by K. L. Myers
Braxton then turned to Paxton, dismissing the little shit as quickly as he could. His stride was so long that he reached the front door in five steps. “Let’s bounce. We’ve got dinner reservations, and I’m paying.”
The wait at Grimaldi’s, as usual, was longer than any human would want to wait for dinner, which was why Braxton had had the good sense to call ahead and make a reservation. Paxton, Paisley, and he had loved eating there as kids, so he knew this would be the perfect place to pitch his idea to his two best friends.
“Michaels, party of four,” the leggy brunette called in their direction.
“Five.” Paisley spoke up as she walked closer to the woman. “We’re a party of five, not four.”
Without missing a beat, the hostess reached for one more menu, making a few minor adjustments to the seating map on the check-in station and then instructed the group to follow her. Braxton felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Without looking at it, he silenced it and followed his group.
The waitress’s movements were slow, and she looked back to ensure everyone was following her and she hadn’t lost anyone as they wove through the drones of tables. When she reached the middle of the room, she stopped in front of a round table.
Braxton waited for Paisley to take her seat, and then he grabbed the one right beside it, pushing Alissa to the side. Braxton wasn’t oblivious to the ‘what the hell was that’ look Alissa gave him before she took the seat on the other side of him.
To defuse the situation, Braxton placed a soft kiss to her temple before whispering in Alissa’s ear that he’d explain later.
Alissa, being her best-mannered self, didn’t question him any further. He wasn’t sure why he’d done that. But this wasn’t the time to analyze things. All he knew was that he instinctively needed to be by Paisley’s side. Shed shut him out, and he needed to know why.
“A toast,” Paxton called out after the waitress set down their drinks. “To being here with my best friend, my sister, her new love, and of course, to seeing you again, Alissa.” Paxton just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to screw with him.
Everyone at the table raised their glasses and the clinking began, allowing Braxton to speak up. “I’ve got a proposal for you two.” He looked toward Paxton and Paisley. “Michaels and Reed. How does it sound?”
“Why Michaels first? Why not Reed and Michaels? After all, there are two of us and only one of you.”
Braxton considered the change; admittedly, he could give two shits about the order of their names if it meant his best friend would be willing to move back to California and start a business with him. If this had been any other situation, he’d fuck with his friend for a bit. But this was too serious a matter to let the opportunity be ruined because he had to be the jokester of the pack.
“I could live with Reed and Michaels. Are you willing to move home?” The ball was back in Paxton’s court. It was up to him.
“Are you serious?” Paxton seemed to think Braxton was just joking. He set his glass on the table, then raised his right hand and began to tap his finger on his pursed lips. “You’re talking about the two of us”—he pointed to his sister and then back to himself—“going into business together with you?”
“That’s right—the three of us. Just as we always planned, before life pulled us in different directions.”
“The three of us?” Paxton appeared to be tossing the idea around. “And you want me to move back here? No considering you two coming out east?”
Braxton nodded briefly. “West coast. I’m not into the east coast at all. Both Paisley and I have made a name for ourselves already out here. Besides, it would be easier for you to move than us trying to start over there.”
Braxton silenced his phone for the third time without looking at who was calling. Paxton’s answer was more important than any call. This was his future he was about to seal, and he needed the twins to know he was all in.
“I’m in,” Pax bellowed. “I’ve wanted to move back. Don’t get me wrong, I’m making a killing in New York, but the winters are too harsh and I miss the Pacific. I miss my board, and most of all, I miss the golden tan skin of busty blondes more than I ever thought I would.”
Paisley muttered under her breath, “You’re such a pig.”
And just like that, it felt like old times. Under the table, he playfully knocked his leg into hers. A simple gesture letting her know he’d heard her. Then Braxton reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. “So, are you in, Paisley?”
She hesitated. She’d always been the thinker of the group. The level head that thought through the process, looking at it from all angles. The good and the bad. It took her a moment, but then she replied, “I’m in.”
Braxton smiled in victory at the fact that she hadn’t even asked her pencil-necked fiancé how he felt about it. Usually, this was the type of conversation you’d have with someone you were going to share your life with. Hell, Braxton had talked the whole process out with Alissa when he’d first had the idea. Was this an indication of the strength of the bond or lack thereof between Paisley and Peter. It was time to celebrate.
Braxton raised his glass in the air. “Michaels and Reed, it is then.”
Paxton followed suit. “Reed and Michaels.” Everyone laughed.
Paisley raised her glass. “It looks as if I’m the deciding factor here, so I propose Reed, Michaels, and Reed. After all, each of us should be represented, and I’m tired of being lumped in with him.” She pointed at her sibling, but not before smiling at Braxton. “But I could live with Michaels and Reed.” She winked at Braxton.
Paxton and Braxton began to outline what the next steps should be and how long he’d be in town. Braxton reached out instinctively, grabbing Paisley's hand and holding it. Sealing the fact that the three of them were once more a trio. Just like when they were kids, the three of them were going to set the world ablaze.
