Don’t Date Your Brother’s Best Friend: Strong Family Romances

by Checketts, Cami

  “I’m wondering how either of these two gets a word in edgewise,” Ella said out of the side of her mouth.

  Trey laughed, then wished he hadn’t when his stomach revolted. He really wanted to get sitting down again. He swallowed down the bile, sweat popping up on his forehead.

  “You okay?” Ella looked so sweet and concerned about him that he wished he didn’t feel so awful and could enjoy her attention.

  He nodded, because opening his mouth at this point would not be smart.

  They shuffled into the exam room, him dragging his right leg and leaning against her.

  “Can you get up on the table, son?” Doc demanded.

  Trey shook his head and sank into the closest chair. He leaned his head back against the wall and took slow breaths, willing his stomach to calm down.

  “Has he been puking? Sweating? Acting off? How bad was the hit? Describe it all for me.”

  Luckily, these questions and demands were drilled at Ella, and Trey could just concentrate on breathing in and out and keeping a hold on whatever was left in his stomach. Doc started examining him and asking Ella more questions, making him open his eyes and stare into pinpoint lights, fidgeting with his leg, testing his knee, and finally bandaging up the cuts. Trey’s stomach was gradually calming, but he was glad he wasn’t moving.

  “Well, kids, here’s what I’m thinking.”

  Ella’s phone rang. She pulled it out to silence it, but then said, “I’d better take this.”

  “You’re great.” Trey gave her an encouraging smile.

  Doc watched as she closed the door, then turned to him. “She’s turned into a fine-looking and accomplished woman, hasn’t she?”

  “Yes, sir.” Trey knew Doc was a good guy and not being an old pervert, more hoping Trey knew how good of a catch Ella was. He definitely, definitely did.

  “So, son, the head injury is the worst of it. You’ll feel horrible today and maybe tomorrow, and then you’ll heal up pretty quick. Let me know if you start throwing up again or seeing double or if Ella notices your pupils being uneven, that kind of thing. Mostly, you just need sleep and rest.”

  “Okay.”

  “The leg. It’s not broken. Might be a bad strain on a ligament, but I don’t believe we’ve got a tear …” His voice trailed off and his eyes flickered to the door Ella had just exited; then they lit up with a conniving look. “How much are you liking that pretty girl?”

  “A lot.” Trey admitted it easily.

  Doc’s eyes sparkled mischievously, but then they narrowed. “You aren’t playing with that darling girl’s heart, are you, boy? My wife says the ladies chase you around like hunting dogs after a wolf.”

  Trey thought that was an odd analogy for how women pursued him. They did chase him, but he hoped he wasn’t a conniving wolf, and no woman wanted to be called a dog. He shook his head quickly. “No, Doc.” He rested his head against the wall again and admitted, “I think she might be the one for me, so I’m trying to get her to date me, but Gavin’s having none of it.”

  “What business is it of Gavin’s?”

  Trey thought this was probably an odd conversation when he had a concussion and possibly a knee injury, but he was afraid he’d forgotten parts of it, just like he kept forgetting the moment of how he’d gotten hurt. It had always been like this with Doc, though. The guy was part of the lifeblood of this small town, and he cared about everybody. He’d seemed to take an extra interest in Trey—a lot of adults did, as his aunt and uncle had raised him and everyone loved and respected them.

  “I think he’s just trying to protect her because he’s seen the media your wife has seen, making it look like I’m some playboy.” So he dated a lot. That didn’t mean he’d hurt Ella or dump her for the latest model.

  “You and Gavin have been best friends as long as I can remember. You really think he’d warn Ella off of you?”

  “He told me not to go after her and we argued, but he finally conceded that she could choose. But then, the next time I saw her, she’d obviously been brainwashed.” How could he remember all of that, but somehow the way he’d gotten hurt kept disappearing?

  “Big brothers, eh? My Myra’s brother shot my truck up with a pellet gun to try to scare me away.”

  “No way.”

