They’d kept in touch for about three months after the wedding, but…she’d screwed up in typical Megan form. Just when she thought she was capable of being in a relationship, she’d gone and ruined it. Unable to help herself, she sighed.
“You okay?” Summer asked.
And the thing was, she probably could tell Summer about her fling with Alex. After all, what harm would it do after all this time? But now wasn’t the time. She needed to focus on something—anything!—else.
But the image of Alex and her tangled up together refused to budge from her mind, and she wanted to growl with frustration. Why was she still thinking about it?
Because it was the most exciting weekend of your life!
Oh, right. That.
Maybe it was the dress her mother had insisted she wear when she normally didn’t wear dresses or the champagne she’d had when she wasn’t normally a drinker, but everything about that weekend had almost felt like it was happening to someone else. Megan could still remember her shock when Alex had approached her and asked her to dance. Men didn’t normally ask her to dance. She was the friend, the buddy, someone to hang out with or ask advice for dating other women. It was something she’d gotten used to, and even when she dated, she wasn’t the overly romantic type. She didn’t do the girly-girl thing.
And yet…the second Alex had wrapped his arms around her, it was what she wanted more than anything else.
Heck, if she ever ran into Alex again—and she was pretty sure she was going to—he probably wouldn’t recognize her. Now he’d see who she really was: a no-nonsense computer girl who dressed for comfort and wasn’t the least bit…girly.
Another sigh.
For the most part, Megan was okay with who she was. She didn’t feel the need to read Cosmo and let it dictate the kind of woman she should be. But lately a little bit of discontent had been sneaking in.
It was probably because she was in need of a change.
It was the rut.
So here she was, out of her rut and starting a new life. Sort of. You can’t take the geek out of the girl, but you can take the girl out of her rut.
“Okay, I didn’t mean to make you get all quiet,” Summer said. “Let’s talk about something fun! We’re going to get some takeout tonight, and Zach and Gabriella are going to come over, and we’re going to have fun and relax. Doesn’t that sound great?”
Megan laughed softly. “It does. Sorry about zoning out there. I guess I’m trying to get a grip on too many things, and you know me, I can’t ever seem to make my brain shut off.”
“We are seriously going to work on that. Stick with me, little cousin, and I will show you all the wonders and benefits of taking time for yourself.”
If only it were that simple, Megan thought.
“I have plenty of distractions to offer you. My precious baby girl, for starters. She is a surefire distraction. And then there’s Maylene.”
“Maylene?”
Summer nodded. “Our dog. She’s a pug, and she’s incredibly playful and sassy, and when she’s around, there is no way you can zone out the way you just did. She won’t allow it.”
“She sounds like the perfect dog for you,” Megan teased.
“Oh, she is. And trust me, you’ll feel like a brand-new person in no time.” She smiled brightly before she let out another happy little squeal. “This is going to be so great!”
Megan wished she could be that optimistic.
* * *
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Alex did his best to smile and clap with the rest of the people in the large Catholic church, but honestly, this was getting old. Not weddings per se, but…okay, yeah. Weddings. Six of them in the past two years, and he’d been a groomsman in all of them. And while it was great to see all his friends so happy and in love and starting their lives with someone, he was seriously getting tired of putting on the tux and standing to the side and posing for pictures and just…ugh.
Technically, he was the last single guy out of his circle of friends.
Was it hot in here all of a sudden?
He adjusted his collar—which was suddenly choking him—and watched as Violet and George made their way out of the sanctuary. With his smile firmly in place, Alex stepped forward to hook arms with the bridesmaid he was paired with—Kaitlyn. She gave him a smile that conveyed what she’d been hinting at all weekend—she was available.
Great.
That was another perk that had stopped being enjoyable about five weddings ago—the interest in a no-strings-attached hookup. It was like there was some sort of target on him, or maybe he was throwing off some kind of vibe, or maybe someone in the bridal party had a big mouth, but whatever it was, Alex had no interest in hooking up with anyone.
Been there, done that, and…
He was over it.
As annoying as these weddings had become, the bottom line was he was tired of watching from the sidelines. It was something he wanted for himself. He wasn’t getting any younger, and at thirty-two, he was ready to settle down—a wife, kids, a dog…yeah, he wanted all of that. Last year he had bought a house with the mind-set that it was something he would share with the woman of his dreams and together they’d build their lives there.
But so far, he hadn’t found anyone he would consider sharing a life with.
Okay, technically that wasn’t completely true, but…
“Bridal party! We need you to quickly form the receiving line so we can start greeting guests and keep to our timeline for pictures!” Linda, the super-perky wedding planner, called out.
Alex watched as she moved everyone into position before giving the all clear to her assistant to start letting wedding guests come out to greet them.
Great. More smiling. He was already over this day and wanted nothing more than to loosen his tie and go to his hotel room—alone—and watch a little TV, order some room service, and maybe work on his schedule for the upcoming week.
