Forbidden Best Friend's Brother (Forbidden Small Town Bad Boys Book 5)

by Holly Jaymes

  “No. Just an observation. You’ve achieved your goal. A successful studio. A wellness retreat. A great husband with a baby on the way.”

  “Now seems like a good time for you to tell me what happened in Vegas.” She sat in a chair, curling her legs under her.

  I looked down into my tea. “It’s crazy. He was there because his record label wanted him to keep an eye on Lisbeth Garner. They want to try and prepare her for stardom, I guess. I was there to do business with her.”

  “And like London, one thing led to another?”

  I shook my head then stopped. “Well, sort of. We did hook up again, but the marriage, that was Lisbeth’s doing. She married her manager and somehow got us married too.”

  Allie frowned. “How’s that possible?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. The thing is, Pax’s record label told him he couldn’t get out of the marriage as it would hurt his reputation.”

  Allie made a face that suggested she thought the reasoning was dumb. “So how long do you have to be married?”

  I held my hand out in an I-don’t-know gesture. “It sounds like we’ll part ways shortly, going on with our own lives and then down the line say we drifted apart.” Again, I looked into my tea, trying to hide a sadness about that. It was stupid to feel that way, but I couldn’t control my feelings.

  “So there’s nothing real about this marriage?” Allie asked, blowing on her tea.

  “Well…”

  Allie laughed. “Beyond sex.”

  My smile faltered. “Do I care for him? Yes. But we still have Lily to deal with. God, when she finds out, she’s going to lose her mind.”

  “What are you going to tell her?”

  I let out a breath as I visualized the confrontation with Lily. “Just what I told you, except without the hook-up.”

  Allie let out a long breath. “Oh, Vic. I hate that you have to go through all this.”

  “Maybe it’s karma for all my antics that gave my Mom gray hair.”

  She laughed. “I think, just like in your business, you need to decide what you want and go after it. Lily will have to deal.”

  “That assumes Pax would want the same thing as I do, and the truth is, he doesn’t. He’s going back to England soon and I’ll be here. Even if we did want to make a real go of it, it would end exactly like it’s planned to end, with us drifting apart.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you sure about that? You’ve spent six years apart and look at you now. It doesn’t seem like you drifted apart.”

  She had a point, but I also knew she had stars in her eyes for everyone to find the same intensity and depth of love that she had with Josh.

  We finished our tea and then I headed back to Pine Rest. I could really use a soak in the hot tub. I’d forgotten to ask Allie about a bathing suit, although I supposed I didn’t need one. As messed up as this situation was, I decided to make the best of it, including sexy times in the hot tub.

  16

  Duped

  Pax

  I returned from my run to find Victoria gone. I searched the house and finally found a note saying she had to meet someone. Who? We were both stuck out here in the middle of nowhere. But then I wondered if maybe she was meeting with her sister. Then again, why not just say that?

  Deciding she’d let me know when she returned, I took a shower, then made myself a snack and jotted down some music that had come to me on my run. I checked my watch, thinking Victoria had been gone a long time. I was going to text her but didn’t want to come off as controlling, so instead, I went to the TV room and watched sports highlights which included some of Tucker. I hadn’t kept up on U.S. sports, but from what I’d learned so far, Tucker was making his second bid for a Superbowl win. He was really down to earth and lived a modest life for being as important as he was. I admired him for that. It was certainly how I preferred to live my life, although sometimes it was hard, especially with the world disturbingly interested in my private life.

  My phone rang with Dane’s ringtone. I picked it up. “Hey, Dane.”

  “What the hell is going on out there, Pax?”

  My brows furrowed. “I’m watching TV. Why?”

  “Where’s your wife?”

  His tone made my hackles rise. “What’s your problem, Dane?”

  “My problem is that there are pictures flying all over social media of your wife having an intimate moment with another man.”

  “What?”

