Ben moved up on Damon's other side. "You're there all the time, but a lot of that is your own doing. You have control issues, dude."
"Nooooo..." Kendal jogged to catch up, finding his place on the far side of Ben. "Not Damon Bryant. Head of everything and follower of no one."
"Keep it up." Damon glanced over at his best friend, enjoying the teasing more than he'd ever admit.
"I think maybe this time you should interview the candidates first. Dad hired some idiots that almost fucked up my relationship and yours this last year." Matt gave Damon a hard stare. "I'd still love to wrap my hands around Mitch's throat for jacking with Erica."
"Me too," Damon admitted. "Dad's been off a little lately, but he's still got a good eye for people. I just need to be his second on the review chain."
"Mitch, the guy that propositioned Erica for sex?" Kendal asked, his voice innocent.
"We don't talk about that." Damon smirked as Matt growled low in his chest.
"New subject?" Kendal asked before turning his attention to Ben. "What about you, man? You finally found a woman?"
"Or a man?" Damon stopped as Ben whipped around.
"Bethany said something, didn't she?" His eyes went wide, and Damon almost felt bad about springing it on him, but someone needed to rip the fucking band-aid off. They'd been friends too long for Ben to walk around with a big secret that Damon wasn't privy to.
"That you're gay?" Kendal asked and moved around to stand beside Damon.
"I knew that too. Wait... were you not gay last year?" Matt crossed his arms over his chest and gave Ben an apologetic look.
"Really? It's that obvious?" Ben ran his fingers through his hair and groaned before turning his back to them.
"Yeah. We're dudes, Ben." Damon reached out and squeezed his old friend's shoulder. "And it's fine. Honestly. You are who you are. It's not for me."
"Or me." Matt patted his own chest as if reminding himself that he was a lady’s man.
"Or me." Kendal raised his hand. "But if it's for you... whatever."
"Agreed. Stop holding that news to yourself, acting like we're going to disown you. You're stupid, and we've known forever." Damon tugged on Ben's arm. "Let's go. You're my partner for the day. We gotta whoop Matt and Kendal's ass good. They were bragging in the car."
"Bragging is what you do... when you're the best in the world!" Matt's voice boomed across the quietness of the day.
"Shhhhhhhhh," resounded all around them.
They cracked up and walked to the next hole, talking about the bachelor party and how it was not going to get out of control. They were all taken men, well, all of them besides Ben. Their women would have a meltdown if they did anything stupid.
"Wait." Kendal pulled Damon to a stop. "What are the girls doing for their party tomorrow night?"
"Dinner and drinks, I believe." Damon shrugged. Bethany wasn't a party animal, and her mom and aunt were going with them for shit's sake.
"No, I heard they were going to a male strip club and then bobbing for cocks." Matt rolled his shoulders. "I told Erica that was fine, but only for this night because it was for Bethany. I didn't want her-" He didn't get another word out before Damon tackled him.
"Oh shit." Kendal reached down and tried to pull Damon off him, but he was on a mission - to make Matt squeal like a pig. "Ben... a little help."
"Don't you dare." Damon glanced back and gave his co-worker a wicked smile. "He's going to scream like a girl before I let him up, and anyone else that wants to talk about my girl bobbing for cocks with some other guy."
"Guys, not guy." Kendal backed up and shrugged as Damon growled at him. "What? It's just a friendly blowjob. Shit."
"Oh hell no." Damon scrambled up and turned as Kendal laughed and turned toward the lake nearby.
He ran hard, and Damon barely reached him before he took off into the lake. The sound of him yelling had Damon laughing so hard his sides hurt.
"You think this lake is going to stop me?" Damon put his hands on his hips and gave his best friend the death stare. "Your ass is mine."
Kendal yelled one word before ducking under the murky water. As if it would help him at all. "Matt!"
Funny thing. Matt couldn't swim.
Chapter 31
Bethany
The spa day was relaxing, but more than spending time with the girls, Bethany was ready to spend time with her man. Between a few needs at the office and Damon's groomsmen taking up all of his day, she didn't get to see him until lunch the next day.
