In Love with My Brother's Best Friend: Complete Box Set

by Cummin, Sharon

We talked while we ate. He stopped on his way home to pick up dinner, and I heated up a frozen meal. I listened to him complain that I wasn't eating healthy, so I complained about how many hours he was working. I knew when we hung up he was going to do more work, but a part of me didn't want to let him go. He talked to me while I got ready for bed. I still didn't want to let him hand up, and he didn't mention it.

  I felt horrible when I opened my eyes. Light was shining through the window, and my phone was on my bed next to me. I didn't remember hanging up. Oh shit, I thought. I fell asleep while he was talking. How embarrassing was that? Would he ever let that one go? Hopefully I didn't say anything he could use against me. That would have been horrible. There was a message from him, and I was afraid to open it.

  Jackson: I hope you slept well. You sound so cute when you snore.

  Me: I do not snore. There is no way you would have listened long enough to find out.

  Jackson: I put my phone on speaker while I did my work. You totally snore, Tiny. That's okay, I still love you.

  I sat staring at my phone for the longest time. What did he mean? Maybe he meant like a sister. My family was his family. That was what he meant, right? I wasn't sure what to say back to that. I didn't want to be weird about it. How could I change the subject, I wondered? Neither of us did anything, and my phone didn't ring. Part of me was so worried about what one of us was going to say. The other part was so afraid we'd both run at that moment and never look back. I put my phone down and walked away from it.

  When I went back to get my phone, he hadn't sent another message. I wasn't about to call Chris and ask him what I should do. Jackson wouldn't want him to know that much of our business. I couldn't ask Jen or Rachel. They didn't know about Jackson like that. There was only one person I could talk to about him.

  “Tina,” my mom yelled in surprise when she answered the phone.

  “Hey, mom,” I said.

  “I knew you'd be calling soon,” she said.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “I sure did, honey,” she said. “How's Jackson?”

  We both burst into laughter.

  “I miss you, mom,” I said.

  “I miss you too, Tina,” she said. “I knew after seeing poor Jackson Sunday that you'd be calling soon.”

  “I don't know what to do,” I said. “I should never have come home, mom. He said he told you we were talking.”

  “He did,” she said. “How's that going? Have you actually let him call you yet?”

  “He told you that?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “Jackson is a good man, Tina. You've changed so much since you left. He has too. I'm very proud of him. Maybe you should give him a chance.”

  “I'm not so sure about that,” I said. “I've liked him since I was young. I'd get so mad seeing him with girls in school. He always thought of me as Tim's sister. When he left for college, I thought it was going to be easier, but I missed him so much. I didn't even know that he was threatening boys that tried to talk to me. I thought it was Tim doing that. It was Jackson. When I saw him again, I felt such a connection to him. We were only together once, mom. I can't believe I'm telling you this. That one time has stuck with me forever. I always thought it was because he was my first. I don't think that anymore. There's something about him. I need to stop talking to him, mom. He's going to hurt me if I don't.”

  “Hold on,” she said. “You need to think about this, Tina. He's not that same guy from high school. Do you care about him?”

  “Yes,” I said without even thinking about it. “I always have. We've only been talking for a little over a week. He's made me feel more than anyone I have ever been with at all. I don't want to go to bed at night because I'll have to stop messaging him. We talked on the phone Sunday and yesterday. Just the sound of his voice goes straight to my heart. I've built walls the last ten years to keep everyone out. I can't let him break them down. He'll break my heart just like he did before. He's probably laughing right now. He sent a text that said I snored. Then it said “that's okay, I still love you.” I bet he's showing it to the guys he works with and laughing that I haven't said anything back yet.”

  “Tina,” she snapped. “Knock it off right now. That man cares about you. He's probably freaking out that he typed it. You did not see the man at my kitchen table on Sunday. It wasn't a man that's laughing about hurting you. The two of you need to snap out of this shit.”

  “Mom,” I yelped.

