you can sass me, then I’m not quite so worried.”

“He told us to leave.” Riley couldn’t quite believe that.

“I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. This is your home.”

“But—”

“Riley, he’s being an idiot.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No, but the way we are with each other… I thought Thorne was used to it. Obviously I was wrong.”

Riley had thought so too, but it didn’t matter. Thorne should know better. “He doesn’t trust me.”

“No, and he’s going to need to answer for that. But right now—”

Marc’s phone started ringing. He grabbed it and looked at the screen. “It’s Kathryn.”

“Wait—”

***

Marc ignored Riley and answered the call.

“Is Riley okay?” Kathryn asked before he could even say hello.

Marc glanced at him. “More or less.”

“Are you?”

“I’ll do. I’m assuming Thorne’s with you.”

“He is, and he’s babbling some nonsense about you and Riley fucking.”

Marc couldn’t help but smile. Her cultured voice saying vulgar words still got to him. “We’d been trying on some clothes I’d bought, clothes Riley found hilarious. We were in our underwear. That’s all, but Thorne wouldn’t listen.”

“How bad off is Riley?” She asked. “Tell me the truth.”

“Bad. Thorne really fucked up this time.”

“Why would he think there was more going on?”

“Are you saying you don’t believe us either?”

Kathryn sighed. “No, I believe you. I’m just trying to understand what was going through Thorne’s mind.”

Marc tried very hard to be fair when what he really wanted to do was go over there and give Thorne the fight he’d been spoiling for. He slid open the balcony door and stepped outside, not wanting to rehash the scene in front of Riley. “Riley had put a scarf on me, saying I should wear it—and nothing else—to go dancing, because it matched my underwear. He had his arms around me. I can see how our position could look to someone who didn’t know us, or that Riley loves Thorne, someone who thought Riley was the kind of man who would betray him.”