Better Than Beginnings: A Better Than Good Short Story Collection (Better Than Stories Book 5)

by Lane Hayes

  “I’ve been with you long enough to know expensive flowers are available year-round, babe.”

  Aaron flung his arms over my shoulders and sighed. “That’s kind of romantic. But don’t worry. We aren’t shopping. Look at this like a scouting trip for a photo shoot. We do this sort of thing at the magazine all the time. It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”

  I rolled my eyes but tucked my hand in Aaron’s and let him lead the way inside to the grand foyer.

  “Wow. It’s so beautiful,” he said, staring up at the enormous crystal chandelier in the domed ceiling.

  I pointed at the ornate moldings and museum-quality landscapes hung high above the wainscoting and was about to comment on their pristine condition when Vic called Aaron’s name.

  “Go on. I’ll be right there. I want to look at some of the art.” I gestured toward a huge painting of the Potomac near an arched doorway.

  “Don’t get lost.” He winked and headed toward Vic.

  I watched his ass in his perfectly fitted khakis for a moment before stepping around a deliveryman carrying a huge box of flowers. I waited for him to pass, then moved forward and immediately ran into a pretty blonde. We paused and said a quick round of awkward apologies but instead of moving on, she grabbed my elbow and cocked her head.

  “Wait. I know you. Matt Sullivan, right? I’m Steph. It’s been a long time. Maybe five years? I’m…I was Kristin’s roommate. Remember me?”

  “Steph. Yes, of course. How are you?” I smiled and held out my hand. It was probably a clumsy gesture, but I wasn’t clear about the protocol for bumping into an ex-girlfriend’s roomie. Especially one I hadn’t seen in years.

  “I’m great.” She beamed and ignored my hand, pulling me in for an impromptu embrace before pointing at the riot of flowers on the table under the crystal chandelier. “It’s so good to see you! I just popped by with my mom to check on the table arrangements. She’s very particular about the details. I am too, but not like her. Vic has been such a godsend. He’s super patient and he has great taste. I trust him to make everything perfect. But Mom insisted and—oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I’m talking too much. It’s just—today is my wedding day!”

  “Wow. Congratulations. That’s fantastic. Vic was telling us about the big wedding here this afternoon,” I commented and stepped aside to get a better look at Aaron.

  He was engaged in an animated conversation with Vic and a woman I assumed was Steph’s mother on the other end of the room. She had short blonde hair and was dressed like her daughter, in chic casual clothing that in no way downplayed her aristocratic bearing. She certainly looked like a politician’s wife. I couldn’t remember if I knew Steph’s father was a senator. Five years was a long time and truthfully, we’d never been more than acquaintances.

  “Yes! That’s me. And Philip. We’ve been together for four years, but I think you and Kristin had already broken up, so you probably never met him.”

  “Probably not,” I agreed.

  “She’s one of my bridesmaids,” she added with a look I had a feeling was meant to double as a message.

  I stuffed my hands into my pockets and smiled. “That’s nice. How is she?”

  Fuck. Why did I ask? The last thing I needed was for my polite inquiry to be misconstrued.

  “She’s good. She lives in Virginia, but she’s talking about moving back to DC for a job. Did you know she’s single? I mean…you may not be, but—”

  “I’m not,” I responded quickly.

  “Right. I figured that unless my mother added you to the guest list at the last second and you got the time wrong, there was a good chance you might be here with your significant other.”

  “Yeah, I’m here with my fiancé. We’re getting married here in October.”

  “Oh. That’s wonderful. Really. I’m not sure I’ll tell Kristin, though. I get the impression you were ‘the one who got away,’ ” she said wistfully.

  I had no idea how to respond to that, and when I spotted Aaron waving at me before turning to join me, I knew I had less than twenty seconds to think of something.

  I gave a flustered half laugh and settled for, “That was a long time ago.”

  “True. A lot has changed. I actually heard you were—”

  “Hello! You must be the bride. Congrats! Everything looks stunning,” Aaron gushed. “Vic is going to give us a sneak peek of the ballroom—then we’ll head out to the garden and be on our way. I’m Aaron, by the way.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Stephanie. Are you working with Vic?” she asked as she shook his hand.

