The Best Man Problem

by Mariah Ankenman

  “Lincoln, I unpacked your toiletries and set them all up for you.”

  “Babe.” Kenneth wrapped an arm around his fiancée. “You weren’t supposed to unpack anything.”

  “You guys won’t let me carry any boxes. How else was I supposed to help?”

  He smiled. “Thanks, Marie, but you don’t need to help at all. You were the one who convinced the landlord he should rent to me when there were five other people putting in offers on this place. You did enough. You’re awesome.”

  She raised one dark eyebrow. They all knew why Kenneth was so insistent his fiancée didn’t do any heavy lifting. Though she’d been in remission for a year, the cancer that almost took Marie’s life had scared them all and taken strength she was still trying to regain.

  “I know I’m awesome. I’ve been saying it for years.”

  He laughed along with her and Kenneth. The cancer might have taken her strength, health, and nearly her life, but damn if it hadn’t been able to take away her spunk. He’d never gotten a better call in his life than the day Marie and Kenneth rang to inform him she’d gotten the all clear from the doc. He’d been elated for her—and Kenneth. The guy had been a massive wreck from the moment she’d been diagnosed. But those two stuck together through thick and thin. They’d already seen sickness; now he hoped their marriage would be filled with a lifetime of happiness and health.

  Someone’s should be.

  He shook off the morose thought. He was here for Marie and Kenneth and new beginnings. Not to wallow in the crap show that had been his love life. It had been two years since Jessa left. Time to move the fuck on. That’s why he was here. New state, new life.

  “Was that the last of the boxes?”

  He nodded at her question.

  “When are they picking the pod up?”

  “I’ll call the company tonight. They should be grabbing it before morning. Is it okay in the driveway for that long?”

  Kenneth shrugged. “It’s fine. Street sweeping day isn’t until Tuesday. The cars will be okay parked on the street another night.”

  Great. He was here. All moved in—mostly. He still had a lot of unpacking to do, but this was it. He had a new job starting in a few weeks, a place to live right under his best friends, and a woman who was fascinating to figure out. Lilly Walsh. Just thinking her name made his heart beat faster. She might want to pretend they never met, but he’d seen the racing of her pulse, heard the uptake of her breath. She remembered every detail of their night together.

  Fondly, he could only hope.

  It was the best damn night he’d had in a long time.

  “I believe the proper payment for helping a friend move in is pizza and beer.” He dug his phone out of his pocket. “Should I order in, or do we go out?”

  “Let’s order in.” Marie snuggled into Kenneth’s arms. “There’s a great local place on Broadway that delivers.”

  “They deliver beer, too?”

  “Sadly, no, but I think…” She turned her head to look up at Kenneth. “Babe, do you still have that new lager we got from Renegade?”

  One thing Lincoln had learned in his short time in the city: small craft breweries were a dime a dozen. Denver was a hops lover’s paradise.

  “Yeah, I think so. You two order the pizza. I’ll go check.” Kenneth kissed his fiancée on the cheek and headed up the stairs, calling over his shoulder, “No pineapple!”

  “Got it. Extra pineapple.” Lincoln laughed as his friend flipped him off behind his back, disappearing out the door. “The man has terrible taste in pizza, Marie. I can’t understand why you’re marrying him.”

  She nudged him with her shoulder. “Not everyone appreciates the finer delicacies in life, like pineapple pizza, but I can forgive him and his uncultured palate because he’s got a huge—”

  “Ahhh! Stop right there before I have to wash my ears out with acid.”

  “Heart, pervert. I was going to say heart.”

  Sure she was. Marie might look all sweet and delicate, but the woman had the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old boy.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Oh, shut up and give me your phone. I’ll download the pizza place app for you.”

  He handed over his phone, contemplating how to word what he wanted to ask her as she downloaded the pizza app.

  “Lilly seems nice. I mean, I’ve never met a wedding planner before, but she was friendly.”

