by Lisa Suzanne
“You feeling better?” she asked, worry written in her eyes.
I nodded. “I’d feel even better if you were in here with me.”
She laughed her musical laugh, and I felt all of the blood in my body rushing to my groin.
“Nice line. I’ll let you finish and then we can decide what we want to do for the night, okay?”
I was done, so I shut off the water. “How was shopping?”
“Good,” she said. I could tell she was dodging the issue, but I wasn’t really in the mood to press. “You seem like you’re in a better mood.”
“I am,” I said, feeling a lot better after my shower. I shook out a towel and scrubbed it through my hair and then dried off.
“Did you sleep?”
I nodded.
“Did you eat?”
I shook my head. “I felt like shit until this shower.”
“Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
“Want me to go grab you something while you get dressed?”
“Can we talk for a minute?”
Her lighthearted demeanor turned serious in an instant. “Sure,” she said cautiously. “What’s up?”
I wrapped the towel around my waist.
I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I was a dick. I’m sorry I got so drunk.” The words rushed out.
She took a few steps closer to me, and then she gingerly cupped my cheek. “Don’t apologize. I’m the one who is sorry, Nick.”
“I love you,” I whispered, leaning into her hand.
She pressed her lips to mine, and I pulled her close against me. “I love you, too,” she said as I buried my face in her hair that always smelled like peaches.
She leaned back and inspected my face. “You okay?” she asked, wrinkling her brow.
I nodded. “Yeah. I just realized how stupid I’ve been. It’s not easy for me to admit that, but I fucked up. I know you had good intentions, baby. And I reacted poorly.”
“You had every right to be mad.”
I nodded. “Let’s just get past it.”
“Please.”
“What did you do today?” I asked, and she grabbed her brush out of her overnight bag and started brushing her hair as we talked.
“I went shopping,” she said, skirting my question.
“And?”
She sighed. “I ran into Lex.”
“Alexa?”
She nodded. “She invited me to lunch. I went. It was her and me and your mom and stepdad.”
Anger boiled inside of me at that confession, but I held it inside.
We had just made up. I just fixed things. I realized that Julianne was more important to me than holding grudges was.
But that was before I knew she betrayed me by going to lunch with my family.
CHAPTER 37
JULIANNE BECKER
His eyes took on an icy glare at my confession.
“Nick, before you get angry with me, can you just listen to me for a minute?” I set my brush down on the counter, and he leaned against the wall.
He blew out a breath.
I couldn’t help but think how good he looked in just a towel.
“I get why you hold a grudge against your mother. She doesn’t deserve your forgiveness, especially if she refuses to try to make amends. But Lex is different. I barely know her, but she’s been a good friend to me already. She’s trying, Nick. Just give her one tiny little chance. For me. And I promise I’ll drop the thing with your mom.”
His eyes narrowed in my direction. “What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“What happened at lunch?” He turned toward the mirror and started messing with his hair. From experience, I knew that this could take awhile.
I sighed, wishing I just hadn’t said anything at all.
I thought back to my meal shared with his family only an hour earlier.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“You are absolutely right about your mother,” I said.
Nick rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it.”
“I’d rather not.”
He nodded. “What do you want to do tonight?”
“What do you think about meeting up with just Josh and Lex?”
He sighed. “You’re going to keep pushing her on me until I give in, aren’t you?”
I grinned, trying to lighten the sudden heavy mood in the steamy bathroom. “You know me well.”
“Fine.”
“I know you well, too, you know.” I moved in a little closer behind him and planted a soft kiss on his back between his shoulder blades.
My eyes met his in the mirror, and I caught the wicked gleam in his eye. “Oh?”
“They’re downstairs waiting for us.” I smacked his ass and turned to leave the bathroom.
He grabbed my arm, and it was reminiscent of earlier that afternoon before I’d left for my solo shopping trip.
Except this time, he wasn’t angry with me. His features had softened, and while I still sensed some level of frustration that I was starting to bond with his family without him or his permission, I knew that we were past the bout of anger that had plagued him since the night before.
He yanked on my arm and I fell into him. He caught me and his lips collided with mine, and I knew that everything was going to be okay between us.
And I felt that way all evening. Our night out was actually fun. Nick wasn’t drinking, claiming a headache (although his brother tried to convince him that more alcohol would most definitely cure that headache). Josh, Lex, and I nursed our own drinks, not wanting to overdo it after the night before.
We walked from the bar up the street to a restaurant. And that was when we ran into the one person I never expected to run into.
He lived in California, for God’s sake. What were the fucking chances?
Yet there he stood next to the hostess, putting in his name for a table.
Travis Miller.
He turned just as I spotted him, and his eyes met mine. I saw shock pass across his features, and then he looked past me. My eyes followed his, and I saw Lindsay standing by herself. Her eyes met Travis’s, and then she glanced away and happened to look directly at me. Her eyes widened. I felt Nick’s hand grip mine a little tighter. Almost painfully so.