  “Yes. Well…on our wedding,” Aaron replied with a shy smile.

  “You and Vic are getting married? Gosh, he never mentioned it.” She cast a curious glance between Aaron and Vic, who was still deep in conversation with her mother. “Congratulations. I’ll have to give him a hard time for keeping his news to himself!”

  Aaron chuckled, then linked his arm with mine and shook his head. “Thank you, but wrong guy. Vic’s a doll but he’s not my type. Even if he was…my fiancé wouldn’t approve. Would you, Matty?”

  I flung my arm over Aaron’s shoulder and kissed his temple. “Definitely not.”

  “Oh. You’re—oh, right.” She opened and closed her mouth twice before continuing. “I—that’s awesome. Good for you! Um…so how long have you been…a couple?”

  “Almost four and a half years. Or close enough,” I answered.

  “That was when you and Kristin split up.” Her pensive tone reminded me of a private investigator on a Netflix series trying to establish a timeline and crack a mystery. I didn’t detect any malice. Just curiosity.

  “Roughly, yes.” I squeezed Aaron’s arm, then pulled back slightly and slipped my hand in his. “We should go. We’ll take a quick look around and get out of the way. Congratulations, Steph. It was nice to see you.”

  “Yes, congrats! Everything looks lovely. It’s going to be a perfect day,” Aaron enthused.

  “Thank you,” she said distractedly as Aaron and I stepped away.

  We made it three feet before she called my name again. Aaron glanced at me, then at Vic who was frantically motioning us to join him.

  “I better go see Vic. Hurry, he’s going to kick us out soon,” he whispered.

  I watched him for a moment and turned back to Steph. She gave me a sheepish smile that instantly put me on guard…which was crazy. There was nothing more to say here. We had one significant person and a handful of acquaintances in common, but those connections ended years ago.

  “Matt, I hope this doesn’t sound completely awkward but I’m wondering if—would you be willing to talk to Kristin?” Her words came out in a jumbled rush.

  She had the grace to look flustered by her question, but when she didn’t attempt to retract or laugh it off, I felt obliged to respond. I was proud of myself for curbing my initial “What the fuck?” reply and settling for something simpler.

  “Why?”

  “Kristin was crazy about you, Matt. I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re ‘the one who got away’ for her. She’s been in a couple of nowhere relationships since you guys broke up, and I can’t help thinking she has unresolved guilt or maybe fear that keeps her from really giving of herself in a relationship. Talking with you might help her let go. I don’t mean to put you on the spot. Think about it. We can get ahold of each other through Vic. Oh! I should get going. It was great to see you and—”

  “Hang on. It’s been almost five years, Steph. That’s a long time. A lot has happened in between then and now. I’m engaged to someone else and—” I huffed in exasperation, unsure how to nicely tell her I thought her request was distasteful and completely out of line. When nothing came to mind, I blurted, “What makes you think she’d want to talk to me, anyway?”

  “She loved you, Matt. I think she still does.” Steph set her hand on my elbow and smiled wanly before heading toward her mother.

  Okay, that was…weird. And totally uncomfortable.

  I sc
ratched the back of my neck and searched for Aaron. He was standing with Vic in the doorway leading to the grand ballroom. His hands were all over the place. No doubt he was in the middle of a detailed description of how he wanted everything to look at our wedding. I knew him too well. He might solicit my opinion and insist it was important that I have a say but the truth was, he knew exactly what he wanted.

  Some days I still couldn’t believe he wanted me.

  Aaron looked up abruptly as though he sensed my stare and grinned. And fuck, I was so damn grateful he did.

  I moved quickly to his side and put my arm around his waist. “Are we ready?” I asked.

  “Yes. Follow me this way, gentlemen!” Vic instructed, ushering us into the adjoining room.

  Aaron pulled at my shirt and waited for Vic to move out of hearing distance before whispering, “Are you okay?”

  I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed his knuckles. “Yes. Come on, we should go—”

  “But what did she want?”

