Chapter 25 #2
They’ve been friends since you gave Bennett the task to oversee the dock planning and he asked Jesse to consult with him. And you’d notice this if you weren’t always looking at your gorgeous reflection in the mirror. – Eden x
My gorgeous reflection huh? – West XXX
That’s what you got from my message? – Eden
She messages again a moment later.
Sorry, forgot the kiss you big baby. X - Eden
“Can you put the damn phone down,” Hudson says. “You’re giving me the jitters. Is there a problem at the resort?”
I quickly lock my phone. Because the last thing I need is him reading over my shoulder.
“A problem at the resort?” Bennett repeats, looking worried. “Do you need me to head over?”
“This guy is all in,” Jesse says, smiling at Bennett like they’re besties.
“Do you know he talks about the resort non-stop? When I picked him up earlier he had a thousand questions about tidal drift and average wind speeds. I had to point out that we were going out to get drunk, not to talk business.”
“Makes up for all the times you go on about guitars,” Hudson says, looking amused. He and Jesse have bonded a lot since they’ve become brothers-in-law. “I bet you’d bore Bennett stupid talking about Stratocasters.”
“You play guitar?” Bennett asks Jesse. “I play too.” He looks stupidly excited that they have something in common.
“You should come over some time,” Jesse says to him. “See my collection. We could jam.”
Hudson catches my eye and smiles, like we’re two moms happy our kids are bonding. Jesus, is this where we are now? We used to be fun.
Parker stands. “Who wants another drink?” he asks. “West, come help me.”
“I think you can carry six glasses of whiskey by yourself,” I point out.
“But I’m getting snacks too.”
“Snacks?” Hudson asks. “What are we, five?”
Parker shrugs. “Autumn made a charcuterie board. I made a man board.”
“What’s on it?” Asher asks, looking interested now.
“Jerky, pretzels, and those chips shaped like little horns,” Parker says. “Oh, and wings if we don’t eat them all before we head back out. Come on, man, help me out,” he says to me.
“Okay, I’m coming.” I reluctantly follow him. A moment later, laughter erupts around the firepit.
“Where’s the heart attack on a plate?” I ask Parker when the kitchen door closes behind us.
“I lied. I don’t have one. They’ll have forgotten about it by the time we go back out.
” Parker opens the fridge and grabs a couple of bottles of water instead, setting them on the counter.
His easy smile fades, and for the first time all night he looks serious.
“I wanted to get you away from them,” he says quietly. “We need to talk about Eden.”
His words hit me like a bucket of cold water.
“What about her?” I ask, keeping my voice easy as I pop open one of the bottles and take a sip. “If she’s been complaining to Autumn about me refusing to get a black water system, tell me if you’d want to swim in your own shit.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Parker says, wincing at the thought. “I want to talk the fact you’re married. And the fact you and her…” He lets out a breath. “have consummated the marriage.”
My stomach tightens. Shit. And then I force an easy grin on my face. “Jesus, you had me there for a minute.” I laugh. “Me and Eden? Don’t even go there.”
Parker doesn’t smile. He just leans back against the counter, arms folded, giving me the kind of steady look that makes it impossible to joke my way out of this.
“Don’t waste your breath denying it, man.
Eden told Autumn. Autumn told me. You married her in Vegas, then you moved her in with you. ” He shakes his head.
“Eden told Autumn?”
He sighs. “Yeah. And I really wish she hadn’t told me, but she did and…
fuck.” He pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
“I don’t want to get caught up in this. I don’t want to know what’s going on.
” He looks at me with the kind of annoyance he used to get when we were in college and his team lost a game.
“I’m not judging you. God knows I fell for Autumn when I shouldn’t have.
And I hid it from Hudson for way too long like the pussy I was.
But you? What are you doing? Eden’s young.
She’s vulnerable. And you should know better than to be toying with her emotions. ”
“You think I’m toying with her?” I ask, my voice low.
“You’re sleeping with our best friend’s sister.”
“She’s my wife,” I correct him, and he lifts a brow. “And you know nothing about what’s going on.”
“Then explain it to me,” he says, looking like he’s desperate to be anywhere but here. “So I can calm my own damn wife down. I’d prefer she not run straight to Hudson and initiate World War Three.”
I shake my head. “There’s nothing to explain. This is between me and Eden and nobody else.” And right now I want to strangle her pretty neck for putting me in this position. She told Autumn and let me walk into this without a warning?
“You see, this is the problem,” Parker says, his voice low.
“It’ll never be between just you and Eden.
She’s family, West. You sleep with her, you break her heart, and it’s all of us who are left picking up the pieces.
You get that, right? You get that Hudson will implode and I’ll be in the middle?
Because he’s never going to accept you and Eden doing this. ”
“He accepted you,” I point out.
Parker lets out a rough laugh, but there’s no humor in it.
“Yeah, after months of me proving myself. After I showed him I wasn’t going anywhere.
That Autumn was it for me. And even then he still nearly kicked my ass.
But you? We all know you won’t stick around.
I can’t think of a single serious relationship you’ve had since that one actress.
Celina? Celeste? I can’t remember. All I know is she dumped you because you couldn’t commit.
” He shakes his head. “Why couldn’t you stop yourself?
Why couldn’t you be the grown up you’re supposed to be.
Eden’s a kid. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“She’s twenty-five. Not a kid.” I hate the way he’s looking at me. Like I’m the villain here. The three of us have been brothers in every way but blood since we roomed together freshman year.
“She cried, did you know that?” Parker asks.
I blink. “What?”
“When she told Autumn, she cried.”
My stomach tightens. “Why?”
“Because she’s afraid, I guess. And instead of going to you she talked to her sister.”
“Afraid of me?” My jaw tightens. I don’t like the thought of her crying about me to Autumn one bit.
Parker lets out a long groan, like he’d rather be anywhere but here.
“You don’t get it, do you? You married her. You’ve… done whatever it is you’ve done with her. You even sent her breakfast.”
He knows about that too? What the hell is it with women and sharing?
“Of course I sent her breakfast. I had to leave for work before she woke up. I’m not a complete asshole.”
“She’s fucking falling for you, you idiot.”
The words hit me like a slug to the jaw. I open my mouth but no sound comes out.
“She’s not the kind of woman who can separate sex from love,” Parker continues, like I’m not already reeling. “You’re using her, you’re going to break her heart, and she’s gonna be devastated. And so will I.”
“You?”
He nods. “Yeah, because I’m going to be forced to choose between the guy who’s been my brother for almost two decades, and the woman I married. And though it’ll kill me, we both know there’s no choice here.” His voice cracks and the knife twists more.
“Nobody has to choose,” I tell him. “I’ve got this covered. It’s going to be fine. When have I ever let you down?”
Parker studies me for a long moment, his jaw tight, his eyes searching like he’s trying to see through the bullshit I’ve built around myself. “Then for all our sakes, you better hope you don’t mess this up. Because if you do… this won’t end clean, West. It’ll end bloody.”
I say nothing for a minute. The cocktail of annoyance, fear, and confusion is all too much for me to think clearly. And then my phone buzzes.
You haven’t messaged me for ten minutes. Is everything okay? – Eden XXX
Jesus, she even sent me kisses unprompted.
My hand tightens on the phone until my knuckles ache. She’s falling for me? And maybe I’m falling for her too.
The thought is terrifying. Unacceptable. I push it away and do the only thing I can. I grab control.
I’m leaving right now. I’ll be there in ten minutes. You better be waiting for me, wife. – West