In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set (6 page)

“
Whatever
you're thinking, the answer is no,” he said, as he turned to
walk away.

“
Hold
on,” I said. “This could be good for you.”

“
What?”
he asked.

“
You
have your daughter next weekend, right?”

I
met his daughter many times. We've taken her to do so many fun things
together. He loved her with everything he had and was an amazing dad.
She was nine and very smart. He got along great with her mother. They
were together just after he started college, before he decided to be
true to himself and stop worrying about what everyone thought of him.
He had a great relationship with his little girl. Sometimes it made
me sad that I didn't have that, but I tried not to think about it too
much. I couldn't imagine anyone I'd want to have a baby with. It
would've had to be someone really, I don't know.

“
Yes,”
he said. “Why?”

I
knew Chris was off weekends just like me. If he had his daughter the
next weekend, then he wouldn't the weekend of the wedding. It really
was perfect.

“
You
want to have some fun and spend the weekend after next with your
favorite friend?” I asked with a smile.

“
The
whole weekend?” he asked. “Where would we be doing that
exactly?”

“
Florida,”
I said, as I closed my eyes and waited for him to speak.

“
You
want me to cross state lines with you,” he said with a smile.
“Out with it, woman.”

“
Okay,”
I said. “My brother called me last night. He's getting married
that weekend and made me promise I would come.”

“
You're
going home?” he asked, as he put his hands on my shoulders and
looked down at me.

Chris
knew I hadn't been home for more than a minute in ten years. He knew
nothing about Jackson and that night, but he knew everything else
about my life.

“
I
have to,” I answered. “When I said no, he got upset. I
said I would be there, but I want you to go with me. I'll pay for
your flight and our room. You don't have to pay for anything.”

I
could tell that I wasn't convincing him.

“
I'll
get us a room at the nicest hotel. There's a club in it that is
amazing. Beside the rehearsal and wedding, you can do whatever you
want. We'll dance, drink, and eat. Come on.”

Still
nothing.

“
The
guys there are hot. It's right at the beach. We'll find you a tan,
built, sexy man. Please,” I begged. “I need a friend with
me. I don't want to stay at my parents. If I come alone, they'll want
me to. You could be saving me from hours and hours of questioning.
Think of how much you'll be helping me. We can fly out right after
work on Friday and come home late Sunday night. It's not that long.
It'll be so much fun. I promise.”

“
Fine,”
he said. “I've got your back. We'll hang at the beach together.
I'll find you a hottie too. You don't do that good of a job
yourself.”

“
Shut
up,” I said, as I turned to walk out. “Sounds like a
plan.”

I
walked out before he could change his mind. We were going to have so
much fun together, and I needed to make sure he had some fun on his
own. He deserved it. Chris was a great friend. I was so happy that I
wasn't going to have to face them alone. One of my best friends would
be by my side.

As
soon as I got home that night, I called and booked a suite for us. It
was more than I wanted to spend, but I knew he'd probably need a bit
of privacy. I didn't need to know that much about him. There was no
reason for me to need privacy. I hadn't done the hook up thing in two
years. Yes, two years. It had been way too long since I'd been with a
man, but I wasn't willing to settle. I was tired of that. Once the
room was booked, I got on the internet to book our flights. When I
saw the price, I thought about how I'd turned my parents offer to pay
for my ticket down. I guess that's what happens when you wait until
last minute, I thought. My brother was worth it. He deserved to be
happy on his wedding day. I knew my parents would have paid for the
ticket without a second thought, but I couldn't let them go through
that expense. They were probably dealing with enough from the
last-minute wedding.

The
hotel was booked and our flights were paid for. Everything was going
to be just fine.

Jackson

I
worked my ass off so I could be there in time for the rehearsal. It
would've looked pretty bad for the best man to be late. Tim would be
all freaked out and nervous. The least I could do was be on time. I'd
been up since four o'clock in the morning and ran around like crazy
getting things done. I was only going to be gone for one weekend, and
I wasn't going to be more than an hour away. Maybe it was time to
re-evaluate how much work I was doing and how much was being
delegated to others.

I
rented the room for the second night so I could spend a few minutes
with my parents before going home. They complained all the time that
I was never around and traveled too much. I certainly did, but that
wasn't a problem for me. I wasn't very fond of being home. There were
too many memories there. It made me think about her. My parents
weren't all that while I was growing up anyway. I always told myself
I'd make enough money to never need to count on them, and I'd done
just that. It just drove me crazy to always be told what I was going
to do with myself and never be asked if it was what I even wanted. In
the end, it all worked out. I was doing exactly what I wanted.

Tim's
parents were always good to me. They didn't have much, but they
always let their children think for themselves. I liked spending time
with them. They treated me like one of their own, and I really
appreciated it. I felt closer to them than I ever had to my own
parents. They honestly were more proud of the man I had become than
my own mom and dad.

When
I walked up to check in to the hotel, the girl at the desk looked
from my shoes up to my eyes. I shook my head and laughed. How
ridiculous, I thought. She could have at least appeared a bit
professional. Then it hit me. Where did I know her from, I wondered?
We went to school together. She'd been in a few of my classes. Oh
great, I thought. Hopefully we could get through checking in
painlessly so I could get to my room and make it to the rehearsal on
time. I was already exhausted from the long day and didn't need her
to make me lose any more time.

