Seducing My Best Friend (The Wrights Book 2)

by McKenna Rogue

  “You guys, she’s okay,” I said.

  “She really had to choose Christmas morning to do this?” Chuck asked.

  “She knew she would have everyone’s attention,” I replied. I didn’t know if that was the truth, but it felt right. Rachel didn’t often grab everyone’s attention. She was quiet and she never got into trouble. “And frankly, for once, she deserves everyone’s attention. We’re all going to be uncles and aunts whether we like it or not.”

  Someone squeezed my arm and I looked over to find Hayley standing by my side.

  The rest of the morning the Wrights were separated into different groups. I went to find Rachel and Lance to make sure they were holding up under our parents’ scrutiny.

  Mom and Rachel went for a walk. I sat down at the table with Dad, Lance, and Alicia.

  Alicia sat at the table with her good posture and her hands folded in front of her. Rachel got shit for being the goody-two-shoes of the family, but really it was Alicia. She never got over being adopted. She always wanted to be the good child so Mom and Dad wouldn’t send her back. She graduated from high school early, college early, got a job at the District Attorney’s office and she was quickly moving up the ranks. She was a good girl and did everything by the book. She and Rachel were close, and maybe it was because they understood each other in the way the rest of us riffraff couldn’t.

  I nudged Lance with my elbow. “How are you holding up?”

  He glanced over at me. “I’m okay, considering. I think everyone is being pretty amenable.”

  Dad chuckled humorously. “It’s not as if we can kick you to the curb now. You’re the father of my grandchild,” he growled.

  Lance swallowed audibly. It was a little amusing to see such a badass look uncomfortable in front of my British father who drank tea and called people wankers.

  My dad looked at me. “How long have you known?”

  “A while. I’m the big brother. I know a lot of things you and Mom don’t know.”

  He didn’t like that answer.

  Lance glanced over at me again. “Did Rachel tell you about the ring?”

  “She did. She said she wasn’t sure it was the best idea, last I talked to her,” I replied.

  Lance nodded. “She told me last night that if Mr. and Mrs. Wright agreed to give me permission, she would consider it.”

  Dad cocked an eyebrow. “Did she now?”

  “Don’t be a dick,” I said.

  Dad shot me a glare. “Watch your mouth,” he growled.

  “I’ve called you worse. You’re just trying to regain some of your parental authority,” I retorted.

  “Apparently, I don’t have any,” he said.

  “Oh, come on, Dad. You and Mom are great parents. Rachel isn’t a bad kid.”

  “It would seem she’s not a kid at all.” He grimaced at his own words.

  “Mr. Wright, I’ve loved Rachel for a long time. I know we should’ve waited a couple of years…”

  “A couple? Try ten. She’s got pre-med, medical school, surgical internships…she has a busy life ahead of her and you just set her back.”

  “Dad!” Alicia stepped in. “Rachel is going to graduate a year early. She’s way ahead of the game in school. She’s tested out of a lot of classes. She’ll basically be a sophomore when she gets to college. You think a baby and a husband are going to slow her down? I don’t think you know your own daughter very well.”

  Dad raked his hand through his hair. Suddenly, I realized I must look like him when I did that.

  I looked over at Lance. “I think the best thing you can do is show up, be there for Rachel, be a father to your child, and whatever you do, don’t break Rachel’s heart.” I clapped a hand onto his back. “Or there will be a line to break your face.”

  Lance paled a bit. “I don’t want to break her heart. I want to be with her for the rest of my life.”

  I believed him.

  27

  Hayley

  Christmas morning faded into Christmas afternoon and the rest of the Wrights came together. The drama of the morning dissipated, and the joy of opening gifts and spending time together had everyone smiling and laughing again.

  Rachel and Lance sat together, and I watched them curiously. They didn’t seem so young in their love for each other. He was very attentive and the couple of times she disappeared, he went with her. I suspected she was dealing with morning sickness. Lance was a brave man taking on so many Wrights at once. I wondered if he and Neil would be able to get past their issues or if it would change their friendship forever.

  Matt kept me close all day, which was fine by me because I didn’t want to be anywhere else. As badly as I felt for Rachel and her circumstances, I was glad not to be the center of attention. The Wrights loved fiercely. They were protective and got angry as passionately as they celebrated.

  I wondered if they would accept me as not just a friend of the family. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Richard or Donna. And my mother had spent most of her time up in our room. She was overwhelmed by the Wrights too. Though, I think it made her feel more lonely than included.

  All the time lost with my mom left me feeling guilty about a lot of things. I built so many walls around me, I didn’t know who I was hurting. I almost drove everyone around me away. Bryssa was the only one who would slap me upside the head and tell me to knock it off.

  I got up and headed into the kitchen, needing a minute to collect myself. The emotions of the day were weighing on me.

  Donna leaned against the kitchen counter. “I spoke with your mother. She’s thinking about heading out tomorrow. I tried to convince her to stay.”

  “I think we’re both struggling with being around so many people,” I said.

  “You learned to isolate yourself quite well, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t even realize I was doing it. I isolated myself from everyone.” I wrapped my arms around myself. I felt cold being away from Matt. “I was so determined to be independent, I really was a woman on an island.”