  Marie didn’t look up from what she was doing, but a smile tilted her lips. “She is. She came highly recommended by a regular customer who worked with her for her wedding. All the women of Mile High Happiness are great.”

  “It’s more than just Lilly?” He should have guessed. Running a business was hard, as his friends always liked to say—doing it alone would be almost impossible.

  “Yeah, she runs it with her two best friends, Moira and Prudence. Mo is a hoot, and Pru has the most adorable little twins. She had them in the office one day, and I got to hold them.”

  He smiled at the joy in his friend’s voice. “Sounds like you know the women well.”

  She handed his phone back, pizza app downloaded and opened. “We’ve bonded over a coffee here and there. I’ve spent the most time with Lilly, though; she’s the one who handles all the client requests, she says.”

  He stared at the menu, glancing through the pizza selection. “Makes sense. She’s a very take-charge kind of person.”

  “Huh?”

  At Marie’s mutter of confusion, he realized his mistake. “I mean, she seems that way. From what I saw meeting her the other day.”

  “Hmm, and what did you see?”

  He kept his eyes firmly on his phone. Had to concentrate on his order. Pizza selection was a very serious business. “What? Oh, nothing much. I just met her.”

  Not true, but if Lilly wanted to keep their previous meeting a secret, he would respect that. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t remember it, dream of it, and fantasize about it happening again. But he wasn’t some kind of asshole who shared intimate stories of his sexual exploits.

  “Really?”

  Crap. He’d forgotten Marie had a bullshit meter a mile wide. The woman could always tell when someone was lying. Too damn bad. He wasn’t spilling anything. He glanced up from his phone to stare his friend directly in her dark, knowing eyes.

  “Veggie lover’s okay? You’re still not eating meat, right?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes and yes.”

  They stared at each other in silence. Ha! That trick might work on her loving fiancé, but not on him. Lincoln’s cousin, Aimee, used to pull the silent treatment on him all the time. Immune.

  “I got beer!”

  Hallelujah! Saved by the beer.

  He pressed the order button on his phone, grinning at Marie. “Pizza’s ordered.”

  She cocked her head to indicate this conversation wasn’t over but dropped it for the moment in favor of accepting a beer and kiss from her future husband.

  “You guys wanna play some Smash Up while we wait for the pizza?” Kenneth held the tabletop game he’d brought down with the drinks.

  Lincoln took a beer and headed with his friends to his small kitchen table that would probably also be his desk until he bought a new one. He’d arrived with the minimal amount of things. Only what he could pack in a moving pod. He didn’t need the trappings of his old life; he was here to start fresh. A new place, a new job, possibly even a new fling?

  A vision of Lilly smiling filled his mind. Bright green eyes dancing with humor, full red lips opening wide as a laugh escaped her at one of his corny jokes.

  “Okay, just one more.”

  Lilly’s lips curled into a wide grin as she shook her head. “How do you know so many pirate jokes?”

  He shrugged. “My dad was the king of dad jokes, and pirate-themed ones wer
e his favorite.” And she kept laughing at them, which was making him feel like a god, so he’d keep telling them until he ran out.

  With a slight nod, she picked up her glass, finishing off the drink she’d allowed him to buy her. “Okay, lay it on me.”

  Reaching into the recesses of his memory for his best one, he rubbed his hands together. “Okay, so a pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel in his pants. The bartender says ‘What’s that doing there?’ The pirate says—”

  “Arrrrrr, it’s drivin’ me nuts.”

  His mouth dropped open in shock. “Holy cow, you’re a secret dorky-humor aficionado.”

  She laughed, the sound heating every inch of his body. When was the last time he’d had so much fun just talking with someone?

  “No.” She lifted one shoulder. “I just hang out with a bunch of firefighters from time to time, and they like jokes middle schoolers would tell.”

  “Hey,” he protested but could tell she was just ribbing him from the gleam in her beautiful bright green eyes. Lincoln vowed then and there to tell all the bad jokes in his arsenal if it would make this woman laugh.

