“I’m here to help,” I taunt back, which makes her laugh. “Really, though, you’re sure you’re finished? I can do dishes or some last-minute shopping if there’s something that needs to be done.”
“Nope,” Mel replies cheerfully. “I think we’re all set—at least, the things that can be prepared in advance. All that’s left is to set the table and cook tomorrow, and that’s your job.”
I’ve bought a grill, which I hadn’t needed when I was just a bachelor, but comes in handy now that Mel and I have guests over often.
“I can do that,” I promise. “Still, I feel bad that you were the only one doing all the prep work.”
As I’m speaking, she begins to roll her shoulders, massaging her left one with her right hand.
“Sore?” I ask, and she nods.
“A little,” she admits. “I don’t think I’ve stopped moving all week.”
I turn her around on the couch so that her back is facing me and begin to massage her shoulders, gently but with firm pressure. She lets out a low moan of relief.
“Oh, God,” she groans. “You have no idea how good that feels.”
“How about I take care of you the rest of the night?” I offer. “I’ll run you a hot bath, give you a massage, make you some tea. Sound good?”
She nods, looking sleepy, and kisses the top of my hand as I rub her shoulders.
“I love you, Tyler,” she says suddenly, making me smile.
“I love you too,” I return, standing up from the couch and carrying her to the bathroom so I can start her bath. We’ll turn in early tonight, and luckily Mel’s off tomorrow, so she’ll be able to sleep in if she wants to. She deserves it.
Exhausted or not, Mel doesn’t ever sleep in, so she’s up and about by seven the next morning, waking me up when she rises. When I smell coffee brewing in the kitchen, I can’t resist getting up, too.
She was right about the prep work being pretty much finished, and there’s not much left to do by the time that we’ve both had enough caffeine to feel human again, so we spend the Saturday doing mostly what we usually do: going to a hot yoga class together, then grabbing brunch at our favorite spot and browsing in a few antiques stores before we head back home to start getting things ready for our dinner guests.
For what I believe might genuinely be the first time in his life, Jackson is on time. He’s parked his sports car in the driveway—it’s one of the only luxury items that he’d wanted to purchase with his bonus, aside from a house in a nicer neighborhood and a purebred husky puppy—and rings the doorbell a couple minutes before 6 p.m. Mel dashes to the door, having been excited all day about the barbecue, and swings it open, gasping in delight.
“Jackson, you didn’t say this was who you were bringing!” she says happily.
I round the corner from the kitchen into the front room and catch Mel hugging Jackson and ushering him inside, then hugging a familiar face.
“Hey, Trish,” I say, trying to keep the surprise out of my voice. I’d never met any of Jackson’s girlfriends in college, as he’d been too busy trying to keep his place on the Dean’s list to really date much, but it makes sense that someone like Trish would be his type. She’s cute and quirky. A bit of a self-described nerd, but in an endearing way, sort of like Jackson—a fan of a lot of older sci-fi shows and slapstick comedies. I should have thought to set them up, I realize in hindsight, but I’m glad they’ve come together on their own.
“Hello, Mr. Cross,” she replies a bit stiffly.
I smile, hugging them both.
“We’re not on the clock, Trish,” I point out with a chuckle. “Just call me Tyler.”
She nods, looking a little shy, but I’m hoping that she’ll warm up after a few hours—or maybe a beer or two.
“So, are you two…?” Mel trails off, a hopeful, romantic expression on her face as her eyes dart between her brother and Trish.
“Yes,” Jackson smiles, taking Trish’s hand. “We’ve been on a lot of dates over the past few weeks, and today we finally made it official.”
Jackson looks happier than I’ve ever seen him, and I’ve seen some pretty major milestones in his life, so that’s saying something.
“Congratulations,” I say warmly while Mel sings the same word in a high trill, hugging both of them once more.
“Should we move this party to the backyard?” I ask, ushering Jackson and Trish out of the doorway and into our home. “We’ve got a couple of steaks that aren’t going to grill themselves.”
