Rumors: Brianna & Hunter

by Rachael Brownell

  Megan and Ally are at the other end of the table in what looks to be a heated discussion while Tyler attempts to avoid eye contact with Chris by talking over him to Devon and Justine. Ryder and his father appear to be talking shop, whispering to each other in hushed tones and writing on a napkin.

  My husband is oblivious to all of this as he focuses on his half-empty plate, shoveling a bite of egg and sausage into his mouth at the same time, a small moan escaping. This is his third plate. He's going to regret it if he finishes everything.

  As I look around at all the people I love the most, I can't help but wish my family was here. It reminds me a little of our rehearsal dinner when my mother and brother were telling jokes, everyone laughing at the two of them while my father sat next to my mother, looking at her with a mix of love and pride in his eyes.

  She loved entertaining people. Margoret and her would have been the best of friends if they had been able to spend more time together. I can imagine it now. Margoret hosting the parties and my mom entertaining the guests until they were all holding their stomachs while laughing.

  Her jokes knew no bounds.

  Nothing is funnier than a tiny, southern woman telling jokes that could make men twice her age and stature blush. They were raw and raunchy and almost always inappropriate, but there was something about the way she told them that made it acceptable.

  My brother was the same way. He could sweep you off your feet in a matter of seconds. In fact, he left behind a long list of women who had fallen for him over the years. His funeral was filled with women of all ages, dressed in black, mourning the one man who refused to settle down.

  He was a wanderer. Never wanted to stay put for long. Commitment was a foreign word he didn't understand.

  For all his faults, he sure knew how to love, though. When he did, he did it with all his heart, and you felt it. Every ounce of his love oozed from his body, and you never had to wonder how he felt for you.

  Throughout his short life, there was only one woman that he loved more than me or Mom. Keri. My best friend growing up. Since he was older, Keri's father wouldn't let them date. A three-year age difference doesn't seem like much when you're grown up, but when one of you is starting high school and the other is starting middle school, it’s a big deal.

  Brice didn't see the problem, which led him to make some poor decisions. Keri was the one who took the punishment for his actions, though. Her parents decided to put her in private school to keep her away from Brice. They thought he was a bad influence on her.

  He was, but at the same time, he wasn't. He wanted to be with her. He didn't care who thought it was a good or bad idea. All he was focused on was loving her with all his heart.

  And his heart broke when he found out her private school was in another state.

  Keri was forced to cut off all contact with both of us after that. I hadn't seen or spoken to her since eighth grade until his funeral. She was alone. Her husband and son were at home in Connecticut. I didn't have to ask why she didn't bring them when she showed me pictures.

  Her son's school picture had his name in gold cursive letters in the bottom corner.

  Brice.

  She never let go, but she found a way to move on. My brother never did. He didn't want to find the next great love of his life. He wanted Keri back but didn't know how to find her. He loved her until the day he died.

  "What's on your mind, beautiful?" Hunter whispers in my ear, startling me.

  "Just thinking."

  "You were thinking awfully hard. Emerson's been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now. We need to go meet the wedding coordinator."

  "I'm ready when you are," I reply, pushing away from the table and standing. When I look to Emerson to see if she's still coming, I find twelve sets of eyes on me. All looking at me with worry. "I'm fine, you guys. I was just thinking about a few things and spaced out."

  "You want to talk before you go?" Megan offers.

  "No, I'm fine. I swear. We'll be back in an hour or so and meet up with you for the foodie tour."

  Emerson stands and gathers her things. Megan stops her as she makes her way around the table, their conversation kept in hushed tones so only they can hear.

  "Ready?" I ask Hunter as I grab my purse.

  "Yeah. Thank you for breakfast, Mom. Dad. We'll see everyone in a little bit."

  Resting his hand on the small of my back, Hunter guides me out of the room. He doesn't say anything, doesn't question my silence. Instead, he leads us down the hall to the coordinator’s office and through her open door.

