Once seated, I couldn’t help but fidget. I was uncomfortable in my suit. I wore sweats most days or jeans. Dress pants and this godforsaken tie were killing me. My shoes squeaked, and the suit coat did little to keep me warm. I sighed as I looked at my watch, ready for this to get started. I heard the doors open, and thinking it was the wedding party getting ready to enter, I turned to look. But I was wrong…it was my brother. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t seem angry either.
He slid into the seat beside me and continued to look straight ahead. “You ok?” I whispered.
“I’m fine. Why?” He turned to face me with a blank expression.
“Are we ok now?” I shifted again. I did not want to argue here, and I had hoped that my little impromptu visit had sort of patched things up.
“We’re fine,” he smiled stiffly.
“You don’t seem fine,” I murmured.
“I’ve had an enlightening day. Just leave it at that,” he muttered just as the music became louder and the service started.
ooooooooo
When the ceremony finished, guests were ushered to a banquet hall a few blocks away while the wedding party stayed behind for pictures. I wanted to wait around to talk to Ally before I left because I had planned to skip the reception. I didn’t see a point in torturing myself any further, and watching my brother ride off into the sunset was not my idea of fun. Carsen didn’t seem the slightest bit flustered with Ally was standing up there in her pink maid of honor dress. She was looking right at us the entire time, or at least it seemed that way. Her eyes would ping between us, and when she caught me looking back, she would quickly blink away. I stopped trying to catch her after a while. The way Carsen didn’t back down from her stare told me that he knew something I didn’t.
“I think I’m gonna skip this,” I muttered as I tried to squeeze past him to get to my car. The wind had lightened considerably, and the snow was falling softer now. The sun was setting, and the stars were just beginning to peek out. It was a nice night for wintertime, and I was thinking about finding a bar to go sulk in.
“Why?” Carsen looked baffled by my declaration.
“Because I really want to stick to what I said today, and I don’t think I can do that and be in the same place she is.” I pulled my keys from my pocket.
“Whoa, where are you going?” He jogged after me and grabbed my arm just as I reached my car.
“I need a drink.” I opened the door and started to climb in.
“There’s gonna be free booze at the reception. Wes invited us. Just come for a little while,” he pleaded.
“Why do you want me there? So you can rub it in that she chose you? No thanks.” Once I climbed in, he grabbed the top of my door and prevented me from closing it.
“Would you just come?” he growled. “It’s not what you think.”
“Fine!” I slammed the door shut when he released it. I don’t know why I was agreeing to this. Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to recreate the brotherly relationship we’d had as kids. I wasn’t sure, but Carsen was acting different, and I guess my curiosity got the better of me.
ooooooooo
When I got to the reception, most of the guests were milling around making small talk as they sipped on drinks and picked at appetizers. I quickly found my seat and shrugged out of my suitcoat before making my way over to the bar. My brother was already sipping on a whiskey as he ignored a woman who was trying to flirt with him. It surprised me, but it seemed the day was going in that direction.
“What can I get ya?” the bartender asked as I leaned against the wood.
“Whatever he’s having.” I pointed my thumb in the direction of my brother before the bartender walked away. She soon returned with a glass and a napkin and smiled as she placed it in front of me. I accepted it before turning to squeeze in by Carsen. “What’s going on with you?” I eyed him skeptically.
“Nothing,” he mumbled against the lip of his glass as he sipped the amber liquid.
“Right,” I muttered.
“They're here. We better take our seats.” Carsen rose from the stool he was on and began walking over to the table where I’d left my coat. I guess we were seated together.
When we sat down, a pretty blonde took the seat on the other side of my brother. He smiled at her before turning his attention to the dance floor. Within a few seconds, the DJ was announcing Ally and Cole as the maid of honor and best man. Soon after, Angela and Wes came in with their arms locked around one another and smiling like fools. I couldn’t help feeling my stomach twist. I wanted that one day. I wanted a woman to look at me the way she looked at him.
Dinner was served soon after, and as the DJ began to get the partying started, I noticed how deep in conversation my brother was with the woman beside him. Did he not remember the one we were fighting over? Did he want this one too? Was Ally not enough?
“What are you doing?” I growled into his ear as I stood to go to the bar for the fifth time. The alcohol was finally starting to relax me after all the looks Ally had been throwing my way all night.
“I’m talking to Erin,” he smiled at her before looking at me. “She’s a friend of Angie’s; they met through…” he paused like he was trying to remember what she said.
“Maddie,” she finished for him. “Hi.” She held out her hand for me to shake, and I took it out of reflex. “Nice to meet you.” She smiled. She seemed different from the usual bimbos he hung around, but I didn’t care. He was throwing away a chance I had handed him.
“Nice to meet you too,” I gritted out. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” I eyed my brother and the anger that I’d been suppressing began to rise.
“I’m busy,” he smirked just as I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I stood up straight and turned in the direction of the person, only to come face to face with the woman who had been on my mind all day. She smiled at me, her eyes sparkling as she reached for my hand. “Can we talk? In private?” She motioned toward the door that led into a hallway.
