Chapter Eleven #2
“Nothing. It’s lunchtime. I’m taking a break in the park.”
“Didn’t look like it to me. We hardly had a chance to talk at my party.”
My smile turned into a smirk. “In case you don’t remember, you were kinda wasted.”
A pained expression crossed his face. “Oh, yeah. Took me all Sunday to recover. No more tequila shots for me. And I had to hear about it from Lauren. She was not pleased.”
I cackled. “Not even married and already getting lectured. Man, you are in trouble,” I singsonged.
“Speaking of being in trouble, I saw you left with Bailey. You guys dating now?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t date. You know that.”
“What I know is that you were having fun with him.” The normally harsh lines of his face softened.
“I haven’t seen you like that in a long time.
” He put a hand on my arm, and despite him being my brother, I tensed, but he held on.
“Not since Carlos. I didn’t have the chance to see you two together for long before—”
“He’s nothing like Carlos. What the hell, Grady?” Panic welled up inside me, and all the hurt and anger threatened to burst out of me. “I gotta go. I’ve got clients soon.”
“I didn’t say he was like Carlos. He doesn’t have to be. But I watched you at my party. Your face…your smile was genuine, you looked alive.”
What the hell was I supposed to say in response?
Not the truth, for sure. Bailey scared the hell out of me because it was all so damn easy with him.
The laughter and jokes. The teasing and banter.
I didn’t have to worry about being myself—if Bailey didn’t like something I said, he challenged me.
And if I told him to lay off, he didn’t badger me.
“Bro, you were trashed at the party, who’re you kidding?”
Of course my brush-off didn’t work. “Maybe so, but it wasn’t too hard to see. And Lauren barely had one drink. She mentioned it to me as well.”
“Well, she’s a smart lady. You’re a lucky guy.”
“I know it. She’s the one.”
“Damn. That’s…that’s great, Grady.”
“I’m tired of the scene. I’m ready to settle down, make a family. I’m in a great place in life. I’ve got my brother, and now I want it all. Wife, kids, even a damn dog.”
Shit, why were my eyes tearing up? I didn’t get emotional about stuff like this. “You deserve it.”
He put a hand on my shoulder. “So do you, baby brother.”
Unwilling to accept that, I shook him off and got to my feet. “As I said, I got a client in a few.”
Dogging my steps, Grady came along into the shop, where, as I feared, Ambrose jumped on him.
“Grady. I’m glad to see you. What do you think?”
Grady’s brow furrowed. “About what?”
“My brother.”
Ignoring Ambrose’s death glare in my direction, I fixed Grady with a plea in my eyes. Thanks to his intuitiveness, he picked up on my signal and took out his phone as if it buzzed with a message, which I knew, standing beside him, it hadn’t.
“Damn, I have an emergency at the office. I’ll talk to you about it soon, Ambrose. But, Keston, can you come here for a sec?”
He pulled me to the front of the shop, and believing it was about Ambrose jumping at him about Lucas, I apologized.
“Bro, I’m sorry. He never lets up about his brother, but I don’t want to bother you with it.”
“Not a problem. Maybe next week, but I did come by for a reason.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s up?”
For the first time, Grady seemed nervous, and he ran a hand through his thick waves. “I’ve…I’m gonna propose to Lauren, and I want to throw a party.”
My jaw dropped. “Whoa. That’s…congratulations.” We hugged. I truly was glad for him.
“I’m gonna do it Thursday night, and I’ve taken Friday off and rented a place up in the mountains. I want you to come—you have to, as my brother.” He paused. “And best man.”
Something twisted in my chest. Since we’d discovered each other, Grady had made every effort to include me in his life, yet I still didn’t quite believe I measured up to him.
Grady was a college man, a PhD, and a partner in a law firm.
Soon to be married to the perfect woman and starting a family.
He’d managed to move beyond our troubled beginnings.
Then there was me. Problem teen, barely made it through high school, with the only person who’d ever known the real me gone forever.
“Me? Best man?” The words squeezed through the tight achiness of my throat.
“Yeah.” He smiled at me. “Who else but my only family and best friend? Please? We’re having Lauren’s close friends and mine.
It’s spur-of-the-moment, and her sisters can’t make it, so they’re coming next week.
I need you there, or it just won’t be right.
I know you work weekends, but can you take the time off? ”
“Yeah, of course.” My lips formed the words without a second thought. “I’m happy for you, Grady. And Lauren.”
“She loves you.” He checked his watch. “And now I really do have to go.” His voice dropped low so only I could hear, although I saw Ambrose eyeing us. “Ambrose is still convinced his brother is innocent?”
No way was I going to bug Grady now about Ambrose’s loser brother. He had important things to think about.
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay. I’ll text you the address.”
He walked out the door, and my client came in. The afternoon kept me busy as hell, and it wasn’t until I was at home and lying on my couch, sucking down some drunken noodles, that I checked my phone.
As promised, Grady had texted the address of the cabin.
Somewhere up in buttfuck New York. I’d have to check train schedules, since I wasn’t about to rent a car.
I hadn’t driven in years—thank you, New York City MTA—and it looked far enough away that I had no desire to get behind the wheel and get stuck in traffic.
And taking the Harley wasn’t even a question.
No other messages from anyone else.
Anyone meaning Bailey.
I didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved.
“You’re a fool. He’s probably banging whomever he had waiting in his apartment. You were a walk on the wild side for Mr. Suit and Tie.”