by Holly Renee
But that motherfucker refused to look at me again, and I decided that I no longer cared. Once I left this room, I was leaving all of this behind me. Him, the ghost that haunted me, and every ounce of pain that had held me hostage over the last three years.
Mason
Staci was still gone.
It had been three weeks since I had seen her.
One text. That was it. One measly little text message was all that I had gotten from her.
After I had called her three different times, the only response:
I’m sorry.
I was so damn angry I couldn’t see straight. She was sorry? I didn’t want her apologies. I wanted to know what the hell happened. I wanted to know what I had done.
“Calm down.” My sister was typing on her computer and watching me like I was crazy as I stared into Staci’s tattoo room. A room that hadn’t been touched since she left. “You will see her in Vegas.”
“She’s coming?” My eyes darted to my sister.
“Of course, she’s coming. Her, Parker, and Brandon are all three being featured at the convention, and it has been planned for over a year. She kind of has to be there.”
“And I have to be there, why?” There was no way in hell I wasn’t going now that I knew she was going, but Livy was still adamant that I be there.
“Because I’m tired of watching you mope. Staci will be there, you’ll be there. Maybe the two of you can finally make up or get your shit together or whatever you need to do.”
“I haven’t been moping.” I leaned against the counter.
“Yes. You have.” Brandon’s voice carried from his room.
“Fuck you, Brandon.”
He chuckled then started talking to the guy he was tattooing.
“We leave at seven in the morning, so I need you to make sure that you are completely packed tonight and are at the house by four thirty.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m the responsible one. You need to talk to your boy Brandon.”
“I can hear you, asshole.”
I smiled at my sister.
“Don’t worry. I’m making him stay the night with me.”
I chuckled as we heard Brandon talking to his client again. “They are a pain in my ass.”
I had no idea what we were doing. All I knew was that I was instructed to be in the hotel lobby by seven o’clock sharp by Livy and to wear something nice.
We had arrived in Vegas around noon, and the four of us came straight to the hotel where I took a nap. I didn’t know if Staci was already here. I hadn’t seen her, and no one had mentioned it either.
But I was dying to see her.
I knew there was no way that I wouldn’t go looking for her, so when Parker and Livy told me they were going to check out the casino, I left them on the casino floor and Brandon already talking to some chick while I went up to my room.
Now I stood in the hotel lobby alone, and I can’t stop searching every face in the crowd for hers.
I straightened my jacket and cringed at the black pants and jacket Livy told me to pack. I wasn’t really a suit kind of guy, but Livy was adamant and impossible to say no to.
I looked up just as the elevator door opened and Staci stepped out. She was laughing at someone behind her, and I clenched my fist when I saw Brandon walk out behind her.
I had no right. Brandon was her friend. Hell, he was my friend, but it still made me insanely jealous to watch her with him.
It made me downright angry.
Staci’s gaze hit mine and her steps faltered.
She didn’t know that I was here. I could read it all over her face. She had no idea, and she hated it.
She hated that I was here, and she hated that she wasn’t prepared.
I could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to think of what she was going to say to me.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I hadn’t seen her in weeks. I had been going crazy, but here she was in front of me, just as fucking beautiful as the last time I saw her. Somehow more.
I just stared at her as she walked toward me, but as soon as I saw the woman walking around the corner behind her, my heart completely stopped.
Staci noticed my gaze move away from her, and she coyly looked over her shoulder to see what had grabbed my attention.
But none of us were expecting what we saw.
My sister was walking hand in hand with Parker, and she was wearing a short white dress and carrying a bouquet of flowers in her hand.
“What the hell?” Brandon reached his arms out for my sister, and she ran into them with a squeal.
“We wanted to keep it a secret.” Livy laughed as she looked over at Parker while a smile took over her face.
“You two are getting married?” Staci sounded as shocked as I felt.
“Yes. Man, that sounds crazy. We’re getting married.”
Staci grabbed my sister’s hand and twirled her in a circle to look at her dress, and they both looked so damn happy. Parker reached his hand out to me and I shook it before I pulled him into a hug.
“I’m so happy for you, man.”
“Yeah?” He chuckled as he clapped my back.
“Absolutely.”
He pulled away from me and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Does that mean we have your blessing?”
I looked my best friend in the eye. “Are you asking for my sister’s hand in marriage?”
“I am.” He looked so uncomfortable, and I wouldn’t be the good best friend that I am if I didn’t let him at least sweat it out a bit.
It wasn’t until he narrowed his eyes at me that I said, “Of course, you have my blessing.”
“Well, let’s go get married.” He smiled then and I knew that I would never again have to worry about my sister being happy.
Staci
I had never seen Livy or Parker so happy in all the time that I had known them.
When we got into the limo that pulled up outside of our hotel, Parker popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate before we ever made it to the chapel. We clinked our glasses and I laughed with my friend, but I couldn’t avoid the fact that Mason had been staring at me since the moment I saw him in the hotel lobby.