I swallowed. Here it goes. She’s gonna tell me she chose him. She’s gonna go off with him, and he doesn’t even care. He’s flirting with another woman right in front of her, and she’s gonna choose him. “Sure,” I blew out a deep breath. “Lead the way.” I swayed slightly on my feet, feeling the whiskey take its toll on me. I knew I shouldn’t have drunk that much, but I just couldn’t stomach the idea of watching them leave together.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” I sighed as I leaned against the wall at the end of the hallway. “He’s the one you want.” I was saying it more for myself than her.
Her eyes widened in surprise, “What?”
“You brought me out here to tell me it’s him. You chose him.” I lifted my arms to point in the direction we’d just come, but the look of surprise on her face made me pause. “I saw the smile he gave you at the church; I’m not blind,” I scoffed.
“Carsen will always be a part of my life, yes. He’s my son’s father; I can’t change that,” she murmured before looking up at me. “I told him that before I came to the church. I stopped by his house, and I told him that I shouldn’t be with someone just because I had a child with him. I’m sure if I gave myself the chance, I could fall in love with him. He’s a great guy,” she shrugged lightly. “It wouldn’t be fair to either of us though. He knows that Caleb loves him, and I’m not going to stand between them. I want them to have a relationship. I want them to be happy, but I need to be happy too.”
“Ally,” I whispered, but she lifted her hand, and a placed her fingers across my lips causing me to pause.
“Let me finish,” she smiled. “I need to be happy too. I need to be with someone that I see a future with, someone who’s with me because they want to be, not because of a child they fathered. I want someone who loves me for me, someone that doesn’t feel obligated. I want you,” she cupped my cheek. “You wanted me before you knew about Caleb, and you still wanted me after. You gave me what I asked for: space. You didn’t
force me to choose, and you were willing to walk away even if it hurt you. You showed me what loving someone could really be like. You are patient and strong and most important… you listen to me.”
I watched as her eyes welled with tears. I couldn’t form the words I needed to say to express how I felt. The world around me began to fade, and she was the only one I could see. “Say something,” she begged as she blinked before wiping a tear away that escaped.
“I don’t know if I can,” I murmured. Her face fell slightly, and she started to back away from me. “No, wait!” I grabbed her by the elbow to keep her from fleeing and she started talking again.
“I’m sorry. I just thought…you’re the one, Joey. The one I want beside me. You’re him.”
As reality slowly soaked in, I couldn’t help but smile. “I want you too,” I whispered. “I do; I just thought for a minute that I might have been hallucinating. I’ve wanted to hear those words for so long, and now I finally have. It took me a minute to believe them,” I smiled.
“Believe them. They’re true.” She grinned up at me.
“You’re serious.” I stared at her, just waiting for someone to tell me I was dreaming or something.
“Completely.” She quickly nodded before reaching up and winding her arms around my neck. “Wanna take me in there and burn up the dance floor?” she grinned.
“In a minute,” I mumbled as I spun us and descended on her lips. They were warm and sweet and full of promise.
Chapter 20
Alison
When he broke our kiss, he rested his forehead against mine and chuckled. It was quiet at first, but the longer it lasted, the louder it got until finally we were laughing together. It was like a sweet release of all the tension that had built between us, and once we started, we couldn’t stop.
“Is that the alcohol or you?” I teased as I pulled back and looked up at his eyes. They were filled with mischief, and it was the first time I really noticed his youthfulness.
“Maybe a little of both. You see—” he tipped his head to the side before he rubbed his hand along his jaw— “there’s this girl that has been driving me crazy for months now. I’ve been waiting for her to figure out that I’m the guy for her, but she took her sweet old time. Me and my best friend Jack got a little carried away tonight.”
“Sounds like this girl doesn’t know a good thing when it’s staring her in the face,” I giggled as I loosened my grip around his neck. I lowered my heels and slowly pulled back as he shook his head at me.
“I’m willing to show her just how good I can be,” he murmured as he wrapped an arm around my waist and walked me back into the banquet hall.
Once inside, I scanned the room. The lights had been lowered, and the DJ had colored lights flashing as music pumped through the speakers. Bodies gyrated together as Wes and Angie bounced around in the middle of the crowd. Angie was waving her arms in the air with her head tossed back as Wes pressed into her back. I watched for a few minutes before turning away. I wasn’t sure how much she’d had to drink, but she looked like she wanted to start the honeymoon right away.
“Somebody’s getting lucky,” I mused more to myself than anyone else.
“I would hope so since he just promised to be the only man in her bed for next thousand years,” Joey smirked.
“Are you saying that he shouldn’t have married her?” I gasped as I looked up at him.
“Not at all. I’m saying that he better be getting lucky. I’ve heard the stories; women start restricting the husband once he says I do. It goes from sex every night all over the place to scheduled sessions that only occur in the bedroom. Don’t you dare tell me different,” he wagged his finger in my face as he shook his head.
“Huh, I’ll have to remember this theory for the future,” I sighed.
“It doesn’t mean what you think it means,” he mumbled as he leaned down next to my ear.
“So you are going to eventually get married?” I glanced up at him before directing my attention back to the dance floor.