  I sighed and shook my head irritably. “I’ll tell you later. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Hmm. She was your ex’s roomie, huh? I want to hate her for no good reason, but she has impeccable taste. Or her mother does. It just seems weird to run into her.”

  “It is weird,” I agreed with a huff.

  Aaron laced his fingers in mine and tugged my hand. “We’ll talk later. Check out the pink long-stemmed roses on the tables. Aren’t they incredible?”

  I nodded absently and followed him into the ballroom. We listened to Vic’s spiel regarding the design elements he used for the wedding taking place in a few hours and his suggestions for our own reception. Flowers, cake, centerpieces, food stations versus sit-down dinner. It didn’t take long for my attention to wander and my mind to travel back in time to when the concept of being stuck to someone for the rest of my life was my personal version of hell.

  What bothered me about the conversation was that I knew I’d never loved Kristin. At all. It was hard to believe that after close to five years, she thought twice about me. I didn’t want that. I wished her the best. But I’d moved on. And I figured she had too by now.

  Vic left us on a bench in the garden under a weeping willow tree once we’d walked through the indoor and outdoor areas. He encouraged us to take our time and soak up the ambience. He also said something about channeling our romantic feelings into ideas for the ceremony, but I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I kept quiet and let Aaron do the talking until Vic tapped his watch and gestured toward the mansion.

  “I must go. You have another hour before I’ll need the area clear. Call me this week, Aaron. Au revoir!” Vic blew us kisses, then turned on his heels and speed-walked up the pathway.

  Aaron leaned against my shoulder and sighed dreamily. “Isn’t this amazing?”

  “It is.” I kissed his forehead. “Want to get married under this tree?”

  Aaron’s grin split his handsome face in two. “How about on the hillside overlooking the river? Fewer bugs, I think.”

  I snickered. “True. I’m glad we aren’t having a summer wedding. The mosquitos are brutal this year.”

  “Hmm. I think that’s why the senator’s daughter isn’t using the garden today as much as we will.” He sat up and lowered his sunglasses. “So…what did she say to you in there? And don’t tell me it was nothing. Something is bugging you. Time to come clean, Matty.”

  I brushed the hair from his eyes and shrugged uncomfortably. “She asked me if I’d be willing to talk to Kristin.”

  Aaron dropped his jaw comically and shook his head. “You must be fucking kidding me.”

  “Nope.”

  “So what did you say? Are you going to call her?” he asked indignantly.

  I turned to face him and hiked my knee on the bench between us. “Are you nuts? No, of course not!”

  He pursed his lips like he was trying to contain a smile. “Why not? I mean…I trust you. I know you aren’t going to run away with the ex. You love me too much.”

  I grinned. “I do love you too much. Or maybe it’s just the right amount of too much. But I’m still not going to call an ex-girlfriend and counsel her about her blasé love life. She and I weren’t friends. Not like that anyway. Whatever we had ended years ago, and it probably should have ended before it did. She wasn’t the love of my life. You are.”

  “You’re mine too. But…what if you really were hers? Do you think that’s possible?”

  “No,” I said emphatically. “Look, I’m not the world’s most intuitive guy when it comes to stuff like this, but I know you’re supposed to be on the same page as your partner. I’m not talking about sex. I’m talking about commitment and growth and wanting the same things. And communication. Kristin and I dated for a short time years ago. Maybe she wanted something more. I didn’t. Not until I met you. I didn’t like the way things ended between us, but that was a scary time for me. I did the best I could.”

  “Hmm.”

  I frowned. “What does that sound mean?”

  “Nothing. I just wonder if you subconsciously still feel guilty.”

  “I don’t.”

  Aaron twisted sideways and set his hand over mine. “Maybe you ran into her friend for a reason. The universe works in mysterious ways, you know. Maybe this is your do-over.”

  “To do what? Break up with her again?”

  “No, silly. To let go of the past once and for all. Her friend is going to tell her she ran into you and that the rumors aren’t rumors. Matt Sullivan is marrying a dude. It’ll be like a second punch in the gut if she’s been wondering if you were ‘the one.’ ”

  “Whoa. This is weird. So, you want me to call my ex?”