  “I mean it,” she said. “You two need to wake up. He knows Tim is pissed at him. Jackson is being forced to choose between his best friend and you. His parents are still idiots after everything he's done to prove himself. You need to cut him come slack. I'm not on his side or yours, but you two are going to screw up something that could be amazing. It's not your brother's place to decide who either of you should be with. That boy needs to live his own life and leave the two of you alone. I couldn't believe you and Jackson grew apart. I definitely didn't see it coming. I honestly thought you two were going to be together. I had no idea your brother had his nose in your business like that. You are adults. You need to think hard and long before you decide to cut that man off. I used to watch you kids when you were teenagers, and I watched you both the weekend of the wedding. You need to think about what you really want. Should you push him away just so you don't get hurt? What if he wouldn't hurt you in the first place? Are you willing to give up what could possibly be just to make sure it doesn't happen? You've been running for ten years, Tina. Has it been worth it?”

  I sat silently. She didn't say another word. After about three minutes, she finally spoke.

  “Are you happy, Tina?” she asked.

  “What?” I said.

  “You moved away and have built a life for yourself. Are you happy?”

  “No,” I said. “I have a good job. I love the kids. I have a few good friends. Only one of them knows the real me. He doesn't even know everything. It's just me. You all have each other. As much as I want to kick Tim's ass, I even miss him.”

  “You need to be happy, honey. You need to think about what makes you happy.”

  “Talking to Jackson makes me happy, mom. That's what scares me,” I confessed.

  “Take some time to think about what you really want before you do anything. Promise me that,” she said.

  “I promise,” I said.

  “I love you, Tina,” she said.

  “I love you, mom.”

  I sat and thought about what she'd said. How did she know I liked him all those years, I wondered? Maybe she was right. I'd found a few good friends, but I wasn't happy. I missed my family so much. It was hard being away from them all the time. Would it be better to be alone forever just so I didn't risk getting hurt? What if he did break my heart? Just the thought of not talking to him was crushing me. Could Jackson be the one? He'd messed with me so much growing up, but he'd also watched over me from so many miles away. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do.

  My phone rang a few minutes later. I answered it, and he went on like nothing had happened. Maybe he hadn't realized what he'd done. Maybe he thought I didn't notice. Maybe he knew exactly what he'd done. No matter what it was, I wasn't going to let him see my reaction to it. He told me he'd been in a meeting that was breaking for lunch. I joked about how he'd given up his lunch time to hear my sweet voice. I could tell he wasn't used to women talking to him the way I did by the way he'd stop for a second before saying anything. The more it happened, the more I did it. He was so much fun to mess with. I told him I'd let him go so his boss didn't make an example out of him. He laughed. I loved that sound. He had to sexiest laugh I'd ever heard. It was something I wanted to hear as often as possible.

  We talked on the phone each day that week. Friday morning came with the good morning message I was starting to count on. I'd even sent a few messages on my own. They were usually silly and during his meetings. He never seemed to mind. I'd agreed to spend the evening with Chris. I was off all day, but Ch
ris had taken the day shift for a friend of his. We hadn't seen each other outside of work all week, and he didn't have his little girl. He wanted to check out a new club not far away. I called Jackson's phone, hoping he wasn't in a meeting.

  “Hey there,” he answered. “Are you okay?”

  “Hey, Jackson,” I said. “Very funny. How's your day going?”

  “Okay,” he said. “How about yours?”

  Something was different about him. His voice was low and the happy tone was gone.

  “Okay,” I answered. “Are you busy? Maybe I should let you go.”

  “No,” he said. “I'm happy you called.”

  “You don't sound like it,” I said. “What's wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he said.

  “Don't give me nothing,” I said. “Tell me. Do I have to fly to Florida and kick some ass?”

  “You have no idea how good that sounds,” he said.

  “Whose ass?” I asked. “I'm ready.”

  I heard a small laugh from across the line. Something was wrong, and I felt horrible for not being there to make it better.