  The woman had a great laugh. When he’d woken the next day to find her gone, he’d felt a slight pang of loss, wondering if he’d ever hear it again.

  She might not want to sleep with him again, but they would be seeing each other frequently over the next month. Nothing said he couldn’t try to make her laugh. He would swear the sun brightened when she did. Which was saying something, considering the only time he’d heard her laugh had been during nighttime.

  They had amazing chemistry. Even the other day in her office, he’d felt the sparks fly. The shock of seeing her had only intensified, electrifying his entire system the closer he got to her. Sure, the fact that she denied knowing him had killed the buzz a little, but he understood her need for professionalism. She didn’t date anyone in the wedding party. Okay, he could understand that in her line of work.

  But I won’t be in the wedding party forever.

  By this time next month, Kenneth and Marie would be married, and that meant they would no longer be Lilly’s clients, which also meant he would no longer be connected in any way to her job. Therefore, he had four weeks to get to know the woman and convince her to give him another shot. They didn’t have to have a serious relationship or anything. He wasn’t too keen on doing that again any time soon. But nothing said they couldn’t enjoy each other’s company. Naked company. An entire month of mental foreplay.

  A smile curved his lips. He might die getting there, but what a hell of a way to go.

  Chapter Five

  “Knock, knock, guess who?”

  Lilly glanced up from the computer on her desk at the familiar sound of her third business partner, best friend, and former roommate. “Pru!”

  Since Mo’s desk was closer to the office door, the smaller woman got to their friend first, gently relieving Pru of one of the cuddly, cooing bundles she was carrying.

  “Oh, thank you,” Pru muttered as Lilly hurried over to take the other baby. “Finn dropped us off at the front. He didn’t want the twins or me to walk too far in this weather.”

  It was pretty mild for January in Colorado. A small smattering of snow was left over from the last storm, but the sun shone brightly, and the temp was holding out at a mild fifty-two degrees. Practically flip-flop weather. But Pru’s husband was the cautious type. Especially when it came to his wife and children.

  A warm yearning panged in Lilly’s heart. She could only imagine having a man as devoted and adoring as Finn. Her friend was lucky. Pru and Finn complemented each other in almost every way. They matched on paper and had amazing passion. Something like that only came around once in a great while. She was thrilled for her friend, truly, but a part of her ached for the pure and utter happiness she saw radiating off Pru since the woman had given her heart to the man she loved.

  Lilly wanted that.

  “I didn’t think you were coming back to work until next week.”

  Simon giggled as she bounced him in her arms, the sweet baby boy staring at her, eyes wide with a toothless, slobbering grin.

  “I’m not, but we got back from the hot springs yesterday, and I wanted to come in today to say hi. Plus, Finn wanted to check in at the station.”

  Pru’s husband was one of Denver’s finest firefighters. A tough job, but one he loved. With the demands of his job and the babies being almost seven months old, the couple had decided to take a short honeymoon close to home at the hot springs in Glenwood Springs. One thing the women always told a couple—even if it’s only a few nights at a local hotel, take a honeymoon. Because it was the one thing that always seemed to get swept away for a future date that never came.

  “How was the honeymoon?” Mo asked in between giving Sasha belly kisses, which delighted the baby girl, if her high-pitched giggles were anything to go by. “And don’t leave out any naughty details.”

  “Leave out all the naughty details, please.” Lilly shook her head at her roommate. “Get your kicks like a normal person and watch porn, Mo.”

  “Hey, I’m just trying to make sure my best friend’s new husband is tending to her every need and I don’t have to kick his ass.”

  Considering Mo was barely over five foot and maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet, she doubted the woman could kick anything on the built firefighter.

  “It was perfect.” Pru smiled, taking a seat in one of the plush chairs facing Lilly’s desk. “We soaked in the hot springs, went to dinner, got massages. I love the twins, but I’d forgotten how freeing it can be to do whatever you wanted whenever without having to worry about nap time or bringing extra clothes and diapers.”

