“How could you not invite your big sister?” she yells at me, once again. She crosses her arms over her chest as she leans back in the office chair across from me. “I mean, I’m supposed to be there next to you, watching my baby sister give herself away and all that.” She continues to ramble keeping me from working on my second day back.
I roll my eyes at her, not even sure how to explain my decision. It obviously wasn’t planned, but I’m beyond grateful that Bentley knows me well enough to know that it was exactly what I wanted.
“I guess I have many reasons. First, I really wasn’t even getting a say in the planning. It took a lot of the fun out of it. Second, I didn’t want something big and over the top—yet again, I wasn’t getting a say in that. And even if I had been able to do all that, imagine planning the perfect wedding, Casey,” I pause briefly. “Imagine the flowers, the music, the bright, gorgeous colors. Imagine the perfect dress. The veil and shoes. I mean, it’s stunning, right?” She nods, agreeing with everything I’m saying, but not understanding where I’m going with this. “Imagine that perfect scenario and having no one to walk you down the aisle,” I breathe out. Thinking of my dad brings up emotions I’ve tried to push back so I’m not constantly dwelling on them. “I didn’t bring it up to Bentley, but imagine that perfect moment until you realize your dad isn’t there to give his little girl away. Imagine that moment and how you should feel happy but all you can feel is sadness because he’s not there. Through all the planning and appointments, it was all I could think about. And then, when Bentley surprised me, it felt like a sign. I could be happy on my wedding day. I could enjoy saying my vows to the man standing in front of me without the feeling that something was missing, that I was empty. It allowed me to focus on just me and him.”
I don’t stop until I get it all out of my system. If anyone could understand, it should be her.
“Wow, sis,” she breathes out. “I guess I didn’t think about it that way. I just saw all the great advantages you were getting with Mrs. Leighton helping plan and thought you were just being a little brat.” She giggles lightly.
“Trust me, that is not an advantage.”
“All right, all right. I get it.” She grins. “So are you having a reception or anything?”
I shrug because we haven’t really talked about it. Bentley’s been dodging his mother as much as possible, but I know we’ll have to give her some answers soon.
“If we do, we’ll plan it, but for another date. I want something small and intimate, not something big and extravagant, and that’s the only thing Mrs. Leighton knows how to do.”
“Well, will you please send me an invite to that one at least?” she mocks in all seriousness.
“Yes.” I laugh. “Now leave. I’m supposed to be working.”
“All right. But we should talk later.”
My brows rise in curiosity. “Bad?”
“No, not bad. Just some changes I’m thinking of making,” she says slyly.
I tilt my head to get a better look at her stomach, wondering if that’s part of the change she’s making.
“Stop it. I’m not pregnant.” She scowls.
I put a hand up. “Just checking.”
We make plans to meet up later that night over dinner so we can talk before she finally heads out. I make a check list of everything I need to get done. One including speaking to Mrs. Leighton and apologizing for the email I sent her—we still haven’t spoken since then. And now, making her cancel all the plans she made for the wedding. Now that I think of it, she might not want to talk to me ever again.
* * *
It’s almost lunch time when I hear Jason’s voice out in the locker room. I’m catching up on training materials so I haven’t done much of anything else. I was surprised to see that Coach Tanner had an office ready for me when I returned. As soon as I was done, I’d be back to working with the players in strengthening and conditioning in preparation for their upcoming games.
“Hey, Cecilia,” Jason greets, popping his head in.
“Hey!” I smile wide. “What brings you here?”
“Just stopping in to see my uncle. He wanted to meet for lunch.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” I say genuinely. “Any luck on the job hunt?”
“Yeah, I think my uncle’s going to hire me as an assistant coach.”
“Oh, awesome!”
“Yeah, it’s not much, but I’ll take it for now.”
“Hey, it’s something. Can’t complain about that.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” I hear Bentley’s voice from behind Jason suddenly. I do a double take as I he comes up directly behind him.
Jason turns around, intimidated by Bentley’s size. “Hi, Jason, right?” Bentley asks, a tint of harshness in his tone.
“Right.” Jason bows out, nodding at me. “Well, see ya later.”
“Later,” Bentley calls out, not letting me get a word in.
Bentley comes in and grabs my face, kissing me deeply. “I brought you lunch.”
“You did?” I ask surprised.
“I thought you’d like the company. You know, lunch with your husband is what you do when you’re married,” he states matter-of-factly.
“Oh.” I laugh. “If you say so.” I grin. “What did you bring me?”
“Tuna fish on rye and a pickle.”
“Ohh, thank you.” I grab the bag from his hand and empty the contents on my desk. “Aren’t you going to eat?” I ask, noticing he didn’t bring anything for himself.
“No, I’m heading to the gym this afternoon. I’ll have a protein shake afterward, instead.”
I narrow my brows at him. “So, you came to watch me eat?”
He shrugs, grinning. “Yeah. I missed you.”
“Aw, husband points.”
“I don’t need points, sweetheart. I already won the prize.”
