I guess I’ll never really know, because I’ll never get up the nerve to ask him. I can live with not knowing; I’ve done it this long. What I can’t live with is his rejection—not after I’ve seen him with the quantity of women I have. He’s never turned down anyone. It’s only ever been me, so I prefer to believe it’s because we’re friends and he doesn’t want to risk what we have. Yes, that sounds better than the thought that I’m not good enough.
Two
PIPER
I turn onto my old street and already my childhood home is in clear view. The blue two-story house with black shutters, a two-car garage, and perfectly-planted flowers look just as they always have. I pull into the driveway and park the car. Mom is down on her hands and knees, weeding the flowers that line the foundation of the house. She turns and looks over at me with a wide smile.
She squeals as she stands up, running over to me as I’m exiting the car. Her honey-blonde hair that matches mine is bouncing as she runs. She wraps me in a big hug and squeezes the life out of me. “It’s so good to have you home.”
I hug her tightly and inhale her familiar scent that always seems to calm me down. “Let’s go see how you’ve been torturing Dad,” I joke as she pulls away with a snicker.
I grab my bag and follow her around the house and through the gate in the privacy fence. Dad is standing in the back half of the yard, beside the pool house on the other side of the in-ground pool. And he’s surrounded by a massive pile of bricks.
He’s stripped off his shirt and his beer belly is hanging over his basketball shorts. His back and shoulders are red and sunburned from spending the day working on Mom’s built-in grill. He hasn’t noticed us yet.
“Damn that fucking magazine,” he grumbles as he picks up another brick. “Why in the hell did I even get married to begin with? Someone should’ve told me I’d be doing this shit. I would’ve backed out for sure.”
“Yeah, but then you wouldn’t have had me,” I say, pulling him from his ramblings.
He turns to look over at Mom and me. She’s standing beside me with her hands on her hips, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.
He puts on a fake smile. “I was just teasing. You know I don’t mean a word of it,” he tells Mom, giving her his best flirty smile.
“Mm-hmm, I know. If it wasn’t for me, you’d probably be dead already,” she says as we walk over.
Dad leans in and gives me a hug. “Cancel our subscription to the magazine please,” he whispers low enough so she won’t hear.
I laugh. “You know I can’t do that. She’d figure it out and resubscribe at full price, or download it to her iPad and read it in the bathroom.”
He lets out a sigh as he pulls away. He gives Mom the best puppy-dog eyes he can muster.
I look at the grill. “Well, it looks like it’s coming along nicely. You’re doing a good job, Dad.”
He laughs. “Yeah, but with my luck, this won’t be anything but a decoration. It has to be sealed perfectly to cook right.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage. You’re good at building stuff like this.”
“He really is. Next, I want to do the outdoor fireplace and seating area like what was on the cover of last month’s magazine. I’m thinking right over there,” Mom says, pointing to the opposite side of the yard.
Dad growls and returns to his work.
She giggles as she takes my hand and pulls me toward the house.
“What’s gotten you on the home-improvement kick, Mom?” I ask as I sit at the island in the kitchen, watching as she pulls out a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and pours three glasses.
“He’s retired, so he needs something to keep him busy. Plus, imagine the parties we could have out there. We have the nice pool and the pool house for any guests who need a place to crash. The pool house has a bar. We could have a cookout followed by a pool party, then end it with a dip in the hot tub with the fire crackling next to it.”
“Hot tub? Does Dad know about that one?”
She giggles. “Not yet. One thing at a time, dear.”
I laugh and shake my head.
“You have plans with Preston tonight?”
I frown. “Why would you think that?” No one knows about my crush on Preston—not even my own mother. Well, I confided in Calvin back in the day, but I’m sure he assumes it was just a high school thing. I’m sure he doesn’t think I’m pathetic enough to pine for someone for over a decade.
She shrugs. “You usually do, don’t you? When you’re both in town at the same time, you usually get together for dinner.”
I nod. “Yeah, we’re going for pizza and beer.”
