The WRONG Brother: A Friends to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Love You Forever Book 1)

by Alexis Winter

  “I’m sorry, Piper. I should go.” Without another word, his back is turned and he’s heading for the door. Hearing it close feels like a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head.

  I fall back onto the couch with tears in my eyes. What’s wrong with me? Why do I do this shit? I’m sure Calvin is just thinking, Since she can’t have Preston, she wants me as a last resort. That’s not the case at all, even though I can see why he might think that.

  Maybe I should’ve listened to that tingle in my belly instead of still chasing after Preston the night Calvin and I first kissed. None of this would’ve happened. Truth is, I never should’ve blurred the lines with Preston in the first place. I should’ve seen Calvin back then. I should’ve seen how good he was—how mature he was compared to the guys I was dating. I should’ve seen that he was always the one who was there for me.

  Now I have this huge mess on my hands and I have no idea how to fix it.

  Eight

  CALVIN

  I never should’ve gone over there. I should’ve known I’d end up doing something stupid. But fuck, kissing her felt good. Too good. I don’t know how I managed to pull myself away from her, but I’m glad I did it. She was drunk and upset and still beating herself up over my brother. Getting together with her now wouldn’t have been good for anyone. Deep down, I wonder if I’m just the closest thing she can get to Preston, and that’s the only reason she kissed me. That’s not how I want things to get started with us.

  When we come together—if we come together—I want it to be for the right reasons. Not because she’s hurting or drunk or just trying to get over some other guy. I want her to choose me for me. I want her to want me as much as I want her.

  I only went over there because that’s what I do. In the past, every time something happened with my brother, I was the one she ran to. I knew she wouldn’t come running this time. I did what I thought I needed to do. It’s now easy to see that it was just another mistake.

  When I get home, I’m surprised to see Preston’s car in the parking lot. I park and get out, walking into the building and riding the elevator up to my penthouse suite. He’s trying to get on the elevator as I’m trying to get off.

  “Hey, what brings you here so late at night?” I ask, stepping into the hallway and leading him to my door, where I take out my keys to unlock it.

  “The show aired tonight.”

  “I know. I watched it.”

  He lets out a heavy sigh. “And? How big of an asshole was I?”

  I open the door and let us both in. “A pretty big asshole,” I agree. “Why did you react that way? She’s your best friend.”

  He runs his hands through his dark hair. “I know. I was just surprised that she chose to tell me on a TV show. It pissed me off. I mean, why couldn’t she just tell me without an audience?” He plops down on the couch and I grab us two bottles of beer.

  I hand one over and sit in the chair beside him. I laugh and wipe my hand down my face. “I don’t know. It’s Piper. She’s not exactly known for her rational thinking, you know. She was just confused. I told you that would happen after you kissed.”

  “It was just a drunken kiss. I didn’t know she’d read so much into it.”

  “Have you talked to her?”

  He shakes his head. “Not since I left her on set.”

  “Don’t you think you should? I mean, she’s embarrassed and worried you’ll never speak to her again.”

  “How do you know that?” he asks, pulling his brows together.

  “I was just over there. Figured she’d need a friend after the airing. I took her some flowers and a bottle of wine.”

  He lets out a long breath. “Why didn’t I think of that? What did she say?”

  My eyes are wide when I say, “Like I said before, she’s embarrassed and afraid you’ll never speak to her again!”

  “I meant after you talked her down.” He takes a sip.

  “Well . . .” I start, but I have no idea how to tell him. I refuse to hide it. He should know. “We sort of got drunk and maybe kissed.”

  “What?” he asks, eyes wide with surprise as he springs to his feet. “How the hell did that happen?”

  I shrug. “You know Piper. She got drunk and we were talking and laughing and having a good time. It just sort of happened, but I stopped it immediately and left.”

  He falls back on the couch, shaking his head and groaning. “Guess I’m not the only Young to kiss Pipes.”

  Confession time. “Actually, Preston . . . that wasn’t the first time we’d kissed.”

  His eyes leap up to mine. “What? When?”

  “Years ago. On your prom night. She arrived at our home upset because she was planning on telling you how she felt about you at prom, but then you left her to go into a room with your ex. She came over and cried on my shoulder. We ended up kissing that night.”

  “I remember that night. I walked in the back gate and the two of you were sitting next to each other.”

  I nod. “Yeah, you sort of interrupted us.”

  “I had no idea. I was just so worried I upset her that I had to find her and fix everything.”

  “You did upset her, but like always, I was there to calm her down.”

  “So what? You have, like, a thing for her now?”

  I shrug, not really wanting to admit anything. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve always kind of been attracted to her. It’s just that she was so young and I had so much going on with school. And she was completely in love with you, so I didn’t want to make a move. Now I’ve made a move and I’m afraid she only kissed me because I’m the closest thing to you.”

  “So you kissed her first?”

  I shake my head. “No, she kissed me, but I kissed her back.”

  “Well, you have my permission to see where things lead if that’s why you’re telling me.”

