One Wrong Choice (A Cruel and Beautiful Book Book 3)

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Okay, give it up. Why the frown?” Cate asks, intruding on my wedding gown thoughts.

  “Just thinking about my wedding gown.”

  “And you’re frowning?” Her brows are drawn together.

  “Oh, Cate, you will, too, when you see it. Mom and Mrs. Balfour had a field day.”

  “Jenna, I told you to put your foot down.” Cate is good at scolding others, but would never do it herself.

  “Come on. You couldn’t do it either.”

  Her posture sags. “I know. I talk a tough game sometimes, though. But honestly, is it that bad?”

  “Not if you call an oversized cupcake covered in whipped cream and sprinkled liberally with glitter bad, then no. Oh, and this tiara I’m wearing? It closely resembles my veil. Yeah, that’s about it.”

  Cate stares at me in horror.

  I go on to add, “Just prepare yourself for the shock. Oh, and if I may add, I wanted to wear my hair down, but the two control freaks insisted on an updo. But not the cool kind you see on Pinterest. No, I’m going to look like Martha Washington.”

  “Jesus, help you.”

  “Help all of you because you have to look at me with a straight face.”

  Cate looks up at me with a smartass grin. “Who says?”

  Then we both giggle, and it turns into an all out howl. All the girls stare at us as we slap our knees and continue our laugh-fest.

  When we can finally speak again, Cate asks, “Does Kenneth know?”

  I wave my hand. “He’s too nice to say anything offensive to anyone, especially his mother. And he doesn’t know, but when he sees me, he’s going to tell me how gorgeous I look.” And he will, whether he believes it or not. That’s Kenneth’s way.

  “Is his friend coming to the wedding?”

  “I think so. I haven’t kept up, and I don’t even care.” The only thing I care about has slipped through my fingers and will never be mine again.

  Britt runs up to me and hands me a water and another vodka tonic. But Carrie is on her heels with another Lemon Drop shooter. Looking at Cate with raised brows, she gives me the go-ahead and I down the shooter. Admittedly, they’re getting easier and easier to swallow.

  Lauren sidles up to me and says, “Surprise,” and hands me a pair of glasses that say Bride To Be on them. They’re pink and round with rhinestones outlining them and have a huge pink diamond in the middle over the bridge of my nose. Then all the girls put theirs on, and theirs say Team Bride. We all laugh and head over to dance some more.

  Afterward, I excuse myself and go to the ladies’ room. I’m returning to the table, but decide to go to the bar first for some water and a round of shots. Cate has a tab set up and so has Sam. I get us all shots of Herradura and all the fixings.

  As I’m waiting, a familiar voice says, “Nice getup.” It’s a voice I haven’t heard in a while, but one I won’t ever forget.

  Turning to face him, he stands there and next to him is Braedon. “Hi, Brandon, Braedon.” His brother gives me a cold stare I don’t ever think I’ve seen on his face, and I can’t blame him after the promise I made and never kept. Brandon smiles, and his gaze rakes over me briefly, taking in all my accessories.

  “Celebrating, huh?”

  “Um, not really. It’s more like they’re celebrating.” It’s the truth, because in reality, I’m not celebrating at all. Inside, I’m hollow and empty with regards to my upcoming marriage.

  He dips his head, but says nothing more to that. And what can he say? Oh, that’s good. Or, run away with me? Because neither will result in anything, and we both know it.

  The bartender says something, and I grab the tray my drinks are on. I’d rather stand here and stare at Brandon, but what good will that do? Deepen the gash that already exists is the only thing I know of.

  “It was nice seeing you two. You both look great, by the way.” But when I say it, my gaze lingers far too long on the wrong man. I’m marrying Kenneth a week from today, but all I want to do is stare at Brandon. My smile is weak as I brush past them both, and my heart weeps tears of blood as I stagger back to my group. They mistake my wobbling steps for drunkenness, but they are sadly wrong. It’s the pain of heartbreak that has made my footing falter and my heart shatter again. I fear it will always be like this, and I will never again be whole. I’ll only be this empty shell, because the real me disappeared with Brandon when he left that day four months ago.

