“Who would have thought I'd be married first?” Tim said. “I thought for sure you'd get hitched before me.”
“Not me,” I said.
“Maybe you and Chris will be next,” he said.
“Give her some time, Tim,” Jackson interrupted. “Not everyone meets someone and walks down the aisle two weeks later.”
“Shut up,” Tim said. “We've known each other way longer than two weeks. Tina's known Chris for five years.”
“I'll see you at the reception,” I said, as I quickly scooted Chris away from the conversation with me.
We hurried to the car and laughed. I got out of that parking lot as fast as I could.
“Your brother's got you married off to me already,” Chris said. “Yesterday he looked like he was going to take my head off. Jackson looks like he's going to pop a vein today. That guy's got it bad for you.”
“He does not,” I said. “There are a million other woman he'd get with before me.”
“Whatever,” Chris said. “I'm telling you, he's got it bad. Every time I look in his direction, he looks at me like I'm in his territory. Little does he know, he couldn't be more wrong. Nothing against you or anything.”
“Shut up,” I said. “You know you want a piece of this.”
“You look awesome and all, but I don't think so,” he said with a laugh. “He watched both of us the whole time. His hands were in fists at his sides. Maybe he's jealous of our amazing love.”
“Very funny, Chris,” I said. “He was the one that didn't want me. Jackson could never be jealous. He's too damn selfish and too much of a player.”
Since Chris mentioned it, I decided to pay closer attention.
We got to the reception and everyone seemed to have a great time. We ate, danced, and laughed. I felt Jackson's eyes on me the whole time. My fake happy mood was going full force. It was tiring.
I watched him walk up to my mom and pull her off to a corner where nobody was at. She was saying something, but I couldn't tell what it was. He handed her something. She looked down at his hand and shook her head no. It looked like she was giving him a stern talking to. He folded her hand with whatever he handed her inside of it and hugged her before walking away. It looked like she had tears in her eyes. He better not have hurt her feelings, I thought. If he did, he'd get the ass kicking of a lifetime.
I leaned over and told Chris I'd be right back and took off for my mom. When I got there, she wiped her eyes and then smiled at me.
“Are you having fun?” she asked. “I'm so glad you came.”
“Cut the shit, mom,” I said.
“Tina,” she scolded.
“What was that all about? Did that punk say something to hurt your feelings?” I asked.
“Jackson,” she said. “He would never say anything hurtful to me, Tina. I don't know what's going on with you two. He's such a sweet boy. This is what he did.”
She opened her hand and handed me a piece of paper. I unfolded it and gasped.
“What the heck is this?” I asked. “It's a check from him.”
“He said it was to cover the reception,” my mom said. “I told him I couldn't take it, but he wasn't having it.”
“What's up with him?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“First he rented that insanely expensive car for the wedding. Now this. He's going to go broke trying to impress everyone. Why can't he just be himself? Doesn't he know you'll love him just the same? Why does he feel he has to look better than everyone else? He knows you're not his parents,” I said feeling irritated.
“He's a good guy, Tina. He's not trying to be something he's not. I love watching him do charity work. He has a good heart. Hasn't your brother talked to you about him?” she asked.
“About what?” I asked. “He always did think he deserved more. What did he finally decide to do after he finished playing around in college? I saw him with that waiter last night.”
“What?” she asked in a deeper voice.
“Yep,” I said. “He was around the corner handing the guy something. Always trying to impress.”
My mom turned away from me.
“Jackson,” she yelled out. “You get over here right now.”
He looked above her head and glared at me before looking down and smiling at her.
“What is it, mom?” he asked.
He'd called my parents mom and dad since he was in grade school. My mom wouldn't hesitate to reprimand him just like she did us. It was funny watching Mr. Bossy turn into a scared thirty year old at the tone of her voice. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned to walk away.
I noticed the guy I had stood up at the wedding with sitting alone. He hadn't brought anyone with him, and Tim and Jackson were busy. I walked over and leaned down next to him.
“Dance with me,” I said.
“No thanks,” he said.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.
“It's a wedding,” I said. “Come on. I haven't seen you in so long. I didn't realize the three of you had kept in contact. What do you do?”
He gave in and danced with me, but I noticed him being careful how close we were.
“I'm an engineer. I haven't done as well as Jackson, but I've done pretty well for myself,” he said.
Not as good as Jackson. You've got to be kidding me, I thought. Did they all think he was the most amazing man in the world? I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
“I see everyone seems impressed with him. Not me,” I said. “He's the same pain in the ass he was before. Can I ask you something?”
“What?” he asked.
“What did you mean yesterday when you said it wasn't my brother you were worried about?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said.
“Come on,” I said. “I need to know what you meant.”
“Jackson was crazier when it came to you than your brother ever was.”
“What?” I asked, as I stopped moving.
“He knew I was hanging out with your brother while he was off at college those last two years. Jackson made a special trip over my house to let me know that if he found out I talked to you or asked you out, he'd come back and kick the shit out of me. It was no joke. He was pissed at me. Your brother mentioned that I liked you in front of him. The dude called me once a month to make sure I wasn't talking to you. He did it to all kinds of guys. I know your brother was protective, Tina, but he had nothing on Jackson. That dude was heartless.”