  “Uh-huh.” Lilly shared a knowing glance with Mo. “And how many times did you call Finn’s parents to check in on the twins?”

  Pru tugged at her ponytail, adjusting absolutely nothing, since the hairstyle was set perfectly. “Oh, not too often.”

  Mo snorted. “Only four times a day, then?”

  Pru mumbled something under her breath.

  “What was that? I couldn’t hear over the delightful giggles of your children.”

  “Three, okay! I called them in the morning to check in, around lunchtime, and just before the babies’ bedtime. And it wasn’t only me freaking out; Finn insisted on video calls every night so he could read the twins their bedtime story.”

  Lilly exchanged a glance with Mo, chuckling when her friend started to laugh.

  “We’re only teasing you, sweetie,” she said, adjusting Simon in her arms as the squirming baby made a grab for her glasses. “You and Finn are not only newlyweds but also new parents. Of course the first time leaving the twins would be hard.”

  Pru gave her and Mo a narrowed glare before a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You two can be such bi—big doo-doo heads,” Pru corrected, glancing at the twins.

  “They’re babies, Pru.” Mo shook her head. “Pretty sure they’re not going to understand swear words for another year or two.”

  “Which gives me that long to clean up my potty mouth. So, what have I missed this week? Anything exciting?”

  Nervous sweat gathered on the back of Lilly’s neck. She glanced to Mo, who graciously had her mouth shut, but her eyes were screaming warnings directly back at Lilly. Yeah, she had to tell Pru what happened. There might not be a real issue like there had been last time, but the women didn’t keep secrets from one another. That’s not what friends did. Especially when the information involved matters of business. That’s not what business partners did.

  “I slept with the best man.”

  Pru’s jaw dropped. “What? Which best man?”

  Kissing sweet Simon on his soft, soapy-smelling fuzzy ball of a head, she passed the baby off to his mommy and moved around her desk to take a seat. She couldn’t tell this story while holding a baby. Her nerves
were so jangled, she’d be afraid she might upset the poor thing. Mo also took a seat in the chair next to Pru, bouncing a giggling Sasha on her lap.

  “I’ve got about half an hour before Finn gets back from the firehouse. Explain.”

  Taking a deep, calming breath—that in no way helped her calm down—Lilly dove right in.

  “Okay, the night of your wedding was magical and beautiful, and everyone was ecstatically happy, including me,” she rushed to say. “But I guess there was also a tiny part of me that was…”

  “Horny?”

  She glared at Mo. “Lonely.”

  The blond woman shrugged. “Same thing, sometimes.”

  Shaking her head, she continued explaining how she went to the bar for a drink, met Lincoln, and spent an amazing night with him. She glossed over the more intimate details—much to Mo’s disappointment. Friends shared, but they didn’t have to share everything. And she went on to say how she never thought she’d see the man again, until this week when he stepped into their office and she’d been introduced to the best man in Marie and Kenneth’s wedding.

  “And you have to believe me, Pru, I had no idea Lincoln had anything to do with their wedding or I never would have—”

  “Sweetie, sweetie, stop.” Rosy cheeks plumped as her friend smiled. “I know you had no idea. Mo and I trust you completely. What happened before wasn’t your fault.”

  She scoffed. “Tell that to the lawsuit they filed.”

  “The lawsuit that failed.”

  “That’s what I told her,” Mo agreed.

  It didn’t matter what her friends said. She’d made a mistake once, and she didn’t intend to do anything like that again. This was what she got for following her lust instead of logic. Oh God, she was as bad as her mother.

  “No, you are not.” Pru frowned. And Lilly realized she must have spoken that last thought out loud.

  “Ooooh.” Mo winced. “Speaking of your mother, she called us.”

  That couldn’t be good. “Us? Us as in Mile High Happiness us?”

  Mo and Pru exchanged a worried glance.

  “Yeah, left a message saying for you to call her back.”