Jackson picks up a cooler from behind the front door, patting it with a thunk. “We brought beers,” he offers.
Mel and I lead the way into the backyard and I fire up the grill. Jackson and I man the steaks while Mel sits down at the table with Trish. Trish is much more outgoing now than she is at work, but to be fair, she’s only been at VirtuGym for two months. Even though she’s great with customers and answers the phones with ease, she’s always struck me as more the quiet type; being with Jackson has clearly made her come out of her shell.
“So, what about my brother attracted you to him?” Mel asks suddenly, in the sort of half-mocking tone that only a sibling could muster for a question like that.
“Mel,” Jackson whines, “you’re embarrassing me!”
“Trish doesn’t have to answer if she doesn’t want to,” Mel clarifies, “but I’m curious! I mean, it’s not like you two are flirty at the office or anything.”
Trish blushes bright pink. “I’m not much of a fan of public displays of affection,” she confesses, “and I usually have pretty strict rules about dating coworkers. I’ve seen it really backfire on people before, so it took a lot more convincing on Jackson’s part than it normally would. I turned him down twice before I finally said yes,” she says with a smile.
“Aw, Jackson, why didn’t you tell me?” Mel asks, and Jackson rolls his eyes.
“Because it’s not exactly flattering on my part,” he sighs.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that!” Trish backtracks, giggling at Jackson’s embarrassed expression. “I really wanted to accept the first time you asked! I just couldn’t, because we worked together. I thought it would be a bad idea.”
“When she told me that, I thought she was probably right,” Jackson adds. “I didn’t want her to feel awkward if the date didn’t go well, so I just let it go for a few weeks after I asked her out the first time.”
Mel nods. “What changed your mind?”
“Well, one night, when Tyler was out for a business meeting and you were filming one of the app videos, I heard this really loud crash from the front of the gym after we’d closed. I went out to investigate it and I saw that Trish had accidentally knocked a huge box of files off the desk, which contained hundreds of customer subscription receipts that she’d just finished organizing by date.”
“It was so bad,” Trish continues. “They were everywhere, and Tyler had asked me to finish them by that evening. Plus, I’d only been working there for a month, so I was freaking out,” she goes on, patting the chair next to her for Jackson to sit.
The steaks don’t need flipping again, so I take the seat next to Mel to continue listening to their story.
“So, Jackson helped you clean them up?” Mel asks, sitting forward with her elbows on her knees.
“He didn’t just help me pick them up,” Trish gushes, patting Jackson’s hands lovingly. “He calmed me down and told me that if I wanted to go home, he didn’t mind organizing them himself.”
Jackson shrugs modestly. “I was already staying late,” he says, “so it wasn’t a big deal.”
“We spent the whole night reorganizing everything,” Trish regales. “We talked about everything from movies to our families. I learned that we had a lot in common, and I loved how sweet and funny he is. The next day, he brought me a coffee with his phone number written on it, and I turned him down again, still because I didn’t want to date someone I worked with. But it was driving me crazy—I really, really wanted to call him. I ev
en rinsed out the cup when I finished the latte and took it home just because I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.”
Mel clutches her necklace, which I kept for the same reasons after she’d left it in my apartment all those years ago. I know how it feels to keep a trinket, just in case you might have the chance to be with the person of your dreams.
“What finally convinced you?” Mel asks, and Trish flushes again.
“It’s kind of embarrassing,” she says, and Jackson grins.
“I’ll tell them,” he offers excitedly, and Trish swats his arm good-naturedly. “She got a little too tipsy at the summer office party, so I drove her home. When I pulled up to her place, she kissed me. After I knew she felt the same way about me as I did her, I wasn’t about to let her go. I waited up for her after work that Monday and told her that unless she’d changed her mind about her feelings, I wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
“Aw,” Mel coos. “Jackson, that’s so cute. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Yeah,” I agree, “I didn’t peg you as the romantic type.”