  “Tell me she has a twin or a doppelganger, Pax. Because this doesn’t look good.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said automatically, even though I had no idea what it was. Maybe she was with Josh or a friend. She wouldn’t be sleeping with me if she was in a relationship with someone else, would she? She’d said it had been a long time since she’d been with someone. I ran my hand through my hair, unsure what to think.

  “Are you sure? Because the pictures look bad. Already people are wondering about your marriage,” Dane said.

  Fuck.

  “At least she’s the one who’ll look bad. This can be spun to make you the victim,” he continued on.

  “Jesus, Dane, don’t go assuming the worst.”

  “I don’t get you two. You’re both successful, attractive people who are married and living together. Why isn’t she fucking you? Why is she with some other guy?”

  “Hey! Dane. Shut the fuck up.” I didn’t like the way he was talking. “It’s nothing. Just a meeting.”

  “Find out and fix it or let me know and we’ll spin a story to get you out of it. It’s not ideal, but if she’s cheating-”

  “Just let me deal with it, okay?”

  “Call me when you know what’s going on.”

  I hung up and searched my phone for the photos in question. There was one with a good-looking man kissing Victoria on the mouth, followed by one in which they were hugging. I tried to figure out where it was. Maybe it was an old photo being used to dupe people into thinking it was current. But I didn’t know the place. It looked like a restaurant or coffee house.

  In the next picture, he was holding her hand, his thumb brushing over her ring finger. It did look intimate. The text with the photos was equally as incriminating.

  “Pax Ryder’s wife a cheat?”

  Another said, “Is Pax Ryder Not Keeping the New Mrs Satisfied?”

  I wasn’t going to lie. Having my sexual prowess questioned wasn’t a good feeling. I lay my head back on the couch, wondering what was going on. My logical self told me she’d have a good explanation, but my chest was constricted and I was fucking pissed, which meant I was hurt and jealous, which I couldn’t afford to be. This marriage was fake. A short-term thing until we could graciously get out of it with our reputations intact.

  Being jealous was a bad sign. It made me realize that regardless of who that man was and why she was letting him touch her, I had to put distance between us. I couldn’t let myself get emotionally involved with her.

  Too late, my conscience said. It was right, but I could pull back. I had to pull back. Even without this new issue, it was unwise to let myself get attached to her. A real relationship with her would cause all sorts of problems with Lily. And there was the fact that our lives were separated by a continent and an ocean. For those reasons alone, I needed to put a wall around my heart.

  Then there’s this man, I thought, looking at the pictures again. I liked to think I was a modern, sensitive man, but I had an ego that wasn’t going to let me be cuckolded. Victoria’s stunt might not have hurt my reputation as much as being an irresponsible Vegas partier, but it did make me look like a fucking pussy. No man, no matter how evolved, was okay with that.

  The front door opened. “Pax? I’m back.”

  I took a deep breath, and put my phone in my pocket. I turned my attention to the TV. “In the T.V. room,” I called out.

  She appeared in the doorway, her eyes bright and her cheeks rosy from being outside. My heart clenched at her beauty and then went cold at her betray
al. I forced a smile, “All is well?”

  She nodded. “I’m thinking of getting in the hot tub. Want to join me?” Her eyes flashed with suggestion and my dick, being the traitor it was, started to fill.

  “I’ve got some work to do,” I said, clicking off the TV and rising from the couch. “Enjoy yourself though.”

  I walked past her and toward the room I stayed in when I first arrived, and where I had my recording equipment.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah sure. I’ve just been slacking today and I need to get to it.” I didn’t wait for a response. I was nervous that she might talk me out of avoiding her, and I couldn’t afford that.

  I entered my room and shut the door. I flopped on the bed, wondering how I ended up here. After a childhood spent being dragged around the world by my famous model mother, my entire goal in life was to live quietly with no issues or drama. When I was old enough, I told my mother I wasn’t traveling anymore and I stayed put where I was on my eighteenth birthday, which happened to be London. Being a musician didn't always fit into my goals as I had to tour and people often swarmed me if I was out and they recognized me, but on my own, I tended to keep to myself or a small circle of friends.

