In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set (4 page)

When
we got to my room, he kissed my forehead before walking away down the
hallway. I let the door close behind me and went straight to the
bathroom so I could shower. It was just after one o'clock in the
morning. Some of the girls were already asleep and some were up with
the guys. I didn't say a word on my way by. As soon as the bathroom
door closed, I leaned back against it. He'd been the only guy I had
ever liked. I remembered the times I'd seen him with girls and how
sad it always made me. I wanted him to want me. My fingers went to my
lips. He did want me, I thought. My dreams had finally come true.

I
showered as fast as I could and went right to bed. The faster I fell
asleep, the sooner I could see him again. That was what I thought
anyway. I couldn't have been more wrong. My world came crashing down
just as quickly as it had flourished.

The
following morning, we got our things together and walked down to my
brother's room so we could all go to breakfast together. That was
what we had planned the day before. When we walked into his room, I
looked around, but Jackson wasn't there. All of the guys were there
except for him.

“
Is
this everyone?” I asked. “I thought you said Jackson was
coming.”

“
I
saw him last night,” one of my friends said.

“
He
was here yesterday,” Tim said. “He went somewhere last
night. I thought he was coming right back, but he was gone for hours.
He came back at about two o'clock in the morning, grabbed his stuff,
said he wasn't feeling well, and left. I sent him a text about an
hour ago, and he said he was fine.”

Tim
grabbed the door and opened it so we could all head down to
breakfast. I couldn't believe what was happening and felt like I was
going to be sick to my stomach. What happened, I wondered? Maybe
Jackson didn't really want me after all. Why would he do that? Why
would he come looking for me, do what he did with me, and then leave
like that? What an asshole, I thought. Was it his way of getting back
at me for something? I couldn't imagine what. How could I have been
so stupid? How could I let myself think that Jackson would have ever
wanted me? I was the quiet, shy girl. That wasn't what he went for. I
knew I wasn't good enough for him. I was so angry with myself for
believing he liked me at all.

We
all went home, and it was as if it had never happened. If I couldn't
feel for myself how sore I was, I would have thought it was a dream.

He
didn't come by the house much that summer. My brother seemed to
always go to him to hang out. The very few times I did see Jackson,
neither of us ever mentioned it. We were back to being Tiny and
Jackie to each other. There was no joking or messing with the other.
We only spoke if we had to. I couldn't tell you how many times I
cried myself to sleep that summer. Tim asked me constantly if I was
okay. He knew something was different with me, but I wasn't about to
let him know what it was. I couldn't wait for the summer to end so I
could go to school and leave Jackson and my brother's overprotective
shit behind.

That
summer was the last time I had seen him. I barely ever came home from
college. Since it was so expensive to fly, my parents usually let me
get away with staying at school for breaks. I got a job, so I used
that as an excuse as well. I never came home in the summer and stayed
in New York once school was over.

I'd
made sure never to run into him again, and I'd been doing a fine job
of it. That was until my brother called to let me know he was getting
married and that I was going to be in the wedding. There was no way
possible for me to avoid him anymore. My brother was right, I'd
messed up by never going home to see my family. I loved them, and I
did miss them. It had been ten long years. Jackson had kept me from
enough. There was no way I was going to let him keep me from my
brother's wedding too. He'd probably forgotten about that night on
the beach anyway. I'd let him run enough of my mind and my life those
ten years. It was time to move on and stop running from everything.
My life was different. I wasn't the same person anymore. That quiet,
shy little girl they all knew was long gone. I was wild, crazy, loud,
and extremely confident. I could do it, I thought. I would hold my
head up high and show them I was just fine on my own.

I
pulled my blanket tightly around me, wiped the tears from my eyes,
shut my light off, and closed my eyes.

Jackson

I
hung up the phone and set it down on the desk. The call came in
before I was even through the door at home. It seemed like I rarely
got a minute to myself anymore. I sat back in my big leather chair
and looked around my home office. My head fell back and I closed my
eyes, as I reached up to loosen my tie. I was exhausted and hoping
for a night of solid sleep. Those last few days had taken their toll
on me. I had just closed a huge deal and was in the middle of making
changes to some of my buildings.

I
hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I jumped from the sound of
my phone ringing and let out a grunt as I picked it up. A smile
spread across my face when I saw my best friend's name on the screen.
It was a personal call, and for that I was relieved. It had been a
while since we had talked. He was busy with his girlfriend, and I was
always busy or out of town for work.

“
Hey,
Tim,” I said happily. “It's been too long.”

“
You're
right about that. The phone works both ways, brother. I would have
taken the hour drive to see you but wasn't sure you'd even be home.”

“
I'm
actually here,” I said with a laugh. “How's everything
going?”

“
Very
good,” he said.

There
was a moment of silence. I knew he had something to say and wasn't
sure what was holding him back. We'd been best friends since we were
nine. Nothing ever stopped him from saying exactly what he felt.

“
Spill
it, man,” I said.

“
I'm
getting married,” he said.