  “Yeah. I didn’t get married until I was thirty. I’d put myself through medical school, paid off all that debt, set up my practice here, and finally, finally saved up enough to buy me a new Ford truck. It was pretty, but not near as pretty as my Myra. I thought her family liked me as much as she did, but apparently not.” Doc laughed heartily but then focused in on Trey again. “And now you’ve got feelings for our Ella?”

  Trey nodded. His stomach was feeling much better now that he could just sit still, but his head still ached. “I really care for her, Doc. I think she might be the one to settle me down and bring me home. I’m not sure how to get past Gavin not supporting me, though. I don’t want to mess up our friendship, but I really want a chance with her.”

  Doc regarded him, and then there was a soft rap at the door. “Come in,” he called.

  Ella walked back in. “Sorry.” She tucked her long, dark hair behind her ear. “Austin was wondering where I am. I told him we’d be home soon and he’d have to help me take care of you.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet of you.”

  Ella just smiled and looked to Doc. “So how bad is it?”

  Doc pursed his lips, his blue eyes glittering. “Well, darlin’, I hope your nursing skills are good, because this one is going to need some TLC the next few days.”

  Trey sat up straighter. “A few days? I need to be back doing rides and tricks by tomorrow.”

  “No rides, and no pressure on that right leg. That ligament might be torn. We won’t know until we get in for an MRI. I’ll call you when we can get you into the hospital in Vail for the test. They’re always backed up. Especially on a holiday weekend.”

  Trey leaned back, stunned. He couldn’t put pressure on his right leg? He could’ve sworn Doc said it was probably fine just a few minutes before. Dang. What was he forgetting now? He hated head injuries, but he hated lasting injuries even more. He had to perform, teach, and be with the people. He had a schedule to keep. Even though it might secure him time with Ella, he really couldn’t be injured.

  “The head injury is concerning.” Doc swung to Ella. “You’ll need to watch him close all night long.”

  Trey’s heart raced at the thought of that. Was Doc trying to help push him and Ella together by her caring for him? Was his leg really injured enough to put no pressure on it? How long did he have to wait on the MRI? How had he gotten injured again?

  “All night long?” Ella looked a little concerned, but did he dare hope there was a spark of excitement in those dark eyes?

  “Let him sleep if he can, but you need to stay close by his side. Then his leg. I’m thinking it’s hopefully the MCL—quicker recovery than the ACL. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll just be a small tear, not a complete sever. You need to help him get around. Don’t let him overdo it. We’ll get some crutches ordered, but they’ll take a few days to get here.”

  “You have no crutches?”

  “Not for someone as tall as Trey. So, you know, help him to the bathroom or up and down stairs, let him wrap his arm around you for support, that kind of thing.”

  To the bathroom? Ella would definitely not be helping him to the bathroom. He hated how uncertain everything was. His career was active and busy. He was supposed to be in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in less than a week to put on some clinics and do some video shots there. He couldn’t afford to be laid up for six months with a knee injury. Curse whatever had hit him. A car, right? That’s what they all kept saying.

  Glancing at Ella, he realized this injury was inconvenient and stupid, but he couldn’t complain about time alone with her. He also realized that he could claim he wanted to settle down, but he had a lot of commitments over the next year that he had to keep. Ella’s beautiful
dark eyes stared at him with such concern he thought maybe being injured might not be so bad, if she really would take care of him. Maybe it was flaky to plan on moving on so soon when he claimed he wanted to date Ella, but he had to convince her to want to date him before he interrupted his well-planned schedule. Ella was amazing, and his injury and Doc had just orchestrated a lot of alone time with her. Maybe over the next few days he could get to the bottom of the kindle of their affection, see if he could flame it into a bonfire. He’d always liked the really big fires.

  “Any questions?” Doc asked.

  Trey just arched his eyebrows. He wanted to ask again what happened but didn’t want to appear incompetent to Ella. His gaze swept over her, and he heard himself say, “Yeah. Why is Ella so beautiful?”

  Doc chuckled, and Ella blushed. “I think he’s going to be fine,” Doc said.