  “I don’t want you to have any ghosts. That’s all. Let’s talk about something fun. Like me,” Aaron joked, pointing at his chest. “Did you know you wanted to marry me someday?”

  I chuckled. “I was too afraid to know what I wanted in the beginning. You scared me. Or maybe it was how you made me feel that freaked me out.”

  “Matty, I’m five eight when I stand up straight. How could I possibly have scared you?”

  “You’re doing it right now,” I said, brushing my thumb over his lower lip.

  “What am I doing?”

  “You’re making it hard to breathe. You’re perfectly the other part of me, Aar, and it’s kind of magical and awe-inspiring and yeah…scary too. But I know you feel the same way about me, and that’s when I realize I’m one lucky fucker.”

  Aaron threw his head back and laughed. “Me too.”

  “And as much as I wish everyone could feel this awesome, I know my limitations. I’m not Kristin’s ‘the one.’ I never was. There’s no point in dragging up the past when you’re about to embark on your future.”

  “And I’m your future,” he replied matter-of-factly.

  “Exactly.” I leaned in and kissed him, resting my forehead against his. “Are we done running errands?”

  “Well, we were gonna go to the photographer’s studio.” Aaron hummed and licked my lips. “Unless you’d rather go home.”

  I pushed my tongue inside his mouth and glided it alongside his, then pulled away and bit his chin.

  “Home.”

  Part 3-

  Curt tossed the basketball to me and ran under the hoop to catch the rebound as the ball swished through the net. He whooped with glee and did an obnoxious dance that made the teenagers waiting for the court chuckle. Jack rolled his eyes and snaked his arm around his boyfriend’s waist and effortlessly dislodged the ball, then threw it at me. I hugged it to my chest and gestured for the teens to take over before heading to the park bench to collect my stuff.

  It was a beautiful Saturday in mid-August. Warm, but not as humid as it had been most of the summer. I grabbed a water bottle from my bag and guzzled half the contents. I glanced up at the blue sky, adjusting my sunglasses and inclining my head in acknowledgment when Curt and Jack came to join me. We’d played our weekly round of pick-u
p basketball with our friend Jason and continued goofing around for another fifteen minutes after he’d left. It had been a fun morning with friends, but I was ready to go.

  “Hey, do you mind dropping me off on your way home?” Curt asked, bumping my elbow hard enough to splash water down the front of my basketball shorts.

  I glared at him and took another swig before pouring the rest of my water over his head. Curt sputtered indignantly, then shook his hair like a dog coming in from the rain. I punched his bicep and braced myself for retaliation. Our collegiate-style sparring dated back to our law school days when we were roommates.

  Curt Townsend was an accomplished lawyer now and one of my best friends. His easygoing nature and self-deprecating sense of humor won me over years ago. And while I occasionally wanted to smack him upside the head, I knew I was lucky to have him in my corner. And Jack too.

  Jack was Curt’s seriously drool-worthy older boyfriend. He was tall, dark, handsome, and covered in colorful ink. His Harley-riding, leather badass persona was the exact opposite of Curt’s more conservative nature, but it was obvious to anyone who paid attention that Jack was madly in love with his man. They complemented each other well, I mused as Jack ruffled Curt’s damp hair, then bent to kiss his partner’s forehead.

  “I’m supposed to meet a client at the bar, and I think Curt’s anxious to get home,” Jack drawled in his slow Southern accent.

  “True. I’m sweaty and gross, and I don’t want to stick to the vinyl seats at the bar while I wait for my boyfriend to haggle with a vendor over the price of Patrón. Help me escape, please.” Curt lowered his sunglasses and gave me a faux wide-eyed panicked look.

  “There’s no vinyl in my bar, smartass. Those seats are pure leather,” Jack huffed, pulling his T-shirt off and reaching into his bag for a clean one.

  I chuckled as I stood. “Sure thing, buddy. Let’s go.”

  I rolled my eyes when Curt nodded absently as his gaze traveled hungrily over Jack’s torso. Jack pulled his clean shirt on and winked at his man before yanking him to his feet. I stepped away to give them a modicum of privacy and dug my cell from my bag to call Aaron.