  Thirty-Five

  Brandon

  Braedon’s eyes are fixed on me. “Bro, your tongue’s hanging out.”

  The reminder has me glancing away from Jenna’s retreating form. “You didn’t have to be such an asshole to her.”

  His head lowers, and he gives me uncharacteristic wide eyes. “Are you serious? She played you, dude. Look, she’s got a dick necklace on. No doubt one of them has your name on it. She probably wanted to have fun before locking up her pussy for just one guy.”

  What little does he know. Her husband-to-be isn’t even interested in her pussy for all I know. But will she be forced to share him with another guy like Horace? The thought has me tossing the contents of my glass back. “It’s not about me tonight. We’re here for you.”

  Jeff shows up at that moment with a trio of shots. He hands one to each of us.

  “To Brae,” Jeff says. “The first of us to get hitched.”

  Kym, my future sister-in-law, has decided she doesn’t want to be an unwed mother. My brother, being the kind of guy he is, asked her to marry him. He’s not just doing it for her. He truly loves her. They plan to get it done at the courthouse the coming week before his sailing race next Sunday. We are celebrating tonight because he can’t get drunk next week since he has one more run on Saturday before the race.

  Braedon, shit-faced after a couple more shots, closes one eye and glares at me with the other. “What happened to that hot redhead?”

  Jeff glances at me with his shot halfway to his mouth.

  “Lexa and Jeff are hooking up,” I say quickly.

  Braedon’s other eye opens. “No shit.” Jeff just nods. “And the business thing?”

  That had gone south, something I hadn’t shared with anyone.

  “Her dad had some financial stuff he had to deal with and had to pull out,” I say.

  “Well, are you going to do it on your own?”

  That I’m not sure about, so I shrug.

  Braedon gives me a look, which should have been a warning, before he shouts, “Ladies, my brother needs to get laid. Anyone want to help?”

  His voice booms loud enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear over the music playing in the background. Immediately, I glance over to Jenna’s table of friends, and our eyes meet. They are wide enough, I know she’s heard. What I don’t expect is the hurt. Fuck.

  Before I can say anything, like the idiot I am, several women have responded to my brother’s call. He introduces me, and not wanting to be an asshole, I stay to nod and explain away my brother’s enthusiastic shout. By the time the women leave, Jenna’s gone and so are her friends.

  I spend the rest of the night trying to be in the moment with my brother and forget about Jenna Rhoades.

  That turns out to be my motto for the following week, which is brutal. Seeing Jenna again ignited a bomb in me. It feels like I’ve lost her all over again.

  Braedon snaps his fingers in my face. “The force is strong in this one.”

  “The force?” I snap.

  Normally, I would be amused at his Star Wars’ references, but I’m not in the mood today.

  “Use the force, Brandon.”

  “Are you trying to piss me off?”

  “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

  “You’re Yoda now?” I ask.

  He holds up his hand. “Look, I know I’m the little brother, but a bit of advice.”

  “What’s that?” I say, resigned that he’s going to tell me to get laid again as if that’s the cure-all for everything.

  “Go get your girl.” My head j
erks up, and I glare at him. “Don’t give me shit. I saw how she looked at you. It reminds me of how Kym looks at me. And damn, that better mean she loves you, otherwise Kym’s been lying to me.”

  My mind goes back to that night. I’ve tried not to hope that she still has strong feelings for me as I do her.

  “I thought you were against her.”

  “No. I thought she was playing you, but she looked as miserable as you do.”

  “Her wedding is today,” I mutter.

  I’ve tried to avoid reports of her impending wedding in the local newspaper that’s delivered to the shop for the customers to read. But a few times, I couldn’t help notice she made the headlines.

  “She’s probably getting married at Kenneth’s family’s estate. No way I’ll get past security. Besides, who will stay with Kym while you go for another run?”

