“Girl, you know you don’t have any filter when you’re drunk. You were making eyes at him all night. Not to mention he very clearly wanted to beat that guy who was pawing all over you. I’ve never seen him get that angry.”
“Oh.” I cross my arms. “I didn’t realize. You think Brody noticed?”
“No, he didn’t. I kept him distracted. Elle asked me if anything was up with you two, though.”
I nod. “So, when you say distracted… what is going on with you two? Is there something you want to tell me about you and my brother?”
She sighs and sinks down onto the edge of the bed. “No, there’s really, really not. We flirt, sure, but that’s the end of it.”
I sit next to her. “You don’t want it to be, though, do you?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I thought he might be into it. A couple of times, I thought he was going to kiss me the other night, but then, he just didn’t. He has mentioned, a couple of times, about how I dated Dillon a couple of years ago. I mean, that wasn’t even a thing, but he can’t get past me having dated one of his friends.”
I put an arm around her and tip my head to rest against hers. “I’m sorry. You want me to talk to him?”
Her head moves from side to side. “No. It’s nothing, really. Just a stupid flirtation. Let’s concentrate on getting his head wrapped around you and Ethan. Maybe then he’ll loosen up.” She gives me a soft smile.
That’s when I remember Ethan’s words from last night. “Do you trust me, Taylor? I’ll figure it out, I promise.”
There’s a knock on Gabi’s door. “Can I come in?” Felicia cracks the door open.
“Yeah, come on in.”
“Sorry to interrupt this little pow-wow.” Felicia walks in with Elle right behind her. “We tried to get Marcus to come in, too.”
“But Brody has the guys all convinced you’re in here talking about periods, and none of them want any part of it.” Elle smirks, rolling her eyes, and we all laugh.
“So, anyway, I just wanted to tell you…” Felicia holds out her left hand and a brilliant diamond glitters from her ring finger.
“Oh, my god!” Gabi jumps up and nearly tackles her.
“Congratulations!” I hug them both at once.
“Get in here!” Felicia looks over at Elle who throws her tiny frame against us.
“Thought you’d never ask.”
“Ya’ll I’ve seriously never been happier. I am just so damn lucky to have found a good one.” Felicia is tearing up, and I know why. She’s suffered her fair share of duds, just like the rest of us. “So, Mama’s gonna make me ask my cousins, but I want all of you as bridesmaids too, you hear me?”
We all nod. “Anything you need, we are your crew. Just say the word,” I add.
We’re all laughing, and crying at the same time when we break the hug.
Felicia puts a perfectly manicured finger under one eye and then the other to catch the tears. “Okay, no wedding talk today, though. I hear the birthday girl wants to go parasailing.”
I nod. “You’re coming, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it!”
“Speaking of, we should probably all go get ready,” Elle adds. “I think Ethan found a reservation.”
“And Tay, babe. I know it’s your birthday tomorrow and shit, but hon, you need to shower before we go anywhere. You smell like a frat house.”
I shrug. “You haven’t had a great night if you don’t smell like a frat house the next morning.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ethan
We were the only ones on the parasailing boat. That’s because I paid the guide a thousand bucks, on top of the regular fee, to add another run since they were booked up for the day. It was worth every penny to see the look on Taylor’s face when she and Gabi went up for their ride. She literally squealed like a little kid when the chute caught air. She kicked her feet back and forth, thrusting her fists in the air, yelling, “Yeah!” at the top of her lungs. She liked it so much, she wanted to go up a second time. They guy started to tell her no, but I told her it was her birthday. I also reminded him I’d booked the deluxe package, code for the extortion I’d paid to get us out on the water in the first place, and he agreed. She asked me to go up with her, and being right next to her, seeing her beaming smile as she took in the view, was even better than watching her from the boat. Just before we came down, I spotted a pair of dolphins, jumping in the distance. I put my arm around her to get her attention and pointed to them. Making that trip happen for her today made me feel like a fucking superhero.