  Time to talk wedding plans. Let's hope this chick has her shit together because I have a feeling Emerson won't let tomorrow be less than perfect. And since my heart feels like it's a million miles away right now, I'm planning on letting her take the lead.

  Emerson is a mastermind. She grilled the coordinator, Sam, on every detail of the ceremony and reception. Thought of things that had Sam taking notes and making adjustments.

  All while Hunter and I sat there and listened in a state of shock and awe.

  Her wedding is going to be amazing and detail oriented. My only fear is that if something does go wrong, there will be hell to pay.

  "Thank you," I say to Emerson as I hug her outside Sam's office.

  "Of course. I can't believe she didn't even think to rake the sand and make sure there was a runner for you to walk on. I feel bad for all the brides that came before you."

  An image of me tripping in my white sundress and falling face first into the sand flashes before my eyes.

  Yep, Emerson is a badass.

  "Well, thanks to you, I won't have to worry about anything for the next twenty-four hours except drinking wine and having fun."

  "Speaking of fun," Hunter says as he stares past us down the hall. "I think the life of the party may have just arrived."

  Looking around Emerson, I spot a familiar face.

  Zane is standing at the front desk, a skinny, tall blonde next to him. His hair has been buzzed off since the last time I saw him, and it looks like he's added a few new tattoos to his muscular, stocky body.

  In college, Zane was a bit chunky. His senior year, his girlfriend broke up with him because he was putting on weight. We didn't like her very much; she was a shallow bitch. His solution… drop the girlfriend and then drop fifty pounds. He started lifting weights every day, and by the end of the year, he was all muscle and no fat.

  "Zane!" Hunter hollers as he heads toward him.

  Emerson and I watch as they embrace in a man hug, the blonde next to him forgotten for the moment.

  "I have a feeling we need to keep an eye on Ally all the sudden," Emerson mumbles next to me.

  "Nah. She brought a date, and so did he."

  "And she seems to loathe the existence of her date for some reason. Plus, you have to admit, there's something about all those tattoo-covered muscles that gets you excited."

  I'd never thought of Zane as more than a brother before. He's not really my type. But looking at him now, I can see what Emerson sees. He's attractive, has a mega-watt smile that could knock any girl on her ass and a heart of gold.

  "Maybe we should keep an eye on Ally," I agree as we head to join Hunter, Zane, and blondie.

  "There's my girl," Zane says as he pulls me in for a hug, lifts me, and spins me around. "There's still time to run away with me, ya know."

  "Hands off my wife, asshole," Hunter warns, his voice lacking any type of threat.

  Setting me back on my feet slowly, Zane backs away and extends his hand to Emerson, introducing himself.

  "Ryder's fiancée, right?" Emerson nods. "What is it about you Dixon brothers? Do you have magic cocks or something?"

  Hunter lets out a deep grunt and pulls me close.

  "Seriously. All of you snagged beautiful, sweet women and I can't find one that wants to hold onto me for more than five minutes. Present company excluded," he quickly adds, turning to blondie, who wasn't even paying attention to our intera
ction as she picks at her nail polish. "Cammie, this is Hunter, Emerson, and Brianna."

  "Hey," she replies, drawing out the word without bothering to look up.

  Hunter raises an eyebrow at Zane, but when they make eye contact, Zane shakes his head slightly and mouths the word 'later' to him. I have a feeling there is a story there, and I can't wait to hear it. Far be it from me to judge Cammie from one interaction, but if I were to, I'd say she reminds me of his ex from college.

  Same fake blonde hair. Same dismissive attitude. Everything is about her, and nothing is more important than her wants and needs.

  Zane can do better. Much, much better. Hell, even Ally would be better for him than this chick.

  Shit.

  This is going to be a long few days if I'm already thinking things like that. Sharing a look with Emerson, I see my own worry in her eyes. We're going to need reinforcements to keep those two apart. Starting with Megan, the one person that has the ability to talk sense into Ally when she needs it most.

