Chapter 1
Damon
Growing up thirty miles outside of Hershey, PA, in a little farming town by the name of Bitterhill with a population of less than a thousand people means that everyone knows everyone. The entire town shuts down for Friday night football, weddings, and funerals. Our school system still consists of just one building for preschool all the way up until freshman year of high school, when we all go to the county high school until graduation.
Nearly every boy that stayed in this town has married a girl he’s known since he was born. It may sound awful, but there’s also a good chance that we’ve all dated one of our buddy’s girls at one time too. Only the ones who got the hell out of here end up marrying someone new.
Gavin and Quinn? They fall into the first scenario. Gavin and Quinn have been in love with each other since middle school, and I think we all knew that one day we’d be standing here watching the two of them exchange vows.
The entire town is seated in our little small-town church. Not a single store or business is open today. Each pew is full of familiar faces that I’ve known my entire life. Pastor Harold, who has been the minister at this church for as long as I can remember, is officiating the ceremony while Gavin and Quinn’s parents look on from the front row with pride.
As his best man, I’ve got the distinct honor of being at his side. My twin brother Curtis and another of our childhood friends – Stone Montgomery – serve as the groomsmen.
Back in the day, the four of us were inseparable until high school, where shit got weird, and Stone seemed to fall out of touch with everyone. Then shortly after graduation, me and my brother joined the military and got the hell out of town for a while.
Unlike Curtis, I came back after a four-year stint in the Navy and took over the family cattle farm with a whole lot of help from Gavin. Curtis decided to make a career as an Army Ranger and only recently retired after eighteen years to take a job with the government doing God knows what.
As for Stone, well – that’s a whole other story. One that I’m still not sure about. The only thing that is for certain is that he’s not the same kid we knew growing up. The man is more mysterious now than Curtis, who earned the call sign Dark Night because he always came off dark and ominous, hiding in the shadows. Doesn’t matter. When it counts, we all know Stone’s only a phone call away if we ever need a helping hand. Many times over the last few years, Stone and I have leaned on each other when it came to running our respective ranches like well-oiled machines. Of course, it certainly didn’t hurt that Stone seemed to know machinery better than anyone around and loved maintaining them, a trade that I didn’t know nearly enough about.
“You may now kiss the bride.” Pastor Harold finally announces after what feels like the longest ceremony ever.
Gavin cups Quinn’s face in his hands and does just that. The wedding guests all cheer as my best friend and business partner seals the deal on his marriage to the only woman he’s ever had eyes for.
Gavin finally lets Quinn come up for air, and the organ starts playing. I’m pulled back to the here and now. The entire church is on their feet as Pastor Harold introduces the newlyweds to the guest, and together they walk hand and hand down the aisle with huge smiles on their faces. I have no doubt that those two have a one-of-a-kind love. The kind of love like my parents have, and Gavin and Quinn’s parents. The one that’s going to last forever.
When it’s my turn, I take my cue, moving to the middle of the alter to link arms with Kinsley June, Quinn’s best friend, who is two years younger than the rest of us. She smiles up at me and blushes as she loops her arm in mine. For a split second, I think about potentially hooking up with her after the reception, then swiftly decide against it. Don’t get me wrong. Kinsley is pretty fucking hot. She’s exactly my type: fun, flirty, not looking for commitment, and I know we’re sexually compatible. Trust me, I know. I’ve been there before with Kinsley have absolutely zero complaints.
The thing is, I want something more. The erratic feeling has been rolling around in my mind for weeks, months even. That restless feeling where you just can’t figure out what you want, but you know it’s more than what you got.
What the hell is wrong with me? I wish I knew. It’s got to have something to do with these damn wedding bells. Surely all the getting married and having babies talk has gotten to me and makes me want to run for the hills to do something crazy.
Regardless, I don’t have time to worry about any of that right now.
The rest of the bridal party makes it down the aisle, and we all gather at the back of the church to mingle with the guest while Gavin and Quinn greet everyone with a traditional receiving line. Curtis’ fiancée Gidget finds us, and he takes the chance to introduce her to our hometown while they wait in line. I carefully watch the two of them, how they interact together and how Gigi – as she insisted we all call her, seems to fit right in, despite her city girl roots and rich family ties. Together they look content even if there’s still that edge to my brother that I can’t seem to place, not to mention the daggers that Stone seems to be silently sending him. If Curtis is aware of those daggers, he’s doing a damn good job of ignoring them.
Kinsley elbows me, “Why are you frowning?”
“What? Me?” I point at myself. Was I really frowning? Shit. I should have a smile plastered on my face and not some damn scowl for whatever fucking reason.
“Yes, you. I thought you’d be thrilled for Gavin and Quinn. Or are you sad because you just lost your drinking buddy?” Kinsley laughs. She’s been around enough times to know just how crazy all of us can get.