Braxton’s phone rang again. He must have silenced it at least twenty times in the last five minutes. Alissa nudged him in the arm. “You might want to see who that is, Braxton. It could be important.”
There were thirteen missed calls from his brother and four from an unknown number. His stomach fluttered with anxiety. Something was wrong. It rang again, and this time, he answered.
Chapter 10
Paisley thought to herself I’m an idiot. How could I agree to go into business with Paxton and Brax? She had done everything possible to remove Braxton from her life and her everyday thoughts for the last two years. He’d made his choice. He’d chosen Alissa.
You didn’t give him a chance to choose you.
Maybe she’d be engaged to Braxton and not Peter if she’d spoken up. After all, she’d had her whole life to tell him how she felt and aside from one drunken evening that was quickly dismissed, she’d made no further attempts. She knew that Peter was a nice guy. He treated her like a princess, but he wasn’t Braxton. He never would be.
She’d been able to convince herself that everything was better without Braxton. And up until this evening, she’d done a fine job at living her life Braxton-free. But seeing him again Oh, God. The feelings came flooding right back into her heart. Now she was in a predicament.
She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed hearing his voice regularly and how his infectious excitement made her giddy every day they were together. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the feel of his arms around her when they’d hugged. Just that slight touch had made her heartbeat so fast she'd thought it would burst from her chest. She’d frozen at that moment, worried he might feel how hard it was beating. His arms, no, his hugs were what she’d missed most being away from him.
She flinched when Peter’s arm grazed the back of her shoulder as he rested it on her chair. He’d been engrossed in conversation with Paxton, which should have made her happy. But being this close to the man who held her heart had Paisley questioning if she was doing the right thing by marrying Peter. She loved him, but not the same way she loved Braxton.
She could be and would be happy with Peter. She’d could even envision a satisfying life with him. But when she closed her eyes, it wasn’t Peter she saw. It was Braxton. Every time.
The two of them walking hand in hand with their kids. Kissing. Laughing. Living the life she’d dreamed of since she was a little girl. She’d told herself over and over again that it was just a fantasy. Convinced herself that she was and always would be happy with Peter because Braxton was like a billion dollars. You could imagine all the possibilities it could bring, but it was unattainable. So you had to do without.
Hope was a nefarious bitch though, and when Braxton reached out and held her hand right there in front of everyone, she wished for more just briefly.
When Braxton’s phone rang for what felt like the hundredth time, he answered it.
Paisley’s hand was still lightly clasped below his until the person on the other end of the line spoke.
Braxton’s hand squeezed Paisley so tight, it caused her to flinch in pain. She tried to pull away, only he squeezed it even tighter. Paisley shifted in her seat, ready to lay into Braxton about letting her hand go, but catching sight of his face, her heart sank.
Braxton’s skin was pale. His eyes met hers, and they were void of any emotion. They were hollow. As if there was nothing but a shell of a person looking back at her.
“Brax?” Paisley tried to rouse him, but he just sat there, lost to the moment.
Finally, Braxton lowered the phone from his ear. It was like watching a football play in slow motion. He released Paisley’s hand and pushed his chair slightly back from the table. Paisley moved hers as well, allowing her to get a good glimpse at her best friend. The screeching of the wooden legs against the colored concrete floor drew Paxton’s attention away from his conversation with Peter.
“Brax, what is it?” Paisley questioned again.
Everyone at the table waited quietly for an answer. Finally, as though acting on instinct, Braxton reached out for Paisley, embracing her tightly. His body began to shake within her embrace. Paisley felt wetness against her neck from his tears. Her body was on high alert as she began to run her hands up and down his back, willing him to take comfort from her.
“Talk to me,” Paisley quietly breathed into his ear.
With a shaky voice, Braxton replied, “Mom . . . Dad . . .”
Paxton had risen from his chair and was kneeling between Braxton and Paisley. His hand rested on Braxton’s shoulder.
A voice screamed Braxton’s name through the still-connected phone. Paxton rushed to pick it up.
“Hello, this is Paxton. Who is this?”
Paxton listened to whoever was speaking on the phone. His eyes met Paisley’s as they began to glisten with tears. Whatever he was being told was not good.
“I understand, Jacob.” Paxton somberly disconnected the phone and stared at his sister.
Jacob, as in Braxton’s brother Jacob?
Paisley started to put it all together. Something must have happened to Braxton’s parents.
Paisley’s hand braced the back of Braxton’s neck, and she pulled him tighter to her. “Shhh,” she said. “I’ve got you, Brax. I’m here.”
She would always be there for Braxton. He would always come first. And as much as she wanted to believe she could make a life with Peter, she’d never be able to give him her heart because the man who owned it was in her arms.
A week later, they laid Braxton’s parents to rest underneath the grey sky on a spring morning. Rain drizzled as both caskets were lowered into the ground. Everyone was grief-stricken by their loss. Braxton’s hand was in Paisley’s as Alissa comforted him with her arm around his shoulder.
