Be Your Forever (Love in the Suburbs #2)

Chapter 1

Brianna

Somewhere lost in the atmosphere

Smile. Pretend you aren’t slowly dying inside.

This is your best friend’s wedding for fuck’s sake.

The least you can do is pretend. My smile has been permanently plastered on my face since this morning.

Me, Avery, and Cas’ grandmother, Evelyn, have been in the bridal suite for hours with the two of them sending worried glances my way. You’d think I’m dying.

Dying. Death. Accident. Max.

I went a solid five seconds without thinking about him, about that day. I feel the familiar panic bubbling up my throat, and I run into the adjoining bathroom.

It’s hard to breathe, but I can’t let Avery see me like this. It’s her special day. She’s marrying her best friend, the love of her life, and I’m here ruining it with my bullshit. You’re the worst. Avery should have never chosen you as her maid of honor. What kind of friend are you?

A soft knock on the door halts my thoughts before my best friend’s buttery voice sounds from the other side. “Bri? A-Are you okay?”

Am I okay? That’s a loaded question, one I don’t have any real answer to. The day of the accident changed so much, dousing me in numbing cream from head to toe. I can’t seem to get a grasp on how I feel, and I’m left figuring out how to do life like this.

The sound of knocking shakes me out of my thoughts a second time.

Avery. Wedding. Maid of honor.

I swallow the panic as oxygen slides down my lungs, soothing the anxiety like a warm mug of tea when you’re sick. My jittery fingers allow the cool, smooth sensation of the doorknob to center me before I plaster a smile on my face and swing it open.

“I’m great. I just needed a moment to fix my makeup. I don’t want to look like a raccoon in your wedding photos. What would people think?”

Avery blinks up at me, face scrunched with concern. She doesn’t believe me—I know she doesn’t. She opens her mouth to speak, but I interrupt her.

“Anyway, it’s not about me. It’s your day, so let’s get you into your dress. Let’s go! Cas is going to faint when he sees you.”

With her hand in mine, I’m dragging toward her floor length, mermaid style wedding dress.

She takes off the white robe the venue supplied and I, along with Evelyn, help her into the stunning gown.

It fits her like a glove. Seriously, when we went shopping, she tried it on and needed zero alterations.

It’s an off the shoulder dress with lace trim and a small train, and she’s absolutely beautiful.

Even in my haze-filled mind, I can appreciate her beauty.

Her usual ivory skin gives off a subtle tanned glow, illuminating her freckles like diamonds.

Her soft, wavy hair is in a low ponytail resting over her right shoulder with pearls woven throughout. She’s an absolute vision.

“You look beautiful, Avery.” Evelyn has been a blubbering mess the entire time.

If I wasn’t so lost in my head, I’d be joining her.

We all stare in the mirror as the photographer takes a million and one photos.

I make sure my smile is a permanent fixture on my face.

The last thing Avery needs is to look back on these memories and see my dead expression.

After another hour or so, it’s time to get everyone lined up as I prepare to walk down the aisle. My body might be physically here, but emotionally and mentally? It’s lost somewhere in the atmosphere. My guess is it never left the hospital.

Cas and Avery decided to do things non-traditionally.

Yes, they have a bridal party, but we all get to walk down the aisle by ourselves and then sit in the designated front row.

That’s where I find Asher. He’s already sitting down, his eyes glued to me.

I don’t pay much attention to him, but I take my assigned seat and stare at the altar.

If I keep my focus there, then I don’t have to see the crowd of concerned faces I’m sure are burning holes into my back.

Despite my better judgement, my eyes flicker to the empty seat next to Asher.

Panic surrounds me like an early morning fog, a thickness so intense I can barely see a few feet in front of me. Instead of watching the celebration of love, visions of that day assault my brain, taunting me mercilessly.

January 2026

I love hanging out with my brother. Max and I have always been super close, pretty much attached at the hip since we were little.

Since becoming adults, however, we haven’t had much time to get together as much as we used to.

So it was nice having him here with me. Our usual sibling banter is in full swing, tossing jabs at each other left and right.

Just like old times. Conversation flows easily.

We talk about Avery and Cas’ upcoming wedding next month.

Everything’s perfect. Until it isn’t.

