Marrying My Best Friend’s BFF
Love You Forever-Book 2
Alexis Winter
Copyright 2020 by Alexis Winter - All rights reserved.
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In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
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Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
I’m THAT guy…
The one that rejected his best friend and broke her heart on national television—then secretly fell in love with HER best friend, got her pregnant...and took off.
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Before you write me off and think I’m just another heartless dick,
My best friend got her happily ever after….with my brother.
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I’ve always been the love ‘em and leave ‘em type.
There’s no point in denying it.
I’m the guy that you warned your girlfriends would break their heart.
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But I don’t want that life anymore.
I, Preston Young, want a happily ever after.
The kick you in the gut kind of love that makes you act like an idiot and annoy everyone with your sickly cute nicknames.
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And the woman I want it with…well, that’s where the shit hit the fan.
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First, they introduced me to Riley.
And when I tell you she’s got IT, I’m talking knock you on your ass, wipe the drool off your chin IT.
Spontaneous, confident, long tan legs I want to wrap around my head and a mouth I can’t seem to resist.
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And then, they dropped the hammer.
“I’m only going to say this once, so pay attention. Riley is off-limits.”
You’ve got to be f-ing kidding me.
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You think I listened?
Hell, I tried to be good…but like I said earlier, she’s pregnant.
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My future with Riley is all that matters and I only have one chance to make things right.
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Now if I can just convince this tenacious woman I’m worth a damn chance.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Rocking His Fake World Sneak Peak
Chapter 1
Read the rest of the Love You Forever Series here!
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Also by Alexis Winter
About the Author
One
Preston
Pregnant. My best friend, the one who—up until a few months ago—was in love with me, is now pregnant and marrying my brother. How the fuck did we get here? I feel like my whole world is a snow globe and someone just grabbed it off its perfect little shelf and shook the ever-loving shit out of it. My best friend, who has always been by my side, was picked up and thrown across the globe, landing in my brother’s arms. I know one thing for sure: This is a summer I’ll never forget.
I think back to that Fourth of July weekend we spent at home—the one where I told Piper I was possibly in love with her.
“I think I might be in love with you, Piper.”
She giggles. “I don’t think so, Preston. I think you’re just confused by seeing Calvin and me together so much. Maybe even a little jealous.” She looks up at me from beneath her long, dark lashes and bites down on her bottom lip. It only makes me remember how soft they were against mine—how sweet.
“Maybe, but lately, I look at you and see how beautiful you are and how much you’ve grown up. Maybe it’s time for me to grow up too. If I could do that, then we could be together, because then I wouldn’t ruin this.”
My words must scare her, because she stands up and takes a step back, like she doesn’t even know who I am anymore and doesn’t want to be this close to a stranger. “No, Preston. We could never be together. You were right. We’re friends. We’ll always be friends, but we couldn’t ever be more. I love you. I do. You’re my best friend and I’d do anything in the world for you, but I’m not in love with you. In fact, I don’t think I was in love with you when I took you on that show. I just thought I was.”
I stand up and move toward her. “Are you saying that if I kissed you right now, you’d push me away?”
She licks her lips like she’s preparing for a kiss, but then she nods her head. “Yes. Pres, we can’t go there. If you were thinking straight, you’d see that, just like you did before. Don’t let my friendship with Calvin confuse you into thinking you want something you don’t.”
I take another step. “You’d push me away?” I can’t help the smirk that forms. “Let’s find out.” I take one more step forward, reach for her, and pull her against my chest, my lips finding hers. Fuck, her lips are just as soft as I remember them being. So damn sweet and teasing. Her body seems to mold to mine as her scent travels up my nose and intoxicates me. What the fuck was I thinking before? How could I not want this every day? She’s perfect for me. She’s always been perfect. She’s always had my back, even when I was in the wrong. That’s how much she believes in me. I was selfish for keeping her on the hook the way I did. I was just too afraid of screwing up and losing her for good.
I move my lips against hers, but she doesn’t budge. She doesn’t kiss me back. As a last resort to make her see, I slide my tongue into her mouth. It only brushes against hers for a moment before she’s pushing me away.
“See? There’s nothing between us. Did you feel tingles? See fireworks? Did that kiss make your heart race, your breathing pick up?”
Yes.
She shakes her head. “It didn’t for me. I think you should go, Preston.”
I really made a mess of things that night. She was right about one thing: I was confused by the closeness she shared with Calvin. But she was also wrong. I am in love with her. But I’m a dumbass for not having realized it sooner. I love her enough to let her go and be happy. That’s what she deserves after all.