  “I’m glad you took me up on my offer and came here.”

  “I wasn’t sure how welcome I would be after hurting your son,” I said sheepishly.

  “He’s a big boy. We were all telling him to go after you. Even Derrick from beyond the grave, God rest his soul, was telling him to go after you. We have been waiting for the two of you to find happiness together. Or at least we hoped you would. We would never want to force something on you, but I think it’s safe to say we were right.”

  I smiled. “It would appear so. I wish we hadn’t wasted so much time.”

  Donna reached over and cupped my face. “Time is only wasted if you keep making mistakes when you know they’re mistakes. Seeing the truth of things isn’t easy. And I am so happy that someday you’re going to be my daughter-in-law. Or at least, I predict you will be.”

  I blushed. “I want to be. Not just because I’ve always wanted to be a part of your family, but because I get to be a part of your family with Matt.”

  “I have no doubt you and Matt will figure out everything you need to for your relationship to work. Living in two different countries isn’t easy. Dick and I had to work a lot of details out. His entire family is still over there.”

  “I’ve been thinking about getting back into acting, which I’m sure won’t be easy. I’m so old now, I’ll probably only get roles to play mothers of the up-and-comers that I used to be.”

  “Bullshit. I’ve got a gig coming up soon that you’d be perfect for. I’ll call the director if you’re interested. I know plenty of people interested in the Hayley Martin brand. People remember you, kiddo. Don’t think they wouldn’t love a comeback.”

  I grinned. “You would seriously do that for me?”

  “It’s what I do for family…but you’re also super talented, so it’s a win/win.”

  “I’m probably a little rusty,” I said.

  Donna shrugged. “We’ll work together for a while. It’s like falling off a l
og, you’ll be great.”

  I couldn’t help myself; I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight, tears streaming down my face.

  “Mom, why are you making Hayley cry?”

  I glanced back through watery eyes to see Matt looking a little unsure about what was going on. “They’re good tears,” I said. “Your mom is really amazing.”

  “I know,” he said. “But why this time?”

  Donna smiled. “I’ll let her tell you about it. I’m going to go check on Rachel.”

  “Mom, she’s fine. You’ve been out of the room for five minutes,” Matt said.

  “She is my baby girl who I don’t get to see enough as it is. And I want to make sure she’s okay. You’ll understand when you have one of your own.”

  My hand slid over my flat stomach as I thought about being pregnant with Matthew’s kid. It gave me butterflies of excitement thinking about it. Things had changed very quickly for me and I couldn’t be happier about it. It was wonderful to not feel so alone and isolated.

  Matt approached me as Donna went to find Rachel.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m great,” I said wiping away my tears.

  I shifted and allowed him to pull me into his arms. Since we’d reunited, we snuck off every couple of hours for some alone time and I wondered if that was what he sought now.

  “I talked to your mom,” he said quietly.

  My brow furrowed. “About what?”

  “About marrying you.”

  My mouth fell open. I wasn’t scared, just shocked. We hadn’t talked about one piece of our life yet and he was talking to my mom about marriage. Why did that fill me with so much glee?

  “I know we have a world of things to work out, but I don’t care. I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t want to be apart anymore. I don’t want us to live our lives without taking the other into consideration. I want us to be happy together. And your mom gave us her blessing. I’ll fly out to meet with your dad, too. But I want this. I want you. Forever. And even if that’s only for the next six months because I end up getting eaten by a shark…”

  “Matthew!” I swatted his chest.

  “Bad things happen, and I can’t stop them, but I would forever regret not being with you, even if it was for a day. I don’t want to have those regrets because someday we’re going to die.”

  “Wow, this is a super morbid proposal, Matthew.”

  “Well, I buried my best friend a month ago. Deal with it.”

  I reached up and cupped his cheek. “Are you going to ask me proper, or am I supposed to reply to this do-or-die speech?”

  “What? Like you want me to get on a knee or something? Give you a ring?”

  “Don’t be gross. I didn’t know if you needed an answer or if you’ve already assumed I’ll say yes because I’m easy now.”

  “There is nothing easy about you,” he said grinning, “but I’ll take an answer if you have one.”

  I pushed onto my tiptoes and kissed him. “I suppose we can get married at some point. But I don’t know if I want a traditional wedding.”

  “Nothing up to this point has been traditional, why would we start now?”

  I chuckled. “Fair point.”

  “I did make a reservation for us at a hotel tonight. I would like to have some time alone with you. And this house feels very crowded today.”

  I blushed. “That sounds amazing.”

  The hotel room was beautiful. He’d gone all out for a suite. How he got it for Christmas Day was beyond me, but I enjoyed the luxury all the same. There was even a hot tub. We curled up on the couch together after dinner. He poured us a glass of wine.

  Matt’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Babe, what’s wrong.” I moved to sit closer to him, taking his wine cup.

  He didn’t say anything, but I wrapped myself around him as best I could and held him while he cried. I didn’t know what caused it or what exactly it was about, but since he’d shown up on my doorstep, I hadn’t seen him deal with Derrick’s passing. My guess was he felt somewhere safe where he could do that.