“Sure. When I find the right person, I’ll get married, but right now,” he pulled away. “Right now, I’d settle for a dance.” He released his hold on my waist and linked his hand with mine. He began pushing his way through the crowd, tugging me behind him and into the mass of people. “I hope you don’t think that I wouldn’t want to marry you,” he shouted into my ear over the loud music. “But we just figured this out. Let’s not put so much pressure on the future. We’ll see where this goes. Hell, you might not even like me once you start finding my dirty underwear on the floor in the bathroom.”
I laughed at this and shook my head. He was right: We didn’t need to plan for the future right now; we just needed to plan for the moment.
We spent most of the night in each other’s arms on the dance floor. I felt this freedom that I couldn’t remember ever having; knowing he was mine and I was his made me want to scream from the rooftop. Carsen had stuck around for a while, but I’d seen him sneak outside with Erin at one point, and I don’t remember him returning. Maddie had told me at the hotel on fight night that Erin and I should meet. She said we were just alike, and after meeting her today, I knew she was right. Maybe that’s why Carsen clicked so well with her; she was another me. I hoped after everything that happened between us, that he’d find happiness with a woman. I didn’t care if it was Erin or someone he hadn’t met yet. He deserved happiness like I was going to have with his brother.
“You wanna get out of here?” I smiled before leaning up and whispering near his ear. “I’d like to get out of these heels, and I’ve got the house to myself tonight. Mom’s got Caleb.”
“We can do that if you want,” he shrugged.
“Lead the way.” I smiled as I grabbed onto his outstretched hand. We walked around the room saying our goodbyes for the next several minutes. I hugged Angie and thanked her for everything she’d done for me when we stopped beside her and Wes. She smiled as if she was having a silent conversation with me. I knew she knew how much her time and friendship meant to me. We were best friends after all. Wes shook Joey’s hand and nodded at me before turning back to his bride, placing a kiss to her lips as he dipped her backward. “I think that’s our cue,” I giggled as Joey led us over to where he’d left his coat.
We bundled up, and then I let him take me outside to his Rover. I’d driven my own car, but after the day I’d had and the evening that was in the future, I had no desire to drive separate cars. Joey was the perfect gentleman as he opened my door and helped me in. Once he had the heat on, I kicked off my shoes and rubbed my feet. I wasn’t used to wearing heels all day, and it was freezing out.
It only took a few minutes to get to my apartment building, and once we were parked, Joey told me to stay put while he got out. He was grinning as he rushed around the front of the car to open my door. He flung it open and turned his back to me.
“Hop on,” he ordered as he moved as close to the door as he could get.
“What?” I laughed.
“You said those shoes were killing you. Hop on.” He glanced over his shoulder as he waited for me to comply.
“I’m kinda heavy,” I mumbled. I wasn’t a big girl, but Joey had never lifted me, and I was worried with the snow and ice that we were going to wipe out.
“Would you just get on my back woman!” He growled as I fumbled to grab my shoes and purse.
“Ok, ok,” I muttered. “Geesh!”
I stood in the doorway, wrapped my arms around his neck, and wrapped my legs around his waist. His arms came back to cradle me against him as he turned and kicked the door closed. As he made his way across the parking lot, I dug for my keys. I found them just as we reached the top step.
Joey turned so I could unlock the door before jostling me to get inside. When we stepped over the threshold, he slowly loosened his grip. “Sorry about the mess,” I sighed as I looked around. Caleb’s toys were strewn all over the floor. I hadn’t thought about it before I left this morning,
and now I was regretting just running out the door.
“No worries.” He grinned as he shrugged out of his coat. He tossed it across the back of the couch before tugging at his tie. “For future reference… I hate these things.” He flung it in the direction of the coat before popping open the top button of his shirt. “You probably won’t see me in another one unless it’s a wedding or funeral.”
“Honestly, I prefer you in nothing at all, but I guess that’s a good compromise.” I nibbled at my lip as I tossed my shoes to the side. I stepped past him and began heading back to my room, only pausing once at the beginning of the hallway. “Coming?” I grinned as I looked over my shoulder.
“Oh I’m coming all right,” he growled as stormed up behind me. “More than once, I hope.” He pressed himself into my back before leaning down and nipping my ear.
I could feel him getting hard as he pressed his pelvis against me. A moan slipped out as my eyes closed, and I leaned back into him. His arms moved around my waist as he slowly began moving forward, pushing me along with him. When we got inside my bedroom, it was as if he couldn’t get us naked fast enough.
He pushed me slightly forward as he tugged at my zipper. The strapless satin dress slipped from my body and pooled at my feet in a heap. His nimble fingers released the clasp of my bra before he leaned forward, and his mouth began to attack my neck. As he pressed open mouth kisses to my neck and shoulder, his hands slid up my stomach and cupped my breasts. All these feelings I’d suppressed over the last few weeks began rushing to the surface as he squeezed and kneaded the flesh. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered. His hands soon abandoned my breasts and began moving down my stomach. They dipped below the waistband of my panties, and he growled when he felt the dampness. “How long has this been going on?” he hissed as his fingers inched lower.
Broken Pieces (The Broken Series Book 4) Page 15