Page 192 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“What?” he asked Andino.

His cousin only laughed, and the man’s green eyes looked John over. In his usual suit and shined shoes, Andino made John miss the fact he hadn’t worn proper Armani in months. Instead, he’d dressed down with jeans and T-shirts.

“Shit, you didn’t hear a word I just said, huh?” Andino asked.

John’s gaze drifted to a very patient, quiet Siena. “Not really, no. Sorry, man.”

Andino clapped John’s cheek with a gentle pat as he chuckled. “Nah, it’s okay. You’ve got a good reason to be off your game today. I guess they didn’t fill you in on who I was bringing along to visit, or what?”

“Leonard has his odd ways.”

“Sure, sure.”

“It’s good, though.”

So good.

John wasn’t the type who appreciated surprises, but this was far more than fine. Surprises were unknowns that he couldn’t prepare for, and he much preferred to prepare for an unknown. This, though? He didn’t mind this surprise at all.

“Anyway,” Andino said, turning to stand beside John. His cousin gestured in front of them. “I said, I hope you don’t mind that I brought someone else to properly meet you. I mean, I know this place is supposed to be sacred for you, and all. Focusing on you, but I might not get another time to do this before you come home.”

Yes.

The woman standing at Siena’s side.

Haven.

John had noticed the woman, of course, but his mind always tended to focus in on the most important things first, and then everything else second. Siena was, by far, the most important thing standing on the walkway in that moment when it came to John and his life. And shit, he had been counting down the days until he would get to see Siena again. Not that he had known today would be the day.

No offence to Haven.

Or Andino.

John said none of those things out loud.

“You don’t mind, do you?” Andino asked again.

John shook his head. “No, man. Of course, not.”

“Good. I want you to meet the girl I’m going to marry, you know. Properly fucking meet her, John. Not hear things about her from someone else, or see her in passing. Actually meet her with me. Take some time to sit down and have a real conversation with her. I talk about you all the time, and she’s a little out of the loop about me and you. Kind of a big fucking deal to me, and everything.”

John’s brow rose high as he took in his cousin a second time. Andino never looked more nervous than he had in that moment. His cousin scrubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw, and his gaze kept darting back to Haven like he didn’t want to take his eyes off her for even one damn minute.

Huh.

John knew that look.

He had that look.

Every time he looked at Siena, that was.

It was kind of strange for John to see his cousin so off-balance in this way. And marriage? Genuine, honest to God, going to settle down marriage?

John never thought he would see the day. Not where Andino was concerned, anyway. His cousin just wasn’t the type to settle down into a monogamous relationship where something like forever and love might get thrown in the conversation. Not to mention, Andino was usually the guy who liked to poke fun at a man who did get his dick tied into a knot over a woman.

This was a whole one-eighty.

So yeah, John did a double-take.