Not that it changed much. As a physical therapist, Alex worked with some of his clients on a long-term basis. Right now, he had four he had been meeting with every week at their homes for almost three months. Then there were his clients at multiple rehab facilities in and around downtown Portland. Those clients were more traditional—knee or hip replacements, recovery from surgery or car accidents—nothing that required long-term rehab. His private clients were of the more challenging variety. They had injuries that couldn’t be dealt with in a four-to-six-week time frame. Which was why he met them in their homes.
These were clients who had started out in the traditional setting and then were able to go home but still had a lot of recovery time ahead of them. All of his current clients were great—eager to get their mobility back and resume their lives as close to normal as they could get. Their attitudes made Alex’s work easier, and he enjoyed being able to help them achieve their recovery goals.
To be honest, most of his clients—although challenging at times—were a pleasure to work with. Only once had he been so challenged that he seriously almost reconsidered his profession.
Zach Montgomery.
Alex remembered the anger and hostility Zach had thrown at him from the moment they met. It had been shocking and more than a little intimidating to take him on as a client. Zach’s reputation in the PT world had preceded him. So Alex had gone in as prepared as he could—or so he’d thought. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Zach’s injuries were the least of his problems.
The psychological trauma from his injuries had been far worse.
Luckily, Alex had forced himself to hold his ground and push back, and now the two of them were friends. Good friends. As a matter of fact, it was Zach’s wedding two years ago that had started this whole string of weddings Alex found himself in.
Not that one had anything to do with the other
, but he could look back and say it was the first of many weddings for him to act as a groomsman.
Beside him, Kaitlyn elbowed him playfully. He looked down at her in confusion.
“You’re frowning,” she whispered. “We’re supposed to be smiling. Linda’s been watching you, and no doubt you’re going to get a lecture when we leave here on remembering to keep your smile in place all day.”
He nodded.
“If you’d like, I can make sure you keep a smile on your face all day…and all night,” she said seductively.
Alex studied her for a moment—long black hair, big green eyes, and…he wasn’t feeling it. She was tall and willowy, and yet…there was no pull of attraction there. So rather than answer her, he immediately turned back to the couple waiting to greet him as they made their way toward the bride and groom.
At that first wedding, he met the woman he’d never been able to forget. Now, when Alex thought about spending a weekend with someone who kept a smile on his face, he envisioned a curvy and petite woman with honey-blond hair and big brown eyes.
Megan.
It was crazy to keep thinking about her. You’d think after two years, he would have stopped. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t dated since then. He had. Just…not a lot. There was no crime in that, but Alex knew he needed to face some serious facts.
Megan lived on the other side of the country.
She was a workaholic who didn’t believe in taking time off for herself.
And clearly, their weekend together must have meant more to him because he’d been the one to try to maintain their connection. They’d planned a couple weekend getaways that had fallen through, but the one time he’d actually flown to NYC for a weekend, she’d never even shown up. It had become abundantly clear that he was more invested in the relationship than she was.
She’d been the one to say that they weren’t meant to be.
At the time, he’d believed her. Hell, he’d had no choice but to believe her. But the more time that had passed, the more he thought about the things they’d talked about. The way she laughed and how she looked when she smiled and…
Yeah. He still had it bad.
Another elbow to the ribs had him feeling a little annoyed. “I was smiling,” he hissed softly.
Kaitlyn frowned at his tone. “I know, but Linda told us to make our way outside, and you were just standing there.”
“Oh,” he murmured. “Sorry.”
The rest of the day was like being on a damn conveyer belt—the bridal party was constantly being told where to move and what to do, and there seemed to be no time to sit and breathe. Move here, move there, stop and pose, smile, stand here, look there… By the time the first dance was over at the reception, Alex’s head was pounding. Kaitlyn stayed close, and he was running out of ways to be polite.
“Excuse me,” he finally said to Kaitlyn when they were allowed to leave the dance floor. “I see some friends over there.” Alex didn’t wait to hear her response. He moved swiftly through the crowd of wedding guests, walked straight out of the hotel ballroom, and kept going until he found the bar.
Waving the bartender over, he ordered a beer. He knew he couldn’t stay out here long, but maybe by the time he finished his drink, he’d have a better attitude toward the whole thing. Paying the tab, he grabbed the bottle in front of him, took a long pull, and almost groaned with pleasure. Tension started to ebb, and for the first time all day, he felt some sort of peace.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Alex pulled it out and read the incoming text. His Monday client had the flu and needed to reschedule. No big deal. It meant he could sleep in on Monday.
Or maybe he’d take the time to go to the gym or play some racquetball ball with a friend.
Zach.
He and Zach had gotten into the habit of playing racquetball ball once a week, and until a few months ago, it had been a highlight for Alex. But since Gabriella had gotten pregnant, Zach had gone into hyper-protective mode and spent most of his time doting on his wife. The thought made Alex chuckle. He doubted Gabriella would mind if her husband spent a little time on his own. She wasn’t the kind of woman who enjoyed having her husband hover.
