Our conversation was interrupted by hollering in the distance. “Oh my God, can you please stay put. You don’t have to be well bred to stand still.” Felicity’s voice carried across the altar and to the opposite side of the church. I was shocked she hadn’t burst into flames yet.
I stared at my best friend and took a deep breath. “Please tell me that wasn’t directed at anyone we know.”
“Based on the way Masyn is chewing on her bottom lip and glaring at Felicity, I’d say it’s a safe bet that it was.”
“You’re going to stand for that shit?” A year ago, Beau would have trampled anyone for talking to Masyn that way. Funny what love does to a person. “She’s one of your best friends.”
He ran his hands through his hair, and the red on his face only got more prominent. “What do you want me to do, Lee? Cuss my fiancée out? Make a bigger scene?”
“You can, or I will.” I didn’t give a shit who Felicity Holstein thought she was. In Harden, Georgia, she was a nobody without Beau by her side, and even then, I wasn’t impressed.
“Just stay put. I’ll be back.”
Beau’s younger brother, Braden, sidled up beside me. “He’s going to have his hands full with that one.” He wasn’t really talking to me so much as next to me. Braden and Bodie were twins, and both cared for Felicity as much as I did. “I’d rather die alone.” He shook his head and sauntered off to talk to one of the other groomsmen.
I couldn’t agree with his sentiment more. Even so, I’d been left with either alienating my best friend or shutting my mouth until this was over. At the end of the weekend, Beau and Felicity would leave for their honeymoon in Paris and then move into their newly purchased house outside of Atlanta. We’d go back to seeing him on the occasional weekend and major holidays. All I could hope for was that he’d come home alone from time to time. Otherwise, I’d have to find a way to kidnap him from his parents’ house and force him to slum it without his wife.
Felicity didn’t single Masyn out. Still, she had nothing nice to say to any one of her bridesmaids. They walked too fast, they stood too close, they weren’t holding their ribbon bouquets in the right place, yadda, yadda, yadda. She barked at those girls like a ferocious dog hellbent on ripping a posse of intruders to shreds. On the second run-through, she made one of the girls cry, another one yelled back, and a third stomped out. It didn’t appear her friends were any more enthused about this union than Beau’s, and most of them didn’t really even seem to like her.
“That girl who left is Felicity’s sister,” Bodie commented from my right. “Her name’s Peyton.”
I already liked Peyton.
Beau glared over his shoulder at his brother in an attempt to silence him. Either Bodie didn’t care, or he didn’t see him. Either way, he kept talking. “She thinks Felicity is a gold digger. Felicity says Peyton’s an old maid.”
With Beau’s back to me, I chanced questioning Bodie. “How old is she?” I hadn’t gotten a good look at the girl, but she couldn’t be much older than Felicity, and she definitely wasn’t out of her prime.
“Twenty-four. She’s in grad school. Felicity says women only go to grad school when they couldn’t land a husband in undergrad.”
“Does anybody really believe that crap anymore?”
“The Holsteins do. They’re part of the group who marry so they don’t have to work.”
Bodie was about to say something else when Beau turned not so nonchalantly and snarled under his breath, “Would you two shut up?”
“Dude’s going to have a heart attack before his twenty-third birthday married to that shrew.” Bodie hadn’t tried to lower his voice; half the people here turned to gawk at him, and a handful snickered.
“Seriously, Bodie?” At least Beau wasn’t sticking up for Felicity, either. He only tried to silence his brother to keep the peace.
Bodie simply shrugged, as if what he’d said hadn’t been ugly, just true.
“Please tell me this is almost over.” Masyn came out of nowhere to stand by my side.
I extended my arm to escort her out of the door and to my truck. “Just getting started, sweetheart.”
Smack.
I winced and ignored the playful slap to my stomach. “Did she really yell at you?”
“No more than she did everyone else. It’s not a secret she doesn’t want me in the wedding, Lee.”