I
felt excited for him, but I also felt a bit bummed too. Everyone
always thought I would be the one to settle down. That was only
because I was a bit more popular in school. I was a bit of a player
in school, not that it was something I was proud of. Tim was the one
to carefully find a girl and then treat her right. I knew he would be
the one to find love. It wouldn't be me. I didn't deserve it, and I
never would. I was the one who went against the only person who
actually knew me and didn't give a shit what sport I played or who I
was. I was the one who deceived his best friend years ago.

“
That's
awesome,” I said. “I'm so happy for you. Renee is great.
I don't know how she puts up with you.”

“
You
know I want you right there next to me, man. I know you're really
busy and I'm asking a lot, but I need you there.”

“
When's
the wedding? I'll get my assistant to put it on my schedule now.”

“
That's
the part I wasn't looking forward to telling you, Jackson. It's in
two weeks,” he said.

“
What?”
I said a little loud. “Two weeks, Tim. Why the hell are you
getting married that fast? Is there something else to this? I don't
know if I can do it.”

I
opened my laptop and turned it on so I could get into the details of
my schedule. How could I miss my best friend's wedding? He was like a
brother to me. There was no way. I'd have to figure out something.

“
There's
nothing else to it,” he said. “I know we've only been
dating for a year. That speech has already come from my little
sister. When I proposed and Renee accepted, I knew I didn't want a
long engagement.”

“
You
and that little sister shit. She's ten minutes younger than you. I
didn't say a long engagement, Tim. You could have gone for two or
three months. Give me a second to dig into my schedule.”

“
It's
going to be a very small wedding,” he said. “Only family
and very close friends. Neither of us wants anything huge. Please
tell me you'll be there.”

In
a way it was a good thing he was doing it all in two weeks. I was
pretty sure it would keep certain people from coming. As I moved
around through my schedule, I fought my mind from going to that
place. There was no way she was getting into my head. Not on a night
I needed sleep more than anything else. My schedule actually wasn't
that bad for that weekend. I was going to be in town. There were a
couple of things I would need to cancel, but I could do it without
pissing anyone off.

“
It's
a damn good thing I work for myself,” I said, and he let out a
laugh. “Of course I'll be there. I couldn't miss my boy's
wedding.”

I
pulled an email up to my assistant while we talked. As I typed in the
dates that she needed to clear, I thought about what all I needed. He
let me know that the rehearsal would be the night before but that
everything would be close to his mom and dad's house. There was no
way I was staying at their house. If by some strange chance she
showed up, I would not be sleeping under the same roof. Who was I
kidding, I thought? She wasn't going to be there. It didn't matter. I
wasn't staying there anyway. I hadn't done that in over ten years.
There was no way I was driving the hour home and back again the
following morning. I made sure to add in the email to my assistant
Andrea that I wanted the penthouse suite of the hotel booked for two
nights and gave her the name of the place. I also let Tim know that
after the rehearsal dinner I was taking him out for the night. He
laughed but agreed.

“
We
don't get to hang out much,” I said. “Now that you'll be
married, I'm sure it'll be even less. We need one last night of fun
before you sign it all away.”

“
Shut
up, man,” he said. “Not everyone feels that way about
marriage. You just have to find the right woman.”

“
Not
going to happen,” I said. “That one got away.”

“
What?”
he asked. “What's been going on with you? I mean besides buying
buildings, selling buildings, and renting things. Any new sexy women
in your life?”

“
There
are always sexy women in my life, Tim. Just none that I'm interested
in keeping around. You know that's not my thing. It never has been.
I'll leave all that lovey, mushy shit to you.”

We
talked for a few more minutes. I got an email back from Andrea saying
she'd booked the room and would cancel the meetings and schedule them
again in the morning. One thing I could say was that she did her job.
As long as I could get beyond her looking me up and down every time I
saw her, we'd be okay. It was one thing to be a player, but even I
knew not to get involved with the women that worked for me.

“
I'll
see you in two weeks,” Tim said happily.

“
I
wouldn't miss it,” I said, as I hung up the phone, dropped it
on my desk, and stood from my chair.

I'd
lost my jacket on my way in earlier. So I took off my tie and undid
the sleeves of my dress shirt. That was the worst part of work. I was
never a fan of suits and ties. The shirt ended up with my tie before
I walked to my fridge and grabbed an ice-cold beer. My pants went
next. I pulled on a pair of shorts, grabbed a towel and my beer, and
headed for the gym. That was one of benefits of having money. I could
crank up the music and workout without having to hear anyone around
me.

My
mind was already fighting me, and I knew I'd have to work myself into
exhaustion yet again. It was something I hadn't had to do in a few
months. I used to do it all the time. That was just how it was. I got
the treadmill going and turned up the speed. The faster I ran, the
more I thought.

It
had been ten years since I'd seen her. Tina made sure to avoid me
every chance she got. I'd only seen her a few times the summer after
her graduation. She went away to college and never looked back. I
knew she had been home a few times, but she made damn sure I never
got anywhere near her. She never came home in the summer, and when
school was over, she was gone for good. I knew she got a job teaching
not far from the college she had gone to. Tim had mentioned it a few
times. He didn't like the fact that he couldn't look after her. It
tore him up that she'd never come home. Those two were the closest
siblings I had ever known. Every single time he mentioned not seeing
her, it tore at my heart. I couldn't help but feel I had something to
do with it.