I think I’ve been doing a good job of keeping my feelings hidden. I really am happy for both of them. Calvin told me how he’s always had a thing for her. Looking back now, I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. And Piper deserves someone like Calvin who will love her wholeheartedly, take care of her, and be there when she needs him. There’s no way I’m going to screw up what the two of them have finally found.
But that also leaves me feeling a little alone. Before, I had two people to fall back on when I was bored or lonely. Now, those two people are together, and when I’m around, I feel like I’m butting into a personal moment. I think the only chance I have at getting over Piper will be to find someone for myself.
I need to find someone to love who will love me back. I mean, I’m 25 years old and I’ve never in my life been in a serious relationship before. At the time of the show, I couldn’t
see myself with Piper, or anyone else for that matter. All I wanted to do was have fun. Go out drinking. Take trips and go on adventures. I didn’t want anyone holding me back from living my life the way I wanted. But now that Calvin and Piper are set to get married and they’re having a baby, it makes me see how stupid I’ve been. I wouldn’t be trading one life for another. I’d be creating more life—more to love, more moments to share with someone special.
It’s settled. I’ll force myself to grow up and find someone I want to spend my life with. Being single is great and fun, but being alone sucks. Now that I’ve decided I want to be in a relationship, where do I go to find one? That’s something I’ve always avoided before. It’s not like I can just run down to Target and be like, “Uh, yes, I would like one girlfriend, please?” I can’t order one from Amazon Prime either. How do people meet other people?
Ugh, I’m not even in a relationship yet and it’s already driving me crazy.
Either way, I don’t have time to think about it, because I’m crashing some kind of dinner that Calvin and Piper have planned. I wasn’t exactly invited, but I heard them talking about hosting her friend Riley. I figure if she’s going to be acting the part of godmother, then I need to be involved too.
I pull on my shoes and leave my apartment, climbing behind the wheel and making the drive over to her house. There’s a strange car in the driveway when I pull up, and I assume it belongs to Riley. I smile to myself as I climb out and let myself into the house—and into the fridge, where I grab two beers. I slip one into my pocket and open the other, taking a sip as I step out onto the patio. The three of them are already lounging on the patio, surrounding the grill.
I look her up and down. “Who’s this?”
Piper rolls her eyes at my bluntness. “Preston, this is Riley. Riley, Preston. He’s Calvin’s brother and my best friend since kindergarten.”
Riley looks up at me and this funny thing happens. I forget to breathe. I’ve never seen anyone like her. She’s beautiful with her sun-kissed skin and chocolatey eyes. When the wind blows, a tree branch moves and allows the sunlight to hit her perfectly. Those chocolate eyes also have a hint of caramel to them. Her long, sleek black hair blows in the wind behind her like she’s in a damn shampoo commercial. I feel myself inhale—trying to get a scent. Did I just sniff the air like a damn dog?
She holds out her hand to shake. “It’s nice to finally meet the man who broke my best friend’s heart on national television.”
My mouth opens, but I don’t know what the fuck to say to that shit. She’s straight up calling me out. I look from her, to Piper, and then to Cal. “Umm . . . I . . .” Yep, nothing. Still can’t think of anything to say.
She bursts out laughing, showing me her perfectly-straight white teeth. Yup, she’s perfect. “I’m just joshing ya. Relax.”
I feel the anxiety leave me in a wave, but I need to sit down. I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath and now I’m feeling a little lightheaded.
Everyone takes a seat and Calvin reaches over to hold Piper’s hand. “Riley, we actually have something to tell you,” she starts.
“Wow, this feels very formal. And all without a drink in my hand.”
I pull the beer out of my pocket and hand it over. It’s the least I can do.
She laughs. “Thanks.” She pops it open and takes a sip, turning her attention back to Piper and my brother.
Piper swallows down her nervousness. “As you know, Calvin and I are getting married this winter.”
Riley nods.
“Well, the reason we’re having the wedding so soon is because I’m pregnant!”
Riley’s eyes bug out and her mouth drops open, the corners turning up slightly. “What? Seriously?”
Piper smiles and nods. “And since you and I are so close, I was wondering if you would consider being the baby’s godmother.”
“Godmother? That’s a thing?” she asks, pulling her brows together as she picks at the label on the bottle.
“I mean, it’s mostly just a promise to help guide the baby when he or she needs it. Be a parent without all the responsibilities,” Piper tells her.