Alex quickly typed a memo for himself to reach out to Zach when he got home tomorrow to invite him to the gym Monday morning. Hopefully, they’d get a chance to catch up and start playing together again.
Sounds like a plan, he thought to himself.
True, he could text Zach now and put it out there, but…he had a feeling that if he gave his friend too much time to think about it, he’d make excuses and bow out. A late-afternoon call was the way to go. Maybe he’d even text Gabriella first and give her a heads-up. Alex had a feeling she’d do her best to get Zach to agree.
So he typed a second memo to himself to text Gabriella tomorrow before calling Zach.
He was about to put his phone away but stopped. Unable to help himself, Alex scrolled through his phone and pulled up the one picture that, if it was an actual photograph he held in his hand, would be worn around the edges by now.
Big brown eyes smiled at him as her sexy smile beckoned. He’d taken the picture of her while they’d been walking in the garden during Zach and Gabriella’s wedding reception. They’d been flirting, and he’d kissed her, and everything about her had called to him on every level.
She was beautiful.
Probably not the smartest thing to be doing right now—staring at a picture of a woman he hadn’t seen or heard from in almost two years, but weddings tended to put him in that mind-set.
Going back to the current reception wasn’t appealing in the least, but leaving wasn’t an option. Finishing his beer, he waved to the bartender as he stood and straightened his tux. He’d return to the ballroom; he’d socialize and eat some amazing food. Then as soon as he could, he’d head out, go up to his room, and thank God that it was finally over. No more weddings after this.
There would probably be an awkward moment or two with Kaitlyn—she seemed like the type who didn’t take no for an answer—but in the end, he’d walk away and spend the night blissfully on his own.
And think about the one who got away.
* * *
Alex put his luggage down, shut the door, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Home.
Looking at the clock and seeing it was after eight, Alex knew it wasn’t too late to call Zach. Hell, he should have done it from the car, but he had left later than he’d intended, and then there was traffic, and basically, he didn’t feel like talking to anyone.
Until now.
Starving, he made his way into the kitchen and quickly put together something to eat. Sandwich made, he grabbed a bottle of water and pulled out his phone. Once he was sitting down, he first took a bite of his dinner and then tapped out a text to Gabriella.
His head might be spinning from his long day, but he at least remembered to try to get her on his side first.
He was hungrier than he’d thought because he wolfed down the rest of his turkey sandwich and jumped up to make a second one before even looking at his phone. Gabriella sent him a thumbs-up, so after taking his first bite of sandwich number two, he pulled up Zach’s number and hit Send.
“Hey, buddy! What’s up?” Zach said when he answered.
“I am in desperate need of someone to beat at racquetball tomorrow morning, so naturally, you were the first one I thought of.”
Zach’s laughter was loud and infectious. “Is that right?”
“Hell yeah!” Alex agreed. “My Monday morning client is down with the flu, so I have some free time. And other than the perk of kicking your ass on the court, I figured it had been a while since we’d hung out, and I thought it would give us a chance to catch up before you run to the office to play Corporate CEO.”
Zach was still chuckling. “It has been a while.”
&nbs
p; “Since I’ve kicked your ass?” Alex teased. “Yes. Yes, it has.”
“Not that, dumbass. Since we’ve hung out. Geez, when was the last time I saw you?”
“We played about two months ago—and that was only because we happened to run into each other at the gym. You’d been blowing me off for a while since you told me you and Gabs were having a baby.”
“Wow. Has it really been that long? She’s in her third trimester already.”
Now it was Alex’s turn to chuckle. “Um, yeah. I know. You’ve been in Mother Hen mode—refusing to leave her alone.”
“She had morning sickness—”
“Which went away four months ago!” Alex heard Gabriella call out.
“Dude, seriously—”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Zach said. “Maybe I was being a little…cautious.”
“Zach, do you really think there is anything your wife can’t handle? I bet if you asked her, she’d be willing to not only drive you to the gym but leave you there for several hours so she could catch a break.”
“For your information, Gabriella and I enjoy spending time together,” Zach argued lightly. “Don’t we, sweetheart?”
“It wouldn’t kill you to go out once in a while without me,” Gabriella said loudly enough for Alex to hear.
“Aha! I knew it!”
“What is…? Okay, fine. You heard it,” Zach grumbled and then sighed loudly. “What time tomorrow?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
“What time do you need to be at the office and how many games we are going to try to get in.”
“I don’t have any meetings until…” Gabriella was giving him his schedule. “Ten. So how about we meet up at seven?”
Alex grinned. “Sounds about right.”
“Great. Then I’ll see you in the a.m.”
“Awesome. Oh, and Zach?”
“Yeah?”
“Be prepared to lose,” he said with a laugh as they hung up.
Putting the phone down, Alex finished the rest of his dinner. Just knowing he was going to have time to catch up with his friend left him feeling lighter—especially because it was going to be while doing something they both loved.
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