"You looking forward to your bachelorette party tonight?" He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her neck as they stood in their kitchen.
She slathered mustard on half a sourdough loaf and pressed back against him. "Not really. I'd much rather be here with you. We're not going anywhere too exciting. Just to dinner and maybe to have a few drinks."
"What? No club where you can shake your ass safely for the last time?" He cupped her breasts and moved his kissing-assault up to her ear, licking a few times.
Chill bumps raced down her back and coated her arms. "I'm not exactly the shake-my-ass kinda girl."
"I like it when you shake it." He kissed her again and moved back. "You want something to drink with your sandwich, baby?"
"Yeah." She finished making his and started working on hers. "What do you boys have planned for tonight?"
"Men. I haven't been a boy in twenty years, and Matt was growing a beard at three."
They chuckled together. "How is Matt? You guys went golfing yesterday and then to the office and the bar. I didn't even get to see him last night, which is a little upsetting. I was hoping for a family dinner out at your father's place."
"Then you should have said something, beautiful." Damon walked past her and moved around to the other side of the breakfast bar, taking a seat on one of the stools and watching her. "We're going to grab a bucket of beers and just chill out at a sports bar, I'm sure. None of us are dancers, not that we'd go without our women anyway." He shrugged.
Bethany slid his sandwich toward him. "Everything okay at the office?"
"Sure is." He pulled the plate toward him but kept his eyes on her. "Have you told your mother about your dad showing up at graduation?"
She stiffened. It would have been nice to pretend it was a dream or more a nightmare, but it hadn't been. Guilt rolled through her. She should have mentioned it the day before at the spa. Now she was holding back info from her mom, which was no different than lying.
"No." She shook her head and picked up her sandwich, nibbling on the edge.
Damon's stare was almost heavy as it rested on her. His dark eyes filled with a bit of concern, his expression caring. "Do you think you should? What if he shows up at the wedding? Do I need to have security detail out there?"
"What?" She came to from her thoughts. "No. He's not dangerous. I don't think he's into drugs anymore, or at least, it didn't look like it. He was dressed in clean clothes and looked more alive than I remember him looking when I was a kid."
A torrent of emotions raced through her.
"Dad mentioned it to me in the car yesterday, but I didn't say anything about you seeing him. I guess your mom thought she saw him too in the crowd at the graduation." Damon reached out and took her hand, brushing his fingers across the top of hers. "You need to talk to your mom. I know you hate deception as much as I do. She's not telling you what happened, and you're not telling her. You guys need to talk it out. You know that."
Bethany nodded and set her sandwich down. "You're right. I need to wash my hands, and then I'll join you." She pulled her hand from his and walked to the bathroom as tears filled her eyes.
What was her father doing there? Simply celebrating her success? After ten years of being gone? A mixture of anger and sorrow wrestled inside of her. There was no easy answer to it.
A huge part of her wanted to pull him into a hug instead of slap him. Shit happened and whatever made him leave all those years ago, without a dou
bt, she knew it wasn't her, nor was it her mother. She made it to the bathroom as a sob rose in her throat.
After closing and locking the door, she turned on the water in the sink and pressed her hands to the cold countertop as tears rolled down her face. It wasn't a time for being broken.
But maybe somewhere in the pieces of her heart she could find healing.
"I want to," she mumbled and looked up at herself. She had to talk to her mom. Maybe there was more to the story. A part she never heard because she was a little girl, or because she was their little girl.
Either way, Damon had closure on his mom. She needed it on her dad.
No matter how she looked at it, his actions and her mom's reactions led her to that very moment, and where hating him sounded appropriate, thanking him for forging her into the fighter she was and causing her to survive Damon Bryant long enough to love him. Priceless.
***
"Dana, this is Erica. I know you guys have met, but just in case." Bethany moved back as the dark-haired nurse who'd captured Kendal's heart smiled and extended her hand to Erica.
