In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set (16 page)

He
laughed as he held the ice against the side of his face.

“
What
is so funny to you?” I asked, practically in tears. “I'm
sitting here feeling horrible for dragging you into the craziness of
my life, and you're laughing. You were the one that was punched in
the face.”

“
I
can't help it. That dude can pack a punch. It hurts like hell. Did
you see his face? I seriously thought the vein on his forehead was
going to pop. You don't think he likes you. Whatever,” Chris
said.

“
If
you don't shut up about him liking me, I'm going to give you a
matching side over there,” I snapped. “If he liked me at
all, he wouldn't have done that to me ten years ago. I just can't
believe I'm still letting him impact my life.”

“
I
don't know about all that,” he said. “He seemed pretty
close to your family.”

“
He's
closer to them than he is his own parents. At least he used to be. I
used to feel so bad for the way he was treated at home. My parents
treated him just like they did Tim and me. I saw him pay for dinner
last night. Today, he gave my mom a huge check to cover the
reception. I watched Renee go crazy at whatever it was he gave her
and Tim. I don't understand why he feels the need to impress them. He
never had to before. They love him no matter what.”

“
Maybe
it's guilt for what you just put out there. Maybe he's been feeling
bad about it all this time,” Chris said.

“
No,”
I replied. “Not Jackson. He doesn't give a shit when it comes
to girls. He never has, and he never will.”

“
You
know you owe me, right?” Chris asked. “You owe me big.
Not only was my phone destroyed, but my sexy face was damaged as
well. I didn't even swing back. That was for you.”

“
I
know, and I'll find a way to make it up to you. Thank you for not
making it worse. Never in a million years would I have ever thought
he would hit you. If so, I never would have introduced you to them
that way.”

“
I
guess it's partly my fault,” Chris confessed.

“
What?
How?”

“
I
didn't help the situation any. You fell and I never said a word or
tried to help you. When he put me against the wall, I had a sarcastic
smirk on face. That's what set him off. I couldn't help it. The guy
was losing it.”

“
Chris,”
I yelled.

“
What?”
he asked. “Did you see your brother's face? As soon as those
words came out of your mouth, your brother's eyes went right to
Jackson. His body went stiff, and Renee grabbed his arm. He was
beyond pissed. There is no doubt in my mind that a rather large scene
is playing out as we speak.”

“
Oh
shit!” I said, as I covered my mouth. “I didn't mean to
ruin my brother's wedding day. I was just so upset that Jackson would
act like what you did mattered. I can only imagine what my mom is
thinking of me right now. That's Jackson's family. I've been gone,
but he hasn't. My poor brother. This was his day.”

“
It's
Jackson you need to feel bad for, not your brother. Tim was ready to
take him on. I'm not sure if it was anger or hurt, but he is not
going to make it easy on him,” Chris said.

We
got to the hotel, and I hurried to the room. My phone and purse
landed on the bed. I couldn't change fast enough. Once I had on
shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops, I got fresh ice and pain relievers
for Chris.

“
Do
you need anything else? I'm going for a walk. I need to think.”

“
No,”
he answered. “You know I love you, Tina. I'm here for you. I
always will be.”

“
Yes,”
I said. “I'll be gone for a bit. I need to be alone.”

I
walked out of the hotel toward the beach. My flip-flops were in my
hand, as I walked along the edge of the water. The feeling of the
sand in my toes felt comforting. I walked until I couldn't hear
anything and was completely alone. There was no way I wanted anyone
to see me. I let myself fall to the sand and looked out at the water.
The sun was just beginning to set. The sound of the water was so
relaxing. I really missed Florida. My eyes watched the sun bounce off
of the water, as the tears I'd been working so hard to hold back
began moving down my cheeks.

Jackson

I
turned around, mouthed I'm sorry to Tim's mom, picked up the pieces
of Chris' phone, and left.

The
first thing I wanted was to see Tina, but I knew I had one more thing
to do first. The damn guy was innocent, and I'd broken his phone and
punched him in the face. I really had made a mess out of the day. It
didn't help that Tina had picked that moment to rat me out, as if
hitting her friend wasn't enough. Poor Chris, I thought. He most
likely regretted going to the wedding with her. Why had she lied
about him being her boyfriend? Who was she trying to fool?

When
she said I was embarrassed of her, I felt like someone kicked me in
stomach. I could never be embarrassed of her. She was way more than I
ever deserved. I was still surprised that she had been with me that
day. I was a jerk and a player. She was right about that. I didn't
know she was a virgin. I swear I wouldn't have been with her. She
didn't want me to stop. It felt horrible taking that from her. I
mean, it felt good to know she'd want me to be that guy, but it
should have been someone that deserved her. That someone wasn't me.
She was special. Tina cared so much about her family and friends. She
was the most caring person I had ever met. That was then. She didn't
seem like the same person anymore. I had to wonder if I had anything
to do with that. Some of the things she said led me to believe that
night changed things for her. I sure hoped I was wrong about that.

