Mister Big Stuff_A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel

by Weston Parker

  The preacher walked in, and Damon turned his attention from Beth to the front. He was grateful that Kendal had decided against an open-casket funeral. Seeing Amanda up front while the service was going on would have been too much. Especially for her older brother.

  Chapter 12

  Bethany

  Bethany held her breath as the funeral started. There seemed nothing worse in life than death to most people, but she'd been through a few days that felt like death might be a reprieve of sorts. The preacher was opening the service as Matt moved in quietly to sit beside her. Her mom and Kent were beside him, all of them trying to get into the pew as quietly as possible.

  "Morning," Matt whispered as he reached over and gave her a quick hug.

  She smiled and leaned forward, reaching out and squeezing her mom's hand too. Her mother eyed her and Damon, nodded and turned back toward the front.

  "We're gathered here today to celebrate the life of Amanda Tarrington." A few sniffles lifted up around the room, and Bethany couldn't help but hurt for Kendal. Without his mom and dad, Amanda was the only family he had left, or so Damon had told her on the way to the funeral.

  She reached over and took Matt's hand into hers. She still had her family with her, but how quickly it had started to dwindle before her eyes over something stupid and trivial. She'd have to be on guard with her wayward feelings and Damon's quirks. There was no way in hell she was going to let them get back to where they were before last night.

  The preacher had spoken for a few more minutes before he called Kendal up.

  Bethany's eyes lingered on the dark-haired nurse that sat beside him on the front row. Who was she? Was Kendal in love with her?

  "I just wanted to thank you guys again for coming. My sister has been fighting MS for a very long time, and yet I can't help but wish she were still in that fighting stage. I know it's selfish, but I miss her already." He glanced up toward the ceiling and paused as Bethany's heart broke in her chest. "At twenty-five, you never expect life to be over. I guess what I want to say is that she was loved so much by me and everyone that walked into her hospital room. She'll be missed forever, and if there is something that Mandy would have said to us, it's to live your life to the fullest each day. I struggle with that, but she was right. We never know if tomorrow is coming or not, so live for today. Thanks."

  Bethany reached up and wiped at her tears as Kendal wiped at his and made his way back to his pew.

  The preacher went through the rest of the ceremony, and one of Kendal's cousins sang a beautiful old hymn that had most of the church in tears. Damon leaned over and kissed her cheek close to the end.

  "I have to help out. See you outside when it's over. Just stay with Matt." He smiled and kissed her cheek again.

  She started to respond with something cheeky about being a grown woman and not needing Matt or any other man to walk her outside, but she let it go. He was only trying to make sure she was taken care of. It was a good thing.

  He got up, and Matt wrapped his arm around Bethany's shoulder. She snuggled against him and followed Damon with her eyes as he and several other guys moved to the front.

  Kendal took the time to hug each of them before moving to lift Amanda's casket from the stand where it sat.

  Everyone waited for the preacher to say his final words and the guys to move down the center aisle with Amanda before standing up. Bethany wanted to turn and talk to Matt, to dive into something other than the death of a girl her age. It weighed heavy on her like it did on everyone in the room.

  She moved out into the aisle after the family cleared the room and glanced back to make sure Matt was behind her. His dark blue eyes filled with warmth as he smiled.

  "Hey, sis."

  "Hey," she mumbled quietly and turned to walk out of the church. The sun was sitting high in the sky, but the cool breeze of fall made the day pleasant in a way that was hard to get in late October in Texas.

  "What happens now?" Bethany's mom moved up and pulled her into a hug as she turned.

  "We go to the graveside, and the preacher says a few more things." Kent moved in for a quick hug after her mom. "How are you this morning, Bethany?"

  "Good." She glanced up at Kent. "Really good."

  "I'm glad to hear that." He smiled down at her and released her to wrap his arms around her mother.

  Matt rolled his shoulders and glanced down at her. "You and Damon make up?"

  "Yeah. Something like that." She turned to face her step-brother and lifted her eyebrow. "What's going on with you and Erica?"

  "Nothing? Everything? I don't know. I had a great time with her for the weekend, but it's all too much." He brushed his hands over the swell of his chest. He'd been working out in his spare time from what she could tell.

  "Too much? I'm not sure I understand." She put her hand on her hip. "Tell me what happened."

  "No." He winked and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "There isn't anything to tell. She still scares the fuck out of me, and I'm avoiding her until I figure out how to get over my fears."

  "Avoiding her? I'm not sure that would go over very well."

  "It's not." He nodded toward the car. "You want to ride with us out to the graveside?"

  "Yeah. That sounds good." She turned her head a little to find Damon.

  He waved before getting into a long black stretch limousine with Kendal and the other pallbearers.

  "I care about Erica, and am probably a little obsessed with her, though I'd never admit it to anyone but you and Damon."

  "But?" Bethany glanced up at her brother.

  "I don't know." He shrugged. "I feel like if we let ourselves, we'd both be consumed by the other. It's not fair to her or me."

  "You're making no sense at all." She pulled from his hold and reached for the door.