  “That’s all a matter of opinion,” Ella shot back.

  Trey smiled, though it hurt his head. He was going to be fine if he could talk Ella into dating him before he had to leave on Monday. No injury was going to slow him down from either purpose.

  Chapter Seven

  Ella was jumpy and nervous as she drove Trey back toward the mountain. He had his eyes closed and was sitting quietly in the passenger seat, but there was a sort of self-satisfied smirk on his lips. She wasn’t sure what to make of that.

  “Thank you, love, for being willing to take care of me,” he said suddenly.

  She glanced over to find that his blue eyes were fastened on her face. Intense and confident were definitely two words that would describe Trey, and he appeared to be focused on making her fall for him. Was she just a game to him? How did you ask the ultimate player that question and get a straight answer? You didn’t.

  “Sure. Austin will be there to …” She about said chaperone, but she went with, “Help. Do we need to stop by the lodge and get your stuff from your room?”

  “My suitcases are already at Gavin’s house. I was going to stay with Mama and Papa, but then Papa got sick, so Gavin volunteered. I didn’t know why he was so odd about it, until I saw you again.” His head was resting to the side on the headrest as he stared unnervingly at her. “Gavin must have had some kind of premonition about how hard and fast I would fall for you. Do you know why he’s against us, love?”

  Ella’s jaw dropped. Trey didn’t know the meaning of the word discreet. Was he really falling for her, or was it just to add another number to his lengthy list of women who swooned over him?

  She turned past the lodge and to the slot canyon. Stopping at the gate, she typed in the code, and it swung open. She focused on the road, having no clue how to answer Trey without revealing how long she’d loved him.

  “It’s okay, love.” He patted her knee, and she jumped. “We can talk about it later, when I can remember your answer and I’m not so … unsettled inside.”

  “Are you going to throw up again?” She parked the car and her gaze darted nervously to him.

  His eyes were closed and he was taking slow breaths. “No, just give me a minute before we go inside.”

  “Okay.” She sat there quietly, listening as he kept breathing slowly. Her eyes were drawn to her parents’ house, and she wished her mama was able to come help her with Trey. Her mama was a natural nurse, while Ella always felt like she didn’t quite know what to do or what would help.

  The front door of Gavin’s house burst open and Austin ran out onto the porch and down the steps, angling to the passenger’s side of the vehicle. Ella hurried to fling her door open and rush to intercept him. She couldn’t imagine the boy’s exuberance would sit well with Trey’s stomach and head being a mess right now.

  “Austin, wait,” she begged, but he reached the door before she could stop him and ripped it open.

  “Trey, my man! Ella said you’re all busted up.”

  Ella reached him and wrapped her arms around Austin’s shoulders to hold him back from possibly jumping at Trey.

  Trey was smiling at Austin with such kindness that it warmed her heart. His eyes flickered to her, and that warmth changed to something intimate and deep. This look was the fulfillment of teenage fantasies she’d had about Trey, and it burned a hole clear through her stomach.

  “I’m all right, buddy,” Trey said. “Just need to rest for a bit.”

  “Can we hang out, then? Do you want to watch Avengers: Endgame first, or play FIFA on the Playstation? Ella can be our nurse and bring us popcorn and Mountain Dew.” He lowered his voice and talked out of the side of his mouth. “I’m not supposed to do the Dew—” He laughed at his own joke. “—but Gav keeps some in the fridge and he never tells me no.”

  “Does anyone tell you no?” Ella blurted.

  “Why would they? I’m adorable.” Austin leaned his head back and blinked up at her.

  “That you are, but I don’t want you to be spoiled.”

  “Mama likes to call it overly loved.”

  “Aw, that’s the term.” She laughed.

  Trey laughed with them. He was looking a little more settled, so Ella released Austin and said, “Hey, buddy, go grab some extra pillows and bring them to the couch. We’ll get Trey settled; then you two can watch your show or play a game.”

  “Yes, sis!” Austin ran headlong to the house, bursting with excitement. Ella had the horrible feeling that he was indeed “overly loved,” yet he didn’t get the quality time he needed with the adults in his life. And what about friends? She’d heard no mention of him playing with any friends.