  “I meant you being here,” he said. “I want to see you, Tiny.”

  I thought for a moment before saying anything. Would I scare him away if I admitted the truth? I thought about what my mom said about being happy.

  “I'd like to see you too, Jackie,” I said.

  I heard someone say something to him in the background.

  “Okay,” he said. “I'll be right there.”

  “I'll let you go. I just wanted to let you know I'm going out tonight with Chris. He wants to check out a new club and is complaining that I haven't had time for him. I think he's a bit jealous of you. I told him not to worry. You're just fine where you are. He's afraid you're going to steal me away from him. He doesn't understand. I told him I'd go to the club. I'll probably stay at his place tonight. It's around the corner from where he wants to go. I didn't mean to interrupt your day of important meetings. Kick some ass, Jackie.”

  “What did you mean he doesn't understand?” he asked.

  I heard someone talking to him again and knew he needed to go.

  “Never mind,” I said. “I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “I miss you, Tiny,” he said.

  “I miss you too, Jackie.”

  He sounded sad about something. I didn't know if it was about work, or me, or what. He said he wanted me there. He wanted to see me. My phone beeped with a text.

  Chris: Looking forward to hanging with my best friend tonight.

  I put my phone down and got up. Jackson seemed very busy, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be hearing from him. I turned my laptop on and decided to take on my bills. They were going to be pretty large from my visit to Florida, and I wasn't looking forward to paying them. The worst was going to be my credit card. It had the plane tickets, car rental, and hotel bill on it. The hotel bill was going to be the worst. I'd charged everything from the bar that night to the room. Chris had ordered a decent amount of drinks, but mine were even worse. I think there might have been some room service in there as well as a few things from the fridge in the room. I couldn't even imagine what Chris added when he went down to the club after he had taken me to the room. He knew the weekend was on me, and I was pretty sure he took advantage of that. Not to mention the guy that ended up in the room with him the one night. I could have been paying for his drinks too.

  I paid my cell phone bill, rent, and other small bills before taking on the credit card. I took a huge breath in and out before typing in the password and pressing enter. The amount that came up wasn't that bad. Something was missing from it. I opened the statement so I could go through it. The plane tickets were there as well as the rental car. When I got to the hotel portion, I had to look twice. There was a charge for the initial room. Then there was a credit for the same amount. They hadn't charged my card for the stay or for any of the extras. I jumped up from my chair and went to my room. The receipt that came under the door the night before check out was still in my bag. I hadn't wanted to face it until I needed to. I unfolded the paper, and my mouth dropped open. The total bill was a thousand dollars. What the hell did we drink, I wondered? I wasn't expecting it to be that high. Maybe Chris had decided to have even more fun that last night while I was in Jackson's room. I took the bill with me back to my chair and went through the statement from the card again. It wasn't there. When I looked back at my receipt from the hotel, I saw it. There was another credit card number there with Jackson's name. He'd paid my hotel bill. How the heck had he been able to pull that off, I wondered?

  My head fell to my hands, and I couldn't take it anymore. He was so damn busy taking care of everyone else. It was time someone did something for him. I knew he had done some things for my mom and dad for the wedding. He'd sent my brother on a trip. He'd paid my hotel bill when he thought I was there with my boyfriend. He'd made the comment on the phone about liking the idea of me being there. Then he'd said that he wanted to see me. I needed to find out the truth. Was he blowing smoke up my ass, or did he mean it? I was going to take the risk. I was going to be the one to take that first step and put it all out there. It would be up to him to decide what to do next.

  I threw on some clothes, grabbed a bag, and shoved as much in it as I could. Hopefully there was at least one matching outfit in it. Then I collected up the necessities like a brush, deodorant, and a toothbrush. I grabbed my phone and e-reader along with their chargers. I had my license and credit cards. That was all I needed.

  I got to the airport and paid an obscene amount to fly out on the next flight. Then I hurried through security and ran through the airport like someone you'd see in of a movie. Once I was on the plane, I sent a quick text to Chris and another to my mom asking her the address where Jackson worked. Then I sent Jackson a text.