“She probably doesn’t want you to look better standing next to her.” Masyn could have worn a potato sack and flip-flops and outshined Felicity on her best day. Because no matter how pretty you are on the outside, ugly shines through.
“Well, since she has everyone in the free world standing as an attendant, I’ll be in the next county over at the end of the second line. She’s safe if that’s what she’s worried about.”
We’d reached the doors to exit the building when Felicity stopped us. “Marilyn. You need to be in limo four.”
“Masyn,” I corrected her.
“Whatever. Limo four.” She flipped her hair dismissively and went after her next victim, but I grabbed Felicity’s forearm.
“Masyn’s riding with me.”
“Beau…” Felicity called out in a whine that would get an alcoholic drunk. “Why can’t they cooperate?”
I waved, leaving Beau to deal with his girl. “You okay?” I curled my fingers on top of hers, now clinging to my bicep.
“Fine.” That word was a lie, regardless of when it came out of a woman’s mouth. She was anything other than fine.
“You want to talk about it?” I helped her into the truck and stared at her rich-brown eyes.
She quickly refused, and I let it go. We had less than forty-eight hours until Beau and Felicity were heading to the airport. Surely, we could make it through one weekend without one of us committing a felony like attempted murder.
Masyn studied something out the window and didn’t even reach for the radio. I changed it to her station, hoping to drag her out of her melancholy mood in the few blocks we had to drive. When I cranked it up, she finally turned her head and leaned over the center console to kiss my cheek.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t need to ask what for. I already knew. Masyn was well aware I had her back, even against Beau. After that shit with Alex in tenth grade, I’d promised her I’d never stay silent again. I’d always give her the chance to fend for herself first—she wasn’t helpless—but then I’d go in for the kill. Whether it was getting her out of the limo from hell or turning the music up loud enough for it to vibrate her teeth, it didn’t matter because she knew both were for her. One day, she might realize everything I did was.
Chapter Two
By the time we reached the country club, Masyn had calmed down with the death metal music that rattled the windows. Good thing she’d worn her hair down, otherwise, an updo would be a complete mess with all the head banging she’d done in a handful of blocks. She took my arm again, and we walked inside. The scene was completely different, and so was Felicity.
She and Beau greeted each person at the door and thanked them for coming. His parents were next in the welcome wagon, and I thought the whole thing was strange. This girl had more personalities than Sybil. I could only guess what her mother had said to her, or better yet, Beau’s mother. Mrs. Chastain reigned supreme in these parts. She was head of every women’s committee in the county, did countless hours of volunteering, led the church bizarre, and put on the town’s fall festival every year. She was as Southern as apple pie and moonshine, right down to the accent and the debutante balls.
“Masyn, dear, you look lovely tonight. Hopefully, I’ll be attending your wedding in the near future.” Mrs. Chastain turned her attention to me. “Don’t wait too long, Lee. Someone might sweep her out from under you.”
Dear God, this woman had been hitting the sauce already. “We’re not dating, Mrs. Chastain,” I reminded her for about the hundredth time in six years.
Masyn had been trapped in a welcoming hug from Mr. Chastain, whil
e my conversation continued with his wife.
“Fiddlesticks. Just because you don’t label it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” She waved her hand at me and grinned. “Seriously, Lee. Your mother would roll over in her grave to know you hadn’t made an honest woman out of Masyn.”
I wouldn’t know. My mother had died when I was three, and I remembered very little about her. My father had struggled to raise me after she’d passed away. Not because he couldn’t support us financially, he’d never stopped grieving her loss. To this day, it controlled him. I’d finally convinced him, after graduation, to move to the city and get out of this town, where memories bogged him down like quicksand. He seemed a bit happier now that he didn’t live in the past, but I could only attest to what he told me since I didn’t see him much.
“I’ll take that into consideration, Mrs. Chastain.” I loved Beau’s mom. She’d been meddling in my life since we were kids; I didn’t expect her to stop now. Luckily, she’d done the same to Masyn. Oddly, she’d never pushed Masyn toward Beau. Even as little kids, she’d coupled the two of us.
She leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Don’t drink too much tonight. You hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I stopped myself from striking a rigid pose and saluting her. I’d been smacked enough for one day.
A tug on my hand finally pulled me through the line of greetings. If it had been anyone else, I might have bitched about them being rude. That tiny hand was as familiar as the smell of motor oil. Masyn could drag me anywhere she wanted to go, and I’d follow willingly.
Masyn held my hand and clutched her side with the other. “I’m starving. Please tell me this is a buffet and we don’t have to wait for a seated dinner.”
I raised my eyebrows and let her form her own opinion. A buffet—that was laughable. I would have a buffet, or hell, maybe even a barbeque. Beau Chastain would not. And I doubted Felicity even knew what one was. “How about a drink instead?”
“You shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach.”
She was right; I shouldn’t. But we both knew I would. This wasn’t my social scene, regardless of the fact I’d grown up in it. I had spent more time with Beau’s family than I had my own. When my dad had flaked out, the Chastains had picked up the slack. And somehow, Masyn fit into the majority of my childhood memories. Her family was good as gold, and they welcomed me the same way the Chastains had. In some ways, when my mother died, it left me with two moms and three fathers. I picked up Masyn and her three brothers, and Beau, Bodie, and Braden, as well.
Outsiders wouldn’t have a clue the Porters and Chastains came from different social standings—and in my opinion, that was the sign of true class. On the other hand, despite her high-class upbringing, I suspected that Felicity wouldn’t stand a chance of fitting in with the likes of Beverly Chastain.
“You’re going to anyhow, aren’t you?” The pout that formed on Masyn’s lips almost had me giving in. Almost. If she would press those plump lips to mine, I would become an active leader in a movement toward prohibition.
“Come on. What kind of froufrou-umbrella drink do you want?” We found the nearest bar while she contemplated her choices. It didn’t matter what she ordered; she’d swirl it around with the straw until the ice melted and likely never take more than a sip or two.
Even with heels on, she still barely reached my shoulders. The music made it difficult to hear her, although, I didn’t mind leaning down to have her speak into my ear. The heat from her breath drove me insane in the best possible ways. I was a glutton for punishment.
I ordered her a mai tai and a Bud Light for myself. “Do you mind waiting for this while I find the head?”
“Can’t you just say bathroom? You haven’t spent a single day in the military.”
No, but it sounded a hell of a lot better than “take a piss” or “find a urinal.” I gave a curt nod. “Fine. I need to use the bathroom.”
She lifted her chin and crinkled her nose. “I’ll wait right here.” Her tone edged with a mixture of humor and smugness.
I’d been here enough times that I could find the men’s room with my eyes closed. The trip there was uneventful. Getting stopped on my way out was unexpected.
“Excuse me.” After nearly knocking Peyton over, I stepped to the side, and allowed her to pass.
However, she moved with me and placed her hand on my chest. She had to think I was one of the Chastains. “I was hoping to run into you.”
“You did. Literally.”
Peyton giggled at the sight of my awkward grin. “You’re Lee, right?” So much for my theory that she believed I was related to the Chastains.
“I am.” There was no point in acknowledging I knew who she was. That would imply I cared.
“I’m Peyton Holstein.” She extended her hand, which I shook briefly.
“Nice to meet you.”
I couldn’t deny Peyton was an attractive girl. It was easy to see that she and Felicity were related, and they both favored their mother. They all had the same strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes, an angular nose, and high cheekbones. Peyton, however, had a softer appearance—friendlier maybe.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Beau. He speaks very highly of you.”
Here’s where I became the asshole. “Yeah? So he told you all about my job at the local machine shop? And the fact that I barely graduated from high school because I was more interested in ditching school and hanging out on the lake than learning?” I wasn’t interested in any woman related to Felicity Holstein. If their family believed college was for finding a spouse, she needed to enroll somewhere other than the school of hard knocks.
“He mentioned you were rather worldly, and, uh”—she cleared her throat—“good with your hands...” That was one way to spin things. She trailed her manicured finger down the buttons on my shirt before gently tugging it just above my waist. “I prefer real men.”
Aah. Peyton was one of those chicks who wanted a bad boy to take home to piss off her parents. I’d bet money she didn’t get her trust fund until she married, and bringing someone like me to meet the family would virtually ensure that got changed to prevent her from breaking the social-class boundaries.
Her shoulders dropped, as did her hand from my shirt. “Look, Beau said you were a nice guy. I’m only in town for the weekend and wanted someone to hang out with. I don’t want to be here any more than you appear to, and I thought it might make things more fun.” Honest Peyton was much more likable than flirtatious Peyton.
“You’re welcome to hang out with Masyn and me.”
“Where’s he sitting?”
“She.”
Confusion marred her prim expression. “Excuse me?”
“Masyn is a she.”
“What an odd name for a girl.” She didn’t say it with contempt, rather with bewilderment.
“She has three older brothers. Her mother gave up hope for a girl by the time she arrived. She planned on Mason, so when she got pink instead of blue, she switched the O to a Y.” I pointed over to the woman in question. “That’s her.”
“The mechanic girl?”
I wasn’t able to read her tone. Mine beamed with pride. “That’s her. You’d be amazed at what she can do with a piece of metal.”
“I don’t follow.”
“I’m sure you don’t.” It was short and slightly rude, neither of which she deserved, but I wasn’t interested in leading her on.
“Are you two…dating?” She said the word as though it might bite her.
“Nope. She and Beau are my best friends. We’ve been a threesome since kindergarten.” I didn’t care if she thought I meant in a ménage. I’d love to see her sister’s twisted face when she repeated that line.
“Guess you’re a foursome now.”
“Hardly.”
“You don’t like Felicity, do you?” That was a loaded question, and one I didn’t think was in my best interest to answer.
“Do you want to meet Masyn? She’s waiting for me.
” Again, I pointed in her direction. This time, Masyn saw me and gave me that look to ask what the hell I was doing with the sister of the shrew.
“I’ll catch up with you guys later. Maybe we can have a drink after dinner.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Peyton continued into the ladies’ room, and I grabbed my beer from Masyn.
Masyn’s eyes followed something over my shoulder, which I presumed was Peyton’s exit. “What was that about?”
“I’m not sure if she tried to pick me up or use me against her parents, or possibly to piss her sister off.”
Masyn nearly spat her drink on me when she laughed. “What?”
“She’s into real men…you know, those of us who work with our hands and get dirty.”
“She did not say that to you!”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Truth.”
Masyn turned her nose up and her lips followed in disgust. “Gross.”
“What the hell? I’m not gross.”
“No, she is. Can you imagine if she’s anything like her horrid sister?”
Before I could warn Masyn of Beau’s impending arrival, she’d stuck her foot solidly in her mouth.
“Really, guys? This is what you do behind my back?” His hurt was evident. The brown of his eyes darkened to the black of betrayal.
Leave it to me to keep things real. “Technically, we’ve said it all to your face, man.”
“I’m sorry you can’t see what I do.” There wasn’t a stitch of truth in a word that came out of his mouth. His flippant tone gave him away, as did those red splotches taking over his neck. Beau would need to speak with far more enthusiasm to convince me he loved this girl.
“Beau, she’s a bitch. Even her family thinks so. Why are you doing this?” I couldn’t help but wonder what she had on him. It was clear he was miserable and doing his best to keep his cool. Beau had never been into high-maintenance women. He had always dated women more like Masyn. The only difference was they all came from families more like his than ours.
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” Beau’s canned response only further proved how disconnected he was from Felicity.
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