"Nice to meet you. I've heard a little bit of your story through Kendal. You're up in Seattle?" Dana asked and moved closer to Erica.
Bethany moved out of the way to let the two girls talk and lifted up on her tippy toes. Her mother and Aunt Patty were flirting with the bartender, or rather, Aunt Patty was. It was almost funny to watch, and yet Bethany's aunt was a looker, a strong woman with a sense of direction, but quite demanding on men. She would find someone eventually. She had to.
"Damn... I should have jogged with them," Bethany muttered, referring to Matt and Sophia. She hadn't met the girl before, and it seemed odd to invite her to the bachelorette party, but she was Matt's best friend from grade school, and at one time, she practically lived with Damon's family. She needed to be there. Bethany was just aggravated that she'd never seen the girl. Trying to find a new face when she didn't know what she was looking for was damn-near impossible.
"Bethany?" The unknown voice was almost welcomed.
Beth spun around and smiled as a pretty brunette with eyes the color of a light blue-green ocean extended her hand.
"You must be Sophia?"
"Yeah. Nice to meet you. Matt's told me so much about you." She glanced around. "I'm going to grab a beer, and then I'll meet everyone. Is that okay?"
"Absolutely." Bethany motioned toward the bar. "I'll go with you. We're just going to have a few drinks and then head to dinner. Nothing too exciting."
"Shit, I just got off a flight from Saudi about five hours ago. Anything American is exciting." She chuckled and walked toward the bar. She was petite, but very feminine, almost like a living doll. Beth was surprised that Matt wasn't in a relationship with the girl, but maybe their friendship was more important? That, and now Erica was in the picture.
"Matt told me that you're a reporter."
"Yeah, for one of the major networks, but it took all of my twenties to get there." She moved up to the bar and ordered a Corona. "Are you working at McKenzie and Bryant again or-"
"Sort of." Bethany smiled before lifting her beer to her lips. "I'm working on a special project for Damon, but I'm not sure what's going to happen after that."
Sophia took her beer from the bartender and lifted it toward Bethany. "Well, congrats on graduating with your master’s and on the engagement. How exciting."
"And stressful." Beth hit her glass against Sophia's and pointed toward her friends. "Everyone is over there. My mom and her younger sister, Patty, are with us, then Dana is the dark-haired girl. She's dating Kendal and, of course, you know Erica is with Matt."
"Yeah. I love that girl. We only got together a little bit before I left in January, but she's perfect for him, and I swear he's had a crush on her for the last five years or something nutty like that." Sophia gave Bethany a sideways look.
Beth liked her. It was easy to see why Matt got along with her so well. Where she looked like perfection, a stuck up type of girl that no one would want to be around; she wasn't that at all.
"What are you doing over in Saudi? That's a long way from home."
They moved through the crowd and Bethany struggled to hear her answer, but got enough of it to know one thing; she wanted to know more.
"... so they asked me to check him out... and honestly, he's a bastard, but what do you expect?" Sophie turned back around and walked farther into the crowd. She paused at the edge of the bartops and turned. "He's a prince and over there, they worship royalty as if he were a descendant of the gods." She snorted. "He doesn't exactly like me, but they want the publicity, so he's putting up with me."
"This is the prince of Saudi?" Beth took another swig of her beer as Dana and Erica walked their way.
"Yep. He's under investigation for trafficking. He says he's not involved, but I'm there to figure that out." She glanced around. "Keep that to yourself though. I'm horrible at keeping secrets. I swear to God."
"Hey, Sophia." Erica moved up beside them and hugged Sophia.
"Hey, yourself. You look like a million bucks. Why in the world are you dating Matt Bryant?" Sophia chuckled, and Beth noticed the uncomfortable look on Dana's face. She needed to be pulled deeper into the group. The four of them would be friends forever because their men were close.
"Did you finish up your residency at the hospital?" Beth moved around Erica and Sophia to stand closer to Dana.
"Yeah. Finally." Dana's shoulders lowered a little. "It's been a long year, but I'm glad it's over. After Kendal had lost Amanda last fall, I wasn't sure anything was going to work out."
