In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set (11 page)

“
Yes,”
she said. “Sunday night.”

“
We
will talk,” he said, as he looked up at Chris. “You two
have a great night.”

Bridget
stepped in front of me. I smiled down at her before stepping around
her and hugging Tim's mom. When I rounded the table, it took all I
had not to pull Tina away from that guy. I nodded at her as if he
wasn't there.

“
See
you tomorrow, Jackie,” she said with a smile.

There
was something there, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking. She
was different than she used to be.

“
Tomorrow,
Tiny,” I said.

Tim
looked at me with a smile, and I threw him the keys.

“
Go
for it,” I said. “Since it's your wedding, I'll let you
drive my baby.”

We
drove around for a bit before going to the hotel. Tim loved the car.
He was just as into them as I was. He had a huge smile on his face,
as he pulled into the lot of the hotel and parked the car. We got his
bag out and turned to walk toward the front door when Tina pulled in
next to us.

She
was out of the car before Chris. Her eyes were open wide, and she had
to pick her mouth up from the ground. It was actually a great moment.
I loved the shocked look on her face. She came around the car. Chris
ruined the moment when he walked up next to her. I looked over to see
Tim surprised that she was there.

“
You're
staying at this hotel?” Tim asked.

“
Of
course I am,” she said. “They have an awesome club here.
Where else would I stay?”

“
I
didn't realize you were the club kind of girl,” Tim said.

Chris
let out a snort but hurried to cover his mouth. Tim shot him a dirty
look at the same time as me.

“
There's
a lot you don't know about me,” she said. “Enough about
that. What the hell? You're driving this, Jackson?”

“
Yes,”
I answered. “You find that to be shocking why?”

I
was actually kind of offended that she didn't think I could get a car
like that. She really knew nothing about me.

“
How
much are you paying to rent this?” she asked. “It's
pretty crazy that you would do that for my brother's wedding. We saw
this car here earlier. Chris said it cost more than a million. I
can't imagine what you're paying right now just to drive it. I bet it
drives so damn good.”

“
It
does,” Tim said with a huge smile on his face.

“
You
let him drive it?” she asked.

“
I
did,” I said. “Who knows, maybe I'll let you drive it
before I return it. That is, if you can keep your mouth closed long
enough tomorrow.”

She
grunted at me and grabbed Chris' hand.

“
It's
not that big of a deal,” she said in a snappy tone.

“
You
know you can't keep quiet,” I said.

She
started to walk away, pulling Chris behind her. They didn't get far
before she stopped and turned back to us.

“
Are
you staying here?” she asked.

“
Yep,”
I said with a smile.

“
It's
just like old times,” Tim interrupted. “The only
difference is, you have him with you instead of a bunch of girls.
Maybe you two could come down and hang out with us later.”

“
I
don't think so,” she said. “You're only missing some of
the guys. I can guarantee you this is nothing like when we were
eighteen. I wouldn't be that stupid a second time.”

Something
was coming out of that smart mouth of hers. I could feel it. She
looked at me and then back to Tim. Then she looked at Chris. She held
his hand tight and started walking. Then she yelled back over her
shoulder.

“
There's
one huge difference this time. When I get laid, he'll still be there
when I wake up.”

All
I could hear was Tim yelling her name over and over.

“
That
better be a fucking joke,” he yelled after her. “You
better not have.”

I
felt like someone had punched me as hard as they could in the
stomach.

“
Did
you hear her?” Tim asked.

It
took everything inside of me to pull myself together enough to look
over at him.

“
I
did,” was all I could say.

Tina

“
What
was that?” Chris asked.

“
Nothing,”
I said with a shake of my head. “I'm going to change and then
go down and have a drink or ten. Want to go?”

I
didn't wait for an answer before going to my part of the suite to
change back into my jeans and a t-shirt.

“
You
okay?” Chris asked as soon as I came out of the room.

“
Yep,”
I answered. “Thanks for being here with me. I couldn't have
done this without you.”

“
I'm
here when you're ready to talk,” he said.

“
I'm
good,” I said. “I'll be back later.”

“
You're
not going down there without me,” he said. “I'm coming
with you.”

“
It's
fine,” I said. “You go and have some fun. I brought you
here to have a good time, and look at what it's turned into. I'm just
going to the bar. I'll be fine on my own.”

“
I
don't think so,” he said. “I have a feeling I'm going to
be carrying you back up here. Come on.”

Chris
opened the door and held it for me. We were both quiet on the way
down in the elevator. I found a booth in the hotel bar and sat down.
He got us each a drink and then walked over to join me. I was
charging everything to my room and figured I'd take care of it when I
got home and saw the bill. There was no way I was holding back. I
deserved it after the day we'd had. It wasn't going to be any better
at the wedding either.

