by K. C. Crowne
My brother and I were close, kind of had to be. As the eldest two kids in our large family, we pretty much raised our siblings together. It was weird to think of him getting married and having a family of his own, but ultimately, I was happy for him. And there was no greater woman for him than Melody. Again, I might be biased, but I adored the two of them and thought there was no couple more perfect than they were
“Well, as you know, some things have changed,” Melody hinted, sitting back down and resting her hands on her pregnant belly. She beamed at Logan and let him finish.
“Yes, with the baby and all, we were going to elope, but it just doesn’t feel right,” Logan said, bringing Melody’s hand to his lips and kissing it. “We’ll only get married once, and I want her to feel like the princess she is.”
Their sweetness was almost too much for me. Almost.
Melody and my brother shared a smile. Yes, I was happy for them, but also a little jealous. Most of their lives, they knew they were going to end up together. It was just so easy for them. Not the case with me. One terrible date after another had recently caused me to stop dating and focus on my job, but mainly because I was just so tired. It shouldn’t be that hard to find your person.
“Oh, there he is!” my brother announced, standing up. Melody joined him, shooting me a nervous glance.
My heart stopped as I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Melody, you look great,” Justin said. “And Logan, well, you look--fine, I guess.”
The two men laughed as Melody mouthed the words, “Sorry.”
I whispered, “I thought it was just going to be the three of us.
I guess I hadn’t spoken softly enough, because Justin was right beside me and answered the question himself. “Well, you can’t have a meeting about wedding planning without a key figure in the wedding party, now, can you?”
I looked at Melody for an answer, and she feigned a smile, reaching across and taking my hands. “Uh, well, what Justin is saying is that your brother and I want a more traditional style wedding, and I want you to be my maid of honor.”
“Shut up! You mean it?” I squealed, nearly exploding from excitement. Melody was holding my hands from across the table, but together, we jumped up and down like two little girls, giggling like idiots. Logan cleared his throat, bringing us back to reality.
Melody was still laughing when she said, “So will you be my maid of honor, Hannah? Please, pretty please, with a cherry on top?”
“Of course!” I said, tears filling my eyes. “I’ve dreamt of this day my entire life, ever since we were in third grade and played those silly games to see who we’d end up marrying. You know I’ll be by your side, Melody.”
For a second, I forgot about t, the man standing beside me. Once us girls stopped giggling and chatting, Logan patted Justin on the back and said, “Justin already let the cat out of the bag, but I’ve asked him to be my best man.”
My smile fell, but only a little. I didn’t want to put a damper on their special day, but the idea of working alongside Justin filled me with dread. He was the most immature, irresponsible man I’d ever met. He was the same guy he was when he was fifteen, always making fart jokes and pulling pranks that only he and Logan found funny. I side-eyed him and was surprised he’d actually dressed up for a change. Usually he’d wear jeans and a t-shirt almost everywhere, so seeing him in a nice pair of dress khakis with a light green polo shirt surprised me. And yes, I noticed that the shirt happened to bring out the green in his hazel eyes perfectly, to my chagrin.
He’d shaved for this special brunch, which also gave me hope. He was often scruffy and in need of a haircut, but his face was smooth, showing off the dimple in his chin. His dark brown hair was less shaggy than usual too, cut neat and close to his head. He caught me staring and sizing him up and gave me a once over in return. He winked and flashed an approving grin my way, which caused me to roll my eyes as my cheeks flushed from the attention he’d given me.
Yes, Justin was hot. Tall with broad shoulders and a body that belonged on a sexy fireman calendar or an underwear ad. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, with chestnut brown hair and eyes that looked both green and brown, depending on how the light hit them. Growing up, Justin had worked out a lot, played football, and was always super fit. One of the hottest guys in our entire high school class, and he knew it. With a playful smirk and a dimple in his cheek when he smiled, his face was almost too gorgeous for words.
If only his personality was as attractive as he was.