After lunch, we pile into my SUV and head back to the house. Taylor sits behind me, next to Brody, and puts her giant tote bag in the floorboard between them.
Brody looks down at the bag. “What the fuck is that thing? You have to carry that because you lost a bet?”
Taylor holds it up. “I love it. I think it’s adorable. It’s a crab, see?”
“Yeah, I see. You’re not afraid people will think you’ve got crabs, and that’s a public service warning?”
She rolls her eyes. “No, I like it because it reminds me of my crabby big brother.” She puts the bag down and gives his shoulder a playful punch.
Since it’s our last night, a couple of the girls want to start packing.
“Knock yourselves out. I’m gonna go take a nap,” Brody offers, heading for the stairs. “What time are we leaving for dinner?”
“Six-thirty,” Gabi replies. “Don’t be late or we’ll leave without you.”
“You wouldn’t dare. I’m the life of the party and you know it.”
She waves a hand in the air toward him dismissively. “Whatever.”
“A nap sounds pretty good, actually.” I agree. “I’ll see you guys at dinner.”
I head upstairs to my room, and lock the door behind me. The bathroom door is open, and I hear Taylor stirring around. I lean against the doorframe and watch her as she stands in her room, sorting through clothes. She’s humming, a lightness in her movements.
When her back is to the bathroom door, I sneak up behind her and snake my arms around her waist.
She sucks in a breath. “You startled me.”
With one arm tightly around her waist, I move her hair aside to kiss her neck. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. You look so beautiful. I just wanted to touch you.”
She drops the t-shirt in her hand and turns to face me, putting her arms around my neck.
“I thought you were taking a nap?” She arches a brow.
“Come take it with me.” I move my hands to her hips and press against her belly so she can feel how hard I am for her.
She lets her head fall back and nibble at her neck. “That doesn’t sound like you’d get much sleep.
“Who needs sleep when I can be inside you instead? Hmm?”
“You’re going to get us in trouble.” She grumbles, but she’s not really objecting. I know this because she barely gets the words out before her lips are on mine.
A knock on her door startles us both.
“Taylor?” It sounds like Brody.
“Just a second,” she replies.
I sneak back into my room and quietly close the bathroom door, putting my ear up to it. Her door opens, then I hear mumbled voices. A couple of minutes pass, and I hear her door click shut. The bathroom door flies open, and she looks like she’s seen a ghost.
“Shit, that was close. I had his sunglasses in my bag.”
I nod.
“We have to be more careful.”
Fuck. I’m afraid that means she wants to cool things off.
She turns away from me, and I think she’s about to step into her room. Instead, she locks the door between her room and the bathroom, then reaches in and turns on the shower.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, if you’re napping, and I’m in the shower, no one will be looking for either of us to answer the door.” She raises her brows, a mischievous smirk playing at her lips.
I kick the other bathroom door shut behind me and stalk toward her.
“I like this creative side of you, Taylor.” I peel my t-shirt off and drop it.
“What can I say? I’m full of good ideas.”
I back her up against the wall, pinning her hands above her head, and she lets out a soft, little moan. “Let’s see if we can get you full of something else.”
After the bathroom antics with Taylor, I did manage to sleep for about thirty minutes before it was time to get ready for dinner. I tried to get her to join me in the shower, but she wasn’t having it. We were headed out to a nice restaurant and she wanted to get all done up, so I left her to it.
I’m downstairs with the guys, having a whisky while we wait for the ladies to get ready.
“So, any idea when the big day will be?” Noah asks Marcus.
“No, not yet. She called her mom and grandma, so they know, and we posted on social media, but apparently picking a date and a venue and all the other shit is a big production. Could be a year from now for all I know.” He shakes his head.
“You could just elope to Vegas,” Noah offers, taking a sip from his glass. “After all, it’s about the who, not the where. As long as you’ve got the right girl, nothing else matters.”
“I’m with you, brother, but I don’t think Felicia will see it that way.”