Jackson grips Trish’s hand and grins. “What can I say? Trish brings out a new side of me.”
“I think the steaks are done,” I say, standing up again and facing the barbecue to check them with the meat thermometer.
When I see that they’re all a perfect medium rare, I pull them off the grill and onto a slab to rest while Mel and Trish set the table.
The dinner is delicious, and the beers that Jackson and Trish brought are great. By the time we finish eating and chatting, the sun is setting. The night is getting cooler, which is a welcome relief after the sweltering day, and the crickets come out to sing. Our house is far enough from the city that the freeway sounds are muted, making for a peaceful sunset. I throw some logs on the fire pit for some warmth, but I keep it small enough that the light won’t interfere with viewing the fireworks.
“The show should start in a few minutes,” I announce, returning to my seat after lighting the fire and taking Mel’s hand in mine.
“It’s so neat that you live somewhere you can see the downtown firework show,” Trish says, snuggling into Jackson as we wait.
“Oh, there they are—so pretty!” Mel exclaims, pointing out toward the city skyline just as a muted explosion rings out over the silence of the night.
“Not nearly as stunning as you, my love,” I whisper into her ear, and she gives me a smile brighter than any firework.
After the show is finished and we’ve said goodbye to Jackson and Trish, Mel and I make quick work of cleaning up. When I’ve finished outside, I head to the kitchen, where she’s putting the last few things in the dishwasher. I come up behind her, snaking my arms around her hips and pressing her body against mine.
“Everything was perfect today,” I tell her, “thanks to you, superwoman.”
Mel giggles, pressing her face against mine as I rest my head on her shoulder. “Aw,” she coos, “it wasn’t just me. You and Jackson cooked everything, and Trish was delightful.”
“And the fireworks show was the best it’s ever been,” I remark, and she laughs.
“It’s the same one they do every year,” she points out, and I hum indifferently.
“Maybe it was just better because I was sitting next to you,” I tell her, swaying back and forth slowly, tugging her away from the sink. When she leans in to my body, I reach out and turn off the faucet.
“Tyler, wait,” she objects weakly, “the dishes—”
“I’ll do them tomorrow,” I promise. The cleanliness of the kitchen is the last thing on my mind right now.
We don’t even make it all the way to the bedroom. Instead, I put her on the kitchen island counter and undress her in a flash, unable to keep my hands off her. Stray fireworks from nearby backyards light up the room and fill it with brilliant color, vibrant and bright. Her face is illuminated in just those short flashes, and I’ve never seen her looking more gorgeous.
“You’re the most incredible woman in the damn world,” I murmur, kissing her gently but fiercely.
She laughs, kissing my neck in the short moment I allow her lips to pull away from mine.
“Where’s this coming from, all of a sudden?” she asks amusedly. “I thought you wanted to go to bed, since we have to get up early for work.”
“You know I’d quit my job if that’s what it took to do this with you,” I tell her.
Though she smiles like it’s a joke, I’m entirely serious. I want her to know that, but I really don’t think she’d believe me, even if I told her a thousand different ways for the rest of our lives.
Instead, I’ll kiss the message into her mouth, tell her with tender caresses and passionate love. It’s the only way she’ll believe me, and if I only do one thing with the rest of my life, I want to ensure that it’s letting Mel know that my entire world revolves around her.
Epilogue
Three Months Later: Mel
After months of careful planning, the app is ready to officially launch just before Halloween. In true VirtuGym fashion—which, really, is more “Tyler” fashion—the original VirtuGym location has been cleared out just for the launch party, just like for the grand opening, providing catering, live music and an open bar.
I arrive in one of Tyler’s cars, driven by a chauffeur, having gone home to get ready while Tyler stayed and changed at the office after work to oversee the final preparations. I have a flashback of stepping out of the cab here nearly six years ago, when I’d seen this building for the first time and had been in awe that it was partially Jackson’s creation. That night, this city had felt so foreign, so daunting. Tonight, I can’t help but feel at home when I see Tyler wave at me from the doors, where he’s greeting people and chatting in a circle with a group of the app developers whom I recognize but have never spoken to.
