The Engagement Embargo: A Meet Me at the Altar Novel

by Samantha Chase

  “Awesome. Thank you. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before.” She sat up straighter again. “Honestly, where would I be without you?”

  “Knock it off. You’re being ridiculous.”

  Standing, Josie wandered over and sat on the corner of Skye’s desk. “No, my brother is being ridiculous,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Um…what?”

  Nodding, her expression turned serious. “It’s like he’s going through a mid-life crisis and he’s not even thirty!”

  Skye’s heart began to race and she was fairly certain that guilt was written all over her face. “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, he got rid of his perfectly fine car and bought a Mustang.” She shook her head. “Classic mid-life crisis move. Then he joined the same ridiculous basketball league that Jared is on.”

  “I don’t think that’s particularly ridiculous. It’s a great way for him to socialize after work,” she reasoned, but Josie wasn’t really listening.

  “And now he’s going to put his house on the market and talking about moving into some executive condo community place! I mean…he’s crazy! I told him that I thought it was a mistake and he got really pissy with me and said how he wished everyone would back off!” She stared hard at Skye. “That means his friends are giving him crap about it too, right?”

  “Oh…I don’t know…”

  “Honestly, I don’t know what we all expected him to do after everything happened. He moved on much faster than any of us expected and for the first time in years he seems…happy.” She shrugged. “I mean, he’s always been a fairly easygoing kind of person, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him like this. I thought for sure we were going to have to have someone watching his place 24/7 to make sure he wasn’t secretly dating, but…he’s gotten involved in so many things with his friends that he doesn’t have time to date or even think about it.”

  “Good for him,” Skye murmured and pulled up her emails.

  “I wonder if he’ll go back to looking for his perfect woman as soon as we give the all-clear,” Josie mused. “He swears he’s done with all of it and that he is perfectly content with being single forever, but I’m not quite sure I believe him.” She paused. “But I’ve been encouraging him to keep thinking like that. It’s really what’s best for him. What do you think?”

  It was almost as if her friend was goading her and unfortunately, Skye fell for it and snapped.

  “What do I think?” she asked a little too loud and with a little too much heat. Pushing away from her desk, she glared at Josie. “I think you’re terrible for encouraging him to stay single! I think it’s terrible that on a day where he hit rock bottom that everyone ganged up on him and essentially banned him from having a life! Did any of you even think about what it was that Elliott wanted? Was there ever a conversation where someone said that maybe just loving him for who he is was enough?” Now she jumped to her feet because she had way too much pent-up energy to stay put. “And you, my friend, are an extremely jaded person and shame on you for pushing that same agenda on your brother! There was nothing wrong with him wanting to fall in love and get married! Isn’t that something most of us want–to love and be loved in return?”

  Muttering a curse, Skye stalked across the office to their Keurig and angrily tossed a pod into it. “One of the greatest things about your brother was how he wasn’t like every other guy out there–he had a heart. Maybe he wore it on his sleeve and maybe he gave it away too easily, but he wasn’t hurting anyone! Women are always bitching about how a good man is so hard to find, and you took one of the best men I’ve ever known and turned him into every jerk we try to avoid!”

  When her coffee was ready, she stared down at it and decided she didn’t want it and simply walked back over to her desk. She was breathing hard, her heart was racing even faster, and she’d give anything to throw an axe right now to get some of this nervous energy out!

  “Okay, wow,” Josie murmured as she stood up. “Someone’s got some strong opinions today.”

  Skye wanted to correct her and say how it wasn’t just today, but she knew she’d already given way too much away with her little outburst.

  “I just…,” she began and sighed. “I’ve been friends with you for a really long time, Jos, and that means I’ve been friends with Elliott for just as long. I know your heart was in the right place, but…I hate the thought of Elliott being just another guy.”

  “Well, shit,” Josie replied wearily as she sat back down at her desk. “Where were you when my family was trying to figure out how to handle the whole situation?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t think it was anyone’s situation to handle. It was Elliott’s, and you all took that away from him.”

  “We thought it was for the best…”

  “I know you did. You just should have talked to him about it more. And not on that particular day.”

  “Maybe I should invite him for dinner tonight and try to get a feel for what he’s thinking. What do you think?”

  “It’s too late, Josie. It’s been…what…almost five months since the wedding. Everything’s in motion now for him to be working on this…new, stupid life.”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s stupid…”

  “Oh, please,” she snorted. “One day he’s going to wake up and realize that he gave up on something he genuinely wanted, and by then it will be too late. He’ll be alone.” Just the thought of it was enough to depress her and when she felt her eyes start to sting, she knew she needed to reel it in or she’d really, really, really give herself away. “The damage is done. You need to let him figure things out on his own now.”

  Josie grew quiet before adding, “And I’m not jaded. I just don’t feel like I need a man to complete me.”

  “Whatever.”

  Neither said a word, but Skye looked over and saw the frown on Josie’s face as she stared at her computer and she was fairly certain her expression was about the same. The silence was awkward and she wasn’t sure if she needed to say more or if she should just be thankful she hadn’t blurted out all the ways this stupid embargo was ruining her potential happily-ever-after with Elliott.