* * *
Our work lunches continue like this for a couple weeks. Jason and I end up sharing an office since there really wasn’t an open position, but his uncle gave him one anyway. It really doesn’t matter because I’m hardly in my office anymore unless one of the players has set up an appointment with me to discuss nutritional habits.
Bentley has been quite vocal on his feelings regarding Jason and me sharing an office. He has no reason to be concerned, but I understand his discomfort for it.
“Hey, Jason!” I call out, running up to meet him. “Wait up. I’ll walk with you.” I nudge him in the arm when I finally catch up to him. “Thanks for waiting, punk.”
“Sorry.” He laughs. “I’ve been training with the team lately, so I can’t afford to slow down.”
I give him a questioning look. “Training for what?”
“I want to run a marathon in the near future, but I needed some motivation. So coming in early helps.”
“Oh, that’s awesome. Good for you.”
“So how are things with you? Any news?”
“News?” I narrow my brows. “I see you every day. If there were news, you’d know.”
“Okay, just checking.” He smiles.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Just ask me, Jason. We’re friends. You can ask me anything.”
His shoulders relax as he finally comes clean. “Okay, fine. I wanted to ask about Casey, but without sounding like a creeper.”
“Casey? My sister, Casey?” I squeal, giddily. She’s been coming to visit me at work a few times ever since she dropped the bomb that she was moving back to Omaha. Apparently, she caught her boyfriend cheating on her with her roommate and her roommate is a guy. So that was quite the surprise.
“See? I knew I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
I step in front of him, making him stop. “No, tell me. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” He finally stops walking and starts talking.
“Okay, I think I might, well, she’s pretty attractive,” he stumbles.
I try to conceal my laughter, but I can’t. It’s just too cute seeing hi
m all flustered.
“Shit, Jason. You like her, a lot.”
“I hate you.” He pushes around me and starts walking again.
I chase after him, laughing. His cheeks are tinted pink as I’ve clearly embarrassed him.
“Okay, I’m done. I’m sorry. You want me to set you up? I can give her your number? Oh, my god, you two would be the cutest couple.”
“I don’t do…girl, Cecilia,” he pouts as we make our way to our office. “I don’t girl talk, so just stop it.”
I smirk, finding it entirely sweet he likes Casey. I was worried he wasn’t taking the news of the sudden wedding well. After I returned to work and it got around, he began acting weird around me. Although I always said we were just friends, I truly never knew if he had different feelings than I did.
“Well, I’ll invite her for lunch today. You can do the rest and I’ll stay out of it.” I lift my hands up in promise. He contemplated it for a moment before nodding his head in approval. “Great!” I clap my hands dramatically. “It’s a date.” I wink, making him shake his head at me.
Bentley
I’ve been networking with all my contacts since we got back from St. George. Ceci’s been busy with work, and I’ve chosen to stay home and work back in my office again—for now. I have been setting up a team of agents, photographers, and designers before officially starting up my new project. It’s going to take some time getting everything finalized and ready, but when it’s finally time, it’ll all be worth it.
I grab myself another cup of coffee from the kitchen when I realize Ceci forgot her purse. I could call her and ask if she needs it, but I decide I’ll stop by Starbucks first and grab her favorite drink and bring it back to her. The break from sitting at my desk will be nice.
I’m walking in with her caramel latté in one hand and her purse hanging from my other hand when I spot Jason sitting on Ceci’s desk leaning toward her and laughing. I don’t know what it is about that guy, but now he’s crossed the line.
I barge in, startling them both. I drop her purse on the floor and set her coffee on the table. Heat is steaming from my entire body as I eye in on Jason.
I point at him and say through seething teeth, “What the fuck are you doing?” I don’t give him time to respond before I grab him by the collar and force him up against the wall.
Chapter Nineteen
Bentley
I SEE RED the second I see him that close to Ceci and my body instantly reacts, my mind not exactly catching up to what I’m doing. I pin him against the wall, his face filled with shock and horror.
Jason isn’t a little guy. He could easily give me a run for my money, but in that moment, rage and adrenaline take over enough to take him off guard.
“What are you doing?” I hear Ceci yell behind me, but I don’t answer her.
“I don’t know what kind of sick fantasy you have about my wife, but you need to back the FUCK OFF. You’re constantly around her when she’s clearly taken. Next time, I’ll be doing a lot more than just slamming you against the wall. Are we clear?” I seethe, feeling the vein in my forehead popping with intensive anger.
“Bentley, put him down! He wasn’t doing anything!” she pleads, concern laced in her voice.
“Yeah, man, it’s not what you’re thinking. I swear,” he says calmly. Almost too calm.
“It better not be.” I push my face closer to his, making sure there’s no way he can misinterpret what I’m saying. “She’s mine,” I hiss through clenched teeth just before dropping him.
“Bentley.” Ceci grabs my arm, forcing me to turn around and face her. Her face is crimson red and she’s fiercely scowling at me. “Jason, give us a minute, please,” she asks, clenching her lips tightly.
Jason adjusts his shirt and nods before walking out and closing the door behind him.
“What the hell is he doing on your desk?” I growl before she even gets a word in.