He wasn’t a bad guy, never a bully or anything like that - just immature and cocky. A bit wild for my tastes, and I often feared he’d cause problems between Melody and Logan with his playboy antics, dragging my brother into scenarios that could ruin what I considered to be a perfect relationship.
The silence after the announcement went on for too long, so I cleared my throat.
“Congrats, Justin,” I said, taking my seat and avoiding meeting any of their eyes. I didn’t want them to see the disappointment. Had I known my brother and Melody were planning a traditional wedding, I wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest that Justin would be the best man. But this was all news to me.
“Thanks, Hannah,” Justin said, taking the seat beside me.
The chairs were pushed so close together, our arms were touching. I was up against the half-wall of the patio, unable to move away from him. I’d make do, however. We’d be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks and likely walking down the aisle together at the wedding. Might as well get used to it, I thought.
I sat upright, folding my hands into my lap, focusing my attention on Melody and Logan instead of the man sitting beside me.
“Since you’re not eloping, when’s the big day?” I asked, finding it impossible to not smile when discussing the upcoming nuptials.
Melody took a deep breath and glanced nervously at my brother, her eyes wide.
“Three weeks,” she announced. “We didn’t change the date, just the venue and we’re now inviting our closest friends and family.”
“Three weeks?” I parroted, raising my eyebrows. “You’re planning a wedding in three weeks?”
Melody nodded and sipped her orange juice. “Crazy, huh? But I know we can do it. It’s just going to be a simple, church wedding. My church happened to be available that weekend, so it’s already booked. They have a hall attached, which is also open, so the two big things are taken care of already. Next up is finding a dress.”
Before, when the two of them were eloping, Melody had chosen a simple white maternity dress with an empire waist that fell to just below her knees. Nothing too formal, more like a sundress you’d wear to the beach, but since they were planning on a small ceremony, just the two of them, it hadn’t mattered.
Now it did.
“Oh boy,” I said, feeling the tension in my neck. “We need to get shopping then, don’t we?”
“Yes we do,” Melody agreed, her smile widening by the second. “But the good news is I’ve already booked an appointment with a dress shop that has a lot of dresses we can buy off the rack. I’m sure I’ll find something.”
With her growing belly, I knew her options were limited, but I had no doubt she would make a gorgeous bride. Hell, Melody could wear a paper sack and still look like a queen. She was positively glowing before the pregnancy, but even more so now.
I’d almost forgotten about Justin by this point, as I was pulled into the wedding planning. I absolutely loved planning events, but the three week time crunch stressed me out a bit. With work being crazy, as always, I wasn’t sure I’d find time to sleep between the two. But my best friend and brother were worth it, and it was only three weeks. If I survived these few weeks without much sleep and having to work with Justin, maybe I’d be able to take a vacation.
Maybe. Doubtful, but hell, anything could happen.
Melody pulled out her planner and laid it on the table just as the server returned to take our orde
r, now that our entire party had shown up.
I quickly ordered a simple chicken salad, Melody ordered the same, then we went back to planning while the boys ordered. I added the dates into my calendar on my phone, cringing as I saw how much we had to do, but I kept my concerns to myself.
Until that point, Justin had kept his mouth shut, mostly. I was impressed. As I went over the details, however, he winked at my brother and Melody and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll do my job as best man and try to make Hannah loosen up before the big day.”
My jaw dropped. Justin was laughing, as was Logan. Melody chuckled politely while studying me. Before I could hold my tongue, I responded, “And I’ll make sure Justin behaves himself and doesn’t get too drunk and embarrassing at the reception.”
The laughter stopped, and there was an awkward silence. I felt really bad, but before I could apologize, Melody pushed her seat back and stood up. “Sorry, I’m not feeling too well-- morning sickness strikes again. I’ll be right back.”
I was about to follow her when I realized I couldn’t stand up without Justin moving. Logan beat me to it anyway.