“Oh. And who’s the godfather?” she asks.
You rang?
I smile wide and holds up my hand. “It’s going to be you and me, baby.” I wink at her, almost blowing her a kiss, but I hold back at the last moment.
“That in no way, shape, or form means that you two get to have sex,” Piper says, pointing a finger between the two of us, killing all the fun. She used to be fun, but when she got with my brother, that all went out the window.
“What?” she asks.
Piper waves off her question. “Preston is stupid and thought that him being the godfather was a free pass to try out the godmother.”
“I’m still down to try,” I offer, wagging my brows and nodding my head.
“Riley, I’m sorry my brother is such a dumbass,” Calvin says, glaring at me. He’s clearly afraid I’m going to chase her off.
Riley laughs. “Yes, I’ll be the godmother!”
“You will?” Piper asks.
She nods. “Yes, how could I pass up being a member of this family?”
Piper stands up and pulls her in for a hug. “Thank you so much. And don’t worry about Preston. We all just beat the shit out of him when he needs it. Now that you’re in the family, you have that right too.” Piper smiles over at me.
“Hey!” I blurt out.
Piper rolls her eyes as they take their seats once again. “Now that that’s done,” she looks over at Riley, “I’ll get you your wine. Preston, I guess you’ll need another beer since you gave Riley your spare?”
I shoot her a grin. “You know it.”
She shakes her head but stands up to move into the kitchen.
Calvin flips the steaks and goes inside, saying something about a water bottle.
I look over and find Riley still picking at the label on her bottle. “So, you’re Riley?”
She glances over at me and nods while forcing a smile. “And you’re the famous Preston I’ve heard so much about.”
I smile. “I’m famous?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “Mostly as the asshole who ran away from a beautiful woman on TV, so more like infamous. What’s wrong with you?” she asks around a laugh.
I let out a sigh and rub my hand over my face. “I don’t even know anymore,” I admit, and it’s true. Not a day passes that I don’t wish I could go back and relive that day—tell Piper that I love her too. Then maybe my little snow globe would be reset.
She reaches over and places her hand on my arm. “Hey, we all make mistakes. It’s just not usually on national TV.” She offers up a breathtaking smile and I can’t help but laugh with her.
I shake my head. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
She purses her lips together and seems to mull it over. “Maybe. Maybe not. I guess we’ll just have to see.”
I know nothing about Riley, but I can already tell she’s as big a flirt as I am. So naturally, I’m drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
Calvin comes back out and sprays down the flames on the grill. I pay him no mind as I take in Riley. She’s completely oblivious to the fact that I’m staring at her, and I like that about her. I can tell she’s a no-bullshit type of girl. She doesn’t think the world owes her something because of her looks. Fuck, I bet she doesn’t even know how beautiful she is. I love her style too. She’s wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts that are light in color like they’ve been acid-washed. They show off her long, tanned legs perfectly. Her glossy black toenails pop against her Birkenstock sandals. Her shirt has an album cover by The Strokes on it, but the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt have been cut off, revealing her beautiful shoulders and tight abdomen. I can’t help but lick my lips as I take her in. She’s incredibly cool, like she gave no thought to the kick-ass outfit she put together, yet she pulls it off effortlessly.
“Preston, can I talk to you for
a minute?” Calvin asks, nearly making me jump.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” I stand and walk with him into the kitchen just as Piper is walking back out with a glass of wine for Riley and a bottle of beer for me. She hands off the beer before slipping out the sliding glass door.
I finish off my first beer and toss the bottle into the trash can before opening the new one. “What’s up, man?”
He turns toward me and his face is red. I wonder what he’s angry about. “I’m only going to say this once, so pay attention, okay?”
I nod and take another drink.
“Riley is off limits. Got that? No friendship between you two. No dates. No hookups. No relationship of any kind. Okay?”
“Of course,” I say, putting my hands up like I have no idea what he’s talking about. “I don’t even know the girl. Damn, what crawled up your ass and died?” I lean against the island in the center of the kitchen.
“I know you don’t know her, but I saw the way you were looking at her out there. There’s drool all over your shirt right now. And you’re Preston.”
I look down at it but there isn’t. What’s he talking about? “No, there’s not,” I argue.
He hangs his head and lets out a long breath. “Just repeat after me: ‘I will not have any contact with Riley.’”
Marrying My Best Friend's BFF: A Friends to Lovers, Accidental Baby Romance (Love You Forever Book 2) Page 1
