“Enough!” He pushes Eric and me apart and then looks between all three of us. “That is enough.” He takes a few breaths, calming himself, becoming the levelheaded man that I’ve always known. “Is this the kind of professionalism I should expect from you three? Beating each other up and tearing each other down?” Eric slouches, and Eve folds her hands in front of her as I keep steady eye contact with my father, knowing that’s what he expects. “I did not hire you three so you can make a mockery of me and this restaurant.”
“It wasn’t the best night,” Eric cuts in, but Dad shakes his head.
“That’s where you’re wrong. The night was a success, but you were too stuck in your head to even notice. All three of you were. Eve, you were upstairs crying for half an hour, apologizing when there was no need to apologize.” Eve was crying? I search her face but don’t see any signs of it. “I was the one who ordered the food, so I should be blamed for the fact that we ran out. But there’s a learning curve here, and we shouldn’t dwell on it. The bloggers were a huge win, Eve, and I’m glad you didn’t tell the boys because it made their experience authentic—and contrary to what you believe, Eric, they gave us rave reviews.”
Eric immediately deflates.
“As for the kitchen, an apology will be issued to our employees for the way they were treated tonight. I understand jitters, but acting like asses is uncalled for, both of you. The tension you two created didn’t go unnoticed, and I suggest that if you both want to continue working here, you’d better air out your dirty laundry because I will not put up with another night like we had tonight.” Standing proudly, my dad continues, “Tonight was a success in my book. Forget the small things, the details that you noticed, because not a single customer complained. Everyone praised Knight and Port—the staff, the atmosphere, the food. They had one hell of a night, and that’s something we need to be proud of. That’s something we need to remember moving forward. The small things we can fix—it’s the big things that need to be addressed. You have until tomorrow morning. If you can’t get over your egos and your past, don’t bother showing up for our morning meeting.”
And with that, my dad walks out of the restaurant without a backward glance, leaving all three of us in a monumental awkward silence.
There’s only one way to break it.
I walk over to the open bar and grab a bottle of tequila and three shot glasses. I nod to Eve and Eric, who don’t say a word but follow my lead. They sit at the bar across from me, and I pour each of us a shot. The sound of waves against the harbor rocks filters in through the open sliding glass windows, setting a peaceful mood for the conversation we need to have.
Together, we all take one shot and then set our glasses down. Hands pressed against the wooden bar top, I take a deep breath and break the ice. “I fucked up.” I look Eric directly in the eyes. “I fucked up by not telling you about Eve and me right off the bat. I thought that if we could prove to you that we worked well together, if we showed you we could separate the business and our relationship, that you would accept it. I’m sorry for the secret. But I will never be sorry for pursuing your sister—that’s something I won’t apologize for.”
He nods but stays silent, so I continue.
“As for Bar 79, we both failed, together.” As the words flow from me, I feel myself accepting them, almost as if saying them out loud is what actually makes me believe them. “We were young, we were cocky, we thought we knew everything, and we were proven wrong. Bar 79 was our heart and soul, and the wound we have from losing it will probably never fully heal, but we can learn from it. We’ve learned that communication is one of the things we need to work on. Honesty is another. We have the talent, Eric. We just need a foundation.”
Eric drags his hand over his face. “Fuck. I’m such a dickhead.” Without another word, he spins in his seat and faces Eve, who’s been silent this entire time. “I don’t know what I was thinking, saying such horrible things about you, Eve. I was fired up, angry over the past and every little thing that went wrong. I was looking for someone to blame, anyone but myself, because I just couldn’t shoulder yet another failure. And I took it out on you, my saint of a sister who’s done nothing but support me. I’m so goddamn sorry.”
He pulls her into a hug, and she wraps her arms around him, easily accepting his apology. If only it was that easy with me.
“You mean everything to me, Eve,” he continues, “and I am so proud of everything you’ve accomplished and the strong, intelligent woman you’ve become. Please know I will never doubt that again. I’m sorry.”
