In Front of Me

by Dana LeCheminant

  Boy, did I know it. Not for the first time, I wished I’d had him as a brother for longer than I had. I didn’t even meet the guy until I was at Yale, and it took several months for us to realize we shared a father. I really was happy for him, even if I wasn’t good at showing it, and this wedding was the most beautiful thing I’d ever been a part of. My brother never went small, and this whole thing was a perfect blend of him and Catherine. “He’s the best brother a girl could ask for,” I admitted. “Not to mention I will never fear for my life. Ever.”

  Indie’s laugh, though not particularly loud, caught Matthew’s attention, and he nearly tripped over Catherine’s extravagant dress when he smiled at his girlfriend. “Yes,” she agreed as she tried not to laugh harder, “Seth is quite the…man.”

  That was one way of putting it. Seth was a giant. Two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle packed into more than six and a half feet, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. There was a reason most of the world was afraid of the man who’d spent the last several years working secret ops with the US Special Forces. But for all his impressive exterior, he was absolutely the nicest, sweetest person I’d ever known. He was lucky he’d found Catherine, and I envied him for that happily ever after.

  My life had never been a fairy tale, and that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon.

  “Anyway,” Indie said with a cough, “I just wanted to make sure you don’t feel neglected. It took me a while to feel comfortable around this family, so I get it.”

  And now I felt bad for being grumpy. “No, that’s not—”

  “If you need anything, just let me know,” she said, and then she jumped up and hurried into Matthew’s arms after he handed Catherine back to her new husband.

  She meant well. And technically I was part of the family now that Seth had married into the Davenports. I may have been a Hastings by blood, thanks to the absent father I shared with Seth, but in reality, I was a Montgomery, raised by a mother who worked two jobs and spent countless hours studying with me and tutoring me to help get me to Yale. I worked for every penny I had, and the longer I stayed, the more these people would realize I was not actually one of them.

  I sighed, running my finger along the edge of my water glass and making it ring, and I dropped my head into my other hand as I returned to making plans to leave early. A last-minute flight change would cost me more, so I had to make sure it was really worth it. I was already going back tomorrow, so would that one extra day really benefit me? If it meant I wouldn’t have to endure any more of this sickeningly happy event, it probably would.

  “I know that look,” a deep voice said beside me, and I grimaced.

  Putting on my best smile, I turned and said, “Hey, Seth.”

  My brother smiled back, but there was an undercurrent of worry in his eyes that meant he knew exactly what I was thinking about. “You’re really going to sneak out of my wedding without saying goodbye?” he asked.

  There was little point in lying. “I’m exhausted,” I said and hoped that would be enough. I was sure if I told him about leaving my job, he would understand, but I wasn’t ready for him to try to fix that for me. I could take care of myself well enough, and his immediate attempts to help would only make me more humiliated about the whole thing than I already was. “I think I just need to go to bed early,” I told him. “You should go back to your wife.”

  Though he glanced at Catherine, who was dancing to an upbeat song with her cousin Lanna now, Seth shook his head and held out his massive hand to me. “Nope,” he said. “I want to dance with you.” It wasn’t an order, but he certainly made it sound like one. You could take the man out of the military, but you couldn’t take the military out of the man. “Come on, Liss. Just one song.”

  Groaning, I considered my options for only a moment before I put my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet as the song changed to something calmer than the last. He maneuvered us to the dance floor and directed me into a spin before pulling me into his arms, and then he grinned.

  “Is this so bad?” he asked as we slowly rotated to the music.

  I had to admit, he made it easy to follow his steps, and dancing with him felt more normal than anything had in the last few days. I forced a smile then dropped my head onto his shoulder and let out a sigh. I may have only known him for a few years, but I had always been completely comfortable around my brother. He had a way of reminding me that I didn’t have to fight to impress the people who mattered.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. He didn’t sound worried, though. Simply sympathetic.