  Me: Are you at your office all day today?

  Jackson: Sure am.

  Me: Don't work too hard.

  Jackson: I'll try. I'll talk to you in a bit.

  Then I shut my phone off and closed my eyes. I think I fell asleep before the plane even left the ground. I was definitely exhausted and so afraid he was going to turn me away.

  Chapter 11

  Jackson

  By Thursday night, I couldn't take it anymore. Everything Tina's mom had said was right. I needed to figure out what I wanted. Tina was it for me. I didn't want to let her go again. When I'd typed out that text and sent it earlier that week, I knew what it said. That was when I realized I was in deep. It took some time for me to pull myself together. When she didn't text back, I knew I had to call her and play if off like I'd never sent it. I didn't want to scare the shit out of her.

  It took everything I had to knock on Tim's door that night. When he opened the door, he had the nastiest look on his face. I walked by him and turned back to face him. Renee smiled and got up from the couch to leave us alone.

  “What?” he asked. “What do you want?”

  My fingers ran through my hair. I didn't want to lose my best friend, but I was willing to face whatever was to come of what I had to say.

  “I love her,” I said.

  That dirty look left his face for a moment before showing right back up.

  “You need to stay away from her. I can't believe you slept with my sister after I asked you not to. You were supposed to be my best friend, Jackson,” he said.

  “I know that,” I said, as I walked over and sat down on the couch. “I didn't do it to hurt you. I swear I didn't. I've liked her since I was fifteen. It was probably even longer. That was when I realized it. I tried to go out with girls and do the whole dating thing. It never changed anything, Tim. I threatened any guy that even thought about asking her out. I even came home from school to visit a couple of them. That night we were talking. It just happened. When I realized what I'd done to you, I left. I made sure not to talk to her after that. I stayed away from her. She was all I thought about. I've not had a serious relationship. You know tha
t. I know you don't think I'm good enough for her. You're probably right. I'm sure she deserves a man so much better than me, but I love her.”

  “I don't want her to get hurt, Jackson. She liked you a lot back then.”

  “I won't hurt her, Tim. I want to be with her,” I said, as I stood.

  “Are you saying that no matter what I say, you're going to be with her?” he asked.

  “I'm hoping we can still be friends. You're my best friend. You're my family.”

  “If not?” he asked.

  “I'm still going to show her how much I care about her,” I said. “I can't walk away from her. I regret so damn bad that I didn't fight for her then. I should have come clean with you, but I shouldn't have given up on seeing what I could have had with her.”

  Tim stood there not saying a word. I walked over to him and stopped.

  “I'm hoping you can forgive me, Tim. I came here to talk to you before I go after her, but I am going after her. I'm not letting her go this time. Let me know what you decide.”

  The next morning, I felt bad about the way I'd handled it with Tim. He had every right to be mad. I was pissed that he was still judging me, like any other guy in the world was more fit for his sister than me. I couldn't help the way it made me feel. Her own mother didn't feel that way towards me. Why did he? Ten years had gone by. We were all grown adults. She'd lived on her own for so long. I didn't understand how he could still act like that towards me. I'd made something of my life. I knew I could give her more than any other man, and I loved her. I hadn't even told her that yet. I told him first, and he didn't respond the way I had hoped he would. If he thought I was such a bad guy, I wasn't sure I even wanted to talk to him anymore. Tina had a point. If he thought I was so bad, why did he go on the vacation that I paid for?

  I'd just gotten out of a shitty meeting and was still thinking about Tim when Tina called me. Just the sound of her sweet voice had my mood changing. When she mentioned getting on a plane, I almost felt like making something up just to get her to come home for the weekend. I'd have bought her a ticket if I thought she'd really show up. I was shocked when she said she wanted to see me too. It was rare for her to open herself up like that. She had her heart locked tight. The thought of that being my fault was awful.