“I’ll make sure she’s okay. Behave yourself, you two,” he said, his eyes narrowing on us. He was smiling, but there was a seriousness to my brother’s eyes that made me think he was having doubts about all of this.
I waved him off. “Go, take care of your fiancee,” I said. “We’ll be fine.”
Logan hurried off after Melody, leaving Justin and me at the table. I sipped my mimosa and stared straight ahead, eagerly awaiting my friend’s return. Justin, however, had other plans.
“So you do realize you’ll have to talk to me, eventually, right?” he said.
I glanced at him, catching him smirking at me. Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “I’ll talk to you about wedding planning. I mean, if you actually intend to help, that is--”
“Of course I plan on helping,” he said, smiling even wider. “Especially with the bachelor party.”
I shook my head, muttering to myself. “No surprise there.”
“What was that?”
“I just said I’m not surprised. Of course you’ll want to handle the bachelor party, but I highly doubt Logan will want booze and strippers.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes again. I was getting a headache and it wasn’t even ten in the morning. I downed the rest of my mimosa and poured another from the pitcher on the table. My hands were shaking as I poured my drink, and Justin reached for the pitcher to help me.
“I got it,” I said, pulling it back.
With my shaky hands and us fighting over the pitcher, it slipped from my hand and fell to the ground with a crash. Glass flew everywhere, and most of the orange drink splashed all over the front of Justin, soaking his khaki pants.
“Shit!” I cried out, grabbing my napkin from the table.
Before I realized what I was doing, I was wiping the fluid from the front of Justin’s pants. He held his hands up, not saying a word, just staring at me in surprise. My hand brushed over his crotch, and I stopped, cheeks burning red.
“I-- umm--” I stammered, suddenly forgetting how to speak as my hand rested on his lap. I was in shock by what lay beneath his pants. As soon as it occurred to me that I was feeling an erection, a very large one, I yanked my hand back. “Wow, I’m sorry, Justin, I didn’t mean--”
“Should we leave you two alone?” Melody’s voice surprised me.
I looked up; Logan and Melody stared at us from their side of the table. Melody was grinning, while Logan just looked confused. Not that I could blame him. He stepped away for a second, only to return to find me groping his best friend.
Justin didn’t make things any better. “I always knew you wanted me,” he said, a crooked grin on his rugged face.
I snapped. “In your dreams.”
“Your loss, Hannah,” Justin said, continuing to smirk at me.
My cheeks continued to burn. My head was spinning, and I could still feel the hardness of him against my hand. I rubbed my hand as if I could forget the feeling. He was so large and so hard. Was he hard because of me?
Mentally, I scolded myself for having such a thought. This was Justin we were talking about - my brother’s obnoxious best friend. He might be nice to look at, and apparently well-endowed, but there was no way in hell I would ever sleep with him.
I turned back to the table, and thankfully, our food had arrived. Melody and Logan took their seats, and I stared down at my plate, pushing the lettuce around on my plate, no longer hungry after what had just happened.
The waiter grabbed more paper towels for Justin, and he jokingly asked me, “Sure you don’t want to help?” as he continued to clean the front of his pants.
I ignored him as best I could, while the feeling of him against my hand lingered on my flesh.
I’d taken about three bites of my salad when my phone buzzed, the familiar text tone of my boss ringing in my ears. With a deep sigh, I put my fork down and muttered my apologies to the rest of the table as I checked my text messages.
Hannah! I need you!
That was it. I was expected to drop everything and respond or she’d send me fifty more messages, or maybe a hundred, until I finally answered her.
My blood pressure shot up, I felt my heart beating faster as I typed a quick message asking her what she needed of me. I knew better than to put my phone away, but I felt rude being on my phone in the middle of brunch. I inched my chair back but found that I was still stuck in the corner and Justin wasn’t moving. Instead, he stared at me with amusement as he took a bite from his sandwich.
“Could I get up, please?”
“Jesus, Hannah, can’t it wait until after you finish eating?” Justin asked.