  I wanted to tell him everything, but I wasn’t about to ruin his wedding day. “Nothing,” I said. Just all my life plans have gone to pot.

  “You keep telling yourself that.” After a few blissfully quiet seconds, during which we just swayed a bit to the music, he muttered, “Sorry I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to you since you got here.”

  I would have rolled my eyes if I hadn’t shut them when I rested my head against him. I just wanted to go to bed, and Seth had a way of blocking out the rest of the world and making me feel safe. “It’s your wedding, Seth,” I said. “Of course you’re going to be busy.”

  “Has my family been welcoming?” he asked next, and I could hear the worry in his voice. He had tried more than once to get me to fly out to California to meet Catherine’s cousins, and I had found excuses every time. A good chunk of that was because of work, but also, I hadn’t wanted to intrude. This was his new family, not mine.

  “They’ve been great,” I said, even if they were almost too nice. Catherine’s cousin Lanna, the third bridesmaid, and her husband, Adam, had constantly asked if I was hungry or if I needed some water or a place to take a nap, and Matthew had spent the whole drive from the airport this morning asking me questions about my life back east. With Indie’s not-so-subtle comments just a few moments earlier, as well as every bit of attention she’d given me the rest of the day, I was about ready for a break from the ridiculously accommodating Davenports. But I had to make sure Seth didn’t get it into his head that something was seriously wrong, so I added, “I’m still not sure how you managed to convince them you were normal enough to be one of them.”

  Seth laughed, and the sound rumbled in my ear. “I don’t know if you know this about me,” he said, “but I can be exceptionally persuasive when I want to be.”

  “It’s pronounced ‘pigheaded,’” Matthew said, and I opened my eyes just as he and Indie danced past then disappeared into the crowd before Seth could retaliate.

  I grinned when I caught sight of my brother’s glare. “I think you found your match in your new cousin-in-law,” I said, knowing he would hate the idea of someone not being afraid of him.

  “Matthew’s lucky I like him,” Seth grumbled back, but his smile returned pretty quickly. “I’m glad you came, Lissa. Seriously.”

  As difficult as it was to be here surrounded by so much love and happiness when I was in the middle of a quarter-life crisis, I made myself return his smile. “So am I,” I said, and I mostly meant it. I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with my brother. “But I would love to sit down before my feet fall off. Catherine has great taste in shoes, but I’m not sure she knows how to pick comfortable ones.”

  Chuckling, Seth brought me to the edge of the dance floor and gave me a little bow that made me snort a laugh. “Beauty is pain,” he agreed then thankfully left me on my own so he could return to the rest of the Davenports. His family.

  It would be the perfect time to make my escape, but suddenly I couldn’t bring myself to do that to Seth. He clearly wanted me to share this day with him, and how could I ignore that when he was the best brother in the world? Sighing, I returned to my table so I could wallow a bit before I tried to be a better sister and actually be a part of the celebration. I could do that for one night, and then I would fly back to an apartment I could no longer afford before anyone decided to take pity on the girl who had no business being in their lives. />
  “It hurts, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. Then I froze. Turned. And I stared at the unfamiliar man who had slipped into the vacant seat next to me without me even noticing. “Sorry, what?”

  He smiled, the little lights overhead reflecting off his perfect teeth, and he leaned a bit closer, one elbow on the table and a watch on his wrist that cost half my rent. “Knowing you’re missing out on something spectacular by not coming over and talking to a guy like me,” he said.

  Oh, the poor thing. “Has that line ever worked for you?” I asked. I was too tired to play games, and I’d encountered his type more times than I could count. It was one of the downsides of having Gordon Hastings as a father. Being his daughter meant I was generally considered pretty, and therefore guys like this one flocked to me at events like this without ever bothering to get to know me. I was just a face to them.

  The man at my side simply laughed, settling against the back of his chair and keeping his steely blue eyes locked on me. “I’ve got a zero percent success rate at this point,” he replied, “though I think I need a little more data before I throw it out completely. Once just isn’t enough to really tell if it works. But thank you for participating in my survey.” Then he gave a little bow and held out his hand. “I’m Brennon Ashworth.”