“You better not, or I’ll use your own knives to chop off your fingers.” She squeezes him tightly before pulling out of his hug.
“Noted.” He chuckles before turning back to me, studying me with wide, earnest eyes. “Reid,” he says. “It’s hard for me to look you in the eyes and not feel a gauntlet of emotions ranging from happiness to rage to embarrassment.”
“Embarrassment?”
“You warned me, man.” He shakes his head. “You warned me to not go after Janelle, and I didn’t listen. My pride was too strong, and I wanted to show you I could handle it. I couldn’t. I let you down; I let us down. So when I found out you were with my sister, I just kind of lost it. All I could think of was Janelle and how much I fucked up. And I threw all of those feelings onto you. I was convinced that you were repeating my mistakes but that you were too proud to ever back down. I jumped to conclusions and gave you an ultimatum that I’m ashamed of, because if anyone could handle business and a relationship, it’s my sister. And no matter what, I know she would keep you in line.”
I laugh and turn to Eve, who hasn’t cracked a smile. “You’re right about that.”
“I never should have interfered, nor should I have even had an opinion on the matter. Last night was a mistake I’ll always regret, and my attitude today was despicable. Frankly I’m embarrassed and owe a giant apology to everyone tomorrow. But you get the first one.” Looking me in the eyes, Eric says, “I’m sorry, man. You’re the guy I need to depend on, not fight with. From here on out, I’ll treat you like the brother you’ve been rather than the enemy I made you out to be in my head.”
Rounding the bar, I hold out my hand, and he pulls me into a hug. As his arms wrap around me, a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders, and for the first time since that fateful night in New Orleans, I feel like I can actually breathe.
“I love you, man,” I say, getting choked up.
“I love you too, and I’m so goddamn sorry about everything.”
When we pull away, I grip his shoulders. “It’s in the past; let’s move forward. New slate, new chapter.”
“New life.”
We both nod and give each other one more hug. I’ve known this man since we were little boys playing by the harbor, chucking rocks out into the ocean, trying to make them skip across the surface. We’ve seen each other grow up; we’ve been there for one another during our teen years and when his parents died. I know everything about him, and after all these years, this feeling that we’re finally on the mend breathes fresh air into my lungs. I never realized how much not having Eric in my life really weighed on me until this moment.
Patting my shoulder, Eric glances behind him. “I’ll, uh, let you two talk now. I’m headed out to the Har-Bahr, so take your time.” He presses a quick kiss to Eve’s cheek and then takes off, his step lighter than I’ve seen it in months.
Once the door is shut and I’m left alone with Eve in the restaurant, I stuff my hands in my pockets and rock on my heels. “So, do you think we can talk?”
She stands from the barstool and smooths down her black pants. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Reid.”
“I think it is. We need to get some stuff off our chests.”
“No, I think I made everything quite clear the other night. You gave up on us, and that’s fine.”
“Whenever a woman says that’s fine, it really isn’t fine.”
“Well, I mean it. It is fin
e.”
“Don’t do this, Eve. Don’t put on a brave face and act like everything is okay. I know you.”
“Yeah, you think you know me?” she shoots back. “Then you would know that I can’t possibly be with someone who is so weak that he can’t make decisions on his own. I’ve been through the wringer with you, Reid, ever since that night at the Inn. It hasn’t been easy, but a part of me always believed that despite whatever was going on in your life, you would still choose to be with me over anything else. That was until I heard about Eric’s ultimatum. If you were half the man I thought you were, you would have found a way to prove to him that I was worth the risk. But you folded. And I don’t want to be with a man who folds so easily. I want to be with a man who fights.”
“I’m fighting now.”
“Well, you’re fighting too late.”
She pushes past me but turns back when she reaches the front door. “I will be professional, because this job means everything to me, but please, just leave me alone when it comes to us. It’s over, Reid.”