The drunk driver who’d run the red light, T-boning Braxton’s parents’ car and pushing it into oncoming traffic, died upon impact. There was no one to punish for the crime, and no matter how much Braxton wanted someone to pay for killing his parents, he’d never be able to claim that satisfaction. Losing people you love was one thing, but not being able to obtain closure was another.
Once so full of life, he became a shell of his former self. Hell, they all were. Paxton and Paisley’s parents sat across the caskets from their children. And while he knew they mourned the loss of their dear friends, they’d made it clear they were extremely worried about how their children were also feeling. The Michaels had been second parents to Paxton and Paisley. And even though the twins would be there for Braxton no matter what, someone needed to support them as well. Mrs. Reed was determined to get all of her kids, which now included Braxton into counseling.
Paxton and Paisley both took a leave of absence from their respective employers. They were going to be there for Braxton in any way possible. Every day, Braxton would leave his house to try and get on with his life. But Paisley would regularly find him sitting on her sofa starring at the television as it played reruns of Two and a Half Men.
After a couple of weeks, Paisley couldn’t take it anymore. Braxton wasn’t getting better. Eventually, she had to return to work, but she’d come home in the evening only to find Braxton still at her house. She had become his enabler, and she knew it was time to stop. Sometimes, love had to be tough.
When the doorbell rang, just as it had done every day for the last twelve, she didn’t answer. She sat at her kitchen table, listening to the ding-ding over and over again. Each one ripped a piece of her heart out and tossed it to the wind. It killed her to reject the love of her life. But it would hurt her even more if he continued to avoid living his life.
“Answer the fucking door!” Paxton yelled as he stumbled from the bedroom toward the kitchen.
After a week, he’d decided to give his notice and stay out west with her. His friend needed him more than he wanted to return to New York. He had a hefty nest egg saved up so he could afford to take some time and reevaluate.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You know who it is.” His eyes were tiny slits reflecting his displeasure. He passed by her and opened the door.
Braxton strolled in. The weeks’ worth of growth that had been on his face was now cleanly shaven. He’d shucked the sweats he’d been wearing exclusively and stood before them in jeans and a dress shirt, holding an envelope.
Paisley’s eyes rose to find his. She had been expecting to see the defeated look she’d observed for weeks, only it wasn’t there any longer. His bright blue eyes twinkled back at her. It was as if a new man was before her, rejuvenated and ready to live again.
Paxton took the seat beside his sister. They both stayed silent.
“Brax?” Paisley prompted him. She was sitting on the edge of her chair, waiting for an answer.
Her eyes fixated on the corners of his lips turning into a smile as he held out the envelope toward her and her brother, waiting for one of them to take it from him. She couldn’t bring herself to move. But without hesitation, Paxton retrieved the manila envelope and opened it. Paisley waited patiently as he pulled the papers from between the folds. LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.
“Brax, what is this about?”
Braxton slid out one of the remaining vacant chairs at the table and took a seat. His smile resembled that of the Cheshire cat. “This is my future. No, scratch that—our future.”
Paisley glanced at Paxton, whose brows were drawn together, mirroring her expression. When had Braxton’s parents’ last will and testament become their future too?
“Don’t look so confused.” Braxton spoke animatedly. “You’d thought I’d lost it. Didn’t you?”
When he looked directly at Paisley, she nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I guess the first week I pretty much did.” Braxton reached out and took Paisley’s hand in his. “Thank you for being there for me, butterfly.” Braxton then turned to Paxton. “Both of you.” He stretched across the table and placed a hand on Paxton’s hand. “Without you two, I’m not sure how I would have dealt with this. But this week I realized that my parents would be disappointed in me. Sure they would expect me to grieve, but they’d a
lso want me to move on.”
Paisley could just hear Mrs. Michaels cheering her son on. “Don’t waste your life on what could have been. Live for tomorrow and never look back.” Both of his parents had been so driven.
Braxton smirked at them. “So, you all thought I was watching those god-awful reruns, but I was contemplating what I should do next. We were planning a future for ourselves and our business when this happened. I know my mom would have wanted us to follow through on that, so that is what I was doing. I was thinking through what that would look like for us and then it hit me.”
Paxton had been half-listening to Braxton while flipping through page after page of the Michaels’ will. “Dude, you just inherited a shit ton of money.” Her brother blanched and said hurriedly, “Shit, I’m sorry. That came out wrong, buddy. I didn’t mean to sound so callous.”
“Don’t sweat it. I know what you meant and that you weren’t being offensive.” Braxton stood before walking toward Paxton and slugging him in the arm. “Though you are quite obnoxious at times.”
He began to pace in front of the table for a brief moment and then he paused, giving his undivided attention to his friends. “Yeah, I did inherit quite a bit. This means we won’t have to deplete our savings or take out loans to get our business up and running.” Braxton lifted his head slightly. “I think my parents are looking down on us from above, giving us the thumbs-up, and telling us it’s time to make our dreams come true.”
Chapter 11
New Year’s Eve 2017
“We’ve got a lot to celebrate tonight.” Paxton lifted his glass and reached toward the center of the table. “Michaels and Associates is a year and a half into being the best management company this side of the Mississippi.”