I wished Livy would have told me he was coming so I could have prepared myself, but I knew why she didn’t. I probably wouldn’t have come, and I would have hated myself if I missed their wedding.
The Elvis impersonator greeted us as we walked in the door of the chapel, and Livy’s laughter only fueled everyone else’s.
“You’re my maid of honor.” She bumped into my shoulder like it was no big deal.
“Of course.”
“And you two.” She pointed at Mason and Brandon. “I know that Parker told you that you are sharing the position of best man, but Mason, you have to walk me down the aisle first.”
I could see the emotion in his eyes as she said the words. The two of them had been basically all each other had for so long.
Mason nodded his head and straightened his jacket.
Parker, Brandon, and I made our way through the chapel and took our places. Parker didn’t look nervous at all. He looked grounded and blissfully happy.
It struck me then that we could have been at a wedding where he married Emily. He could have made the biggest mistake of his life.
A mistake like I had made when I was eighteen years old.
My wedding was nothing like this.
Between my dad and Ben’s parents, they spent a small fortune on our wedding day. There were flowers everywhere. Flowers that I hated, but his mother said were classic and tasteful as opposed to the yellow daisies I wanted.
And my dress was the worst thing about it.
Because I looked like someone who was the opposite of myself. Someone I had pretended to be for years.
But Livy, God, she looked so gorgeous and so happy as she walked down the aisle on her brother’s arm. She didn’t wear a coy smile as the photographer that came with the chapel sta
rted snapping photos of her. No. Livy’s smile took over her face as she leaned into her brother.
Mason took his place behind Parker after he placed Livy’s hand into his, and everyone laughed when Livy whispered, “Holy shit. We’re doing this.”
Then Elvis started talking and the whole damn thing was magical.
“The bride and the groom have prepared their own vows,” the Elvis impersonator said with his horrible Elvis voice.
Parker cleared his throat as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket that looked like it had been wadded up then straightened back out at least ten times.
He took a deep breath and looked up at his girl. “Livy, I don’t really remember the day that I fell in love with you because I feel like I have been cliff diving into you since I was sixteen years old. I never stood a chance. You were always the only choice, and I do choose you. I choose you to be the one who I walk through this life with. I choose you to fight with. I choose you to make up with. I choose you to be the one who pushes me to be a better man, and I choose you to be the one who talks during movies even though you know it drives me crazy. I will choose you every day for the rest of our lives because I swear that I couldn’t love you any more than I do now, but God, I know I will fall more in love with you tomorrow.”
I wiped at my eyes as I watched tears stream down Livy’s face. She pulled a piece of paper out of the pocket of her dress and shook out her trembling hands.
“No pressure, huh?”
Everyone laughed including Elvis then Livy took a deep breath.
“Even though I am unsure about most things in life, I know with everything inside of me that I love you and will love you forever. I know that we will face many trials together, but I vow that we won’t face them alone. I vow to always laugh at your jokes even when they are questionable, and I vow to try my hardest not to use all of the hot water. I vow to pick you up any time you are down and to always remind you why we fell so madly in love with each other. More than anything, I vow to love you fiercely for the rest of our days. I love you.”
“By the power vested in me by the State of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Parker reached out for Livy and dipped her back as he devoured her mouth with his. Mason and I cheered while Brandon catcalled, and Parker took his time kissing his wife before he straightened her back to her feet.
“Ladies and gentlemen”—Elvis shook his hips—“it is my honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Parker James.”
Parker bent down and scooped Livy into his arms and carried her back down the aisle bridal style while she laughed uncontrollably, and I knew in that moment that I would never get married again. Not until I found a love like that.
Mason
My sister and best friend were married.
They were married and so deeply in love, and for the first time in my entire life, I felt truly jealous of what they had.
We had been celebrating for the last hour or so, and Staci had managed to avoid me for the entirety of it. She had barely even looked my way.
But I was tired of it.
Livy and Parker were out on the dance floor, and Staci was taking a shot at the bar with Brandon. She had been drinking since we had arrived at the club. Far more than I had ever seen her drink before.
I walked up beside her at the bar and reached for the next shot she was about to take. She narrowed her eyes at me as I threw it down my throat, but she didn’t say a word to me. She just held out her hand for the bartender and ordered another shot.
I could tell she was drunk, and I knew that it wasn’t the time or place to have an argument with her, but I couldn’t just stand back there watching her while she pretended like I didn’t exist.
“I think you’ve had enough. Don’t you?”
Brandon raised his eyebrows before he picked up his own drink off the bar and walked away.
“I’m pretty sure I already have a dad, Mason, but thank you for your concern.” She patted my chest with her hand, and I felt that touch like a brand.
