He Falls First While Staying Single

1. Chelsi

CHAPTER ONE

chelsi

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. I shouldn’t feel envious on my best friend’s wedding day, but it’s hard not to when I see how happy Kate and Jake are. How they’ve become true partners in life. Their relationship is everything I’ve always wanted for myself but never dared to say out loud.

How could I when the only men I attract are walking red flags? None of them ever seem that way when I first meet them; otherwise, I wouldn’t bother giving them the time of day. At some point after they ensnare me into a first date, or we have sex, the crazy starts to come out.

I’m apparently a magnet for cat daddies—not the sexy ones who you jokingly call a cat daddy because they lap up your pussy like it’s warm milk—the ones who have a half dozen or more cats.

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. I’ve had men bring their moms on our first date; ask me to marry them after having sex for the first time; interrogate me about my egg count; make a copy of my condo key without my knowledge; and that’s barely brushing the surface.

If there’s a red flag out there, I’ve probably experienced it at least once.

My best friend, Kate, on the other hand, experienced her own drama on the path to her happily ever after.

I’m not saying what she and Jake went through was easy.

Falling in love with your childhood best friend who also happens to be one of the biggest country musicians on the planet is far from a walk in the park, but they’ve made it work.

Their relationship has given me hope that I’m one step closer to finding my soulmate.

“How are things going with you and Logan?” Kate asks as we sit on the plush couches in her bridal suite in Hawaii.

“Spill the tea, Chelsi. He’s so gorgeous,” Anna adds in her thick Southern drawl before taking a sip of champagne.

Anna’s five-feet-four-inch frame and exquisite manners may come across as dainty and non-threatening, but I’ve seen her make grown men cry when they dare to attack one of her clients.

She’s the most exclusive PR consultant in the music industry and spends almost all of her days bouncing from one crisis to another.

It didn’t take long for us to become fast friends after I saw how fiercely she defended Kate and Jake when the social media piranhas didn’t take so kindly to them dating last year.

“Plus, this is one of the few times when I actually love hearing gossip, because it doesn’t involve a mess I have to clean up.

” Anna flicks her long curly blonde hair off her shoulder as she crosses her legs.

Kate chuckles, covering her hand with her mouth.

“Don’t ever have to worry about that with Chelsi.

She’s made it clear numerous times she’ll never date anyone Jake knows, much to Jimmy’s dismay.

” A radiant smile crosses Kate’s face, highlighted by the sunlight’s golden glow, making her look even more angelic than usual.

“God, Jimmy is the walking definition of a red flag,” I reply, shaking my head at the audacity of Jimmy, one of the guitar players in Jake’s band, when it comes to women.

“It’s probably why he is so enamored with me.

I swear he followed me around the rehearsal dinner like a lost puppy and couldn’t take a hint, no matter how many times Logan mentioned he was my boyfriend.

” I adjust the tie on my pale pink satin robe that Kate gave both Anna and me to wear as bridesmaids.

“I wish I could’ve seen Logan’s face when Jimmy asked if I wanted to take a walk on the beach with him. Alone.”

“I can only imagine.” Kate arches her eyebrows and fixes her gaze on me. “You’re avoiding the question: What’s going on with you and Logan? It’s been a few months since you started dating.”

A smile spans across my face as butterflies flit in my stomach.

It’s how I feel every time I think about how things are going with Logan.

It’s almost too good to be true, which is why I sometimes question his authenticity as I wait for the other shoe to drop.

So far, Logan hasn’t shown any of the usual red flags I’m accustomed to seeing.

It makes me hopeful that the relationship we’re building could turn into something long-term.

That he might actually be different from all the other guys I’ve previously dated.

“What can I say? Logan’s hot. The sex is great, and he worships every bit of me—if you know what I mean.” I wiggle my eyebrows in Kate’s direction, hoping my blatant sex talk will make her blush.

“Back to my question,” Anna demands, tapping her acrylic nails on the champagne glass. “How did you meet him? Please don’t tell me it was on a dating app. I don’t have the energy to do any more swiping on those things to find Mr. Right.”

“Nope. Literally ran into him at a bar and accidentally spilled my drink on him.” I bite my lower lip and smirk, remembering the panty-melting grin he gave me.

If I hadn’t already been looking for a one-night stand, he would’ve converted me.

“One thing led to another, and I ended up taking him home. I thought it would be a one-time thing until he asked me out afterward. We’ve been dating ever since. ”

“And it’s been what…four months now?” Kate smiles gleefully, like she’s already planning my wedding and dreaming about how our future children will play together.

“Yeah,” I reply nonchalantly, trying not to get too excited over the length of our relationship, even though it’s my longest one ever. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on us, but it’s going well… I think.”

Kate pours herself another glass of champagne and tops off mine and Anna’s glasses. “It seems pretty serious. You brought him to my wedding. No man voluntarily goes to a wedding if he’s not seriously interested in you.”

“I agree with Kate. He made a pretty big commitment to come here with a bunch of people he doesn’t know, especially when you’ve been preoccupied with wedding prep for the past couple of days.”

Anna’s not wrong. Logan and I haven’t been able to spend as much time together as I anticipated, but I’ve more than made up for it once we’re back in our suite at night. He should have absolutely no complaints.