  Chapter Twelve

  The foodie tour didn't disappoint. Every stop we made, every place we visited, was amazing. The food. The wine.

  Most importantly, the company.

  I couldn't ask for a better group of friends and family.

  After being close to breaking down this morning, the tour was exactly what I needed to distract myself from sliding down the slope into darkness. The afternoon was filled with laughter. The boys played pranks on each other, and Margoret, bless her heart, shared some hilarious stories about the guys from when they were younger.

  Stories that made them blush.

  Tyler running naked through the yard, chasing after his imaginary dog. Not when he was a toddler, but when he was a teenager. And not the backyard where no one could see him. Out front, in the middle of the day. Of course, it wasn't his idea; it was dare from Hunter.

  Then there's Ryder. Most of his stories were him getting caught sneaking in and making deals with his mom to stay out of trouble. He's still in her debt according to her. She claims she has everything written down at home and plans to collect one day.

  Then there's my husband. The saint. Or so everyone thought until his mama let the cat out of the bag.

  Hunter wasn't as perfect as his brothers claimed he always was. In fact, some of the stories even surprised his father. Apparently Margoret liked to cover for her children. And when it came to Hunter, she covered up everything in hopes he would learn from his mistakes.

  Thankfully he did.

  Still, one of the stories caught me off guard. He's told me all sorts of funny things from his childhood. Normal teenage stuff. Getting caught sneaking in and out. Being busted by his parents for lying. This… he never told me this, and by the look on his face, I have a feeling he had hoped this memory would stay buried until the day he died.

  "It wasn't funny at the time, but now that I look back on it, the look on his face was priceless. You remember, right, sweetie?"

  She's goading him. He's pleading with his eyes for her to stop.

  "What was her name again? Cassie? Cora? Something like that. Anyway, Herman and I went out for dinner, and the boys were somewhere with friends. I don't remember where, but they were probably getting themselves into trouble as well. We had just sat down at the restaurant, and Herman received a call from his boss that he needed to come into the office. There was some sort of emergency. That sort of thing happened all the time back then. Anyway, we head back home, and Herman drops me off so he can go to work.

  "The moment I walked through the front door, I knew something was up. Not even twenty minutes earlier, Hunter was sitting in the living room studying for a test, and now he was missing. The house was silent, and all the lights were off. I opened my mouth to call his name when I heard them talking. He wasn't supposed to have anyone over, let alone a girl."

  Hunter squeezes my hand as he takes a drink of his wine, his Adam's apple bobbing from the amount of liquid he's attempting to swallow at once. I want to stop Margoret, to interrupt her, but I know better. We all know better. When she's speaking, the last thing you want to do is step in. You listen and learn from what she's saying because if she's speaking, it's important.

  Right now, this doesn't feel important.

  "So I listen closely and follow their voices up the stairs and stand outside Hunter’s room for a few minutes listening. It becomes clear what they're talking about pretty quick, so I push the door open and make my presence known. I'm a little late to stop the activities, however.

  "The first thing I see is Hunter's naked butt, his pants around his ankles, and two hands gripping his thighs. When I clear my throat, both of them jumped and Hunter screamed. Not because I scared him, but because he was in pain. Little miss bit down when I startled her."

  The table breaks out in laughter at Hunter's expense. Margoret is giggling to herself as she stares at Hunter, waiting for him to respond.

  "Dude, how did I not know this? Your mom walks in on you getting a BJ, and you didn't tell me?" Zane nudges Hunter in the shoulder, but Hunter doesn't budge.

  His silence speaks volumes. He's either really pissed off or he's planning his response. I'm hoping for the latter. I'd hate for this to ruin the day or the weekend.

  "When your mom interrupts your first blow job and you have teeth marks for a week as a reminder, you generally don't like talking about it. Not appropriate dinner conversation," Hunter states, his voice deep and rough.