Both Melody and Logan flinched, knowing all too well what I had to deal with. Justin had no clue. Well, okay, he had an idea that I worked 24/7 for a needy boss, but he didn’t know the full extent of it. Very few people did. My phone buzzed before I could answer.
“It’s work,” I said, hurrying to type a response.
“On a Sunday?” Justin asked with a frown.
“Yes, on a Sunday. Of all people, I would expect you to understand, considering you work every day of the year if needed,” I snapped.
“Yeah, but I’m saving lives, not working for a CEO. Nothing about your job is so important that it can’t wait until Monday,” he said.
My nerves were already shot. Elizabeth was typing out a to-do list as I argued with Justin, and I felt bad for having to do all of this in the middle of brunch. I knew Melody and Logan understood, but still, it didn’t make it much better.
“Justin, I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” I muttered, watching as the to-do list got longer and longer. Five items, all of them needed to be done by the time Elizabeth went to bed that night. All of them requiring me to run all over the city to different stores and back to her place. I was tired just thinking about it.
“Justin, let it go,” Logan said. “Hannah’s really dedicated to her career.”
“Thank you,” I said to my brother, feeling the tension in my neck. “I may not be saving lives, but one day, I hope to be as successful as Elizabeth.”
“Do you really?” Justin mumbled.
“Justin,” Logan scolded.
“Sorry, Hannah. It just seems a bit ridiculous, and not something you’d be happy doing, but whatever. I’ll shut up now.” He shrugged and held his hands up in defeat, standing up to let me out of my seat. I no longer needed to get up, not to respond to Elizabeth at least, but I stood anyway. Melody flagged down the waiter.
“Can you get hers to go, please?”
“Melody, I’m not--” My phone buzzed again.
Oh, and can you pick up two bottles of wine - a red and a white - from the adorable little wine shop in Soho? I need it for my dinner party tonight.
She really had me going all over the place, and I had a few hours. Two bottles of wine before dinner an
d the texts kept rolling in. The waiter returned with my box, and I decided I shouldn’t fight it. Melody and Logan were fine with it, as they helped me pack up my food. My heart ached, though. I didn’t want to leave, I wanted to talk about wedding planning with my best friend, I wanted to celebrate with the two people I loved most in the world. Even if they understood, I still felt like shit.
And Justin was right. Being CEO was my ultimate goal, and putting in the grunt work to learn from the best was necessary, but I really, really hated the work. It paid fairly well, though, far more than most assistant jobs because Elizabeth struggled with keeping people, so I was grateful for that. At one time, I needed the best paying job I could find, but now? Well, now, I was just trying to figure out my next move, what I wanted. Now that my younger siblings, Izzy and Mason, were on their own, I wouldn’t have to put up with the bullshit too much longer.
Anyway, I did what I was supposed to do. I packed up my lunch and hit the road, trying not to worry too much about the weeks to come.
Justin
A slow night at the fire station was a blessing. It was rare, especially in a city as large as New York City, almost bringing on some anxiety - waiting for the next call, knowing it was imminent. We always had to be ready.
When we had some downtime, the guys liked to gather around and play cards. Logan, Finn, Jax and I were playing poker with a television in the background playing the news with the volume turned down. Some story about a local school winning some reward that I’d never heard about played on the TV. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid much attention to the television, but the guys were talking about their wives and kids. and I was the odd man out. So instead, I learned all about this charter school and how they were changing kids’ lives. Not the most riveting news story, but it sure as hell beat the bad news that seemed to constantly air day and night.
I tossed my hand to the table, giving up. I knew when I had a losing hand, and to be honest, my mind wasn’t really on the game. It wasn’t on the news either. Ever since the brunch at Fig, I couldn’t stop thinking of Hannah. It had been two days, and she was all I could think about. I’d always had a little crush on her, if you’d call it that. Back in high school, she was the prettiest girl in school, whether she knew it or not. And she was still one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen.