Wedding Bellskis: Holidays with the Bellskis Book Three

By Astrid Amara

Seth Bellski and Lars Varga have opened their own law firm that specializes in representing the under-represented - whistleblowers, disadvantaged employees, and those lacking power. The good news is, business is never slow.

But that also means they are busy when all Seth really wants to do is plan his pending nuptials. So when his brother-

• Language: English
• Publisher: Horns Press
• Release date: Jan 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781935560890

Astrid Amara

Astrid Amara is a Washington State native who spent many years living abroad in England, Israel, and Uzbekistan. She currently lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband, multiple dogs, a herd of goats, and a horse. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and active advocate for animal rights. Her first novel The Archer's Heart was a Finalist for the 2008 national Lambda Literary Award, and her novel The Devil Lancer won the Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Science Fiction/Fantasy. She is the author of over a dozen LGBT romance titles. For more information visit her website: www.astridamara.com

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cover-image, Wedding Bellskis

WEDDING BELLSKIS

Holidays with the Bellskis Book THREE

Astrid Amara

Booklogo.png

HORNS PRESS

Bellingham, Washington

www.hornspress.com

Wedding Bellskis

Copyright © November 2018 by Astrid Amara

ISBN: 978-1-935560-89-0

Edited by Molly Daniels

Originally published 2017 by Loose Id LLC

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WEDDING BELLSKIS

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

About the Author

Dedication

For Robby, the vessel where I put my heart.

Chapter One

Thursday, December 15

Lars Varga, world’s handsomest attorney—wearing an impeccably tailored dark blue wool Kiton suit with pale pink silk tie—slammed his fist down on a stack of folders on the wooden table in the courtroom. Counsel rests, Your Honor.

The room burst into noise. Seth stared at his partner’s bright blue eyes, blazing above his clean-shaven face and sumptuous red lips, and thought, I’d tap that.

Now that he was forty-four, Lars’s boyish beauty had metamorphosed into dapper handsomeness. His blond hair was graying at the temples, and his laugh lines were more prominent. Years of running gave him a sinewy body that was stripped of frivolity. With his hair slicked back and crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, he had just the right look to play a wealthy, sensual villain on the big screen. Or a calculating, sexy FBI agent.

That wasn’t what their client thought, however, judging by the scowl on her face. Cora Metcalf wasn’t ogling Lars’s fine figure. She was busy shooting eye-bullets at the men on the opposite side of the court room.

Lars winked at Seth.

Seth wondered how Lars had permanent dick-sucking lips. Was he born that way? Because they didn’t have time that morning to do anything as pleasant as dick sucking. They were too busy trying to pull off the miracle of this court case.

It wasn’t the first case Seth and Lars had worked on together. Since forming their own law firm two years prior, they’d gone tag team on cases before—but this was the first time a case ended up in court. The tale of the woman who was the whistleblower on her own fiancé’s misdemeanors had scintillated the public and energized the press.

Given the high profile of the case, the name of Bellski Varga Law made the paper alongside hers. For the first time Seth had been interviewed by a journalist for something other than that night he vomited on the high school mascot at the season’s opening football game.

Lars looked confident as he took his seat on the other side of Cora. The judge called for the defense attorneys to present their closing remarks.

Cora shifted nervously beside Seth. He liked her in almost every way. Not only had she been wronged, but she did many things right. She was a photographic engineer and donated her free time taking pictures of rescue dogs to improve their chances for better homes. She had a gay sister. And she was unpretentious. Like all the women he’d ever met volunteering for animal rescues, she typically kept her hair in a careless pony tail, applied zero makeup, and wore big T-shirts, dirty jeans, and practical shoes. For court, however, she looked beautiful, putting in a little extra effort to lint roll dog hair off her tailored suit. She’d even taken the extra time to rub the slobber off her pumps. Her long brown tresses were in a neat bun.

It wasn’t fair that someone as good as her would have to be in a situation where she had to choose losing her job and her fiancé, or keeping quiet about fraud. In the end, she had told her boss about her fiancé’s embezzlement, and against company policy, he promptly fired her.

Seth squeezed her shoulder, and she reached for his hand. Seth occasionally wondered if his being gay gave women permission to be more handsy, but no one got touchy-feely with Lars, and he was as out these days as Seth. Seth concluded it was the fact that he himself was a toucher—you couldn’t blame a person for holding your hand when you hugged that person every time you saw them.

Seth tried to pay close attention to the defense’s arguments, but unlike television shows that enacted court cases, real trials were exceptionally stale. The pacing was all off. Camera cuts to weeping jurors were nonexistent, since this was a settlement case, and there was no jury. And the judge had no authoritarian, booming voice. Like being threatened by a chained cockapoo, Judge Lee was a slight four-foot, eleven-inch woman with thinning gray hair and a sweet expression, who smiled as she listened to the points presented by the defense attorney.

Seth’s mind drifted. He wondered whether he craved pasta or Chinese. Or maybe egg noodles, the best of both?

Did the noodle get invented in China, like gunpowder and foot binding, or did the Italians claim that fame? Could two separate cultures, isolated by thousands of miles and mountains and wars, independently discover the delight of slithering shapes of rice down one’s throat? And did the noodle—

After all, this is simply a claim that results from the broken heart of a jilted, bitter fiancée.

Seth’s noodle fantasies disappeared in a sudden rush of rage. The asshole attorney was manipulating the pain Cora felt for his argument, and Seth could feel his client stiffen beside him, bracing herself for more.

Seth felt furious, but Lars looked completely calm, and if riled by the statements, he hid it well. Maybe it’s the years of being in the closet. Lars calmly jotted something in pencil on his legal pad.

At the conclusion of the closing arguments, Judge Lee gathered her papers. I will take this under advisement and inform all parties of my decision. She stood, and so did Seth, Lars, and Cora.

The three of them stayed behind as the rest of the court filed out. Cora remained primarily to glare at her ex-fiancé and her superior, both defendants in the case. Lars stayed behind because he always arrived in court with dozens of notepads, files, and two completely separate tablets, and it took forever to repack his bag.

As Cora’s ex walked by, Seth gave him a full scoping. Tom Burke was definitely attractive, in a clean-cut, strong-jawed, Henry Cavill sort of way, but his eyes were ice cold, and he had a nasty smirk.

Cora said, I can’t believe I ever fell in love with him.

Look on the bright side, Seth offered. You could have actually married the guy.

Cora shuddered. You know, the thing is, even before I found out about the fraud, I had my doubts. Tom wasn’t a kind lover and never gave the impression I mattered much to him. Even his proposal sucked.

Seth turned to face her. Why did you say yes then?

The ring, she said. She shook her head. I know it sounds stupid. But… Look, have you ever proposed to anyone? Or for that matter, has anyone proposed to you?

Seth forced himself not to look over at Lars.

It’s overwhelming. You don’t know what it feels like, to have someone think enough of you to commit to spending the rest of their life with you. To have a symbol of that importance on your hand, for the world to see? She stared at Seth. I couldn’t resist it. It was the culmination of all my romantic goals, everything I had ever dreamed of in finding a lifelong partner. I was swayed. And I was betrayed.

Seth turned to ask Lars what he wanted to do next, but Lars had fled with the last of the spectators. Seth assumed it was to ask the judge something.

Seth packed up his paperwork, then followed Cora out into the hallway.

Was it a nice ring at least? he asked, trying to lighten her dark mood.

Cora laughed at that. Oh God, no. It was some cheap thing, and it was gold. We’d been dating for two years, and somehow he never noticed that I didn’t own a single piece of gold jewelry. Yet there it was, with a diamond and everything. She sighed. You know, I spend most of my weekends photographing weddings for extra cash. I think that’s what made this worse. Seeing happy couples tie the knot every Saturday? And not having that for myself? It wore down my character.

But it didn’t, Cora. Most people would never give all that up to do the right thing. You are one of the strongest people I have ever met. And I’m sorry that your decision has hurt you, but I’m proud of what you chose to do. You should be proud of yourself too.

Cora smiled. Seth smiled back, then glanced around, still trying to spot Lars. It was unlike him to take off like that.

The courthouse was full at this time of day, and they bustled past clerks, attorneys, family members, and the random lost person who was simply looking for the treasurer’s office. Seth texted Lars.

Where are u?

Lars didn’t respond, so Seth walked Cora to her car. He gave her a quick hug.

I’ll call you as soon as we hear from the court. Meanwhile, don’t worry.

Cora snorted. Like that’s possible.

Okay, Seth amended. Worry in small batches in between fun or relaxing activities.

She smiled at him. Better.

He watched her pull away, then reentered the courthouse to find out where Lars had snuck off to.

Seth turned the corner and spotted him, leaning against an empty hallway’s wall, staring at the hideously mundane bulk-purchased artwork hung in cheap faux-wood frames.

Hey, Seth said.

Lars looked startled. Then he nodded. Ready to go?

Yep. The two of them walked to the bank of elevators and went down to the garage. Seth got in the passenger side of their shared sport sedan. Lars turned over the engine and cranked on the heat. Then he stretched his arm on the top of the passenger seat, like he did when he pulled out of a parking spot and needed to look back.

But instead of pulling out, he just stared at Seth.

What? Seth felt self-conscious. He tugged at his tie.

Thank God it’s over.

Seth laughed, the tension broken. We need a drink. Drinks.

"So many drinks. Lars leaned forward, and Seth met him halfway. Their kiss was familiar, yet when it was unexpected like this, it still had the power to tingle through him. When Lars broke away, he looked a little bashful. I’m sorry I left you there to deal with the aftermath."

Yeah, what was with that? Seth asked. I’m not mad, only curious. It’s not like you.

No. Lars didn’t elaborate, however, and pulled out of