  So how did I end up in Vegas, accidentally married to the one woman I shouldn’t be married to? Not because there was anything wrong with Victoria. She was a tremendous woman. But she was Lily’s best friend. She had her own life here in California. And clearly, she wasn’t letting that go. Her outing today was now threatening everything we were trying to accomplish by coming here.

  I stood and began to pack, thinking I didn’t need to stay. What was the point if she was going to do something that undermined what we were trying to do?

  A knock on the front door had me stopping. I remembered Victoria was in the hot tub so I answered it.

  “Dad?” I hadn’t been expecting him.

  “Pax.” He stood staring at me like he was searching for something. He was probably wondering, like me, if I’d lost my mind. He had to have heard about me and Victoria by now. I looked behind him, wondering why my mother wasn’t also there.

  “Come in.” I opened the door. “I heard you were out of town.”

  “I’m back.” He stepped inside and made his way to the living room. I remembered that he’d found this place for Lily when she’d needed a refuge, so he was probably very familiar with it.

  “Can I get you a drink? I’ve got beer, wine-”

  “Beer would be great.” He scanned the area. “Is your wife around?”

  He said “wife” in a way that let me know he was here to find out what the hell I was up to.

  “She’s in the hot tub.” God. I hoped she wasn’t naked. That would be just what I needed, Victoria to come waltzing in front of my dad while nude.

  He sat at the island while I popped the top on his beer and handed it to him. I got one for myself.

  He stared at me again. “Do I have to ask?”

  I sighed. “It’s a long story.”

  “Vegas.” He said it like it explained everything. And I supposed it did.

  I nodded.

  “So is this all a PR thing or what?” he asked.

  I cleared my throat as I sorted out what to tell him. Did I say the truth? He was my father, but he and I weren’t close like other families. Could I trust him? Then again, he’d been there for Lily, so maybe I could rely on him.

  “No. It was an accident.”

  My father’s brow arched. “Accidentally married?”

  “More like a prank by an artist my record label has signed.”

  “So you and Victoria… It’s not a real relationship.”

  My heart squeezed in my chest as I said, “No. I mean, we’re friendly of course. She’s Lily’s best friend, but she and I, no.”

  He nodded. “Your mother said it had to be some sort of mistake or PR thing because you wouldn’t have done that to Lily.” Apparently, Lily had told Mom about her negative feelings about me and Victoria. “So why not get a divorce? Why all this fakery?” my father asked.

  I took a long drink of my beer. “Because my label says it would be bad for my reputation to be the sort of musician that got accidentally married.”

  “So, you’re married to avoid losing your wholesome reputation?”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s wholesome. But I’m not the type to end up in tabloids. I don’t party. I don’t get into drunken brawls.”

  “And you don’t end up in Vegas accidentally married.”

  “Right.”

  My father shook his head. “I always thought it was a bad idea for you and Lily to go into the celebrity business. Your mom loves it. She loves the limelight and gossip. You and Lily, you’re too much like me. You want privacy. You want quiet.”

  He wasn’t wrong and I felt guilty now that I hadn’t tried harder as an adult to spend time with him.

  “Were you with Mom?” I asked, and then wasn’t sure I wanted the answer. Obviously they’d talked, but I wasn’t sure if they did it in person or if perhaps she’d called him at wherever he’d been.

  He looked up at me. “The thing about your mom and me is that we love each other but we love our lives more.”

  “I know.” I supposed that was a yes.

  “So, you’re in this fake marriage for how long? I mean, what’s the time frame for a marriage to not look like you were irresponsible?”

  I shrugged. I wasn’t going to tell him a year. After what Victoria did today, I wasn’t going to stay in this charade for a year anyway. “Shouldn’t be too much longer.”

