Wrong Brother, Right Match (Anyone but You #3)

by Jennifer Shirk

  He found street parking not far from his brother’s place. He cut the engine, about to get out of the truck, but her voice stopped him.

  “You don’t need to see me to the door,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes. “You’ve done enough for me already.”

  “I’ll get your bags and bring them up.”

  “Matt, really. It’s not necessary.”

  “Well, I know it’s not necessary for you. However, I might have to use the bathroom. It’s a long trip back to the ferry.”

  She chuckled. “Oh. Sorry. Come on up.” She got out of the truck and took her laptop case from the backseat.

  Matt grabbed her suitcase and followed. Justin lived in a one bedroom, one bath studio apartment on the eighth floor, which still afforded him a nice view of the city. It looked to be recently updated, decorated in a very clean and contemporary style. After he used the bathroom, he took his time, making an unconcealed effort to check out where his brother was living. He hadn’t been up to Boston in a few years.

  He heard Kennedy in the kitchen as he picked up a few photographs that were on a shelf. One was of him and Justin and his dad the day Matt got accepted into college. Big grins all around, their arms wrapped together in camaraderie. It saddened him to know that was the last time he and his brother had gotten along. The second photograph was of his mom and Caitlyn when they all had celebrated his sister’s thirteenth birthday. He placed them back then looked for others. There weren’t any.

  Not a single picture of Kennedy.

  He frowned as he scanned the room. Besides the suitcase he’d just brought in and the woman herself, there weren’t any reminders of Kennedy around. That hardly spoke of a man madly in love. But then again, he and Justin were different men.

  Different enough to know that as much as it could hurt his brother, Justin shouldn’t be engaged to Kennedy.

  “Do you want some tea?” she asked, coming up behind him. “That’s all he has. Justin isn’t the hot chocolate junkie I am,” she said with a self-deprecating smile.

  “No. Thank you.” He motioned to the room. “How come there aren’t any pictures of you and Justin lying around?”

  She blinked as if noticing it for the first time. “I…I don’t know. I guess we haven’t had that many taken together. I’m sure we’ll do an engagement picture soon.”

  “He’ll get right on that. Right after he gets you an engagement ring, too, I’m sure,” he said, his voice tight.

  “I already told you why I don’t have a ring yet.”

  “Yeah, Justin always seems to have some excuse, usually centering around work.”

  “He’s extremely busy now only because he’s in the running for a promotion.”

  He nodded. “I see. And what happens if and when he gets that promotion?”

  “Well, I guess we go back to how it was before.”

  “Before? Like when I met you in Vegas?”

  She frowned. “No, not like that. Justin and I worked things out after that time. He promised me he wouldn’t let work come between us.”

  “Oh, of course. And that seems to be working out so well.”

  She stiffened at the sarcasm in his voice. “Matt, you’re not being fair.”

  “Come on, Kennedy, I was engaged to someone just as career-driven. I know exactly what’s fair and what isn’t.”

  Kennedy’s hands balled together. “I don’t understand why you’re making such a big deal out of this.”

  He glowered. “You deserve more. That’s all. The man you marry should be putting you up on a pedestal, not treating you as if you were last night’s leftovers.”

  She glowered back. “I’m fine with it.”

  “I don’t think you are, yet for whatever reason you won’t admit that to yourself. I’ve witnessed your hurt and disappointment over the past week. I know it bothered you that you were willing to sacrifice time off from your job, but Justin couldn’t do the same. Look, my brother is a great guy, but at some point, you’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that Justin is not the man for you.”

  “Oh, like you’re the expert matchmaker now. At least I’m not afraid to put myself out there to find love.”

  “I’m not the expert, but I do have two eyes,” he spat. “And no offense, but my brother doesn’t act like a man in love. He treats you more like a friend or a close colleague. My God, I’ve seen him show more attention to my mother’s fruitcake than he does to you!”