We
talked about work, life, Chris' daughter, and normal everyday stuff.
One drink flowed into the next for me. I couldn't get my mind off of
Jackson. He was in the same hotel at that very moment. I couldn't
help but wonder where he was. He hadn't walked into the bar that I
had seen. Was he at the club? Was there a woman on his arm already?
There had never been any lack of them in high school and college. I
didn't follow him once I left. Anytime Tim brought him up, I changed
the subject. I made sure never to look for him on social media, and I
definitely never looked his name up in any search engines. I didn't
even know what he did for a living. What did he do, I wondered? How
could he afford to rent that car? The restaurant popped into my mind.
I watched him give that waiter a card and then sign the receipt. The
waiter told my parents someone had called and paid the bill earlier
in the day. That was total bullshit. How could Jackson afford to pay
for that dinner? The bill was huge. There was no expense spared.
Everyone had drinks, appetizers, meals that were out of hand, and
desserts. Who was he, I thought?

“
Earth
to Tina,” Chris said from next to me. “Where are you?”

“
Sorry,”
I said. “I was just thinking about something. I'll be back in a
minute. I need to use the restroom.”

“
You've
drank more than I've seen you drink in a long time,” he said.

“
I
know,” I said, as I scooted out of the booth and walked toward
the hallway.

I
stood against the wall in the restroom. It seemed like the alcohol
hit me all at once. Maybe I needed to call it a night, I thought.
When I opened the door and walked into the hallway, Chris was leaning
up against the wall waiting for me. I walked over to him.

“
You
okay?” he asked. “You look sad.”

“
I'm
going back to the room,” I said.

He
reached out and grabbed my hands to hold them in his.

“
What's
wrong?” he asked.

I
looked into his eyes and couldn't help reacting to the feeling of
emotion that was washing over me.

“
What
is it, babe?” he asked.

He
had a sincere look of concern on his face when he asked me. Why
didn't Jackson look at me like that, I wondered? Why wasn't I good
enough?

Jackson

I
put on a fake smile while I was still at my car with Tim. We went up
to my suite to put his bag away before going to the club. He was very
impressed with my room and couldn't believe I had gotten such a big
one if I wasn't even going to be in it that much. I could tell he was
pissed about Tina's comment and wanted to get his mind off of her as
quickly as I could. If he found out I was the one she'd had sex with,
his ass would kill me before he walked down the aisle.

“
Ready
to have some drinks?” I asked.

“
Yes,”
he answered immediately. “There are definitely a few things I
could wipe from my mind right now.”

We
went down to club, got some drinks, and moments later had ladies
trying to get us to dance. I pulled him out there with me. There was
no way I was letting him stew about what his sister had said to him.
He was getting married. I wanted him to cut loose and have some fun.
We were both dancing and laughing. It was driving me crazy knowing
Tina and Chris were somewhere else in the same building. We left the
dance floor several times to get new drinks. I could tell by how
quickly Chris had gotten drunk that he hadn't drank in a long while.
He pulled me over so he could sit down. I made sure he was okay
before telling him I needed to find a restroom and would be right
back.

I
walked out of the club and down a hallway. Just as I went to turn the
corner, I heard someone speak.

“
What
is it, babe?” a voice said.

“
Do
you ever feel like you're never good enough?” another voice
asked.

That
was a voice I would never be able to get out of my head. It was her.
I stopped in my tracks and leaned in as far as I could to hear her.

“
What
do you mean?” Chris asked.

“
Do
you ever feel like no matter what you do, you're not good enough for
someone?”

“
No,”
he answered her. “If someone feels I'm not good enough, then I
don't need them. Why?”

“
My
whole life my brother tried to chase everyone away, but its okay for
him to have Renee. My parents love me, but I bet they would much
rather I do something more exciting with my life. I never come home,
and I'm not sure they really mind,” Tina said in a sad voice.

How
could she think she wasn't good enough? Tim loved her so damn much.
He'd do anything to protect her and keep her safe. It wasn't that it
was okay for him to be with someone and not her. He just didn't want
her to be with a man that didn't deserve her. No man would ever be
good enough for his sister. Even I knew that. Her mom was absolutely
devastated that she was never home. I'd heard her talk about it many
times. She thought Tina was embarrassed by them or didn't think they
were good enough to be around. How could she think they wouldn't want
her there?

“
You're
just tired from the long day. I could see your moms love for you.
She's proud of the woman you are. Your brother loves you so much. I
don't think any man would be good enough in his eyes. He worries
about you. Your family loves you. Even that damn guy you have to
stand up with in the wedding couldn't stop looking at you. You're so
much better than you give yourself credit for, Tina,” Chris
said.