  My father frowned. “So married a month is long enough to not look like your marriage was a Vegas mistake?”

  “Dane, he’s the label’s CEO, is working on some ideas that will get me out without hurting my reputation.”

  “How’s that?”

  I didn’t want to tell him it involved making Victoria look like the bad guy. It seemed like a shitty thing to say or do, but she was the one “cheating”.

  His expression morphed into disappointment. “You’re not going to throw her under the bus, are you, son?”

  My jaw tightened. “No. As much as possible, we’ve been telling the truth and that won’t change.” After all, it was the truth that she was just photographed by onlookers kissing another man.

  He stared at me like he was waiting for me to elaborate. “You know, that dipshit Holloway told the ‘truth’ and it ruined your sister’s career. Now, I know she’s okay with that. She’s happy now, but still.”

  “I’m not Trask Holloway.” My gut burned that he thought I’d be like that fucker. If anything, Victoria was the Trask Holloway in this situation.

  “I’m not saying you are. I just would hate to see either of you hurt by this.”

  “So, what do you suggest we do?” I asked. I didn’t remember ever asking for my father’s advice.

  “I’m a simple man, Pax. I like the truth. I like being straightforward. Go with your gut and do what’s right for you. Fuck the paparazzi or the fans.”

  That was easier said than done and yet, he had a point.

  “What about Lily?” I asked.

  “What about her?”

  “When she hears about me and Victoria, she’s going to be pissed.”

  He frowned. “Why? Your mother never explained that.”

  I shrugged. “She just doesn’t like the idea of me being with Victoria.”

  His eyes narrowed. “So you and Victoria are a thing? I thought you said you were just friends.”

  “We are. But that’s because of Lily.” I didn’t know why I was taking this route. It didn’t matter now. But I kept going. I pressed my hands on the countertop like I needed the extra support. “Years ago, Victoria and I sort of saw each other and Lily didn’t take it well. So we ended it. You just said I needed to live my life and do what’s right for me. What if that is being with Victoria?” Jesus. Was I really saying that? “Do I tell Lily to fuck off, as you suggest I do to
the paparazzi and the fans?”

  My father let out a low whistle. “Family is harder, Pax, that I know. But I also know that Lily cares for you and Victoria. I think she’d come around. The question is, is that what you want? Why is there all this hiding away or talking about staying married for your reputation if you want to be with her?”

  I stepped back from the island and tossed my empty bottle in the recycling. “I didn’t say I wanted to stay married or be with her. It’s different now. My point was, telling people to fuck off and stay out of my life isn’t easily done.”

  N

  He nodded and finished off his beer. “I never said it was easy.”

  The door off the TV room opened and I hoped to hell Victoria didn’t come sauntering in wearing nothing.

  She appeared with a towel wrapped around her. Straps over her shoulders suggested she had on a swimsuit or maybe her bra.

  “Oh. Sheriff Maddox.” She stopped short and looked at me and then him.

  My dad smiled. “Victoria. How are you?”

  “Ah…good. Just enjoying a soak. I should change.”

  My father got off the stool. “I’ll be heading out. Keep in mind what I said, Pax.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Good to see you, Victoria.” My father gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “You too,” she said, looking a little self-conscious about standing in nearly nothing in front of my father.

  I remembered something and ran after him, meeting him at the door. “Listen. If you talk to Lily, don’t tell her about this. I want to do it.”

  My father laughed. “I learned a long time ago to avoid family drama if I could. If I hear from her and she asks, I’ll tell her to talk to you.”

  “Thanks.”

  I shut the door behind him and headed back to the kitchen. Victoria wasn’t there. I assumed she went to her room to change. I went to the kitchen to make dinner and shore up my resolve to not let Victoria beguile me again.

  17

  Yet Another Mistake

  Victoria

  I was shocked to see Pax and Lily’s father at the kitchen island when I came in from the hot tub. I panicked, wondering if Lily was on her way over to pull my hair out.