“Wow, you mean I’m the first one ready? That has literally never happened.” Gabi jokes as she walks in. She’s wearing a bright red dress that hugs every curve. I look over at Brody and his jaw is practically on the floor.
“That dress is fire. You are something else.” Marcus raises his glass to her.
“Agreed,” I add, raising mine. Noah joins me, but Brody hasn’t said a word.
“Would you pour me one of those, please?” She asks Brody, but apparently his brain has short-circuited. Instead of responding, he just shoves his glass toward her. She chuckles. “Thanks.”
“Damn!” Felicia’s eyes are locked on Gabi as she comes down the stairs. She and Elle both have on body-hugging dresses of their own.
“You like it?” Gabi holds her arms out and twirls.
“Love! You have to tell me where you found that.” Felicia takes both her hands and looks her up and down. “That is perfect on you.”
Elle walks over to Noah, and does a little spin. “Is this okay?”
He clears his throat and nods, then reaches down to tip her chin up and deposits a kiss high on her cheek. “Perfect. You’re absolutely perfect.”
“Uh-oh, I’m the last one, huh? Do I get forgiveness since it’s my birthday?”
“Whoa, babe!” Gabi steps forward. “You look incredible.”
She does, too. The black dress is strapless, and the full skirt hits just above her knee. Her long hair is straight, hanging down her back. She manages to look sexy without being overt. I want to scoop her up into my arms and kiss her. I want to let the world know she’s mine. The thought that I can’t do that makes my chest ache.
I have to keep my word to her. I have to find a way to make this all okay with Brody so we can be together. I don’t think I can go back to just friendship, or even worse, not having her in my life at all.
Brody steps forward and wraps her in a hug. “You clean up pretty good, sis. Happy birthday.” He kisses the top of her head.
“Gee, thanks. She rolls her eyes and kisses his cheek.”
“Hey, let’s get pictures,” Gabi suggests.
We walk out onto the back porch. The sun’s starting to set, and you can see the water from here, so it’s a perfect backdrop. After several photos of just the girls, just the guys, and a few of the newly engaged couple, she tells Brody and Taylor to stand together. “Come on, I want to send this one to your mom.” She makes a motion in the air with her hand and snaps a couple of photos. “Got it.”
“Ethan,” Brody calls, motioning for me to come get in the shot. “Come on. You’re family, too. Get in here.”
“Okay,” I reply reluctantly as I put my drink down. I get on the other side of Taylor, and she puts her arms around our waists while I wrap one around her, and Brody puts his hand on my shoulder.
Taylor shifts her weight from one foot to the other, posing as Gabi snaps the pics.
“Perfect,” she says, looking at the screen. “Let’s go. Don’t want to miss our reservation.”
In the car on the way to dinner, Taylor’s quiet. “You okay, birthday girl?” Elle leans forward to ask.
“Yeah, I’m great. Just a little tired. We’ve done so much cool stuff this week. I guess I hate to see it end.”
“Yeah, we’ve got a busy week next week ourselves.” Noah adds. “It’s been good to get away though.”
Taylor’s looking out the window, lost in her own thoughts. Something about the way she’s staring off into space bothers me. I don’t know what it is, but somehow, I can feel her starting to slip away.
The place we go for dinner is decorated like an old school supper club. It’s on an alley, right next to several historic buildings. We’re all crowded into a huge corner booth. As we polish off the appetizers and wait for the main course, Gabi stands and taps the edge of her fork against her water glass.
“A-hem,” she clears her throat. “Taylor, you’ve been my best friend since the first day I walked onto campus our freshman year. As your very best, best friend,” she presses her fingers to her chest. “I couldn’t live with myself if I let your birthday go by without giving you shit about it. So, let me start with my story about the first time we met. I was completely rethinking my decision to go to a state school, and was wandering aimlessly around campus, trying to find the bookstore. You walked past me, then backed up, and stopped me. You asked if I was lost, and when I said I was, you walked me to the bookstore. You then showed up at my dorm room the next day to make sure I found my way to freshman orientation, and you’ve been by my side ever since. You always look out for everyone, and I love you for that. Happy birthday, babe.” She raises her glass, and everyone does the same, toasting, “Cheers!” in unison.