  We didn’t have the hot, romantic night he’d planned for us, but we did share an intimate night, the first real step of being a couple together. He’d make it up to me the next night, and the night after that, and the night after that.

  We went back to the Wright house in the morning. Rachel and Lance were out together, and I was glad the two of them were going to have some time away from the family. I wondered if they would eventually get married or if things would crumble for them because they were so young and inexperienced. I hoped for the best, though. I wanted them to make it.

  My mom was sitting by the fire reading a book. I plopped down next to her.

  “I think Matt and I are going to get married, eventually,” I said.

  “I hope so. It would be a shame not to,” she said. “I hope you start working on having a kid or two soon too. I’d like to be a grandmother…if that’s something the two of you decide you want.”

  “Oh, we definitely want. We just have to find a home for them first.”

  “Not a bad plan.”

  “I’m glad you came here with me,” I said throwing my arm around her shoulders.

  “Me too. It’s been wonderful spending so much time with you. And being with the Wrights is like watching a soap opera. Who knew they had so much turmoil?” she murmured.

  I laughed. “I think all families do.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Donna is trying to talk me into staying through New Year’s, but I think I want to get home.”

  “Why?”

  “There are some things I want to take care of,” she said vaguely.

  “Do you want me to go back with you?”

  She took my hand in hers. “Of course not. Stay here. Enjoy the rest of the holidays. If you choose to elope, please tell me so I know it’s happening.”

  I kissed her cheek. “You got it.”

  For the first time since I could remember, I felt like I had a mom. And it made me so happy. I felt like my life was coming together.

  The doorbell rang, pulling my attention back around. Matt appeared from the foyer with a Holly and Summer behind him.

  “Everyone, there’s someone I want you to meet.” Matt presented the tall, leggy blonde and the little girl who looked like her clone. “This is Holly and her daughter, Derrick’s daughter, Summer.”

  I stood up and smiled. “Hi! It’s great to officially meet you.” I shook Holly’s hand. “It’s great you’re here.”

  “I’ve heard a lot about you,” Holly said. “Also, I’m a big fan. I watched The Mountain growing up.”

  I smiled. “What have you heard about me?” I poked Matt.

  “Not from me,” he said.

  “Derrick always talked about Matt and he would mention the girl Matt was in love with, Hayley Martin. I remembered because of The Mountain. He said you were pretty awesome. He wanted us to go on a couples vacation at one point.”

  I glanced over at Matt, who looked a little sad.

  Summer was hiding behind Holly’s leg.

  “Hey, kid, you going to hide behind your mom the whole time, or do I get a hug?” Matt asked.

  Summer considered her answer. “Okay.” And then she ran into his arms. She hugged him tightly. He held her for a long time. And quietly she said, “I miss Daddy.”

  “I know, kid, me too,” Matt replied, closing his eyes.

  Holly and I exchanged a sorrowful glance.

  “What did you guys do for Christmas?” I asked Holly, trying to distract her from her sad child for a moment.

  “Spent it with my parents. But I wanted to get up here. I know how much Derrick meant to the family and I thought it would be good for Summer.” She looked down at her hands. “And me too.”

  “There’s coffee and tea in the kitchen, or hot chocolate. And lunch will be ready soon,” I said.

  Holly smiled. “Thank you.”

 
Donna came out a moment later and greeted the newcomers with big smiles and lots of hugs. She immediately glommed onto the little girl in Donna’s way.

  Summer was the star of the day. Everyone swung her around, played with her, talked to her. She spent the rest of the day laughing and playing, enjoying the magic of being a kid like she should.

  While I watched Summer play and Lance dote on Rachel, a very silly thing occurred to me. I hadn’t had my period since before Matt visited me. That was over a month ago.

  “Oh dear,” I said out loud.

  I borrowed Matt’s car and went to town to the drug store. I wandered the aisles, trying to decide what the hell I was going to do. Buy a pregnancy test and announce to Matt unprotected sex wasn’t such a good idea?

  Except, I wanted to have his baby. The possibility I was pregnant only days after our union, was that a sign from the universe we were meant to be together or another obstacle? Maybe I wasn’t pregnant at all. With the stress of the past couple of months, maybe I was just off schedule. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen.

  I stood in front of the pregnancy tests and wondered how I ended up here. How did a sixteen-year-old seem to know what to do better than I did? In all my years of being sexually active, I’d never had a pregnancy scare. Not that this felt particularly scary.

  Eventually, I settled on a brand and bought three of them. If I was going to pee on a stick, it might as well be three that would hopefully come up with the same answer and conclusion. And then it would be a trip to the doctor, once I figured out where I was going to need a doctor. Los Angeles? Aspen? Some other part of the country? I knew Derrick wasn’t Matt’s only client, but I thought he was Matt’s only L.A. client.

  When I finally mustered the courage to go up to the clerk to purchase what I needed, I also grabbed a couple of other items to bury the pregnancy tests.

  “Hey, do I know you?”

  I looked up at the clerk. He was about my age, maybe a little older. He had a receding hairline and gray in his beard. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me and then I saw his eyes widen.

  “Holy crap, you’re Hayley Martin.”