I stood still and watched his expression to see if he was kidding.
“You're being serious?” I asked.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a smile. “You should see him right now. Your mom is giving him a talking to, but he's watching us. I'm getting the daggers as we speak.”
I walked away just as Jackson walked away from my mom. When I stomped up behind him, he didn't see it coming. I grabbed his arm and pulled him hard. The muscles under his sleeve flexed, and I couldn't believe how hard it was. That wasn't stopping me. I pulled him around the corner and walked closer to him. His back was against the wall, and he was looking down at me.
“Yes, Tiny,” he said. “Thanks for ratting me out by the way.”
“He wasn't bad enough,” I said, as I pointed my finger into his sexy, hard chest.
I was so glad the music was loud enough to cover my voice.
“I couldn't fucking breathe without Tim on my back. Any guy that tried to talk to me had to deal with him. My life sucked when it came to dating. Now, ten years later, I find out you were worse than he was.”
“Where is that fucker?” he growled, as he stared straight into my eyes.
I could see his eyes darken to almost black.
“Oh no you don't,” I said, as I stepped even closer. “Even after you left for college. I don't get it. Why? You had girls all over you. You were the biggest damn player there was. Did you really have to ruin every shot I had at happiness? You messed with me and made fun of me every chance you got. Wasn
't that enough? I guess you had to do it from far away as well. He was my brother, so at least he had an excuse. I wasn't even your sister. I was nothing to you.”
“That's not true,” he said, as he grabbed my arms with his large hands.
“Which part?” I asked.
Then I shook my head. There was no way I was letting him mess with my mind.
“You know what?” I said in a happy tone. “I don't want to know. That's in the past with everything else.”
I plastered a smile on my face and pushed off of his chest with my hands.
“I have a party to get to,” I said with a smile.
“What the hell happened to you?” he asked, as he let go of my arms. “You're so different.”
“I learned a long time ago that the shy, quiet girls get left behind. They're not memorable enough to stick around for. I decided I didn't want to be that girl anymore.”
I turned on my heels and walked away.
“Tiny,” he yelled out after me.
Chapter 17
Jackson
I leaned back against the wall and ran my fingers through my hair. Just a few more hours with her, and I could get my life back to normal life. That meant seeing my parents in the morning and getting home to book more meetings than ever. She was driving me crazy.
What the hell did she mean not memorable? Nobody could forget that gorgeous body and sarcastic mouth of hers. Not ten years before and definitely not then either. That woman had herself etched into every part of my brain. I couldn't get her out of my mind not matter how hard I worked or how often I fucked. It was all about her.
Why couldn't she realize how amazing she was, I wondered? It was guys like me and Chris. That was the problem. She needed to find a good man who would treat her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world. It couldn't be that damn hard to find. She'd had me since she was thirteen, but I wasn't him. I didn't deserve her. Her brother could tell you that. He wanted me as far away from her as he could get me.
When I walked around the corner, I glared at that fucker Chris who was sitting in his chair paying no attention to his woman. Bridget walked up, rubbed her hand down my arm, and asked me to dance.
“Why not,” I said.
Maybe she could help me get Tina out of mind. The entire time we danced, I watched them both. I was like an obsessed fool. There was a very sexy, beautiful woman crawling all over me for attention, but I couldn't be bothered. What the hell, I thought.
Chris barely touched her when they danced. It was like he was afraid of her. That would be understandable considering her behavior the entire day and night before. She'd probably knock him out. That wasn't the same Tiny I remembered. They talked and laughed, but it wasn't affectionate. I would have been holding her tight if she were mine.
She never would be. Not after what I'd done. I'd never do that to Tim. He wouldn't allow it. Instead, I let myself suffer every single day without her. How silly, right? If I was an outsider, I would have agreed. That woman owned me, but I would never let her know it. She wouldn't want me anyway. Not after I'd walked away from her.
I glared at Chris every chance I got. There was no way he needed to feel comfortable after cheating on Tina. No fucking way. I wanted to tear him apart, but I knew I couldn't ruin the wedding. Somehow I needed to talk to Tim later. If I tried to talk to Tina, she would just think I was being a dick. She was upset in their room, and he was kissing someone else. I didn't understand why he was even with her if she wasn't his type, but that was none of my business. It didn't matter who he kissed. The problem was that it wasn't Tina his lips were on. Not that I wanted his lips on her. Shit! It was all driving me crazy.
Everyone had left except for the wedding party and Tim's parents. We all agreed to help cleanup so they wouldn't have to stay all night. Even that punk that stood up with Tina was still there helping.
Tim pulled me to the side so Renee could open my card with him. I told them to do it later in private, but she didn't want to. She opened the card and pulled out the plane tickets. Then she started crying, wrapped her arms around my neck, and hugged me as she thanked me over and over.
“I know you planned this wedding in a few days. I didn't want you to miss out on a honeymoon,” I said. “You leave tomorrow night. That gives you a few hours to pack.”
