Chapter 3
THREE
Willow
I honestly can’t believe I’ve let Brock talk me into such a ridiculous idea. Pretend to be a couple?
However, when I see Lake’s face in the lobby of the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, I almost feel triumphant. He notices Brock’s arm around my shoulders first. Is that a hint of jealousy I detect?
I think it is, and I swell at the sight.
I beam as Paxton makes his way over, Lake following briefly behind him.
“Brock, how was the flight?” Paxton asks, and Brock drops his arm from around me to wrap his older brother in a hug. “Willow, were you two on the same flight?” He wraps me into a quick hug, his eyes searching both mine and Brock’s for answers.
“Of course we were, silly,” I say, trying to pretend that Paxton already knows that Brock and I are an item.
“I had to fly out with my girl,” Brock says, wrapping his arm back around me and tucking me into his side. “Lake,” he says, giving a little head nod to him.
Lake’s blue eyes narrow slightly, and he nods. “What’s up, Brock? Your girl?”
“Yes,” I chime in, a little more bravado in my voice than should be. “Brock and I are dating. Oh, did you not know that, Lake?” I ask him, a hint of pity in my voice, like he’s not privy to the happenings of the Atwood clan like I am.
I wish he wasn’t here. I can feel my bravado slipping, but Brock keeps his arm wrapped tightly around me, and I’m thankful it’s keeping my legs from collapsing.
“Oh my god,” Hartford’s voice sounds from somewhere far behind me. “Unhand her, Brock.”
Brock and I spin around to spot Hartford and Anya standing there, their eyes assessing the situation with laser-focus.
“What are you doing?” Anya asks, her eyes trained right on me.
“Brock and I are dating,” I say, my voice thin and threadbare now. My confidence is shot.
“Since when?” Hartford asks.
Brock only tugs me closer to his side. “It’s still new. We didn’t want to tell anyone just yet, until we knew this thing was real.”
I love how quickly he’s coming up with all the lies.
“But you two hate each other,” Anya says, and I blow out a breath of exasperation.
“Sexual tension,” I tell her, and I smile when I get the reaction I was hoping for.
Anya turns her nose up and makes a face of disgust as her boyfriend, Griffin, walks over and drapes an arm over her shoulders.
“What did I miss?” he asks, searching the faces of the small crowd we now have forming.
“Brock and Willow, apparently they’re a thing. You realize your couple name is Brillow, right? Like a Brillo Pad.”
“A what pad?” Brock asks.
Anya pulls me aside, and I was honestly waiting for this. She’s going to be the toughest sell of this whole facade. “Are you kidding?”
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth, wondering if I should just come clean with Brock’s older sister.
Anya and I have been besties since the second grade. She’s got five brothers, and I’ve also got five brothers. We found each other, and had so much in common, how could we not relate?
I met Hartford through Anya. Through the Atwood’s, and now as Anya stares at me, wondering how on earth I’ve come to start dating her younger brother, she’s furious.
She can tell I’m lying. I’m sure of it.
“Remember how you and Griffin kept your relationship a secret from everyone?”
Anya parks a hand on her hip. “We kept it a secret from my brother. I still told you, though.”
I swipe my brown curls away from my face.
“I should have told you. It’s so new. I didn’t want to have anything go wrong between us if things didn’t work out.
” Yes, this is a perfect angle I can use.
So now, I drive my point home, “You’re my best friend.
I had to be sure what Brock and I had is important enough to tell you, because if it isn’t I don’t want to risk our friendship. ”
Anya’s eyes soften. “You can always tell me anything. When Brock and Millie broke up, I didn’t fault her for it.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Anya smiles. “It’s just going to take some getting used to.”
Hartford joins our little huddle. “Are you seriously dating him?”
Anya nods, completely on board and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Yes, they are. She didn’t want to tell us because she was afraid it wouldn’t work out between them.
” She smiles at Hartford, and then focuses her attention back on me.
“How long have you two been…” her words fall away, and omg, I know exactly what she’s thinking.
She’s thinking about Brock and I having sex.
Gross.
“We haven’t done that yet,” I rush out. “We’ve barely done anything at all. Mainly just talking, getting to know each other.”
Anya and Hartford share a look.
“Maybe that all changes this week,” Hartford says with a waggle of her eyebrows.
“Gross,” Anya and I say in unison.
Anya gives me a look, probably wondering why I’m saying gross to sex with a man I’m currently supposed to be dating.
I need to get my act together.
I giggle, like it’s all a big fucking joke, and return to Brock. Lake has left, but now Brock’s youngest brother, Tripp has joined the cluster.
“Hey Willow,” Tripp says, and he glances over at Paxton. “Anyone seen Callum?”