  I really didn’t want to indulge him, but he was charming. I’d give him that. “Lissa Montgomery,” I replied and grasped his hand.

  “Ah, the Hastings reject.”

  Whoa now. Instantly on the defense, I pulled my hand back and assumed the business face that generally made Travis take an early lunch. “Well aren’t you a charmer?” I grumbled.

  Brennon grinned again. “I meant it as a compliment,” he assured me, looking out over the crowd of people dancing. The people of California really needed to figure out how compliments worked—he was no better than Matthew. “Seth doesn’t like being a Hastings any more than I’m sure you do.”

  “So you’re on the groom’s side,” I surmised. Funny how Seth never mentioned he had a particularly handsome single friend. There had to be a reason for that. What’s wrong with you, Brennon Ashworth?

  “Bride’s side, technically,” Brennon corrected. “Catherine is certainly stunning tonight, isn’t she?”

  “Don’t let Seth hear you say that.”

  He turned to face me again, his smile bringing out a slight increase in my heart rate. I was too tired to not be affected by a look like that. “You’re stunning too,” he said. “How much trouble do you think I’d be in if Seth heard me say that?”

  A large part of me hoped he’d be in a lot of trouble. It was nice to know I had someone looking out for me. Offering up my own wide—albeit exhausted—smile, I said, “You probably shouldn’t take your chances,” and reached for the untouched cheesecake Matthew had left on the table.

  Brennon grabbed my hand before I could. “You’re not going to believe me when I say this,” he said, “but I really don’t do this.”

  I looked at his fingers wrapped around mine and raised an eyebrow, pleased when he immediately let go. “You don’t stop women from enjoying dessert?”

  His little laugh was almost adorable as he fought to keep his smile. “I know this is going to sound like I’m some frat boy,” he said, “and I’m fully owning that unfortunate comparison, even if it’s wildly untrue. But I don’t walk up to beautiful women I’ve never met and hope they give me the time of day.” At some point he’d leaned reasonably close to me, and I hadn’t even noticed.

  “And why is that?” I asked quietly, as if we had some deep secret to share with each other. Mostly I just wanted him to leave me alone to my misery, but he was cute.

  He frowned, as if thinking about how he wanted to answer my question. When he did speak, he did so hesitantly. “Because I don’t believe in love,” he said, “so I don’t usually bother.”

  That…that wasn’t what I expected. “You mean love at first sight?” I asked.

  He winced as he sat up and brought a bit of distance back between us. “Love in general. I’m really selling myself, aren’t I?” He muttered something under his breath and looked thoroughly disappointed in himself.

  I had to process that, which wasn’t easy when that disappointment made him all the more attractive. “Everyone believes in love,” I argued. “How could you not when you’re stuck watching those dorks all day?” I added, waving toward the Davenport family as all six of them did some weird line dance together and looked absolutely ridiculous.

  Brennon followed my gesture, and the moment he looked away, a cough pulled my attention behind me to a man who stood there twisting a wool scarf in his hands. “Hello, Lissa,” he said, and my heart seemed to drop out of my chest. Never mind the handsome man sitting next to me; Gordon Hastings was standing just a few feet away, and he’d just said my name for the first time in…ever. After eight years of actively pretending I didn’t exist, my father had suddenly chosen to acknowledge me.

  Chapter Three

  “I’m going to let you deal with this on your own,” Brennon muttered and slipped away before I could complain. Even if he was a little too charming, I would much rather talk to him than the guy on my other side. But he was gone in an instant, leaving me alone.

  “What are you doing here?” I snapped. I probably should have been nicer to Gordon, since he was my father, but I was neither in the mood nor did I think he deserved it.

  He clutched his scarf a little tighter, strangling it with his fingers, and his eyes followed Seth for a moment on the dance floor. “I came to see my son get married,” he said. “Though I don’t think he knows I’m here.”