  I nod, not sure if that’s even why I’m telling him. “I don’t know. I think she needs time to heal from all of this. Time to get over you and see what it is she really wants in a relationship.”

  “Yeah, I am pretty hard to get over,” he jokes, giving me a smirk.

  I roll my eyes. “You need to go to her. Talk to her and hear her out. Stop being a dick about it all.”

  “I know,” he agrees. “I will. Just not tonight. We both need time to clear our heads.”

  “Well, you’re more than welcome to crash here if you want.”

  “Nah, I’m going to head back home. Try to sleep it off. Today has been shitty and I bet tomorrow won’t be any better. I’ve already received so many calls, texts, and social media messages about the show that I had to turn off my phone.”

  “I can’t believe people actually watch that shit. Don’t people have lives?” I laugh.

  “You watched it!” he points out.

  “Yeah, but only because of you two dumbasses!”

  He waves off my comment and stands, setting his empty bottle on the table. “I’ll talk to you later, man.”

  I offer a wave as I bring my own bottle to my lips.

  He turns. “I’m serious. If you like her—like, really like her—then go for it. She deserves a good guy like you. But you’d better treat her right. Don’t be stupid like me.”

  “Thanks, man.” I sit back and watch him leave, getting up to lock the door behind him.

  Now that I’m alone, I can’t do anything but think of every moment I’ve shared with her. I see us playing football in the open field behind my parents’ house. I see all the Halloweens we went trick-or-treating together. I see us growing up. I wonder if she’s ever looked at me the way she looks at Preston. I wonder if she’ll ever be able to look at me that way.

  I push all thoughts from my mind and go for a shower before bed. I easily find sleep, but it’s not dreamless. Behind my lids, I see memories of her. Even in my sleep, she haunts me.

  I give it a few days to let things cool off before I text her.

  I’m really sorry about the other night. Forgive me
? I hit SEND and lay the phone on my desk as I turn back to my work. Truth is, I haven’t been able to focus on anything since that night. I haven’t been able to do anything but think of her and how good she felt pressed against me.

  My phone dings and I quickly pick it up to read what she sent.

  I don’t know why I expected you to treat me any differently than Preston. You did the exact same thing he did. You kissed me and ran away. I guess it runs in the family, huh?

  Anger fills my chest. How could she even compare me with Preston? We’re different in every way possible. I start typing.

  Are you serious? You’re comparing me with him? I left before things could get too serious. Things you may have woken up to regret. I’m not Preston, Piper. I never will be.

  I don’t bother setting the phone down. I keep it in my hands and my eyes don’t leave the screen as I wait for her reply. I watch as the bubbles dance while she types.

  You ever think maybe I kissed you because I like that you’re not Preston? That I realized you’re the one who has always been there for me? I didn’t kiss you because I was drunk or because Preston turned me down. I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. YOU. Not him. But you ran off just like him, leaving me feeling even more ashamed.

  My fingers type quickly. I didn’t ask you to kiss me. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay. If you’re feeling ashamed, that’s all on you.

  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have sent that, but fuck, she can get me angry like no one else. She kisses me then blames me for feeling ashamed . . . and all because I felt it was bad timing? Doesn’t she see that I’ve always been there for a reason? I’m nothing like my brother. Comparing me with him only angers me.

  I push away from my desk and leave the office for the day. I leave everything behind but my phone and keys, knowing I’m too strung up to do anything else. Instead of getting in the car and driving home to marinate in my anger, I walk outside and breathe in the fresh air. I inhale deeply, letting it calm me and take away my frustration.

  I walk for at least an hour before I sit on a park bench and type out another message.

  I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Take a walk with me. Let’s start over.

  I wait and wait for a reply but nothing comes in. Just as I’m about to give up, my phone dings.

  Where are you?

  I smile as I send her my location.

  Okay, be there in 20.

  I can’t force the smile off my face as I sit on the bench and watch everyone walking and riding bikes around me. It feels like no time has passed when a cab stops in front of me and she climbs out. The wind blows her long skirt around her. Her blonde hair is curled like always, hanging halfway down her back, and she’s wearing a white T-shirt with a jean jacket over it.

  She comes to sit at my side and neither of us talks for a moment as we try to figure out what it is we need to say.

  “I’m sorry for letting things get out of hand last night. I’m not sorry about the kiss, but I’m sorry it happened when we were drunk and you were hurting,” I finally manage to get out.

  She offers up a weak smile and nods her head. “I’m sorry about what I texted you. It’s not you. You were great. I just . . . I keep fucking up. I knew Preston didn’t feel that way about me and I tricked myself into believing a drunken kiss was his way of telling me he had feelings for me. I went about telling him in the wrong way, and worst of all, I realized you’ve been in front of me my whole life and I’ve done nothing but take advantage of your kindness. Can we start over?”

  “Clean slate?” I ask, wondering if this is really what we need to get us to where we need to be.

  She nods. “You’re too good a friend to lose, Calvin. Especially over something like this.”