  Her mouth clenched tighter. “So what? Maybe Justin isn’t an outwardly affectionate guy. Not every woman is looking for that, you know. And I don’t really see what business it is of yours anyway.”

  “Because it’s my business now.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since I’ve gotten sick and tired of pretending that I don’t have feelings for you.”

  Kennedy gasped. Her mouth hung open. “Oh.”

  Yeah. Oh.

  He hadn’t meant to tell her like that, or even tell her at all, but now that it was out there, hovering in Awkward Land, he figured he might as well hammer the nail in the coffin.

  Matt ran a hand through his hair before he spoke. “Kennedy, look, I don’t want to hurt my brother. It’s the last thing my family should have to deal with now, but I need to know if you have feelings for me, because…I think you do.”

  She opened her mouth, looked about to say something, then turned away.

  He reached out and took hold of her shoulders, slowly turning her around to face him. Her face looked so pale, eyes clouding with tears, and her mind appeared to be going in a thousand different directions. “Sweetheart—”

  “Don’t call me that!” Her hand went to her chest as if trying to control her breathing. “You…you can’t call me that,” she said in a more quiet tone.

  He held his hands up in surrender. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to slip out like that. It’s just that—for me—what started all those months ago from one kiss in that elevator has grown into something more. I have to be honest.” He took a step closer, taking hold of a silky strand of her hair and rubbing it between his fingers. “I don’t want to become your brother-in-law. I want to become more than that.”

  Kennedy didn’t say anything for a long minute. He thought she had checked out completely, and he would have to repeat what he’d said, until she finally raised her clear blue eyes to him. “I—I can’t,” she whispered.

  Matt tried to absorb her answer. It wasn’t a hell no, or an I won’t ever. It was an I can’t. That gave him a margin of hope.

  “So…does that mean you do feel something for me?” he asked warily.

  “Yes. I think. I don’t know what I feel. Except confused. I—I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

  He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. “Me, either. But I think if we both explain to Justin why you’re calling off the engagement, in time he—”

  She backed away from him. “I can’t call off the engagement.”

  “What do you mean you can’t call it off?”

  “Just what I said. I can’t.”

  “But you said you have feelings for another man. Me.”

  “I said I think I might have feelings for you.” Tears hung in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Matt, but I can’t really trust these emotions, a temporary attraction. I can’t quite rely on that, not when everything seems to point to your brother.”

  He snorted. “Your software points to my brother.”

  “Among other things.” She bit her lip. “And my PR firm moved up my software rollout to New Year’s Eve. They want a whole publicity circuit centered around me and Justin, so…”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Is that all that’s really important to you? How your company looks to the media? How very career-oriented of you. So, you’re putting your company—ambition—ahead of your heart.” Like his ex fiancée had done. Again, he came in second. Well, at least when he fell for a woman he fell for a certain type. Nice going, buddy.

  “
No, it’s not like that. It’s not just me I’m thinking about. There are a lot of people who are affected by my business. They’re counting on me to make this work.”

  “I hope it does work out for you. Perfectly. Just how you like things, right? Controlled, with no mess. But guess what, Kennedy? I know you don’t want to end up like your mom, but people are unpredictable, relationships take work, and life is messy no matter who you are. But I guess I should thank you for turning me on to the real you now before I had really gotten attached, unlike my ex fiancée. I would have hated to have repeated the same mistake twice.” He turned to leave. He had to get out of there before he lost it. His chest was on fire.

  Kennedy reached out then, wrapped her hand around his upper arm. “Matt, you have to understand. Please don’t leave like this.”

  He understood plenty—that she was ignoring her true feelings and not being completely fair to Justin, either, all for the sake of her business—but was saved from saying anything further when they heard the jangling of keys and then the front door swing open. Justin walked into the living room, dressed in a suit and holding a large bakery box.

  “Hey, Matt,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t expect you. What are you doing here?”

  Matt grabbed his jacket and draped it over his arm. “Delivering your fiancée to you. Merry Christmas.”