  She looked to Trey. “Are you okay with that? If you just need to rest, I can take Austin on a hike, bike ride, or swim in that big pool Gavin has.”

  “Though I would love the opportunity of seeing you in a swimsuit—” He winked. “—I think it would be great to hang out with you and Austin. Unless you’re too busy?”

  Ella wished she had some excuse or inclination to avoid being stuck to his side, but she didn’t. The thought of hanging out with him shot thrills of pleasure through her. It really wasn’t fair of Gavin to expect her to deny herself when her dream man was right here, more appealing than ever, and obviously interested in her. The only thing that kept her from declaring her undying devotion and begging him to return it was the knowledge that he was a player. She wondered how Gavin would react if the woman he’d always loved came to him. Knowing her brother, he’d stay strong, especially if he thought she wasn’t right for him anymore. Gavin was probably correct: not only was Trey not right for her, but he would also break her heart. Unfortunately, Ella feared she was nowhere near as strong as her brother.

  * * *

  The day didn’t progress like Trey had hoped it would. Doc had given him some medicine for the nausea and a dose of Lortab for the pain, explaining it was in the Tylenol family so it wouldn’t increase any bleeding on the brain, if there was any. The combination made him tired, and instead of savoring being close to Ella all day, he was in and out of consciousness. Austin got bored of him when he kept drifting off while they were trying to play video games, and the little man went outside to shoot hoops.

  A sheet of silky hair draped over his face, and Trey blinked his eyes open. Ella was gently positioning a blanket over his shoulder, her peaches-and-cream scent infusing his senses. He debated pretending to be asleep so she wouldn’t pull away, but the impulse to touch her was too strong. Wrapping his hands around her, he tugged her down onto the couch with him. He was lying on his side, so she ended up perching on the edge of the couch next to his abdomen.

  “Trey!” Ella gasped, but then he knew that someone in heaven still loved him, because she didn’t pull away. She leaned into his chest and steadied herself with her hands on his shoulders, tilting her body toward his. “What are you doing?” she scolded, but she sounded breathless and full of anticipation.

  Trey smiled up at her, squeezing her waist, where his hands lingered. “Just looking at an angel,” he said.

  “Oh, you stop with your meaningless flattery,” she said, pulling fro
m his grasp and standing.

  Dang, that had been a short-lived piece of heaven. He pushed up to a seated position. His head was feeling a little better and the nausea was gone, but he was still so tired. “Who says it’s meaningless?” he asked.

  She rolled her eyes and pressed her hands to her flat abdomen. He noticed she’d changed out of her bike gear into a fitted T-shirt and cotton skirt that hit about mid-thigh. Her legs were long and shapely. She still had the pink-and-green bracelet on her wrist. That was a good sign for him. Yet when she’d given him a similar bracelet all those years ago, it had only meant friendship to him. What if that was all it meant to her now?

  “Are you hungry?” she asked.

  “Not really.” He could smell homemade bread and maybe chicken noodle soup. “But I could be if you’ve been cooking for me. It smells incredible.” His stomach finally wasn’t churning. Bread and soup would be just the thing after being so sick. He knew Ella was naturally thoughtful, but he hoped she’d made the food because she cared for him.

  She smiled. “I figured I might as well make some dinner if I was just hanging out watching you sleep.”

  “I would think watching me sleep would be so fascinating you couldn’t peel your eyes away.”

  Laughing, she shook her head. “I was able to play basketball and some card games with the little man. I’ve got to try to get him off the device sauce.”

  Trey chuckled. “That’s a good sister. Do you worry about him?”

  “Yeah. It wouldn’t be fun to have no siblings or friends to play with.”

  “He has Gavin.”

  She gave him a look of disgust. “Gavin’s not fun.”

  Trey smiled. “He’s been my best friend for years, and we always had a lot of fun.”

  “That’s only because you’re so much fun that you project happiness and excitement into everyone around you.”