  I take her hand in mine and offer her a smile. “Deal.”

  She lets out a long, drawn-out breath. “Good. Now, how about some ice cream while we walk?”

  I laugh. “Whatever you want,” I agree.

  We get up and walk across the street, going into the ice cream shop. As we stand in line waiting to order, I can’t help but watch her as she reads over the sign detailing the flavors. Just thinking about ice cream has her smiling. Her eyes are lit up and her skin is practically glowing. She’s fucking breathtaking and I don’t get how my brother doesn’t see it. He’s a fucking idiot as far as I’m concerned.

  We step up and order our ice cream. I get one scoop of vanilla on a sugar cone and she orders two scoops of mint chocolate chip. When they’re handed over, her eyes stretch wide with excitement. I hand over some cash to pay, but I can’t keep my eyes off her as she licks the ice cream. I hate to admit it, but it makes my jeans a little tighter.

  We continue on our walk and find ourselves in the park, sitting on a bench and watching the ducks splash around in the water. She’s working double time to eat her ice cream before it melts all over her hand. I laugh and she glances at me from the side of her eye.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  “You trying to eat it before it melts. That’s why I only got one scoop.” I bite into my cone.

  She rolls her eyes. “I didn’t think about it,” she admits, licking the melted ice cream off her finger as it runs over the side of the cone.

  “Give me that,” I say, reaching over and taking her cone. I knock the top of it onto my cone and hand it back.

  “Hey, you stole my ice cream!” She frowns in the cutest way possible.

  I laugh. “It’s better than it melting all over you and making you sticky, isn’t it?”

  She shrugs. “I do hate being sticky.” She goes back to licking.

  “So, are you going to pursue an acting career now that you’ve had your first 15 minutes of fame?” I jokingly ask.

  She snorts. “No way. I’ve already had enough eyes on me. I don’t need more.”

  “You looked good on there though,” I blurt out.

  She laughs. “Yeah, real good getting rejected.” She rolls her eyes and her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink from reliving the embarrassing moment.

  “I bet no one even noticed. They saw you and were blindsided.”

  She shakes her head but the corners of her mouth lift a tad. “I don’t know how you do it, Calvin.”

  “What’s that?” I ask, licking the mint ice cream.

  “Make me feel better. I mean, my whole life you’ve been there to pick me up and dust me off. And you’ve never asked for anything in return. If every guy were like you, this world would be a better place.”

  I offer her a smile before turning my gaze to the water. I can only hope she takes her observation to heart.

  We sit on the bench for a long while, talking and finishing our ice cream. We talk about things going on in our lives, plus our favorite books and movies. I’m blown away when she claims to have never seen Fight Club and I insist that she watch it.

  “I’ll find it and we’ll have a movie night. Deal?”

  She laughs and nods. “Deal,” she agrees.

  It’s going on 8 p.m. by the time I put her in a taxi and close the door. I step back and watch as she gets farther and farther away. When she’s no longer in view, I head back to the office to get my car so I can drive home. I know I have a copy of Fight Club somewhere and I’m going to find it.

  When I make it home, I open up the cabinet that holds my DVDs, CDs, and Blu-ray discs. This cabinet doesn’t get opened much, because like most people, I watch most movies on demand nowadays. I pull out the DVD with a smile.

  I take my phone out of my pocket and call her number, happy to tell her I found the movie. I can’t think of a better way to spend the evening than watching my favorite movie with her, even though I’ll probably watch her more than the movie.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she answers.

  “Good news. I found the movie. Still up for a movie night?”

  “Oh. Well, actually, Preston just got here and we have a lot of things to talk about. Rain check?”

  “Ye
ah, sure,” I agree, feeling let down and maybe even slightly angry. “I’ll talk to ya another time.” Without saying goodbye, I hang up the phone. I place the DVD on the table and sink into the couch. I thought today would be a turning point for us. I thought our friendship was growing. Hell, we even flirted a bit. I thought she was starting to see what I’ve been praying for her to see for years now. But like always, Preston’s there to screw things up.

  What’s he even doing there right now? I know they have a lot to talk about and a lot of air between them that needs to be cleared, but did he have to pick tonight to do it? And what if he’s changed his mind? What if he’s suddenly realized that Piper is the right person for him to settle down with? What am I going to do if he chooses her? I know she’ll choose him. I can’t walk around the rest of my life knowing the only girl I’ve ever loved is with my little brother. I can’t lose this chance.

  I grab my keys off the table and head for the door. I have to see her. I have to tell her how I feel.

  Nine

  PIPER

  I haven’t been home very long when the doorbell rings. I’m surprised when I see Preston standing on the other side. My mouth opens to say something, but no words come out. My body is screaming at me to jump into his arms and hold him tightly—to prevent him from leaving and never speaking to me again. I can live without having Preston as my other half, but I can’t live without having him as my best friend. I need him in my life.

  “Hey,” he says, offering up a small smile.

  “Hey,” I reply, stepping back and holding the door open for him. “Want to come in?”