  "Then it's a normal day, and all is right in the world." Matt wagged his eyebrows and walked to the other side of the car.

  As much as Beth wanted to push the conversation, it was more than obvious that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. He wasn't scared of Erica necessarily, but of the feelings that existed between the two of them. It could be a powerful relationship, something like she and Damon had, but there was no way Matt was going to let that happen. For some reason, the handsome nugget-head felt the need to protect himself.

  Protect himself from love?

  Weirder things had happened.

  ***

  The graveside service was much faster, and everyone seemed okay until the end. The preacher looked down at the front row where Kendal sat and offered him a rose. Bethany couldn't hear what the man said from where she was standing off to the side with the rest of her family, but Kendal took the flower and stood up.

  The preacher turned and walked to the head of the casket, bending down and grabbing a handful of dirt. He sprinkled it over the shiny black box. "Ashes to ashes and dust to dust."

  Kendal moved up next and paused with his back to everyone. He was speaking, but it was impossible to hear what he was saying. The soft sound of crying rose up and almost tore Bethany in two.

  She glanced over toward Damon, who moved forward to stand beside his best friend. He paused as Dana got up from her seat and moved up beside Kendal instead.

  Kendal's back shook as his shoulders rounded, and he laid the flower down. Dana wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, holding him while he said goodbye to his little sister.

  Bethany moved toward the back of the crowd as Damon walked toward her with tears in his eyes.

  "Shit. I hate this kind of stuff," he whispered roughly and pulled her into his arms. He leaned down and kissed her a few times before tucking his handsome face against her neck. "I wish I could take it from him."

  "Me too, but it seems like someone is going to help him move past it better than either you or I could." She kissed Damon's face and snuggled against him as he moved back and took his place beside her.

  Dana still had her arms around Kendal as they w
alked from the grave toward the car.

  Damon released Beth and walked after them, moving in front of the couple and giving his best friend a long hug. Bethany watched them from the side, letting the moment touch her heart in ways that it needed to be touched. Damon was a good man with a rough past, but he was willing to try and be someone better, someone different in all areas of his life.

  That was all she could ask for.

  She reached for him as he walked back to her a few minutes later. "Let's go have lunch with our family and then we can take a nap. That sound good?"

  He nodded. "I was going to talk with my dad today, but I got a text in the car that the Zarpeth team needs me to come sign off on a few things and help them work through one more kink. I'll eat with you guys and then get on a plane and head down to Florida."

  "You're leaving?" She groaned and ran her hands up his chest. "I don't want you to go."

  He smirked and leaned down to kiss her nose. "Then come with me."

  "I'm not ready to make a decision about working at McKenzie and Bryant yet, Damon. I don't want to be pushed into making it either."

  Matt walked up beside her. "So I heard you quit? Holy hell, I thought that place was like Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

  Damon gave his brother a 'kiss my ass' look, and Bethany couldn't help but chuckle. The two of them were too cute together. Nothing alike and yet got along incredibly well most of the time.

  "You don't have to come down there to work, baby. Just come with me so we can spend time together. You can go to the beach later today and tomorrow while I'm in the office." He pulled her close and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. "I'll even let you bring Matt if he promises to behave."

  She glanced over at Matt and smiled. "You wanna go have some daiquiris and lay on the beach with me in Florida today?"

  "Does it mean I don't have to make any big decisions in my own life?" Matt gave her a lopsided smile.

  "That's pretty much every day in your life." Kent walked up and laughed before looking down at Bethany's mom. "You wanna take these kids to lunch together before I have to run up to the office for that call?"

  "Absolutely." Bethany's mom moved out of Kent's hold and pulled Beth into a hug as the boys walked toward the car. "I can't imagine losing you at this age. I know Kendal's parents are already gone, but maybe that's a good thing. There's one thing a mother should never have to do, and that's bury one of her babies."

  "I agree." Beth rested her cheek against her mother's shoulder, letting the older woman cry a little as she clung to Beth. There were a million things to tell her about her relationship with Damon and such but now wasn't the time.

  "I love you, baby." Her mom kissed the side of her head.

  "Me too." She rested against her mom, grateful that if nothing else, this would always be a safe place to land.

  Chapter 13

  Damon

  Damon stood over the sink, washing dishes and listening to the sounds of his family laughing behind him. Martha had the day off to be with her son since he was graduating from college. Damon almost felt guilty for not being there beside her. She'd been a part of his father's household since he was a boy.

  "What are you thinking about, handsome?" Bethany slid her hands around his waist and pressed herself against his back.

  He closed his eyes, letting himself fully experience the warmth that radiated off of her. How in the world he thought himself capable of moving on without her beside him was a fucking joke. He’d have hated the man he would have become if their relationship didn't work out. He was already slipping back into being a full-time asshole.

  "Martha. Her son is graduating college today." He turned off the faucet and grabbed a hand towel, wiping his hands and turning around to face her.

  His father glanced up from talking with Karen and smiled. "I sent flowers to her house this morning as a congratulations from us. She knew we were at Amanda's funeral."

  "Oh, good." Damon wrapped his arms around Beth and smiled down at her. "You need to go grab something to wear to the beach. We gotta get going."

  "Do I need a fancy outfit for dinner tonight?" She rubbed the small of his back and tightened her arms around him as she watched him in a way that left his body yearning for another romp in the sheets.

  "Just something casual. I'm not sure what the schedule is going to look like yet." He glanced up as Matt walked into the kitchen. "You got enough stuff here to pack for the overnight trip?"

  "Yeah. Do I need something other than shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops?" He gave Damon a goofy grin.

  "No. That works perfectly." He turned his attention back to Beth. "You need me to run you by your place before we head to the airport?"

  "That would be great." She lifted to her toes and surprised him with a long kiss. The sound of Matt grunting and walking out of the kitchen with false disgust was always a delight to hear.

  Damon moved everyone along, and twenty minutes later had Beth in the car beside him and Matt in the back. They'd swing by and get Beth's clothes and get on a flight to Florida.

  "You think Kendal is going to be okay?" Beth's voice was soft as if she were lost deep in thought.

  "I think he will eventually. It's going to take some time." Damon swallowed his worry and reached for her hand. "I think that pretty girl standing next to him at the casket today might help speed up that healing if he lets her."

  "How pretty?" Beth gave him a look before laughing softly.

  "Nothing compared to you."

  Matt groaned in the backseat. "Am I really going to have to watch you guys be lovey-dovey all damn weekend?"

  "Yep," Beth and Damon answered in tandem.

  Matt made another noise and flopped down in the backseat. The sound of deep breathing filled the car a few minutes later, and Damon chuckled as Bethany looked his way.

  "Is he seriously asleep?" she asked.

  Damon nodded and pulled up in front of her apartment. "Yep. When he was little and would get all wound up, which was all the fucking time, Mom and Dad would put us in the car. Me with a word puzzle, and Matt with a blanket. They'd drive around the block a few times, and by the time we got back home, Matt would be sound asleep."

  "I hope we get a kid that trick works on." She gave him a cute smile and got out of the car.

  He reached over and popped her on the butt as she yelped, gave him a look and closed the door.

  "Damn, I love you, woman," he mumbled under his breath as he watched her jog toward her apartment door. Reaching up, he pulled the rearview mirror down and studied his brother. Why in the world was the idiot running from Erica? Damon had known the woman for the last few years, and she was perfect for Matt, but Matt would have to come to that conclusion on his own. There was nothing Damon, or anyone else could do to sway the sleeping giant.

  Damon jolted as the door opened and Beth got back in. "Wow. That was fast."

  "I figured I only needed a few things seeing that we're going together. I was hoping that most of the trip would be in the nude?" She gave him a cheeky smile and buckled up.

  He leaned over, slipped his hand into her hair and brought her toward him for a long string of kisses. His pulse spiked as the smell of her skin filled his senses and left him wanting so much more than he was going to get of her in the car. Especially with Matthew in the backseat.

  "Let's go before I turn the car off and force you to take a quick detour into your apartment with me." He moved back to his seat, adjusted himself and started the car.

  "And that would be a bad idea because..."

  He growled and pulled out of the parking lot quickly before he changed his mind. Matt was so out of it that he wouldn't miss them, but the text from Florida sounded like the shit might hit the fan over the Zarpeth account before it was all said and done. If that were the case, the quickie with Beth would have to wait.

  ***

  "Why do you keep biting your lip and fidgeting? You okay?" Damon reached
for Bethany's hand as they walked off the plane in Florida.

  "I don't know. I just hate the idea of you going into work and Delilah throwing out her web of lies." Beth shrugged and wrapped her arm around the back of Damon's waist as they walked toward the black Lexus that sat off to the side of the private runway for them.

  Matt moved up beside them. "I told you that woman is a viper. Dad should have never hired her. I bet she's working up some fucked up concoction now to bring you down to your knees, bro."

  Damon glanced over at his brother and scowled. "Right. You're not helping right now."

  "Oh shit. Sorry." Matt gave them a sheepish look and walked toward the trunk of the car, popping it and reaching for Beth's bag after tossing his into the back.

  "You guys need help?" Beth asked as Damon released her and handed her bag to Matt.

  "No, just get in the car, baby." Damon waited until she was in the car to turn his attention to his little brother. "We're working through our shit, but please don't say anything that would cause her to be upset or worried, all right? Just help me keep things on an even flow until I take care of this shit with Delilah and get things back to normal."

  "Are you firing the beast?"

  "She's not a beast." Damon chuckled and reached up to shut the trunk. "She was one of my best friends as a kid, Matt; you know this."

  "She's always had it out for you. You know this. The woman would sell her soul and all of your future children's feet to belong to you. Don't be naive. That's my role in this life." Matt wagged his eyebrows and walked around to the other side of the car. "Get rid of her. Seriously."

  "I plan to." Damon opened the door and got in, moving close to Beth and reaching for her hand.

  "What were you two planning back there?" She smiled up at him.

  "How to cut Delilah down at the knees and kick her off the island." Matt gave Beth a wide grin as Damon narrowed his eyes at his brother.