  “Mom’s coming.”

  It’s my turn again to be shocked. “What?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mom’s tried her best to be friendly to Kym, and she’s come a long way. I guess being warned by Braedon she won’t see her grandchild caused her to change her mind about the harlot, her words, who tried to steal her baby boy.

  “You’re in luck. The wedding’s at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. You know, the one on Church Street. It’s all Kym’s talked about this week. She’s been crying that we’re having a shotgun wedding and not her dream one.”

  “Is that why you guys haven’t tied the knot yet?”

  He shakes his head. “No, it’s really morning sickness that’s been hell on her, all day, every day.” He sighs. “She doesn’t even want me in the bathroom with her anymore. So go. There’s nothing you can do here.”

  “I have to go to the shop first,” I say.

  “No problem. You have a few hours yet until it starts. Just get there before it’s too late.”

  “Maybe I should call her?”

  He shakes his head. “Face-to-face, man. She needs to see how much you mean it. And you need to see her.”

  I exhale a breath. “I don’t know. Too much time has passed.”

  “Either way, do you think she should marry him?”

  Chewing on his words, I work on a car I have to finish by noon. It’s not my place to interfere, I tell myself. But sometime after lunch, I realize I have to try. She deserves to be with a man who loves her and her alone, even if it’s not me.

  Checking the time, I have to bike over to avoid potential traffic if I want to make it. When I find a spot on a side street close to the church, I don’t have much time. My jeans and button-down shirt aren’t exactly wedding clothes, but it’s now or never.

  I climb the steps two at a time and open the grand door. What I see stops my breath. She’s there, pacing the vestibule. Her pretty face carries a frown, and I know I’m right. She doesn’t want to do this.

  “Jenna, you can’t possibly go through with this,” I say, walking toward her.

  Everyone turns in my direction, and I mutter something about her hair because she looks…

  “Brandon, I—I”

  “Jenna, we have to go,” her dad says, taking ahold of her as she pivots in my direction.

  She’s so close I can almost touch her if I reach out. “Jenna, you don’t love him. You know you don’t, unless you were lying to me when you told me I held your heart. You can never be happy being married to him, and you know I speak the truth.”

  “Jenna?” Her dad’s tone begs for a response—from her.

  “Brandon, there’s more to it than that.” A sigh of frustration escapes from her.

  And that’s what’s bugged me the entire time we’ve been apart. She’d wanted to tell me something, but I’d shut her down. Still, I know she isn’t marrying Kenneth for the right reasons.

  “Then explain it to me,” I plead. “Even if I’m not the one for you, he isn’t. You know I’m right.”

  Her father’s confusion is clear. “What do you mean? Explain yourself.”

  “What I mean is, your daughter is marrying the wrong man.” Before I answer, my phone chimes. With Kym sick and my business in the hands of my employees, I have no choice to answer in case someone needs me. I dig it out of my pocket and check the screen. When I see who’s calling, I say, “What?”

  The next words change everything. For the second time in my life, I feel the sting of a gut punch when no one has hit me.

  “Brandon? What is it?” Jenna asks.

  I can’t think beyond what I must do. I back away, trying to form words, but can’t.

  “Brandon,” Jenna calls out again.

  “I… I gotta… I gotta go,” is all I can manage to choke out.

  Thirty-Six

  Jenna

  Brandon disappears through the doors he appeared through moments before. His footsteps so fast, I thought he might trip trying to get away from me. Desperately, I want to go to him and make sure he’s okay. However, Dad stops me with a hand on my arm. I turn to face him.

  “Jenna, it’s time,” Dad says.

  In his eyes, I see the fate that I’d been dealt. I’d made this decision not lightly. Kenneth is a good man. But Brandon is right. I’m not in love with him.

  “Oh, Dad. I wish it were that simple.”

  Dad puts his hands on my shoulders and spins me around so he can see me. “What’s this all about? What did that boy mean about me asking too much of you?”