She ran over to Tim's mom waving the tickets at her and crying about how happy she was. I could see Tina looking over out of the corner of her eye. When she noticed me watching, she rolled her eyes and shook her head at me. I didn't want anyone to see them open the card. It seemed like Tina was catching me in every spot I didn't want her to all damn weekend.
Tim's mom called me over to help her. I took my jacket off and rolled up my sleeves. The place was so hot. I noticed Tina's eyes on me while I was rolling them up. I smiled and she rolled her eyes yet again. What a smart-ass, I thought. I could only imagine what shitty comment would most likely come out of her mouth next. I walked over and started helping her mom take the balloons off of the tables. She still treated me exactly the same as she always had, and I loved her for that. It didn't matter to her who I was or what I had. I was just Jackson.
“Leave those two alone,” she said sternly, as she handed me a group of balloons.
“What?” I asked.
“You and Tim are too hard on her,” she said.
“He's not right for her,” I said.
“That's not for you to decide, Jackson,” she said in a sympathetic tone.
I finished what I was doing without saying a word. Then I walked over and let my body fall into a chair with my head in my arms on the table. I looked under my arms to see Chris against the wall on his phone. He never even bothered to help at all.
I heard a chair scrape across the floor right behind me. When I looked up, I saw Tina standing on her toes on the chair trying to reach a decoration on the ceiling. I heard the chair slip, jumped from my chair, and caught her just before she hit the ground. She grabbed around my neck as I scooped her up. I felt her body shiver, as I set her on her feet. That fucker never moved from his spot on the wall and never took his eyes from that damn phone. I lifted her chin with my hand so I could see her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Yes,” she said, as she pushed off of me. “Thank you.”
She moved to stand on the chair again, and I grabbed her hips, lifted her off the floor, and moved her to the side.
“Let me do it,” she barked out at me.
“You shouldn't be up there. That fucker should help you,” I growled out at her. “Now move.”
I got up on the chair and pulled everything from the ceiling at once before throwing it to the ground. When my feet hit the floor, I slid the chair in with a bang. Tina's mom looked up at me from across the room and shook her head. I reached down, scooped the stuff from the floor, and shoved it into Tina's hands.
“Here you go, Ms. Independent,” I snapped.
She wouldn't ask for help if her life depended on it. I had to wonder what her life was like. Did she struggle without anyone knowing?
Tina threw the stuff from her hand into the garbage and took off around the corner. I looked over and that ass hadn't moved. He didn't go after her to check on her or attempt to make sure she wasn't hurt. That was total bullshit. I tried with all I had to walk away. My hands were clenched at my sides. Then it happened, he started laughing at something on his phone, and I lost it.
I stormed over, took his phone in one hand, and grabbed him around the neck with the other. I threw his phone hard into the wall he was standing against. It smashed into at least three pieces that I saw fly through the air. I held him up against the wall and glared at him. Then the fucker had the nerve to smirk at me. Before I could even think it through, all of the feelings I'd had those last two days came to the surface. I pulled back the hand that had thrown the phone and punched him in the face.
“You don't fucking deserve her,” I growled out.
Tina came runnin
g into the room, pulled at my arm, and grabbed Chris' face.
“Oh shit!” she yelled. “What the hell is wrong with you, Jackie?”
It made me sick to see her caring about that cheater. She was holding his face and shaking her head. I backed away and stood watching them. He was leaning over with his hands on his knees, as blood dripped from his lip. Tina's mom came running over with some rags and ice.
“I'm so sorry, Chris,” Tina was whispering. “This is all my fault. Are you okay? I am so sorry.”
“What's wrong with me?” I let out in a snarl.
I was so angry.
“I saw that asshole at the club last night. He'd just taken you back to the room and had come back down. I watched him sit there and kiss someone else. He was kissing a guy.”
Chris looked up from ground like he'd been caught. Tina kept apologizing to him over and over.
“I hope you can forgive me, Chris,” she said. “I can't believe this. You know I love you. I'm so sorry for pulling you into this mess.”
Chris looked into her eyes, let go of his jaw, and stood tall. Seriously, I thought. He wanted more. I could go all damn night. I had so much pent up aggression and hadn't been in my gym to get rid of it for two days. Tina stepped in between us and turned to me. I couldn't remember the last time, if ever, that I had seen her that pissed off.
“I can't believe you. Will you ever grow up?” she asked me.
“Did you hear what I said?” I asked. “Your precious, perfect boyfriend was making out with someone else last night while you were in your room.”
She stood up on her toes and looked me right in the eyes. I could feel her breath on my cheek. She was so close. It was quiet around us, and her mom was right there. Chris was watching me. I knew he wasn't going to back down.
“What do you care?” she asked.
“What do you mean what do I care? He's cheating on you, Tiny.”
I could not believe she was making me look like the bad guy. I'd stuck up for her, and she was turning it on me. Who did she think she was? Why would she put up with a guy who was cheating on her? Where the hell had the girl I'd known gone? I was dumbfounded at the way she was reacting.
In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set Page 9