  Justin’s brow furrowed. He placed the box down on a table and kissed Kennedy on the cheek. A very lame greeting to a fiancée he hadn’t seen in more than a week, in Matt’s opinion. That dismal display only aggravated him further.

  “You’re leaving already?” his brother asked. “Why don’t you stay and grab dinner with me and Kennedy?”

  He almost laughed. “No, that’s okay. I need to get back to Mom. Besides, I wouldn’t want to impose, especially since you’ve been apart from Kennedy all week.”

  Justin swung an arm around Kennedy and grinned down at her. “That’s true. Isn’t she great? No other fiancée would put up with someone so devoted to his work.”

  “Yeah. She seems just as devoted to hers, too.” His voice broke miserably as his gaze drifted over to Kennedy. “You two are perfect for each other.”

  …

  Justin had made reservations for Christmas Eve dinner at one of her favorite restaurants in the North End, just the two of them, and then, because she begged him, reluctantly agreed to drive out of the city and stop by Trent’s house for dessert.

  After her confrontation with Matt, she desperately needed to talk to Maddie. Even with Justin here and Matt gone, she still couldn’t stop thinking about Matt or what he’d said to her. Did she not belong with Justin? But how could she back out of their engagement when it hinged on the big media-hyped introduction of their new matchmaking software? Her nice orderly life was in disarray, and she felt as if she were balancing on a tightrope with a sudden case of vertigo.

  She could barely eat anything at dinner. Justin remarked on it a few times, but she just brushed it off to having travel fatigue. Once they’d arrived at her cousin’s she felt much more at ease when Trent’s Old English Sheepdog, Bella, immediately ran up, excited to see her.

  “Who’s my good girl?” she cooed, rubbing her face and neck. She giggled when the large dog flopped on her back, tongue hanging out of her mouth.

  Trent placed his hands on his hips and scowled. “She’s not a good girl and apparently doesn’t realize the strength she has in her tail. The oaf. She’s knocked down my Christmas tree four times already since I put it up.”

  “Hey, she’s not an oaf,” Maddie said, coming over and rubbing the dog’s belly. “Are you, Bella?”

  As if to answer, the dog turned and stood so fast, she almost knocked over Justin.

  “Oh, yeah,” Trent muttered dryly. “She’s as graceful as a bull in a china shop.”

  “Well, I’m happy to see her,” Kennedy said. “And you, too, cuz. Merry Christmas.” She reached on tiptoe and gave her cousin a kiss, then hugged Maddie and handed them a bag of gifts.

  “We’re so happy you guys were able to come and spend some of the holiday with us,” Maddie said, leading everyone into the living room. “It wouldn’t have been the same without you. You remember my friends Sabrina and Jack? They’re here with their new baby.”

  Kennedy’s mood became even more buoyant. Thank goodness she came home. It seemed as if it’d been months since she last saw Sabrina and Jack. But then again, she’d been so busy with her software development that it probably had been even longer than that.

  “Merry Christmas,” she said, kissing Sabrina then Jack on the cheek. “I don’t think you guys have met my fiancé yet, Justin Ellis.”

  As Sabrina and Jack greeted Justin, Kennedy focused all her attention on the little blue bundle in Sabrina’s arms. She stroked the baby’s cheek, and he gave a little smile. Or maybe he passed wind. Either way, their baby was completely adorable—although hardly surprising when you had two parents as attractive as Sabrina and Jack.

  “He’s so cute,” she gushed. “What’s his name?”

  “Owen Leonard,” Jack said proudly.

  Justin, obviously not as interested in babies, sat, and Bella automatically put her head in his lap, which he tentatively pat, trying to avoid getting hair on his suit cuff.

  “Kennedy, Maddie was so bummed when you said you wouldn’t be here for Christmas that she invited us,” Sabrina said with a laugh. “But I’m glad you could make it. I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  “Yeah, it just kind of worked out. Duty called for both of us with work. It turned out we couldn’t get away like we originally planned, so we had to come back home.”