The door shuts behind her, leaving me feeling like a semitruck just crashed into my chest. It’s over . . . but what if I don’t want it to be over?
Until your mind has matured, the curse will go uncured—or some crap like that. I can’t remember the damn curse verbatim, but what I do know is this is my fork in the road. I have two choices at this point. I can fold once again and act like the girl I love is just a colleague, or I can grow up, pull out my inner Brig, and romance the fuck out of her—show her just how far I’m willing to go for her.
My gaze sweeps across the restaurant, and despite my exhaustion, my pure heartache, I feel a fire igniting inside me, begging me to fight. I’m thinking option number two is the winner. Now to enlist some help . . .
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
EVE
“Are you really not going to eat any of these waffles I made you?”
I stare at the stack and shake my head. “I’m not hungry.” I pull my legs in closer to my chest and rest my chin on my knees. “Stick them in the freezer. We can toast them in the morning.”
“You never pass up my waffles. What’s going on?”
Staring at the blank TV from my spot on the couch, I try to hold back the emotions that are bubbling up inside of me, but there’s no use. When it comes to Reid, I’m an emotional wreck.
“I love him, Eric. I love him so much.”
He’s in the middle of packing up the waffles in a freezer bag when he stops and faces me. “What do you mean? Did you two not make up last night?”
I shake my head. “No. I mean, he wanted to, but I can’t seem to let go of the fact that he chose the restaurant over me or that he so easily threw in the towel when things got complicated. That really hurt me.”
Setting down the waffles, Eric makes his way to the couch and sits down beside me, pulling my feet over his lap. “You’ve been friends with Reid for as long as I have, and we both know he’s the most loyal guy there is. Even after our falling-out, he still reached out, connected with me on our parents’ death anniversaries, on holidays. He was always there. And he was there for you when I wasn’t. But sometimes his loyalty goes too far. This was one of those instances. Instead of listening to his heart, he stayed loyal to me, honoring something I never should have asked of him. Don’t punish Reid for that, for being loyal when he doesn’t know any other way to be.”
Furious at my own vulnerability, I swipe at my eyes and look away, but Eric catches my chin, turning me back toward him.
“If you still love him, then let yourself love him.”
“What if he hurts me again?” I ask, my fears surfacing. “I’ve been broken twice already. I don’t know if I can do it again.”
He pulls me into a hug and holds me tight, letting me sink into the familiar feel of his embrace. “I can’t promise you that he won’t hurt you again, but what I can promise is that no matter what, he will always stand by your side because that’s the type of man he is.”
There’s a knock at the door, interrupting my rebuttal. Standing from the couch, I wipe at my eyes again and open the door to find Brig standing on the other side.
What’s he doing here?
“Eve, the fairest maiden in all of Port Snow, will you please accompany me outside?” He bows and holds out his arm.
From outside, I can hear Reid shout, “I told you not to fucking call her a maiden.”
“You want her back, don’t you?” Brig shouts in response. “Let me do my thing!” Turning back to me, he smiles widely. “Care to join me?”
Chuckling even as my heart kicks into overdrive, I take his arm. Despite myself, I’m curious to see what I’m going to find.
And whatever I could have imagined is nothing compared to what I see when I step outside.
Wearing an entire suit of armor and sitting atop a brown horse is Reid, looking incredibly uncomfortable and pushing back the visor of his helmet as it continuously falls forward.
Oh.
My.
God.
Standing at his sides are his other brothers, Griffin and Rogan, as well as Jen, Ren, Harper, and—how embarrassing—his parents.
I think I might just die from either laughter or embarrassment.
“What the actual fuck?” Eric whispers as he steps up behind me and then bursts into laughter.
Brig steps away from me and announces, “Cue the bubbles.”
“What? Brig, I said no bubbles!” Reid exclaims as the horse starts pawing at the ground, getting antsy. “Whoa, buddy, settle down.”