“Do you?” I cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I wouldn’t know considering you never tell me anything.”
She started to turn away from me, but I touched her cheek to stop her. “Like where the hell have you been for the last three weeks?”
“I went home to see my dad.” She pulled her face away from my touch.
“Just like that. You decided to go and left without saying anything.”
“I don’t have to tell you what my plans are, Mason. I don’t owe you any sort of explanation.”
“Don’t you?”
She looked away from me again, but I wasn’t done with her.
“So, what? You get to tell me to fuck off and because you said so, I’m supposed to just stop having feelings for you?”
“You don’t have feelings for me, Mason.” She stepped away from me, but I followed her.
“You don’t get to tell me what I feel.”
She kept walking ahead of me, but I knew she could hear my words. I knew they were affecting her.
“Just stop, Mason.” She spun toward me and I almost ran into her. “I’m done talking about this. I’m going to my room. Just let me go. Okay?”
“Okay.” She looked as shocked by my words as I felt. “But you’re not walking to your room alone. I’ll walk you there then I will leave you alone.”
She rolled her eyes, but she didn’t argue as she led the way to our rooms that were all beside each other.
We walked down the hallway to the elevator which was packed with people who were either leaving the club or the casino, and I couldn’t help but smile when she was forced to stand right on top of me due to the lack of space.
Her arms were crossed and she refused to look at me as the elevator stopped floor by floor letting people off, and as soon as there was enough room, she moved away from me as if she was on fire.
An older gentleman at the other side of the elevator raised an eyebrow at me. “Lover’s quarrel?”
Staci’s gaze jumped up to him before she turned to look at me.
“Something like that.”
Staci huffed, but the man just continued.
“My wife has always been stubborn as a mule too, but let me tell you, son, she’s worth it.”
I started to reply to him, but Staci beat me to it. “I am not stubborn, and I am not his lover.” She hiked her thumb over her shoulder to point at me.
“Could have fooled me, sweetheart.” He winked at her as the elevator came to a stop, and he walked off.
“The nerve of some people,” Staci mumbled to herself but still didn’t look at me.
When the elevator finally stopped on our floor, she was walking out the door before it had completely opened.
I could feel the anger rolling off her, but I didn’t know what the hell she had to be angry about. If anyone had the right to be angry, it was me. Not her.
She stopped mid-stride down the hallway and turned toward me with her finger in the air. “You know what?” Then she shook her head and kept walking.
“What, Staci? What could you possibly have to be angry about?”
She pulled her keycard out of her handbag, and I watched her hand shake as she readied it to go in the door.
“You don’t think I have a right to be angry? I have every fucking right.” She pushed the key in the door and the little lights turned green.
“Then tell me why? Why the hell are you angry?”
“Because.” She practically growled before she looked up at me. Really looked at me for the first time since we had been in Vegas, and I could see something inside her breaking.
She took a step toward me, and I let her as she pushed me against the wall right outside her door. She pressed her lips against mine in a rush. Her teeth hit my bottom lip as she desperately clung to me, but I didn’t stop her. I let her take what she needed from me. I let her take and take and take until I wasn’t sure what I would have left to g
ive her. It was both heaven and hell.
I could taste the liquor on her lips along with her lust. I could taste her need. Her need for me to take away whatever she was feeling. Her need to use me.
“I’m not sleeping with you.” I gripped her arms in my hands and gently pushed her away from me.
“What?” She pushed her hair out of her face, and she looked so angry in that moment. I was glad. We could both be angry. “Why not?”
“For one, you’re drunk. Two, I’m not going to let you keep using me.”
She reared back as if I had slapped her. “Fuck you, Mason.”
I advanced on her until her back hit the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. “I would, you know,” I whispered against her ear and watched as chill bumps broke out across her skin. “I would fuck you so good if you would stop pushing me away.”
She closed her eyes and tried to block out my words, but I leaned closer into her.
“If you just want me to fuck you, then fine. I’ll fuck you. But this will be the last time.” I could feel my anger for her boiling to the edge. “You can treat me like one of your one-night stands, and this time, I will know the score.”
The words tasted disgusting on my lips. I hated them, and I regretted them as soon as I said them.
She was looking up at me, her eyes filled with pain and I couldn’t take it anymore. I reached out to touch her, to feel her skin beneath my fingers, and she flinched. She flinched as if I was going to hurt her.
I pulled my hand away from her and searched her eyes. “Staci?”
My voice was broken, as broken as I felt, but I couldn’t keep the emotion out of my voice. I couldn’t handle the way watching her flinch away from me as if I was some monster made me feel.
“Please, Mason.” She wiped a tear from her eye that was just starting to fall.
“I’m sorry.” I took a step back from her. “I’m sorry for what I said. I would never hurt you.”
She nodded her head, but it was weak and lost. “I know that. I know. I’ve just had too much to drink, and I need sleep.”