  I don’t want Ms. Busybody Wedding Director to hear, so I drag Dad into one of the bathrooms and shut the door. She says to us as we’re walking away, “The people are waiting for you. You have to walk down the aisle now.”

  “Give us a minute.”

  When we’re inside the bathroom, I say to Dad, “He was talking about me marrying Kenneth to raise our status in society, but that’s not the real reason I’m doing it.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Sighing, I say, “You don’t have to cover it up. Mom told me all about it.”

  “Jenna, I’m not covering up a thing. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Then I’ll spell it out for you. Mom said if I didn’t marry Kenneth, the Balfours would pull their account, and the family would lose everything.”

  Dad takes two steps backward until he hits the wall. “Your mother told you that?” Shock can’t be hidden from his tone.

  “Well, yeah. I broke it off with Kenneth, and she tried to finagle a way to get us back together. When she told me that, I knew I didn’t have a choice.”

  “Jesus. Jenna, the Balfours could pull all their money out of Rhoades Investments, and we’d be fine. In fact, it wouldn’t affect our personal accounts one bit. Your mother told you one giant fib.”

  “Oh, my God. Why would she do that?” My knees buckle over this revelation, and I can’t stop my lower lip from trembling.

  Dad silently shakes his head. “Answer me something. Do you love Kenneth?”

  “Maybe as a friend.”

  “Do you love that boy that was here?”

  Now’s the time for honesty. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

  “Go after him. If that’s where your heart is, then you should be with him.”

  For a second, I’m stunned. If I’m honest, I thought Dad would take a little more convincing than this.

  “What about Mom and the Balfours? And Kenneth?”

  His hand cups my cheek as his eyes soften toward me.

  “I can’t speak for the Balfours and Kenneth, but I will handle your mother. Boy, will I handle her. What she did to you wasn’t right.”

  I throw myself at my father, hugging him to pieces, as much as this monstrosity of a dress will allow. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Oh, and Jenna?”

  “Yeah, Dad?”

  “Don’t ever wear your hair like that again. It looks like Medusa.” He winks at me.

  “Help me get these pins out, will you?” We both start digging all the bobby pins out when halfway through, I say, “Never mind. This might take all day.” Then I ask
my dad for his car keys.

  “Forget my car. There’s a limo right outside, and it’s yours for the day. Have the driver take you wherever you want.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. It’s already been paid for. Why not?”

  “Oh, Dad. Thank you.”

  “One other thing. You might want to stop by your place and pick up some clothes. Did you pick out that dress?”

  “Hell no.” And suddenly, I laugh.

  “Thank God. I got a little worried when I saw you in it.”

  “I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you, too, my Jenna love. Now, go get ’em, tiger.”

  I grab his arm so I can take off my hideous shoes and then run out of the church to the horrified expression of Ms. Wedding Director.

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got this, baby girl,” Dad says and turns to speak to the wedding coordinator.

  The limo driver, who is standing next to the vehicle, sees me running down the steps. His perplexed look throws me into a fit of giggles. I eke out the directions where we need to go, but it’s not my home. It’s Brandon’s. I’m nearly giddy by the time we arrive. No one’s there, so I have him take me to the shop. When I enter in my dress, Dana is behind the counter.

  “Where’s Brandon?” My no-nonsense approach throws her for a second. Then her mask slips back into place, and she acts like it’s an everyday occurrence that someone rushes in the door wearing a hideous wedding gown. “He’s not here,” she says coolly.

  “I need to know. Where is he?”

  “Seriously, I don’t know.”

  “Look, I know we’ve had our differences, but he came to the church to stop the wedding … or at least to make me realize what a huge mistake I was making. Anyway, he took off like something happened. I need to know where he could be.”

  Dana stares, assessing me. I dig a few more bobby pins out of my hair and pull my awful tiara with the attached veil off as she does. And suddenly, she laughs. This is a girl, who in my estimation, never so much as even smiles, and here she is laughing.