“
Jackson,”
she said, almost in a whisper.

“
That's
me,” I said. “I need to get checked in as quickly as
possible. I have to be somewhere, and I'm running late.”

She
typed a few things into the computer and snapped her eyes back up at
mine. There it was. Maybe I shouldn't have rented the biggest suite
in the place.

“
I
knew you'd done well for yourself, but I hadn't realized you'd done
that well,” she said. “Let me get you checked in and on
your way. I see you're here for two nights. Maybe we could get a
drink and catch up.”

I
looked down at her without a word. Not a chance, I thought.

“
Who
knows,” I said with a smile.

I
signed the paper she handed me, grabbed my keys from her, picked my
bags up from the floor, and hurried to the elevator. I pushed the
button for the top floor, relieved to get away from her. I walked
quickly into my suite, put my clothes in the master bedroom, and took
a quick shower. What was someone required to wear to a rehearsal, I
wondered? Weddings weren't my thing. I normally stayed away from them
as much as possible. There was probably a dinner as well that night.
I really wasn't in the mood to put on a jacket and tie, so I grabbed
a very nice button up and pair of suit pants. The shirt was dressy
enough without adding a tie. As soon as I grabbed my keys, slipped on
my shoes, and grabbed my phone, I was on my way. If I hurried, I'd
get there right on time.

I
thought about Tim as I drove. He was a great guy, and he truly
deserved happiness. Renee was good for him. She didn't take shit, and
she loved him very much. Not everyone got what they wanted. Not
everyone found real love with the one they belonged. He did, and that
was awesome.

I
parked my car in the lot of the church and hurried inside. It was
nice to drive myself and not have to count on my driver to cart me
around. He was thrilled to get a couple of days of. I'd have to admit
me driving was more of a selfish act than one of concern for my
driver. I rarely got to drive, and I'd taken my new car. Cars were
one on the things I actually spent money on. I don't know why, but
that was my thing. I did set a limit of owning only three cars at
once. If I wanted a new one, then I had to get rid of an old one.
They didn't have to be the most expensive cars out there either. That
wasn't me. It just had to be something I really liked. I'd had
everything from a Camaro to a Mustang to an SUV to a Ferrari, which
was what I took to the wedding. It was by far my favorite. It was the
most expensive car I had ever bought, and I'd gotten it for my
thirtieth birthday and the signing of the biggest deal to date in my
career. I knew it was crazy when I did it, but it was the perfect
car. It was red with black, and it was mine. It was like a kid at
Christmas, and that was how I felt every single time I got behind the
wheel.

I
was relieved when I walked in and looked around. She wasn't there.
Yes, I thought. The knot in my stomach settled and all of my muscles
relaxed. I hadn't even noticed they were tight until they loosened. A
deep breath filled my lungs. It felt good to release the stress I had
built up surrounding the wedding. I had no idea why I'd let it get to
me so much. There was no way she was going to be there. She hadn't
been back in ten years. I guess she might have been back for a day at
some point, but I'd never seen her. I made a point never to ask about
her.

Tim
walked up and wrapped his arm over my shoulder. He looked really good
and very happy. We talked for a few minutes before he pulled me over
to his family and friends. His mom didn't waste one second pulling me
down to hug her and telling me how much she missed me. I had to admit
that I missed her too.

“
We're
still waiting on two more people,” Tim said.

Renee
walked up with a very tall, leggy woman. She was very pretty. I could
see Tim looking back and forth between us. I don't think so, I
thought to myself. Did he seriously think he was setting me up at his
wedding? I knew exactly what he was thinking. Don't get me wrong, she
was gorgeous. She had on a form-fitting dress that showed each of her
curves. They were in all the right places. Her hair was long and
dark. She had dark eyes and a huge smile. Renee introduced her as the
maid of honor. Her name was Bridget, and she was Renee's best friend.
I had only met Renee a handful of times and had never met any of her
friends. The four of us had walked off to the side to talk about we
needed to do as the two main people in the wedding with them. We were
deep in conversation when Bridget tripped on the rug with her heel. I
reached out to steady her before she had the chance to go over. She'd
just gotten back on her feet, when air breezed by and my body tensed.

The
scent that filled my nose was one I would never forget, and the light
giggle that followed was just as familiar. When I turned my head to
see if my mind was playing tricks on me, our eyes connected. I felt
the air leave my lungs, and I froze.

It
was her. She was there. The one person that could turn my world
upside down was standing in the same room as me, and she wasn't
alone.

Tina

The
two weeks leading up to the wedding were the longest of my entire
life, and I'd had some long weeks. I picked my clothes carefully.
Well, some of them anyway. I told my parents I wanted to rent a car.
That way I wasn't dependent on anyone, and if I needed to, I could
drive my ass to the airport and get the hell out of there. They
wouldn't have to wait around to pick me up either. That was what I
went with when I turned down their offer for a ride.