Jen pulls a toy lawn mower bubble maker from behind her back and starts moving it back and forth, producing a tiny stream of bubbles.
“Jen,” Brig chastises. “I said bubble maker, not one of your kids’ toys.”
“You gave me an hour. This is what you get.”
Groaning, Brig points to Rogan and Griffin. “Cue the music.”
Rogan taps away at his phone while Griffin holds up a portable speaker barely the size of his hand. Taylor Swift begins to play, and Brig nearly has a conniption as he flies at Rogan and steals his phone.
“I said a live band, not Taylor Swift 2017. She’s so angry. If you’re going to play Taylor, go with 2008 Taylor.”
With a few taps, “Love Story” starts playing on the speaker, and Brig points at his parents. “Unfurl the banner!”
Together, they roll out an old banner that says, CONGRATS GRAD! but the words are scratched out and I’M SORRY is written instead.
The only problem: it’s upside down.
“For fuck’s sake!” Brig hurries to his parents and rights the banner just as two confetti poppers go off, shooting paper into the sky and scaring the actual piss out of the horse, which rears up and knocks Reid right onto his ass with a loud clunk.
“Ahh fuck,” he groans.
Harper and Ren stand motionless, confetti poppers in their hands, scared for their lives as Brig’s face turns bright red.
“Those were supposed to be for after she accepts his love again. If you read my detailed email, you would know that.” He pushes both hands through his hair and then throws them up in the air before walking over to his car and leaning against it, completely distraught.
We all stand there, unsure of what to do, while Griffin calms the horse and Reid tries to scramble up from the ground. But the heavy armor keeps getting in the way, and he thrashes around like a turtle turned over until his dad and Rogan lend a hand, righting him so he’s facing me. Taking the helmet off his head, he steps toward me and runs his hand through his sweaty hair, an embarrassed smile stretching across his face.
“Uh . . . I’m supposed to be your knight in shining armor. The horse was supposed to be white, but we couldn’t find one on such short notice.” He takes another step forward until he’s only a foot away, his metallic shuffling making each movement almost painfully awkward.
Behind me, Eric is chuckling, and I can’t help but laugh as well.
Oh, Reid.
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Beautiful, loyal Reid.
“Eve, I had these grand plans of making this enormous gesture to you this morning, and I enlisted Brig’s help, knowing he would go above and beyond. I wanted to show you that no matter what’s thrown my way again, nothing could ever stop me from being with you.” His armor squeaks as he tries to adjust it. “Hitting on you was the smartest decision I ever made.”
“Eloquent,” Rogan says from the viewing party.
“So romantic.” Jen chuckles.
“Swoon worthy,” Griffin adds.
Brig is still pouting by his car.
Ignoring his family, Reid continues, “I’ve harbored a secret crush on you for so long that even when we were together, I thought it was too good to be true, that it would all disappear. And rather than live in the moment, I let my fears and doubts hang over me until I let them take over, and I made the worst decision of my life: letting you go. But I need you to know this: even though I pushed you away, you were always there, buried in my heart.” He takes a deep breath. “I love you, Eve. I love you so goddamn much, and even if you don’t want to be with me, I am going to spend every free moment of every day making it up to you, convincing you that you’re what matters to me, you are what I want, what I need to be happy. Nothing else.”
“Beautiful, son,” Mr. Knightly says.
“Well said,” his mom chimes in.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Brig practically cheers.
Sighing, Reid whispers, “Kind of wish they weren’t all here right now.”
“But where’s the fun in that?” I smile, letting the moment wash over me. All the doubt, the fear, it disappears as I stare into Reid’s eyes. Eric’s right—he’s loyal to a fault. But I would rather have a loyal man than one I couldn’t trust, and the love he has for me, the love brimming in his eyes, makes every moment of heartache worth it. Despite our ups and downs, I know that no matter what, Reid will always be by my side, and I would risk anything to have him there.
That Secret Crush Page 31