I place my glass on the coffee table and stand.

“What do you gals want me to say?” I gesture with my arms widely.

“Fine. I’ll admit it’s possible he could be the so-called one.

It’s not like the thought hasn’t crossed my mind.

But it’s way too early; I don’t want to get ahead of myself.

Things always fall apart for me anytime I get my hopes up when it comes to men.

” My shoulders fall, remembering the countless guys I’ve dated over the past twenty years and how poorly those relationships ended, even going back to my high school days.

“Maybe I’m not meant to have a life partner.

Maybe Logan is merely for Mr. Right Now, and we’ll enjoy each other’s company until we don’t anymore.

Or until one of his extremely well-hidden red flags pops up. ”

Kate stands and walks over to me. “Or maybe he’s your future.

You have to let yourself dream, Chelsi. If anyone deserves happiness in the romance department, it’s you.

All I want is for you to find what I have with Jake.

” She takes my hand and glances in Anna’s direction. “That’s what I want for both of you.”

I know Kate means well and truly wants what’s best for me, but I also wonder whether she sees more potential in my future with Logan because she truly believes he could be the right match for me, or if she wants me to join her in blissful couple land, where she and Jake are the reigning monarchs.

“Let’s pick on Anna. She’s never explained what’s going on with her and Max, or why there is so much sexual animosity between her and Jason.

I swear they’re one argument away from having raging hate sex,” I say, trying to push the attention elswhere.

Max is Jake’s assistant and the walking description of a golden retriever in the body of a gorgeous man.

He’s incredibly thoughtful, kind, funny, and the perfect complement to Anna.

On the other hand, Jake’s manager, Jason, is the antithesis of Anna—cold, calculating, and a workaholic.

Jake swears there’s another side to Jason, and he can be endearing, but I have yet to see it.

Kate drops my hand and goes to sit by Anna on the other couch. “Yes, Anna, please tell us about what happens when Max stays over at your house.”

A flush climbs Anna’s chest to her neck and cheeks. “Nothing is going on with Max. We’re just friends. Occasionally, he needs a place to stay, so I help him out.”

“Uh-huh. By helping him out, do you mean riding his cock?” I ask, desperate to know if she’s mixing business with pleasure.

Kate bursts out laughing, unable to control herself, and I quickly follow.

It doesn’t take long until Anna is howling alongside us, effectively dodging the question about whether she and Max are occasional fuck buddies.

I’ll get it out of her eventually, as well as the truth behind why she loathes Jason so much. I’m nothing if not persistent.

Our laughter is interrupted when Kate’s mom, Deborah, clears her throat loudly, sending a not-so-subtle message that three thirty-something women shouldn’t be cackling at a five-star resort on her daughter’s wedding day.

The disapproving look she gives us, along with the no-nonsense eyes from the wedding planner, Susan, immediately curtails our fun.

“Glad to see you are all enjoying yourself,” Deborah says, raising her eyebrows and furrowing her brow when she sees a half-empty bottle of champagne on the table. “Hopefully, you didn’t overindulge before the ceremony.”

Kate winces slightly, curling her nails into her hands to help calm herself.

“Don’t worry, Debbie. None of us is going to do anything crazy like streak down the beach naked. At least, not during the day,” I reply with a smirk, intentionally trying to make Kate’s mom and Susan clutch their pearls. “No promises about once it gets dark. I do love Sex on the Beach.”

Deborah and Susan’s mouths drop open, shocked I would say something so bold in front of them. Or anyone. Frankly, it’s a tame statement. They should wait to see what comes out of my mouth once I’ve had a few more drinks.

“No need to worry, Mom. Chelsi’s talking about how she loves the drink, sex on the beach. She’s had a couple of them at the pool bar this week,” Kate adds, glaring at me out of the corner of her eye.

“Definitely wasn’t talking about the drink,” I mutter, hoping Debbie heard me or at least questions whether I meant what I said.

Normally, I’m not a big fan of actual sex on the beach because sand gets everywhere, and let’s be honest, there are places it should never go.

But it might be worth dealing with the irritation just to make Debbie squirm at brunch tomorrow. I bet Logan would be up for it.

Susan plasters on a smile, ignoring the awkwardness in the room. “All of you should start putting on your dresses. We have thirty minutes until we need to walk down the aisle.”

Kate’s entire face lights up as she grins widely, and her eyes brim with tears.

“No crying, Kate.” I place my arm around her shoulder. “You don’t want to mess up your makeup until after the pictures.”

“It wouldn’t matter. Jake would marry her with no makeup on, wearing a paper sack,” Anna adds. “I can’t wait to see the two of you become husband and wife after everything you’ve been through.”

Kate blots a tear, attempting not to smudge her mascara. “It’s finally happening. I get to marry the love of my life.”

“Not if you don’t get moving and put on your wedding dress,” Kate’s mom reminds her before walking out of the room.

“Time to get you hitched, Kate.” I stand, holding out my hand to help Kate up from the couch. “Time to start your happily ever after.”

Kate nods, blinking back happy tears. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be next, Chelsi.”

I chuckle and shake my head, not wanting to respond to the ridiculousness of that statement.

Even though there’s a small part of me hoping she’s right.