“I didn’t lose a drinking buddy. I gained a designated driver.” I joke because it’s the truth, and we both know it. Quinn’s picked our drunk asses up from Rusty’s Tavern quite a few times since they’ve been together, and never once has she complained.
“You’re awful, Day.” Kinsley teases.
“What you see is what you get,” I wink, and she rolls her eyes.
It takes a solid thirty minutes before the place finally clears out. Then we’ve all got to hang around for a little bit longer until the photographer has gotten all the formal shots she thinks she needs from us. By the time she’s finished with us, my goddamn cheeks hurt from smiling for the camera.
Once she’s dismissed us, we all pile out to the small parking lot to get in our vehicles. Gigi and Curtis pile in the back of my truck, and we head back to the farm where we’re hosting the reception for the love birds.
All week, in between our regular chores, everyone has worked their asses off to put together one hell of an after-party for Gavin and Quinn, including my twin brother and soon to be sister-in-law who arrived in town and at just the right moment.
Quinn couldn’t have picked a better date to get the fall wedding she was looking for.
Set against the stunning fall backdrop of small mountains and farmland for as far as the eye can see, the smaller barn on our property that is usually used for storage has been cleaned out and transformed into what Quinn swears is a cowgirl’s dream. And since my best friend only gets married once, I took care of the catering. I made damn sure everything was running smoothly before I headed to the church earlier while my Mom and Dad promised to watch over everything from there since everyone else would be at the church.
Having everyone home sure has been nice, especially having my parents in town. It wasn’t too long after I took over things that my parents traded cattle and horses for sunshine and beaches. Since Gavin moved into his new house with Quinn a while back, my childhood home gets a little…lonely sometimes.
Hell, maybe that’s why I feel torn between marrying the next girl I see and fucking my way through half the state.
I turn off the main road and head down our gravel driveway, around to the back of the house where we usually park. The minute the truck stops, Curtis hops out and helps Gigi down before mumbling something and rushing off toward the makeshift bar like his ass is on fire. Gigi looks at me and gives me a warm smile and a shrug, brushing off my brother’s quick escape.
“You good?”
“Yep.”
“I’m telling ya, you sure picked a good one. Curtis can be an ass sometimes.”
“Nah. He’s got a lot on his mind, is all. Work and everything going on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not working. It’s probably killing him not being able to log in to his computer and do some top-secret badass stuff.” She replies.
“Still, I don’t know how you put up with him.”
“You’re the one who grew up with him.” Gigi teases.
“Yeah, and I wanted to kill him a lot of the time.” That’s only partially true. Curtis and I got along reasonably well. The other half of the time, we were either fighting each other or fighting for each other. I’m pretty sure our mother went prematurely gray because of the two of us.
“I think I’ll go find your parents and make sure they don’t need anything.” Gigi goes on like we’re not talking about how my brother is being the weirdest jerkface.
Relationships are weird. Talk about a good reminder of why I’ve stayed single for so long.
“I’m sure they’re around here somewhere.” I nod and head for the bridal party tent where we’re all supposed to meet up again.
Knowing Gavin, we’ll be waiting a while. The classic car he borrowed from his old man hasn’t pulled up yet, and the newlywed’s house is only a few miles from here. He probably stopped off to consummate his marriage immediately. At the same time, the rest of us suckers have to stand around in our Sunday best and wait on them to show up.
Curtis is standing near the bar in the bridal party tent, downing a glass of amber liquid when I step inside. I join him and order a drink of my own before launching into my little interrogation. If something is up with him, I wanna know.
“Something wrong? You jumped out of my truck like your ass was on fire.”
He grunts and swallows back another round.
“Listen, I’m not one to tell you what to do. That said, you might wanna take it easy before you make an ass of yourself. It is Gavin’s wedding.” I hate that I’m scolding him, but I know how this goes if he has too much to drink. It’s been years since Curtis has really tied one on. The last time he did, I ended up with a black eye, and he had a busted lip. I’m sure the bride and groom would really appreciate it if there wasn’t any bloodshed at their wedding.
“Just taking the edge off.”
“Your next glass should probably be water,” I say with a nod to the bartender to make sure he’s heard me.
Curtis sighs and concedes, “You’re right. Getting drunk isn’t going to help matters anyway.”
“You keep talking in riddles that make no damn sense.”
“Ah, little brother, some things you just wouldn’t understand.”
This time I chuckle, “Yeah and there you go again. Weirdo. Before you go back to DC, I’m going to get to the bottom of whatever has crawled up your ass.”
Part of me wonders if Curtis even remembers what it’s like not to be so grumpy and closed off.
Curtis’s face pales ever so slightly, given way to whatever facade he’s been trying to maintain and just as quickly, his mask slips back into place. “Whatever. Looks like the newlyweds are here.”
“Saved by the wedding bells…this time.” I tease. At least this time, I get a half-ass smile from him.