She shoots me a look. “Better make sure your father doesn’t get a call at 3 a.m. to come bail the two of you out of jail.”
“That was one time, Mom.”
“No, it was only one time when it happened at 3 a.m. I believe we’ve had to bail the two of you out at least four times, and his parents have had their fair share too.”
I smile, knowing it’s completely true. We took turns on whose parents we’d call. And we never did anything truly bad. It was all for stupid stuff like breaking curfew, and breaking and entering on the closed high school football field. We weren’t going to destroy it—we just wanted to hang on the 50-yard line while polishing off a bottle of vodka Preston stole from his dad.
Though one time we did get arrested for starting a bar fight. I’d been dating this jerk and Preston found out he was cheating on me. When he showed up, they got into a fight. The girl he was cheating on me with jumped on Preston to peel him off said jerk, and I couldn’t let that slide. I jumped on her, ending the fight because Preston and Jerkface couldn’t do anything with two girls on top of them clawing and pulling hair. The four of us were thrown into a cell together, where another fight broke out. But Preston and I got out first, so we won. Let’s just say the sheriff learned there are usually separate holding cells for men and women for a reason.
“We won’t get arrested,” I finally agree.
“Mm-hmm, I’ve heard that a time or two,” she says, but smiles because I think she knows it’s as much fun as it looks. She never knows what we’ll do next, because we don’t even know what we’ll do next. The shit we get into is never planned. It’s all just passed on to us by destiny herself.
Is that your car I see? Preston texts.
I smile as I pick up my phone from the counter and reply. Stalking me much?
Keep your friends close. Keep your partner in crime closer, he replies.
I laugh. I’m home. Come over.
He doesn’t respond, but a few minutes later, I hear Dad talking outside with someone. I stand up and move to the patio door, seeing Preston and my dad standing in the center of the brick pile.
A wide smile covers my face as I push my way out the door and run to him. He catches me in a big hug, pulling me against his chest as I wrap my legs around his hips.
“Damn, Pipes. Gained a few pounds?” he jokes.
I pull away and smack him hard across the chest. He quickly covers it with his hand and rubs the sore spot. “Don’t be a jerk, asshole,” I tell him.
He laughs. “I was only kidding. Who knew you were so sensitive about your weight? You look damn good to me,” he says, eyes moving up and down my body, making that fire inside me burn hotter. “In fact, it looks like you’ve lost some weight.”
“I thought so too,” Mom says, coming to a stop beside me as she hands Preston a glass of lemonade.
“I haven’t lost much,” I argue. “I’ve just been staying busy with the magazine and working on the house.”
“Thanks for the lemonade, Mrs. Montgomery,” Preston says, lifting the glass and taking a drink.
“Anytime, dear. How’s your brother doing? I haven’t seen him in a long while.”
He nods. “He’s good. He’s been busy with work since his new law office opened last month.”
“That’s right. I forgot all about that. We were invited to the grand openin
g, but I’d come down with a horrible cold and couldn’t make it.”
“See, Piper,” Dad says, pointing at me, “Calvin’s who you need to be settling down with. Stop messing around with punks.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. Dad has never liked any of the guys I’ve dated. But he obviously can’t pick them out any better than I can if he thinks I need to be with Calvin, my best friend’s brother. “Yeah, yeah, I know, Dad,” I agree without meaning a word of it.
Preston laughs. “I’ve never thought of that before. You and Calvin?” He erupts into a fit of laughter.
I frown. “What’s so damn funny about Calvin and me? You don’t think I deserve him?”
He waves his hand through the air. “You’re complete opposites. I mean, he’s always serious. You’re never serious. You’re like me: wild and free and just looking for fun.”
He goes on comparing us and why I’d never work with his brother, but all I hear is how Preston and I would make the perfect couple. I wonder if he’s even listening to himself talk. Does he really think we’re alike? If he does, doesn’t he see how perfect we’d be for each other? I mean, Calvin’s idea of a good time is reading a book on a beach while sipping on some expensive cocktail. Preston and I would much rather be splashing in the water, partying, and nearly drinking ourselves to death on cheap keg beer. He’s right: Calvin and I would never work.
“All right, you’ve proved your point. Now let’s get to the bar and get a head start on Danny.”
“Now you’re making sense. See you later, Mr. and Mrs. M.” He hands off the half-empty glass of lemonade before tapping my back. “You’re it. Last one to the car buys the first round.” He goes sprinting past me.
“Hey . . . cheater!” I yell, chasing after him.
As per the (unfair) bet, I buy the first pitcher of beer since he beat me to the car. We’re sitting at our favorite booth in the back of Tino’s Bar. The entire table is covered in fried food—fried pickles, a blooming onion, cheese sticks, and hot wings. Both of us are chowing down and chasing it with cheap beer.
“You remember that time we tried to see who could go the longest without drinking while we wolfed down the hottest wings this place had to offer?”
I laugh. “How could I forget? I couldn’t leave the bathroom for days!”
He smiles wide. “Me neither. But I won.”
“You did not win,” I argue. “We both agreed to cave and drink at the same time.”
“Yeah, but I had eight wings and you only had seven.”
I roll my eyes. “It was a tie. We both agreed. Plus, if I hadn’t agreed, you would’ve had to keep eating, and I don’t think you could’ve choked down one more wing if your life depended on it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He grabs a cheese stick and snaps off a bite, the cheese stringing from his mouth to his hand.
“Remember that spring break when we told our parents we were going to check out Calvin’s college and ended up getting drunk on the beach in Florida?”
His eyes grow big around. “Fuck yeah. That was my first case of alcohol poisoning. I seriously thought I was going to die.”
I giggle. “Yeah, I’m surprised they never found out about that.”
“My parents did! But they wouldn’t have if the bill hadn’t come in the mail. I made them promise to keep it a secret from your parents since you basically saved my life by forcing my ass to go to the hospital.”
I smile. “I don’t know how my parents didn’t figure out what we were up to. I mean, Calvin is four years older than us. Did they really think he’d be able to keep our asses in line when we visited his college?”
“Honestly, we were such a pain in the ass, they were probably just glad to get a break from us,” he laughs out, and I agree.
“My mom told me we better not call them needing to get bailed out tonight.”
He waves his hand through the air. “I think it’s my parents’ turn anyway. Remember, last time we got arrested because you threw your empty beer can at the cop as we were walking home.”
My mouth drops open. “Don’t blame me! I didn’t know he was a cop. The car was unmarked. Plus you were the one who said he was following us because he wanted to throw my ass in the back of the car and take me away.”
He laughs. “And I wasn’t wrong, was I?”
I hold up my middle finger. “I thought it was because he was a creep, not a cop!” We both laugh. “I thought he was going to try to kidnap the drunk girl to sell on the dark web or something, not a cop who was going to arrest me for public intoxication and take me to jail, you asshole.”
He laughs harder. “I never expected you to throw your beer can at him! And you screamed, ‘You’ll never catch me!’ Then as he was cuffing you, you proceeded to yell about not wanting your liver sold on the black market and how it wasn’t any good anyhow because you’d used it up,” he laughs out.
“Shut up. I thought I was being abducted!”
He shakes his head at me as our laughing subsides. Danny walks in and plops down next to me. He pulls me roughly to his side and proceeds to grind his knuckles into the top of my head like someone might do with a younger sibling. “What’s up, Pipes? Haven’t seen you in forever.”
I manage to push him away and land a solid punch to the top of his thigh. “Nothing much, Dan. How about you?”
He laughs as he rubs the spot. “Still got that right hook, I see.”
I give him a beaming smile. “Hanging out with the two of you, I need my right hook to stay strong.”
He smiles as I watch his eyes slowly fall down my face. They continue past my neck and land straight on my chest. I gasp as I smack him. “You’re checking me out!”
“So what? I haven’t seen you in, what, a year? You’re looking good, Pipes.”
I snort as I tip back my beer. Danny is good-looking by most people’s standards. He’s tall but not too tall. He’s toned but not defined. He has shaggy dark hair and random tattoos. His dark eyes are beautiful, though, and he has that scruff on his jaw that I seem to be into lately. He’s a player, though nothing compared to Preston’s body count. He’s a cool guy to hang out and drink with. In fact, I’m probably stupid for not having a thing for him like most of the girls did back in high school. But I have my eye on Preston and no one can compare.
“So, how are you and that douche doing anyhow?” Danny asks, looking over at me.
My brows pull together. “What douche?”
He scoffs before taking a long drink of beer. “The one who worked in advertising. He had blond hair and dressed like he was about to take out the sailboat after throwing his millions to the peasants.”
I laugh at his description. “You mean Dean?”
“That’s the one,” he says, smiling toward Preston.
“I broke up with him, like, six months ago. How do you even know about him?” I try to think back to a time when I may have introduced them, but like Danny said, we haven’t seen each other in a year and Dean and I only dated for about four months.
“Your boy told me.” He gestures toward Preston.
I look over at him. “Why are you telling your friends my business?”
Danny laughs. “Oh, so I guess we’re not friends now?”
“You know what I mean,” I mumble, still waiting on an answer from Preston, but he looks like he’s been caught in a lie.
“I didn’t like the asshole. That’s why.”
“You only met him one time,” I argue.
“Yeah, but I had to hear about him every time we talked. Felt like I was dating the guy,” he laughs out.
I sit back and shake my head, picking up my beer and taking a drink. Part of me hopes that Preston was bothered by Dean because he secretly has a thing for me, but I’m not sure I can convince myself of that. I think back to all the times we’ve danced together, cuddled, or did anything else in close proximity . . . but he’s never made a move. That speaks louder than anything else. If he wanted me, he would’ve made it known like he has with so
many other girls. I need to let it go.
“Well, what about you and Tracy?” I ask Danny, needing to occupy my mind.
“We’re still together. Going on 10 years now.”
“What? No way! You guys fought worse than the two of us,” I joke, nudging Preston.
“They still do,” Preston says quietly.
Danny shoots him a look. “Yeah, we fight and argue. What couple doesn’t? We’ve been together for a decade! But there’s no way I’m putting that kind of time into training someone new.” He smirks and I roll my eyes.
“Yeah, right. You mean you don’t want to waste another 10 years getting retrained by another woman. That’s what we do for you boys, you know. We whip you into shape in the hope of you being the one. When you’re not, you move on to your next master.”
Both guys take offense to that and they’re booing me and trying to talk over me to prove their points, all while I sit back laughing.
As the hours pass, the beer goes down smoothly and we’ve even had a few shots. Danny is sitting next to me, telling me about his motorcycle business and how he plans to ask Tracy to marry him. Preston leans against the bar, hitting on his next conquest. I try my best to listen to Danny, but all I can focus on is Preston and the way he’s looking at the woman he’s talking to. His blue eyes are lit up like the sun is shining against them. He keeps offering her his flirty grin, wetting his lips to make them glisten. And every so often, he makes an excuse to lightly touch her: he’s picked up the charm on her necklace, he’s brushed imaginary lint off her shoulder, and he’s even found an excuse to run the tip of his finger across her cheek. He’s never done any of that with me.
If I had something on my face, he didn’t brush it away for me. Most of the time he didn’t even tell me because he thought it’d be funnier to watch me walk around like that. If he liked my necklace, he never reached out to touch it. He’d simply say, “Hey, cool necklace—which douchebag gave you that?” And as far as touching my shoulder or arm, he usually tackled me to the ground in an attempt to torture me. I’ve heard guys talk about being stuck in the friend zone, but I didn’t realize it happened to girls.
The WRONG Brother: A Friends to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Love You Forever Book 1) Page 2