Squeal.

Crash.

My body jolts forward, slamming against something solid and cold. I can’t hear anything besides the ringing in my ears.

What happened? Why does my head hurt? Questions plague my mind, but I’m discombobulated.

Despite the pain, I shift my head toward Max’s direction, only to have a dreadful cold overtake my body.

It feels as if I stepped into a walk-in freezer.

The faint sound of sirens is like the ominous music that plays in scary movies when something is about to happen.

But all I can see is him. Max. Slumped over. Immobile. Every rational thought evacuates my body as black flecks dance across my vision.

I hardly remember how I got to the hospital, only that I’m here. The doctors and nurses say I’m lucky to walk away with only a few stitches and a mild concussion.

Lucky? How am I lucky when I learn shortly after that my brother is in a coma? They try to get me to focus on myself and not worry about my brother. It’s not until I’m screaming at the top of my lungs that they finally cave.

Coma.

That word is a dagger straight to the heart. The doctors are hopeful he’ll make a full recovery, but they’re wrong all the time, right? They tell me it’s to reduce swelling so they can operate on him, but my mind attaches to the word ‘coma’ like a tick on a dog. There is no shaking it off.

Everything is different now. I’m different. A familiar, deep, masculine voice sounds from the hallway. My feet carry me before my brain has time to process. That’s when I see him. My heart seeks his like a bee chasing after nectar.

The feel of Asher’s warm, callused hand on my thigh grounds me to the present moment.

His soft, blue eyes stare into mine, and a calmness washes over me.

I can’t explain it, but I feel safe. As quickly as I look into his eyes, I’m turning away.

I don’t want to see his soft expression turn to pity.

And I can’t bear to look at the empty chair anymore.

I keep my gaze trained forward, focus on breathing through my nose, and continually blink back the tears that threaten to blow my cover.

I somehow manage to get through the ceremony, smiling and laughing like I should.

Like I’m supposed to. I’ve successfully dodged my parents like they are the plague.

I can’t look into their grief-stricken eyes anymore, knowing I’m the cause for their pain.

After everything happened, I hid within the comfort of my own home.

For about two weeks, I tried to pretend like everything was fine, when on the inside, I was rotting away.

The irony of it all is that my bedroom is a perfect representation of that.

I clung to my couch like a barnacle on the side of a ship.

I couldn’t look my parents in the eyes and pretend everything was okay.

In the comfort of my own home, I could shut out the outside world, crawl into my hole and wallow—something I’ve exceeded expectations on.

On the outside, I’m smiling, shaking hands, and expressing gratitude for being here. On the inside, I’m counting down the hours until I can change into my favorite pair of sweats, crawl under my covers, and pretend life outside the four walls of my bedroom don’t exist.

I’ve been glued to my seat, repeatedly checking my watch.

Twenty more minutes. It’s socially acceptable to stay for twenty more minutes, then you can pull an Irish goodbye and leave.

I glance up, trying to place where Cas and Avery are so that they don’t see me leaving.

I don’t want to hurt their feelings. I just…

I can’t be here. But instead of finding them, I see a familiar pair of baby blue eyes next to me.

Asher. He hasn’t left the table all night.

Many people have asked him to dance, and he’s politely declined every time.

“Y-You don’t have to babysit me, Asher. You can go dance and have fun. I’m probably bringing down your vibe.”

Asher’s hand finds my thigh again, squeezing just hard enough that I’m forced to look into his eyes. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than next to you.”

His kindness is something I don’t deserve.

I mean, Max is his best friend. I’m just…

the sister of said best friend. I nod my head, choosing not to entertain the conversation I don’t have the energy for.

After the allotted twenty minutes is up, I make the excuse of needing to pee.

If Asher notices that I’m bringing my jacket and purse to the bathroom, he doesn’t comment on it.

I call myself an Uber, and within five minutes, I’m hightailing it out of here.

Thank you to my driver, Geo, for being two minutes away. Easiest five star rating ever.

I’m so happy for my best friend. She deserves all the good things in life, but I just can’t let her down. I once called her my little Eeyore, but now I’ve taken on that role, and I don’t want her to be dragged down into the pit of darkness I’ve found myself in.