  "Totally appropriate drunken bar conversation, though," Tyler says with the raising of his glass.

  "Tyler Herman Dixon, don't you dare pick on your brother or I'll share what I walked in on you doing with everyone at this table," Margoret chides, causing Tyler to cough up his drink.

  "Oh. I wanna hear that story," Angela replies excitedly as she pats Tyler on the back.

  "You win, Mom. No more horror stories from our childhood. We're all very well aware that you have shit on us that we don't want anyone else to know." Ryder, usually the hot-head, speaking on behalf of his brothers, makes his statement with confidence.

  "You know I do," Margoret replies proudly.

  Devon jumps in and changes the conversation to funny stories of Ryder from college. Zane has a few about Hunter, but before he can get to them, the server brings our checks. It's the last stop on our tour, and we need to head back to the hotel to get ready to board the boat for our island tour.

  As everyone files out of the restaurant and boards the hotel shuttle, Megan pulls me aside.

  "We need to chat," she says, her voice stern.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Ally."

  "What did she do?"

  "Nothing yet, but I've been watching her and she's definitely into Zane. I can see it. I know that look."

  "Did Emerson talk to you already?"

  "Yeah. That's why I’ve been watching. I'm worried. He seems like a nice guy, but he also seems like he might be trouble for her. You know, a passing fling. We need a plan to keep them apart."

  Keep them apart. Right. Because they're not staying at the same resort. Or part of our group that goes everywhere together. Or both going to be attending my wedding tomorrow.

  "Let's think on it, and we'll grab Justine before the boat leaves and figure it out. Fill her in if you get a second, okay," I reply as Hunter walks up.

  Megan rushes off, avoiding eye contact with him in the process. She's a horrible liar, and she's even worse at pretending nothing is wrong. She makes everything obvious.

  "What's she up to now?" he asks as he watches her hop up the bus steps.

  "Nothing. Just girl stuff."

  "I call bullshit. I've seen that look before. She's up to something. I'm not going to push, but if she causes any problems—"

  "No. I promise. It's nothing like that. I'll tell you when we're alone."

  Hunter nods his head in acceptance as he guides me toward the bus to join our waiting party. The first thing I notice is that Zane and Ally are sitting across the aisle fr
om one another, their respective dates on the inside of the seat near the windows.

  Megan must notice, too, because she's sitting in front of Ally, her head casually tilted in her direction. She's listening, I'm sure, or attempting to, but they're not talking to each other. Not right now anyway.

  Hunter and I slide into the seat in front of Megan and Vinnie. I rest my head against his shoulder as the bus pulls away from the restaurant. My belly is full, and my body is relaxed from all the wine and sun. I see a small nap in my future. One that's going to consume me the moment I close my eyes.

  I hear Hunter talking to someone on the phone when I open my eyes. I'm in our suite, lying on our bed, still wearing the same dress I had on earlier. Looking to the open sliding doors, I see that it's still light outside, so I haven't been asleep long, but I feel rested.

  "She's awake. We'll meet you in the lobby in thirty minutes," I hear Hunter say as he takes a seat next to me. "Yep, later."

  "How long was I asleep?"

  "Only a few hours. Get changed. We have to leave soon if we're going to make the boat." He's short with me. Irritated. But what did I do?

  As he starts to stand, I place my hand on his arm and pull him back down. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing."

  "I call bullshit," I say with an exasperated sigh. I don't want to play this game right now. I want everyone in a good mood, having a fun time, and enjoying this trip. Especially my husband.

  "Zane's being a dick, that's all."

  "Let me guess," I start, sliding to the edge of the bed and sitting up. "Ally."

  "How long were you listening to our conversation?"

  "I wasn't. Just a hunch."

  "Yeah, well, I guess his date is being a bitch, so he's not bringing her tonight, and when he asked about Ally, I about bit his head off."

  "Why?"