"I know. It was horrible. He had that and the hearing for my best friends to deal with."
"Oh right. Jeez. It was one thing after the next, and then to find out he dated my older sister a few years back." She reached up and ran her fingers down her face. "I swear you can't make this stuff up."
Beth chuckled. "And yet, everything works out because love forces it to."
"Agreed, and usually love has some help from a demanding, needy guy with great teeth and a sexy voice." She smirked and took a drink of her tea. "Thanks for inviting me tonight. I know I'm new to the group, but it means a lot to me."
"I'm thrilled you could come." Beth scanned the bar for her mother. "We need to finish up and get up to the restaurant. It's on the second floor. I'm going to find my mother and her wild younger sister. You grab Sophia and Erica? Meet you up there in five minutes?"
"Just over there? Those stairs?" Dana pointed toward the stairs.
"Yep. That's them." Bethany waited until the woman nodded to turn and go in search of her mom and aunt. She found her mom beside the bar, nursing a highball glass of Coke. "There you are. Where's Aunt Patty?"
"Necking with the bartender." Her mom smiled so big it had to hurt her face.
Bethany reached over and rubbed the top of her mom's back. "Brother. We should have known better. Bringing her here where there are men and alcohol."
"Always a dangerous combination for Patty. She's great at making mistakes one glass at a time." Her mom laughed, and Bethany did too.
"Mom." Beth moved around to stand beside her. "I need to tell you something."
The smile slid off her mom's face. "Me too."
"Me first." Beth took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I saw Dad at my graduation. That's what I was doing outside alone when you and Kent walked up."
"I saw him too." Her mom's expression softened as she visibly deflated. "I was hoping I was wrong, but I'd know him anywhere." The hurt was a little too raw on her mom's pretty face.
"We spoke for a few minutes and-"
"What? You spoke to him? What did he say?" Her mom put her glass down and reached over to grip Bethany's shoulders. "You shouldn't have done that alone."
"He wouldn't hurt me, Mom. I don't believe that."
"There you girls are!" Bethany's aunt wrapped an arm around both Beth and her mom. "Let's get something to eat before I make another life mistake."
<
br /> "I know he wouldn't hurt you. He loved you with all of his heart." Her mom ignored Patty. "What did he say, Bethany?"
"That he was sorry." Beth's eyes filled with tears. "I slapped him and screamed in his face. I was horrible."
"Good. You need to get it out. I'm sure he understood." She pushed Patty's arm off her shoulder. "Just a minute."
"He looked so hurt." Beth took a shaky breath.
"Who is he, guys?" Patty looked between them.
"We'll talk about it later. Tonight's not the night for that, but thanks for telling me..." Her mom glanced down at her hands. "There's more to the story, but there always is, right?"
"Right." Bethany reached out and touched the side of her mom's face, wiping away the single tear that dripped down her cheek. Regardless of the story , her mother had been the one to pick her up when she fell and love her when she felt completely unlovable. The story could be told, but honestly, it wouldn’t change much.
Chapter 32
Damon
"Let's get this party started!" Matt walked into the kitchen at their father's house, a floppy clown hat on his head and a party toy sticking out of the side of his mouth. "Here. We got you this..."
Damon caught the t-shirt Matt tossed to him and glanced over to find Kendal holding back tears. "You guys are fucking stupid. We're in our thirties. We should be playing another round of golf, eating a steak dinner and flipping each other off."
"What?" Kendal choked on a laugh. "We've been waiting for this moment since we met. Remember we used to talk about fucking up the town at our bachelor parties together?"
"That's when you guys were still fucking women together. Duh." Matt rolled his eyes and walked to the fridge.
"Wait. What?" Ben glanced up from the paper and gave Damon an odd look.
"Long story, and not one you want to hear. I promise." Damon held up the shirt and rolled his eyes before tossing it back to Matt. "I'm not wearing that shit."
Mister Big Stuff_A Single Mom Friends to Lovers Novel Page 93