  “Were you actually invited?” Not that I had much personal experience with the guy, but Gordon Hastings wasn’t exactly “Father of the Year.” Seth had told me plenty of stories about his childhood and how Gordon paid attention only when he was affected by poor behavior. Seth had had to learn early on that his father’s approval was not something he would easily get in his lifetime.

  Sliding into the chair vacated by Indie, Gordon took a slow breath and muttered, “It was a beautiful ceremony.” He looked very much like Seth, with his bright blue eyes and sharp jawline. His hair had gone a bit white since the last time I saw him, though, so it wasn’t as sandy blonde as my brother’s. It was strange to see him this up close; I’d only ever seen him through a screen. “And Seth didn’t tell me I couldn’t come, so…”

  I wondered what Seth would do as soon as he saw his dad, and I was tempted to hop up and let him know so I could find out. Seth generally kept an even temper, but there were certain things that could get him riled up. His emotionally unavailable father was one of them.

  But something else had snagged my brother’s attention and made him freeze in the middle of the dance floor. Following his gaze, I took in the balding man who had just stepped through one of the doors—a man who had gone pale when he realized what a terrible idea that was as he locked eyes with Seth.

  “Dad?” Catherine said, and a break in the music at just the right moment meant most of the room heard her alarmed question. All eyes turned to the unfolding drama, and the orchestra was suddenly playing to an uninterested crowd. “What are you doing here?”

  The man at the door swallowed, looking around the room as if in search of allies. He reminded me a lot of my assistant when he knew he’d made a mistake and had to tell me about it. “Catherine,” he said then clamped his jaw shut.

  “Answer the question, Milton,” Seth said, and his voice was low in his throat. Almost a growl, like a dog giving a warning before he attacked. He was so stiff that he looked like he might snap, and even when Catherine took his hand, he didn’t move a muscle.

  Milton Davenport was much like my own father in that he was an elite, one of the rich and powerful with more money than they knew what to do with. But unlike pretty much everyone at this wedding, who were the best of the best and looked it, he did not wear his status well. He was a little more on the disheveled
side, too thin for a man who probably had a personal chef, and he had far more lines in his face than he should. What little I knew of Catherine’s father didn’t help his poor image. The guy had actively ignored ransom calls when Catherine was kidnapped by terrorists four years ago, and he still hadn’t acknowledged the event despite it being headlining news for months after the fact. Catherine had spent every summer and holiday since then with her cousins here in California, and Seth had kept her despicable father away from her. Until now.

  I glanced back at Gordon and frowned. When Seth had been taken by the same men, Gordon had done the exact same thing.

  “I have a right to be here,” Milton said, and his eyes swept the banquet hall again as the orchestra members stopped playing so they could pay attention to the drama as well. “You can’t keep me away from my own daughter, Hastings.”

  Catherine lunged forward, but Seth caught her arm before she got very far. “Your daughter?” she said, and her voice held even more anger than her glare. “Since when have you considered me your daughter? Seth, let go of me.”

  But Seth held fast. “I can make him leave,” he reminded his wife quietly. Considering he was used to charging head first into enemy fire—and probably missed that part of military life—he was keeping a surprisingly cool head and almost smiled at Catherine’s attempts to free herself. “I don’t want you to ruin your dress, my love. He’s not worth it.”

  “He’s just here for the publicity,” Catherine snapped. “As always.”

  When Milton rolled his eyes, the tension in the room shifted a bit. Instead of being completely still, Seth fluidly transitioned into a fighting stance, his hand still on Catherine’s arm. Ready to defend if needed.

  “You have always been so self-important, silly girl,” Milton said with a huff. “Just like your mother.”

  From what I could tell, everyone within ten feet of the interaction looked as ready to run as Seth looked to attack. They were all smart enough to know that it was a terrible idea to mess with the likes of my brother, particularly when it came to his wife.