I
made my stop and then hurried to the hotel and up to her room. Her
car was in the lot, so I knew she was there. When I knocked, she
didn't answer. I continued knocking until the door finally flew open.
There was no way I was giving up. Chris stood in the doorway looking
at me. I could see the slice in his lip and the bruising already
turning his skin an ugly color.

“
She's
not here,” he said, as he moved to the side and motioned for me
to come in.

“
Where
is she?” I asked.

“
I'm
not sure,” he answered. “She wanted to be alone and took
off. I don't think she went far. She didn't take anything with her.”

I
handed Chris the bag I had been carrying and then walked into the
room.

“
I'm
sorry,” I began. “Please try to understand where I was
coming from. I watched you kiss someone else right after you gave her
a whole speech about how she deserved the best. You didn't bother to
check on her when she fell. You played on that damn phone the entire
time without any concern for her. I was so pissed. I'm not making
excuses or anything. It shouldn't have happened. It all makes sense
now though. I am sorry. I know that doesn't matter. I'm just putting
it out there.”

“
I
totally understand,” Chris said with a smile. “You were
just worried about her. She's like a sister to you.”

The
fucker was pushing it. I really didn't have much more to lose. Tim
wouldn't talk to me, Tiny hated me, and I'm sure their parents were
finished with me as well.

“
No,”
I said. “I just thought she deserved to be treated better.”

“
Really?”
he asked. “She deserved better than me. With what she said back
there, I'm not so sure you have any right judging me.”

“
You
don't understand,” I said. “Why did she pretend you were
together? I don't get it.”

“
She'd
kill me if she knew you were standing here. She is one of my best
friends, Jackson. You're lucky I don't fuck you up right now. Just
because I didn't swing back, doesn't mean I don't have it in me.
That's my girl. If you did what it sounds like, then so much about
her makes sense to me now.”

“
What?”
I asked. “She never talked about it with you? You've been
friends for five years. Maybe it didn't matter to her.”

“
You
wanted it to?” he asked. “That's fucked up. Why would you
want to hurt her?”

“
I
didn't want to hurt her. You don't get it. I didn't plan for it to
happen. I was so stupid thinking it mattered to her at all. She
seemed to have moved right on from that. It sounds like she's had
some fun over the years.”

“
Seriously,”
he said. “You have no idea how hard coming here has been on
her. I couldn't figure it out. She's come up with every reason not to
come home for ten years. The last five I have personally seen her do
everything she can to avoid it. She begged me to come with her. I am
not kidding. She said she couldn't face it alone and offered to pay
the entire bill. We were going to party on the beach each night and
find hookups for each other.”

“
Oh,
hell no,” I growled out. “She does not do that.”

“
It's
been a long while since she's done that, but she was all in for this
trip. I was just as shocked as all of you when she introduced me as
her boyfriend. I'm thinking it had something to do with your hand on
Bridget's back,” he said.

“
What?”
I asked him.

“
I
know I didn't miss it. I was checking you out. Tina was too.”

“
Bridget,”
I said. “Crap! She tripped and I grabbed her. No way would I be
with her.”

“
There's
a reason she's stayed away for ten years, Jackson,” he said
with a shake of his head. “I'm pretty sure you're that reason.”

“
Shit,”
I said. “She's so different than the Tina I remember.”

“
She's
the same one I've always known. I can't help you there. She's the
life of the party, always loud and outgoing. It's not always like
that with her though. When it's just the two of us, she's more quiet
and vulnerable. There is so much she keeps hidden inside. After five
years, I still can't get in there.”

Chris
looked down at his hand and opened the bag I handed him when I first
walked in.

“
I
can't take this,” he said. “My phone was crap compared to
this one.”

“
I
know, but you deserve it. That shit shouldn't have happened.”

“
She
made a few comments about you trying to impress people with money
between yesterday and today. It bothers her. She said they all loved
you without you going broke to impress them.”

“
It
sounds like she knows as much about me now as I know about her. I'm
not trying to impress anyone. I just want to do whatever I can to
help the people who have always been there and cared about me,”
I said.

“
I'm
not sure where she took off to,” he said. “I have a
feeling you know. She has every right to be hurt. I know what she
thinks you did, but I think there's so much more to the story. I
don't think you're an ass. That's the only reason you're standing
here right now. I've seen the way you've looked at her and us
together for the last two days, Jackson. You need to get your head
out of your ass and figure it out. Do not hurt her. I don't care
about money or muscle. If you do one thing that hurts my girl, I will
fuck you up.”

I
nodded before turning and opening the door. His girl, I thought. No
way was my Tiny his girl. Hearing him say that sent a stabbing pain
straight to my heart. I didn't want him protecting her and keeping
her safe. It wasn't his job. I had to find her. She had to know. I
had to fix it.

“
Charge
anything you want to the room,” I said. “It's on me. I'm
sorry for hitting you. I lost my shit for a minute.”

“
I
know,” he said. “You were just protecting your friend's
little sister.”

I
let out a loud breath and pulled the door shut behind me. I had a
feeling I knew exactly where I needed to go.