“What are the goddamn chances?” I heard Nick mutter behind me.
I turned and looked up at him.
“Should I make it a table for six?” Travis asked, laughter in his eyes.
Nick shrugged. “What the hell? Go for it.”
Josh and Lex looked lost. I saw Nick mouth Travis’s name to Josh. Recognition dawned in Josh’s eyes, and I wasn’t sure how exactly to fill Lex in on the history between all of us.
Travis joined us, shaking Nick’s hand and essentially ignoring me in the process. Nick introduced Travis to his brother and half sister, and I can’t pretend like it didn’t hurt as Trav ignored me and then took his rightful place next to Lindsay.
She gripped his hand almost as hard as Nick gripped mine. Almost.
We stood awkwardly in the entryway, and then the hostess led us to our table.
If I thought it was awkward when we stood waiting briefly for our table, I had no idea what was in store for us as we sat and stared at our menus.
Josh cleared his throat. He wasn’t invested in the situation like we were. “So, Travis, Nick tells me you’re taking over the family business at the end of the year?”
They talked business and I made eyes across the table at my new friend Lex, who I would later explain the whole story to as she listened with an impartial and friendly ear.
But even through the awkwardness that was our meal, I realized for the first time that this was okay. We were moving toward our reconciliation one baby step at a time, and we were all going to be okay.
CHAPTER 38
NICK MATTHEWS
It was about a month after my epic failure of a birthday dinner that I was in a meeting with Travis Miller and I realize
d that I no longer hated him.
I no longer resented him.
In fact, I was starting to view him as a friend, which felt really odd considering all that had transpired.
But I had to admit that the guy was decent. He was intelligent and good at his job. He was sharp and had great instincts when it came to both business and design. His father had made a solid decision in putting him in charge of the company, and I found myself admiring and respecting his work.
He had called a meeting with his father, some other business associates, and me so that we could design packages that included architecture and design needs as well as marketing needs. He’d asked me if I could meet him for coffee an hour before the meeting, and I figured he wanted to go over some preliminary plans we’d discussed over email.
So I was shocked when I arrived and he explained that it wasn’t about business at all. “It’s personal,” he told me as I joined him at a table where he was already enjoying a cup of coffee.
I didn’t say anything, instead allowing him to say whatever he needed to say.
“I intend to work for the rest of my career at Miller Designs.” He said it like a declaration. Like I should be impressed or something.
I wanted to say that I fully expected that considering that he was the president of the company, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Matthews, you’re one of the best marketing executives I’ve ever seen. I hope you’ll be there with me.”
I was surprised at that. I figured the guy still resented me because I’d taken Julianne from him. “I appreciate the compliment and I hope to create a lot of successful campaigns for Miller Designs.”
“Despite our personal history, I think we’re adult enough to put the past to rest, don’t you?”
I thought about that. I was secure in my relationship with Julianne, and all I wanted was for her to be happy. And I really couldn’t think of anything that would make her happier than Travis and me forming a friendship.
I blew out a breath. “I agree,” I finally said.
Travis held out his hand, and I shook it, sealing the deal.
Our conversation moved past the personal stuff to a preview of our meeting, and as I watched my new boss and friend lead the meeting an hour later, I was confident that the storm was over.
CHAPTER 39
TRAVIS MILLER
I’d had the talk I had promised myself I would have with Nick Matthews, so now I just needed my fiancée and Julianne to hash things out.
It was my idea to host dinner at our house. I needed some way to mend everything back together, and what better way than serving appetizers off of the very counter where I had been sitting when Lindsay had sucked my dick just the night before?
Lindsay and I could share secret smiles all night over jalapeno poppers or whatever the fuck she was making and I could picture her head bobbing up and down over my dick as my hand held her hair.
Fuck, I was getting hard just thinking about it.
The doorbell rang and Tiger, the yellow Labrador puppy I’d given to Lindsay as an out of the blue gift, barked and ran to the door. (She had named him.)
I felt so domesticated. We were hosting a dinner party with friends. We had a dog. We were in love. She had a ring on her finger. We were getting married. I had one hell of a lucky break getting the job I had. And we worked together. She was in charge of event planning at Miller Designs, and we drove in together every morning. Julianne and Nick had their own space in our offices, but we didn’t cross paths too often.
But I knew that it was up to me to make everything run smoothly, and trying to befriend Jules and Nick as a couple seemed like a smart idea.
I missed having Jules in my life, and the only way that I’d get her back would be if Lindsay could be there to help mend that friendship and see that Jules and I would never be more than friends.
Lindsay had spent three days on Pinterest preparing for our dinner party, and she had decided on a bunch of different appetizers including petite lasagna rolls, mini BLTs, and cucumber boats. She made some peach wine punch and we were good to go. Well, after we had spent the day cleaning. I was exhausted before our guests even arrived from yard work, mopping, and dusting. What the fuck had this woman done to me?
I picked up Tiger and opened the front door, and Jules pretty much ignored me as her eyes popped out of her head at the adorable puppy in my arms. I passed him over and shook Nick’s hand.