“I’ll guess I’ll go next.” Noah stands and tells the story of how he met Taylor when she and Felicia snuck into a frat party his sophomore year. The party was raging, and he could tell they were high schoolers, so he took them outside, called them a ride, and made her text him as soon as they got home safe. They’ve been friends ever since, even though the frat brothers gave him shit for sending away two of the prettiest girls at the party.
In turn, everyone tells their own funny story of how they met the woman at the center of our circle, until just Brody and I are left.
“I met Taylor when I was two. Dad took me to the hospital to meet the new baby. I wanted a little brother, and apparently I asked if we could exchange her, like you do when the clothes you get for Christmas don’t fit.” Everyone laughs. “Dad told me that I was a big brother now, and I needed to look out for her, always.” He turns to his sister. “Tay, you’ve got the biggest heart of anyone I know. I guess I’m always afraid that makes it more likely that you’ll get hurt. I promise, though, whenever you need me, wherever you are, I’ll always be there for you. I love you, sis, even though you’re a pain in the ass.”
She stands and hugs her brother, while everyone claps. When they both sit down, I stand and look down at the woman beside me. She looks up at me, and I stare into those sapphire eyes, choking back what I really want to say to her, what I’d rather say, here, in front of all our friends, because I know that’s not how she wants this to happen.
I clear my throat. “I met Taylor when I was six years old. My mom and I had just moved to Charlotte, and Brody was the first friend I’d made in school. Mom dropped me off so I could play at your house for the afternoon.” I turn and look around the table. “Now, even back then, Brody was a mouthy little shithead.” Everyone laughs. I turn back to Taylor. “So, when you came riding up on your pink and purple tricycle and asked, “Who are you?”, he made the introduction. He said,” I look around the
table again. “I shit you not, he said, “This is my best friend Ethan. His dad died. He’s good at soccer.” Then he told me you were his little sister and we didn’t have to play with you if we didn’t want to.” Everyone at the table cracks up. “And you got off your tricycle, walked right up to me, and hugged me so hard you almost knocked me over. You said, “I’m sorry your dad is dead,” and that’s the first time I met Taylor.” I look down at her. “And that’s you, in a nutshell, Tay. You didn’t care that Brody said we didn’t have to play with you. You were just worried that I was sad, and that made everything a little better. That’s what you do. You make everything better. Thank you for being you, and for bringing so much into our lives.” I raise my glass. “Happy birthday.”
Everyone raises their glass and claps. Taylor stands and looks at me, her eyes moist, and I wrap her in a tight hug, and we stand there like that for a long moment. When I finally let her go, she wipes a finger under each eye, pushing tears away.
I sit down, and we all turn our attention to her. “Thank you, my very best friends in the world, for coming to my birthday roast,” she rolls her eyes, and everyone laughs. “You’ve all said so many, well, things, about me.” She chuckles. “But I want to say, each of you brings so much to my life.” She nods from person to person. “You make me feel safe, and needed, allow me to be creative, and have fun, and be crazy, and most of all, feel loved. I love all of you for that.” She looks at me as she raises her glass. “If any of you weren’t here with me, my life would be less than it is today. Thank you.”
I smile as I raise my glass in toast to her.
When we get back, after we’ve been home a couple of days, I’m going to tell Brody, and her parents. I’ll sit them down and explain that I didn’t mean for things to change, but I care about Taylor, I want to be with her, and she wants to be with me.
Brody loves her, and in his own way, he loves me, too. He’ll understand, especially if I come to him before he finds out on his own.
I’ll keep my promise to her. I’ll make it right, and we can be together, really together.
Balanced in Love (Written in the Stars Book 9) Page 8