  “Jeez, who died in here?” Leanna asked as she walked through the door. She had a bag in one hand and a tray of drinks from Starbucks in the other that she placed on her desk before looking around in confusion. “Seriously, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” Skye said quietly as she offered a small smile. “What’s in the bag?”

  “I stopped for bagels, but I’m not sharing unless someone tells me why you both look so ragey.”

  With a loud huff of annoyance, Josie responded. “We were talking about my brother and Skye pointed out all the ways my family and I did him wrong with the way we handled things after the wedding. And then she accused me of being jaded!”

  “That’s because you are,” Leanna said cheerily, reaching into her bag and pulling out one wrapped bagel, then putting it on Josie’s desk. “It’s the olive oil and thyme one you like so much, with extra cream cheese.”

  “I’m not! Just because I’m not out trolling clubs looking for a guy doesn’t make me jaded! I’ve been focused on the business and that makes me happy!”

  “Goody for you,” Skye said with more than a hint of snark.

  “Okay, everyone needs to calm down.” Leanna was always the voice of reason. She pulled out a second bagel and placed it on Skye’s desk. “Egg everything bagel with cream cheese and extra crispy bacon.”

  “Thanks, Lea.”

  She stood between their two desks and–with her hands on her hips–made a tsking sound. “I’m disappointed in both of you. We are friends first, and as such, we should be able to share when we think one of us is doing something that is wrong or unhealthy.” Focusing on Josie, she went on. “No one’s saying that you need to be out trolling for men. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your independence. It’s a problem when you force that point of view on othe
rs who clearly don’t share it.”

  “What are you…?”

  “I heard you talking to your brother on the phone the other day. He clearly called to talk to you because he was struggling and instead of telling him that it’s okay to feel the way he did, you made him feel stupid because he was questioning some of his rash decisions.”

  “Elliott called and told you he was struggling?” Skye cried with disbelief. When was this? Why hadn’t he mentioned it to her? And did that mean that he was seeing their relationship as something special too?

  “Ease up, Skye,” Josie snapped. “I was having a private conversation with my brother!” She glared at Leanna. “And shame on you for eavesdropping!”

  “You were in the kitchen scrounging for cake! And you were on speaker phone, for crying out loud! What was I supposed to do? Unlike you, I needed to be in the kitchen because I was working on a cake for the Walters’ party!”

  The argument went round and round for several minutes. Josie was defending herself left and right, Skye continued to harp on the fact that Josie was the real reason Elliott was having second thoughts, and poor Leanna was trying to calm them all down.

  A loud piercing whistle broke through all the yelling and they froze.

  “Tyler!” Josie said as she stood and smoothed a hand down her skirt. “What are you doing here? I thought our appointment wasn’t until ten.”

  He looked around warily and seemed hesitant to walk any farther into the room. “Um…yeah, I got here a little early and didn’t think it was a big deal. Then I heard all the yelling and figured I better come in and make sure no one was getting hurt.” He glanced at each of them. “Everybody okay now?”

  The three of them each nodded their heads silently.

  “Okay. Good.” He slid his hands into his trouser pockets and smiled at Josie. “If now’s not a good time…”

  “No,” she said quickly. “Now is actually the perfect time.” She picked up her bagel and coffee. “Come on. I’ve got everything set up in the conference room.”

  She walked out but Tyler hung back and smiled again at Skye and Leanna. “Ladies, always a pleasure to see you.” And then he was gone.

  Walking over to the door, Leanna shut it before turning her attention to Skye. “For what it’s worth, I get why you’re frustrated, but you can’t let it get to you like this. No matter what, Josie’s your friend, and more importantly, she’s Elliott’s sister.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she said, nodding. “I snapped. It won’t happen again.”

  Nodding, Leanna walked over to her desk and sat down. “Are you going to be okay?”

  Looking up, Skye knew she was on the verge of tears. “What if…what if he’s really second-guessing his whole stance on relationships and she keeps talking him out of it?”

  “Oh, sweetie…if he really wanted to go back to his old way of thinking, there isn’t anything Josie or his parents could say to change that.”

  At one time she would have agreed.

  But right now, she wasn’t so sure.

  His head was pounding, it was way too warm, and Elliott was fairly certain the leasing agent’s voice was going to be the death of him.

  “So what do you say, Mr. Sullivan? Are you ready to sign?”

  She had just taken him on the hour-long tour of The Prescott–an executive condo community that felt more like an all-inclusive resort than a home. It had everything a person could ever want or need.

  Except a soul.

  Yeah, it was all sleek and shiny and new but it was all completely boring to him. Of course he could put his own stamp on his place, but…

  “If it’s okay with you, Maureen, I’d like to take a few days to think about it,” he said as he got to his feet.

  She stood and shook his hand. “Just don’t take too long. There are only eight units left and we’ve had a lot of interest in them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were gone by the end of the week.”