“Hey, babe,” Tyler says extra cheerfully. He’s clearly been waiting for me to bail him out of this conversation for a more interesting one, and I can’t help but chuckle a little. “Everyone, this is my better half, Mel Page. Mel, these are a few of our techies.”
“Page,” one of the guys notes, “you’re Jackson’s little sister, right?”
I nod, extending my hand so he can shake it. “I am,” I reply. “Have you seen him, Tyler? I wanted to say hi.”
“Yep, I know exactly where he’s hiding,” he says. “We should go see him.”
He says goodbye to the guys and snakes his arm around my waist as he leads me into the gym, where the music immediately intensifies. I can feel my heartbeat sync up with the loud bass emanating from the speakers.
“Thanks for rescuing me,” Tyler says, having to nearly shout in my ear just to ensure that I’m the only one to hear him.
“I aim to please,” I tell him, reaching up for a kiss. “The party looks amazing, Tyler. You really knocked it out of the park.”
Tyler makes a mock-modest hand gesture and smiles. “It was nothing,” he lies, knowing full well that I’m aware of just how much planning went into the event. “Do you want a drink?”
I grin, following him to the open bar and letting him order me a glass of champagne. The first time I’d come here, I hadn’t even been old enough to drink legally, but he’d snuck me a glass. We really were just kids, it feels like. I take a sip when he puts the drink in my hands, just like six years ago.
“It’s like I’m having déjà-vu,” I tell him, looking around the room. The laser lights, the booming music, the people dancing—it’s all the exact same. We’re older, now, but San Bravado hasn’t changed a bit. It’s pretty amazing that VirtuGym has managed to stay afloat in a city in which most businesses come and go within two years. That’s why, probably, the app is such a big deal. It doesn’t just mean stepping further into the future—it means remaining relevant until Tyler and Jackson think of their next great big idea.
Speaking of Jackson, I notice him and Trish out of the corner of my eye, and Trish spots me back and waves me over. I realize that
Tyler has disappeared into the crowd while I was lost in thought, so I walk over to say hi.
“Mel!” she says cheerfully. “It’s good to see you. Where’s Tyler?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “He managed to get away from me, but I wanted to come over and say hi, anyway. How are you?”
“We’re doing great!” she replies. I can tell that she’s already had a drink or two from the smell of fruity alcohol on her breath and the bubbly, outgoing smile she’s giving me. I’m glad she’s having fun—Trish and I have gotten quite close over the past few months. “This is such a fun party!” she gushes. “I’ve never been to anything like this before.”
“You’re in for a treat,” I tell her. “Tyler and Jackson throw a mean launch party.”
Before we can chat more, the song that’s playing ends, and instead of immediately starting the next set, the room quiets at the sound of microphone feedback. I look up to the stage and see that Tyler has taken the mic, probably to make some kind of announcement about the app.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” he begins, resulting in a roaring cheer from the crowd. “I’m not going to pause the fun for too long, but I have a few things that I wanted to say before the night is over, if that’s okay.”
The crowd cheers again, which he takes as encouragement to keep speaking.
“First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for coming out tonight to help us celebrate the launch of our app. I know it’ll be successful because of your support, and I believe that it’s going to revolutionize the fitness world forever. I also want to thank all the VirtuGym employees, from our home base location to every branch all over the world. We couldn’t do this without them.”
I clap with the rest of the party. All the original employees are here tonight, even those who have moved away or moved up the chain, and they’re whooping and whistling for one another.
“Specifically,” Tyler continues, “I want to thank my business partner, Jackson Page. Jackson, I know that we’ve been through the wringer in the past six years, and I won’t go into the whole long story, but you’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I’m glad that you’re still my partner. There’s no one else I’d rather run this place with.”
My Brother's Best Friend - A Second Chance Romance (San Bravado Billionaire's Club Book 8) Page 13