“Are you insane?” she yells, flailing her arms at me.
I close the gap between us. “You are my wife, Ceci. Excuse me for not wanting some guy—some ex you use to fuck—near my wife.”
“God, you’re such a moron sometimes.” She pushes her hands against my chest with all the power she can muster up, but I barely flinch. “He’s not interested in me! He was telling me about another girl he wants to ask out. Had you given more than two seconds for us to explain that, you wouldn’t have made yourself look like such a jackass.”
“That doesn’t explain why he’s always all over you and sitting on your desk. C’mon, Ceci. I’m a guy. And not a blind one.”
“Go ask him for yourself then. Since he came back, we’ve only ever been friends.” She waves her hands behind me, motioning for me to run after him.
My jaw ticks at the thought of having to speak to him one-on-one, especially since I already hate the guy.
“I have nothing to say to him.”
“You could start with an apology.” She crosses her arms, pushing my limits even further.
I adjust my shirt and give in anyway. “Fine.”
She raises her brows at me as I walk out, guilt settling in my gut. Now that I know the situation, I know I crossed a line by grabbing him.
I walk through the locker room and find him in the hallway.
“Jason!” I call out, jogging toward him. He turns around and waits until I catch up to him. “Look, I’m sorry for overreacting. I shouldn’t have laid my hands on you.”
He shuffles his shirt, putting it back in place. “It’s fine,” he finally says. “I know how much you love her. But I’m telling you, it’s not like that.”
“Well, why don’t you start by telling me how it is?”
I see him swallow before cracking his jaw and finally making eye contact with me.
“Cecilia…is someone I knew back in high school, as you know. She was someone very special to me even though we were never able to commit to each other in that way. She’s still that special person to me, but in a different way. She’s matured now. Ever since I’ve been back from overseas, she gives me a sense of…comfort. She’s a piece of the old me that was from before I enrolled in the army. She’s that piece that I want to remember because being over there really fucked me up. I became isolated after a while and stopped contacting my friends and family. Cecilia has a way of bringing out the old me, if that makes sense. She’s the same stubborn, sassy-mouthed girl she was in high school.” He grins to himself. “She’s my security blanket. She’s like home.” I see the vulnerable way he’s looking at me, letting me know he’s telling the truth.
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“I know…I should’ve made an effort to talk to you or at least let you know that getting into her pants wasn’t my intention.”
I smirk. “So whose pants are you trying to get into?” He raises his brows at me in surprise. “What? I thought we were doing that brother-bonding thing, or whatever.”
That makes him laugh and blush.
“Casey. How weird is that?”
“Really?” I rub my finger and thumb over my jawline. “That…I could probably help you with. Casey’s a spitfire just like her sister, so you have to have a plan going in. They aren’t the type of girls you just go after. It’s like a fucking maze.”
Cecilia
I always knew Bentley was overprotective, but I’ve never seen him go at someone the way he went toward Jason. I’m sure the rumors of us had something to do with his speculation, but apparently, it took the two of them to finally talk to ease Bentley’s mind.
“I feel like a dick,” he says softly, standing in front of my desk. I notice the vulnerability in his face.
“Good,” I spit out. “At least that’s one less thing I have to call you.”
His lips curve up into a small grin. “Will you forgive me?” He pleads with his eyes and panty-dropping smile. I’m so doomed.
“Why do you do that? You know I’m a sucker for that look.”
He laughs and com
es around my desk, kneeling in front of me. “That’s what I was counting on.”
“I’ll forgive you on one condition.”
“Okay, spill.” His hands grasp my hips.
“Get your mother to meet up with me for lunch. We need to settle everything in person. I hate that we have so much to get off our chests and that it’s causing an awkward tension.”
He raises his brows at me in surprise. “Wow, very mature of you.”
I dramatically pull a hand to my chest. “Um, excuse me? I’m very mature, thank you,” I say with certainty laced in my voice.
I follow his eyes to the bottom of my shirt as a smirk forms across his face. “Says the girl with Hello Kitty underwear.”
I burst out in laughter and shake my head at him. “Well, if my husband would stop ripping all my good panties in half, I’d actually have something half decent to wear!” I defend.
“Well, if my wife would stop wearing underwear.”
Chapter Twenty
Cecilia
New Beginnings
I CAN’T STOP fidgeting in my seat as I wait for Ava. The only thing I know about her is that she’s related to me somehow and that she’s flying in from Florida.
I stand up the moment I see her red blazer. That’s our code so I knew who I was looking for; however, she didn’t look anything like I had expected.
She’s wearing a head bandana where her hair should be, but you can clearly see she’s bald. She’s pasty white, which seems odd since she lives around sunny beaches.
“Cecilia?” she asks, the closer she approaches.
I nod and smile. “Yes. Ava?”
“It’s so great meeting you!” She surprises me by swarming me in a big hug. “You look just like your father.” She takes me off guard, but I just swallow and nod in return. We both take a seat, sitting across from each other.
After the Internship: A Novella (The Intern #4) Page 12
