Summer with a Brother’s Best Friend (Love Beach Collection)

19. Reece

19

Only a few more hours and then I’m free.

I repeat the words like I can somehow will this party to go smoothly and to my mother’s standards even though she claimed the details didn’t matter.

They did.

Good Lord, did they matter.

“Hey Ba… Reece,” Isaac catches himself as my eyes flare wide, “where do you want these flowers?”

“Those go over on the gift table,” I say, pointing across the room as I will my heart rate to slow. We’re too close to the end of keeping our relationship a secret to blow it now, but I’m craving his touch more than ever.

Especially today.

I’m so focused on sorting the favors I don’t hear Maddox come in behind me.

“Hey, Reece.”

“Hey, Brother,” I say, immediately defensive even though I don’t want to be. “Can you go get the balloons from my car?”

He doesn’t answer, lingering in the room before huffing and spinning on his heels. I don’t have time for this today, but more than that, I hate that we’ve been practically strangers since I’ve been back.

“Baby, are you okay?” Isaac asks, wrapping his arms around me and letting me bury my face in his chest. We shouldn’t be doing this, but I can’t deny how badly I need his strength right now.

“I’m so tired,” I admit, listening for footsteps outside the room and hearing none.

“Well, I did keep you up late,” Isaac murmurs, tilting my chin up with his finger to lick along the seam of my lips, forcing a giggle from me before fully pressing his mouth to mine. This is what I needed, and?—

“What the fuck is this?!” Maddox’s voice booms through the space, making me jump as I turn to face him.

Hours pass in the span of seconds as I watch a myriad of emotions flit across my brother’s face.

“I’m not doing this today,” he barks, stomping down the hall back toward the parking lot.

“No!” I growl, chasing after him, with Isaac right behind me. “Mads, you’re going to listen to me. This has gone on long enough!”

“Not today, Sissy.”

“Dammit, Mads!” My heels click against the pavement as he finally stops to face me.

“You’re together now, aren’t you? You couldn’t even tell me? You’re doing exactly what I asked you not to do!”

“Yeah, we’re together and we’re happy, and I need you to be happy for us!”

“I get that you wanted more than Love Beach, but why couldn’t you just stay? Why did it take you so long to come back?”

“I am staying! If you would’ve pulled your head out of your ass for five seconds, I would have been able to tell you that. But you’re too busy spending every waking moment obsessed with your job instead of putting that time into building a relationship with the first girl who’s ever been able to tolerate you!” My words are loud and hurtful, but I can’t stop them, and even though I should want to take them back, I don’t. He needs to hear them as much as I needed to say them.

Car doors slam, and belatedly, I know it’s Marigold and someone else, but I can’t take my eyes off Maddox. He’s angry and hurt and so am I. He was right. We shouldn’t be doing this here, but we’re like a freight train running off the tracks.

“It’s not about leaving you, Mads. I needed space, and I needed to be somewhere where I was just me, where I could avoid disappointing our parents for not going into nursing, where I wasn’t just your sister.”

“But you couldn’t tell me? You couldn’t tell me any of that, so you just broke his heart right along with mine?”

Logan materializes next to me, nodding toward the cake in his hands. The cake for my parents.

For their anniversary party.

Shit.

“Ladies, come help me take this inside,” he says to me and Marigold, and I follow because it’s too much, and I need a minute to breathe.

But there’s no time for that because as soon as the cake is on the table, Logan spins on both of us.

“Talk,” he says pointedly at me.

“I almost murdered my brother, but I can’t because he loves you,” I admit with a huff as I look at Marigold.

“Pretty sure I would’ve helped you bury his body.”

Logan motions at his clothes. “These are not ‘let’s commit felonies’ clothes.”

“And he hasn’t said he loves me.”

I snort and then turn and take Marigold’s hand. “Take it from the girl who suppressed her feelings for her brother’s best friend and then was sneaking around with him all summer.” We exchange a grin before sobering. “I want you to be happy, and if my brother is the one who does that,”—I swallow hard—“you need to fight for him. He’s not always easy to love, but he’s a good man.”

“And hot,” Logan says and we chuckle. “Ready?” I know he’s not just asking her, but I am ready. I’m ready to rebuild my relationship with my brother, I’m ready to start my life with Isaac, and I’m ready to finally let myself be happy in Love Beach.

Nodding, we follow the path back out into the parking lot where Isaac and Maddox are still engaged in a heated conversation.

But it’s not about us—it’s about him and Marigold, and my heart swells as my brother finally realizes his girl is behind him.

It’s the rawest moment I’ve ever witnessed—Maddox pouring his heart out and giving in to his own happily ever after.

My smile grows as I wrap myself around Isaac and smirk. “Do you get it now, Maddox?” Waving between our respective partners, I add, “She’s my friend, he’s yours; pretty easy to blur that line.”

We laugh and talk about what’s to come—what we can look forward to. I tell him more about my job at the high school and my struggle with our mother’s constant criticism. Maddox seems surprised by the latter, but now’s not the time to do a deep dive on twenty plus years of failed expectations.

“I needed something more than just being your sister, and I needed to follow my dreams. Nursing school was never part of that.”

My brother nods, taking it all in, and I’m thankful to finally share my feelings with him.

It’s only belatedly that I realize my parents have arrived, my mother taking the opportunity to remind us that the party will be starting soon.

And are you sure everything is ready?

I nod, my father offering encouraging words for my mother and us. But my mother has never left well enough alone, and like she can’t help herself, she has to have the last word. Specifically, how she can’t believe I’m still complaining about nursing not being my calling and we know your little teaching job is important to you.

Isaac’s hand reaches for mine as Logan pops up to usher everyone into the hall.

It’s a blessing and a curse we were interrupted, because I don’t have the energy to fight with her today.

So while we follow everyone inside, I repeat the mantra I started the day with.

Only a few more hours and then I’m free.