  With a smile and nod, Elliott thanked her again and walked out. It wasn’t until he was out by his car that he felt like he could breathe. Pulling at his collar, he shook it to try to fan himself a little before getting into the car and turning the air on full-blast. Then he simply sat for several minutes until he cooled down.

  Glancing at the dashboard clock, he frowned. It was almost seven and he was supposed to meet the guys for basketball.

  Why did I join that stupid league?

  All he wanted was to go home, have something to eat, and watch some TV with Skylar.

  Groaning, he closed his eyes because that was so not the way he needed to be thinking. He was coming to depend on her far too much. Their time together was always the highlight of his day–his week–and that wasn’t part of the plan…or the rules. If anything, Skye seemed completely fine with the way things were between them and she never pushed for more time or more of anything from him. The reality was that he was the one who kept pushing the boundaries–calling her more often, texting her several times a week, and he was the one who usually initiated when they got together. It was everything he thought he wanted, but…he was definitely getting too attached.

  Too comfortable.

  And he’d definitely been thinking of Skye in terms that he had no right to think of her in–not just as a lover, but as someone he could seriously see himself being with in the long-term.

  Like forever.

  “And this is why I need to go and play basketball,” he murmured, pulling out of The Prescott’s parking lot.

  But as he made his way across town, the urge to pull over and text Skye was ridiculously strong. He imagined stopping and picking up some barbecue from the place downtown that he knew she loved, showing up and kissing her until all the tension left his body, and then settling down on her large sectional while they ate and watching more of those renovation shows that he was now addicted to. After dinner, they’d clean up and he’d step in close behind her and rinse the dishes together before having a mini water fight that would force her to take off her top right there in the kitchen.

  It was a favorite game of theirs.

  Then they’d do that sexy little dance where they kissed and touched and laughed all the way to the bedroom. And once they were there…

  Elliott let out a low growl because he loved what they did there. Skye was so damn sexy and they were beyond compatible in bed. Hell, if he closed his eyes right now, he could practically feel her pressed up against him when she…

  The sound of a car horn blaring at him snapped him out of his reverie.

  Gripping the steering wheel hard, he kept his eyes firmly on the road for the rest of the drive. As soon as he was parked outside of the gym, however, he let out a ragged breath because he was losing his mind and all this sneaking around was getting him nowhere.

  Well, it almost got him into an accident, but…

  It was only supposed to be about sex–friends with benefits…something to pass the time. At first it seemed weird that it was with Skye, but the longer it went on, the more it made sense. And for most of that time, Elliott was convinced that he was just fine with all of it and with his newfound belief that being a perpetual bachelor was a good thing.

  Now he wasn’t so sure.

  That wouldn’t be such a bad thing if he didn’t already know how all of this was going to end. Even though it was Skylar–the girl he’d known for half of his life–odds were that it was going to end. And so would the next relationship, and the one after it. There was no way he wanted to be publicly humiliated in front of his entire family ever again.

  Letting out another long breath, he knew that being with Skye was just putting off the inevitable. Eventually, he was going to be alone again. And the next time, it was going to have to be beyond casual and definitely not anyone he knew because…he was clearly incapable of not forming attachments.

  That thought made him stop.

  Was that all this was? Was he only feeling this way because he and Skye were friends? Was she just comfortable to be aro
und and without any distractions of another relationship–or the possibility of having anyone around them–that he was feeling like this? Was it possible that he was making more of this than it really was?

  “Or maybe I need to end this and seriously stop torturing myself and learn what it’s like to truly be alone,” he murmured.

  Resting his head on the steering wheel, Elliott felt beyond exhausted and was seriously considering texting the guys and backing out of playing when there was a loud knock on the window.

  Muttering a curse, he straightened and saw Tyler grinning down at him. “C’mon, El! What are you doing sitting out here moping?”

  Now there was no getting out of it, so Elliott slowly climbed from the car and grabbed his gym bag from the backseat. “Sorry. Just…thinking.”

  “About…?” Tyler prompted, and for the first time, Elliott didn’t give a damn about keeping things a secret. He needed to talk to someone about all of this and Ty was his best friend.

  Leaning against his car, he raked a hand through his hair and sighed. “I need some advice.”

  With a frown, Tyler studied him. “Sounds serious. Everything okay?”

  Shaking his head, he replied, “No. No, it’s not.” And then he told his friend everything–about Skye, his feelings, his doubts…all of it.

  He had no idea how long they stood out there, but Tyler hadn’t said a word and Jared and Alex had texted them numerous times already. Luckily there wasn’t a real game night, just more rec time for them. Still, they couldn’t stand out in the parking lot all night.

  “Say something, Ty. Please.”

  “Damn, Elliott. I’m not even sure where to begin.”

  Well that didn’t sound good.

  “All these years, it seemed like Skye, Lea, and Josie were all off-limits and now you’re telling me you’ve been sleeping with Skye for months? I mean…” He paused and raked a hand through his hair. “Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to ask her out?”

  Um…what?

  Before Elliott could respond, Tyler was speaking again. “I know that’s not the point right now, but…damn.”