Paxton shakes his head. “He’s coming in a few days before the actual wedding. Says he couldn’t leave the brewery that long.” Paxton rolls his green eyes, and Hartford wraps her arms around him.
“You know how devoted your older brother is.”
Paxton huffs. “I thought he’d be able to take off one fucking week.”
I watch as Paxton and Hartford look so in love with one another. It makes me wonder if I should be groping Brock more.
I don’t.
I’ve known the Atwood’s for a very long time, and Callum’s the eldest brother. A true workhorse. He started the brewery with his two younger brothers, Shepherd, and Paxton, and their good friend, Griffin. Together the four of them made Atta Boy Brewery and Restaurant what it is today.
Once Brock turned eighteen, he started working there. He’s now twenty-two, and I’m twenty-four. Not a huge age gap, but I’m sure I’ll get some robbing the cradle jokes soon enough.
Anya and I have been best friends for ever, and I honestly have never really gotten along with Brock.
When we were younger, he was a bully. Anya and I would play with Monster High dolls in her room, and Brock would always be there, being that typical pesky younger brother.
Tripp is the youngest, and together Brock and Tripp would make it a habit of picking on Anya and me.
Once we got older, Brock was always just there. Being annoying.
We have fought more than we’ve ever had an actual conversation. I think it’s because Brock enjoys pushing my buttons.
This is never going to work.
Brock must see the apprehension on my face, and he steps over, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Ready to go up to the room and freshen up before we head to dinner?”
I gaze up into his soft brown eyes and smile. “Sure thing, babe.” The babe feels wrong, and I swear Brock even flinches as I say it, but nobody else appears to even notice a thing.
We say a quick goodbye to everyone, and we check in. Once we finally make it up to the room, I hesitate before stepping over the threshold.
“Are we sure?” I ask him.
He raises a brow. “We’ve already sort of committed, don’t you think?”
I let out a deep breath, and enter the room, letting him shut the door behind me. “Did Lake say anything after I got pulled away by Anya?”
Brock studies me for a quick second before shaking his head. “Said, congrats, buddy. Lake has never called me buddy before.”
“Do you think he was jealous?”
Brock smiles wide. “Definitely. And tonight we’re all going to dinner. You should wear a sexy dress to let him know what he’s missing.”
I lug my suitcase onto the bed. I unzip it, looking for my little blue dress. The one I bought especially to make Lake jealous. “How about this?” I ask, pulling it out of my suitcase.
Brock blinks. “Is that a dress? Or a shirt?”
I laugh lightly. “It’s a bodycon dress.”
“I don’t know what that means, but yes, wear it.”
“I’m going to take a shower and get ready.”
Brock nods. “I’m gonna get ready quickly, and I’ll meet you downstairs at the bar next to the check in, okay?”
I nod. “Give me about thirty minutes, and I’ll see you there.”
Brock steps closer. “One thing. You sort of stiffened a bit when I put my arm around you when Lake was there. For this to look real, we need to act like we’ve done this before.”
I blink as he steps closer. “Right. I told Anya and Hartford that we haven’t had sex yet.”
Brock nods. “Okay. Come here, let’s practice a few things.”
I step closer, holding my breath for what’s to come. “All right.”
He lifts his hand, his finger tracing down my face. “If I touch you like this, you shouldn’t flinch. You shouldn’t shake.”
However, my legs are slightly shaking, and not for the reasons he thinks.
“Okay,” I whisper. My heart pounds in my chest, and as I gaze into Brock's eyes, I notice they have a faint green ring around the pupil. His eyes are brown, but there’s this green ring, making his eyes more exotic.
I want to keep staring but feel awkward.
I back up a bit, and his arm snakes around my waist.
He traces his finger down my cheek, across my jaw, and down the column of my throat. “Just getting acquainted with you.”
Chills skate across my heated skin. “Okay,” I choke out.
“Feel free to touch me too,” he says with a small laugh.
I remember this is Brock. Anya’s baby brother, and pull away. “I should get ready.”
“Okay, I’ll be at the bar.”
I beeline across the room, making my way into the bathroom. I shut the door, leaning my back against it, sucking in a lungful of air. What the hell am I thinking?
This is a terrible idea.
But before I can think twice about it, my phone dings from the pocket of my jeans. I pull it out, glancing down at the screen to find a text message from Lake.
Asshole (DO NOT ANSWER): Can we talk?
Mother fluffer, it’s working. My ex. Lake’s texted me. A warmth radiates outward from my chest as I read the message over and over. This plan of Brock’s is working, now I need to get ready to look my best tonight. I’ve got an ex to make jealous.