“You had to have a puppy, didn’t you?” Nick asked with a smile. “Now she’s going to make me get her one.”
“Sorry, dude.” I laughed.
Lindsay appeared behind me, wiping her hands on a towel, and smiled at Jules holding Tiger. “Isn’t he the cutest thing ever?” Lindsay gushed.
“Oh, stop,” I said.
“I was talking about Tiger, not you,” she said, elbowing me in the ribs.
The four of us had a great laugh at that, and it seemed like that was the start of a great friendship between four people who were so unlikely to ever be friends.
CHAPTER 40
JULIANNE BECKER
The third day of October is upon us in an epic flurry of white tulle.
So much has happened over the past year that it’s hard to wrap my brain around it all. But as I stand in the bridal suite at the church, ready to walk down the aisle to my very own Prince Charming, I know that fate stepped in. Everything happens for a reason, including all of the events in my life that brought me to this day.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have seen this happening. Despite my best laid plans and my overly confident nature, I never would have guessed that this man would become my husband. Yet here we are.
My mom and I are alone for the moment, my bridal attendants having gone off in search of the photographer.
I fidget. I’m anxious to walk down the aisle. I’m not nervous to spend the rest of my life with him, but I am nervous to get up in front of all of the guests who are arriving to see us declare our love to one another.
Most of all, I’m excited to see him.
My mom adjusts my veil. “Don’t be nervous, sweet girl,” she says. Tears fill her eyes as she looks at her baby girl about to walk down the aisle. “He’s a wonderful man, and he’s lucky to have you.”
“Mom! Stop,” I warn her as tears threaten behind my own eyes.
My matron of honor and my bridesmaids enter the room.
“Jules, you look beautiful,” my sister says.
His sister walks over to me and pulls me into a hug. “I’m so happy that you’re officially going to be my sister,” she says.
“Me, too,” I whisper, hugging her back.
Lex and I have grown close in the few short months that we’ve known one another. She and Nick have grown close, too. She has tried to mend the relationship between Nick and his mother, but it’s been a difficult road. At least Eleanor is here today. And I’ll never tell Nick how much effort I had to put in to ignore her suggestions for our wedding day. Wives have to have some secrets, right?
“You look beautiful, Julianne,” Lucy breathes next to me, and tears fill my eyes once again. I just never imagined that I would actually feel this happy on my wedding day.
“Stop with the sappiness. You’re just gonna make everyone cry, Luce,” Holly smiles, bringing some much needed levity to the bridal suite.
“Nick’s a lucky man,” my dad pipes up from the corner, and I grin widely.
“I’m a lucky woman,” I say, and my mother nods.
It’s time to get ready to walk down the aisle. Holly and Eric line up first, just like we rehearsed the night before.
Then Lucy stands beside Jake, now her fiancé.
Lex takes her place beside Travis, and finally, Jamie and Josh, my matron of honor and Nick’s best man, line up directly in front of my father and me.
I have a quick moment of clarity as I hear the strains of music start playing. It’s the song we chose for our bridal party to walk down the aisle to.
Travis steps out of l
ine and grabs me by the elbow. “Can I have just one minute?” he asks me.
I nod. “Of course, Trav.”
He pulls me a short distance away so we can have a moment of privacy.
“Jules, you look like the most beautiful bride in the world today.”
I swipe at a tear that spills down my cheek, unable to speak as our entire history together flashes through my memory.
“I’m so happy for you. You’ve found a man who loves you as much as you love him, and that’s all anybody really wants out of life, right?”
I nod, my heart swelling. He kisses my cheek, my familiar best friend’s words washing over me and finally convincing me that we have all moved on from the painful events of the past.
When Nick told me he wanted Travis to stand up in our wedding, I was floored. When Travis agreed, I was stunned.
But nothing compares to actually having him here with me on my wedding day.
There was a short time where I thought we’d never be able to have the easy friendship we’d always shared, but we have all grown up a lot in the few short months since Sedona.
Everything is back to how it always had been.
I am lucky enough to have my cake and eat it too, so to speak.
“Thanks for being here, Trav.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He smiles at me, brushes a tear away with his thumb, and takes his place back in line. He turns once more toward me, mouths, “Love you,” and then he and Lex take their turn walking down the aisle.
Soon it’s just my dad and me. “I love you, Julianne,” he says, his eyes cloudy with unshed tears. I’ve never seen my dad cry before. Even at Jamie’s wedding.
“Love you, Daddy,” I say, and he glances away before emotion overwhelms him.
I glance around me, glad we’d ultimately decided on a church wedding followed by a reception at our house.
The doors to the church open and everyone in the church stands, obstructing my view of my very soon-to-be husband. My dad leads me up the aisle, and I’m grateful for his strength as tears stream down my face just walking toward my future.
I finally see him standing at the altar. Our eyes meet, and I see a smile break out across his handsome face. He looks calm and composed while suddenly I’m a nervous wreck.