  Maddie tilted her head, spilling blond curls on her shoulder. “Did you get to see your family at all, Justin?”

  “Just for an overnight. I’m sure we’ll plan something soon enough. But at least Kennedy got some quality time with my family and to do some fun things on the island.” Justin looked up and smiled at Kennedy. “My brother Matt was a real lifesaver there.”

  Yeah. Lifesaver. A wave of panic swept through her. She managed a weak smile back then her gaze cut to Maddie. “Um, do you need help in the kitchen with dessert?”

  “Well, I thought we’d sit for—”

  “Great! Because I’m starving,” she said, dragging Maddie into the kitchen with her.

  “Hey,” Maddie said, once they were alone. “I thought you just came from dinner.”

  “We did. But I could barely eat a thing.” Kennedy looked at the counter and almost said a prayer of thanks to the dessert gods. Maddie had made a chocolate mousse—bless her for knowing she’d need chocolate—an apple crumble, and a tray of Christmas cookies.

  “Wow, you outdid yourself, Maddie. This all looks so good.”

  Maddie snapped her fingers in front of Kennedy’s face. “Focus, Ken. Why couldn’t you eat dinner?”

  Before she could answer, Sabrina walked into the kitchen. But taking one look at the two of them had stopped her in her tracks. “Uh-oh. Is this a private party or can I listen in? Life with a three-month-old is getting to me. I’m dying for adult conversation that doesn’t revolve around poop frequency or sleep infrequency.”

  Maddie raised a questioning eyebrow to Kennedy, who shrugged. “Why not? Misery loves company.”

  “Ooh, misery talk, yay,” Sabrina said, quickly pulling up a stool. “That sounds great.”

  Kennedy frowned at her.

  “Oh. I mean not great great,” she corrected. “I just mean interesting great.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m interested as to why you couldn’t eat dinner, Kennedy.”

  Kennedy slumped into a stool at the counter and sighed. “Your advice didn’t work. Justin is here, and it’s all I can do to not think about Matt. Especially after Matt told me that he has feelings for me.”

  “Oh dear.” Maddie slid in the stool next to her. She grabbed a spoon and dug into some mousse. “So what did you say?” she mumbled with her mouth full.

  “Wh
at could I say? Maddie, you know my background, how my mom was. How can I trust what I’m feeling is real?”

  “Honey, you’re not your mother.”

  “I know that.” Sort of. But it still wasn’t enough to ward off the fears that she’d become like her mom and end up alone with no stability or normal family life. “And then I got the news that my PR firm wants to roll out my matchmaking software early.”

  “How early?”

  “New Year’s Eve early. And they want to showcase my relationship with Justin since we were one of the test subjects for it. But how can I say yes if I’m having doubts about my engagement? And if I don’t go through with it, my software will be rendered meaningless, investors will pull out, and it’ll hurt my company. Mia said some of the print ads already started rolling out.”

  “Oh dear.”

  Kennedy flung her hands in the air. “Please, stop saying that!”

  “I’m sorry! It’s like my mouth is on autopilot. I guess I’m having a hard time processing this because it happened so fast.”

  “Well, I guess not that fast if you count the elevator incident.” Oops.

  Sabrina’s mouth dropped open. “See? Now this is the kind of good conversation I’m talking about.”

  Maddie shushed her friend then put down her spoon. “What do you mean elevator incident?”

  Kennedy took a few slow, deep breaths. She had told Justin about the man in the elevator in Las Vegas and what had happened; however, she might have left out a few details. Like the man who had kissed her happened to be his brother. And that she might’ve kissed him back (a little) and had never quite been able to forget it. “I, uh, met Matt before this past week. Ironically enough, it was in Vegas when I was at the Creative Technology Conference.”

  “Well, what happened in the elevator to make it an incident?”

  She cleared her throat. “It got stuck with the two of us on it. You know I don’t do well in confined spaces, and he had some wine…and well, we kissed.”