Before I could go, she said, “Vincent, please just try and be happy for your brother. Okay? Don’t ruin this weekend for him.” Her smile was tight, but wide. Her eyes glistened, pleading.
“Sure, Becks,” I mumbled. “I’ll do my best.”
I wasn’t up for it, but for her I would do it. She was happy about this. She wanted this. I couldn’t ruin things—couldn’t argue with him like I usually did because it would piss her off.
I’d do my part. Go to the party, pretend to be happy for my brother, and then fly back home until the wedding.
It was as simple as that.
“I’ll call you when I’m on the way to pick you up tomorrow,” she said before I could shut the door.
Elton handed me my suitcase with a bob of his head, looking me over briefly, and then climbed into the driver’s seat again. He drove off and I watched the limo ride down the street until I could no longer see it.
• • • • •
I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t sleep that night.
Something was gnawing at me, tugging at every section of my brain. If only I’d had a joint, it would have settled the score and put me right to sleep. But I didn’t. Of course the fridge was fully stocked with all types of bourbon, vodka, and my favorite, whiskey. I should have downed it all, but I had to resist.
I didn’t drink anymore. Two years and I was alcohol free. I had my urges here and there, but I was strong. I resisted. I didn’t even attempt to take a drink because I knew once I started, I wouldn’t stop.
I was told by my therapist that I was a binge-drinker—someone who could go for days, months, or even years without drinking, but once I caved and got one, I would keep chugging and chugging and feel like I could never get enough.
My issues were rooted deep, but I’d faced them and manned up. I wasn’t going back to that. Not again.
Instead of thinking about it too much longer, I pulled out my laptop and worked on business plans for the club—new shit we could do, and unique things that would keep people coming back. I was serious about this—I’d never been more serious about anything in my life.
After getting out of rehab, I stayed completely sober for six months straight just so I could figure this whole club thing out. No pot—not even a painkiller.
Zay, I knew, could pull it off with me. I trusted him, not to mention his parties were always a hit. He made people pay to attend them, and they made him a lot of money, too—so much that he didn’t need to get a real job in order to pay his bills.
This club was going to be my first step to a full recovery. I could become somebody—I could do something with myself without having to rely on my wealthy mother. I didn’t want to be the disappointment in the family anymore. I just wanted to become someone greater.
I admit I had this goal set in motion for another reason too: to get Marley back. Once the club was up and running and I was making my own money and taking care of myself, I was going to find her again somehow, and we were going to start over.
That was the plan, and I wasn’t going to let anyone stop it from happening, especially myself.
• • • • •
I finally fell asleep around two that morning, woke up around eleven, and grabbed some coffee from the shop in the lobby. Around five in the afternoon, there was a knock at the door and Elton stood on the other side with a suit on a hanger.
“From your mother, Mr. Chambers,” he said, all formally.
“Thanks, Elton.”
The party was in an hour, and there I was, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, shaking my head at my reflection. This wasn’t me. I didn’t wear suits. I couldn’t even remember the last time I wore one. The year I graduated high school, maybe?
I didn’t do much to my hair, and I knew Becks would give me hell for it, but something had to give. I wasn’t about to go in looking like pretty boy Lloyd Harris. I was still me, rugged and simple, not some clean-cut man with thousand-dollar suits and shiny shoes.
My phone rang, and when Mom’s name appeared on the screen, I left the hotel room, dreading the events of tonight.
We pulled up to a gated community, and Elton parked in front of a tall white building with gold lights flashing on it.
I wanted to fucking vomit. It was clearly the clubhouse for an upscale neighborhood, but it looked more like a mansion.
It was made of bleached brick, the bushes well trimmed, the beds of flowers put together nicely. A person had to have connections before even considering renting a place like this out.
People were already parked and walking in, excited about the party. All of them were dressed formally, some young and old. I stepped out of the limo and loosened my tie, but Becks stepped right up to me, tightening it back up again.
“Remember to behave,” she lightly scolded. “And why didn’t you at least gel your hair?”
I followed after her, into the building and down the foyer made of mostly marble and oak. Classical music played from hidden speakers and white roses in wide, rustic gold vases were set up on the tables.
We finally entered the ballroom and Mom pointed at a table up front. “We’ll be sitting there, but first you need to speak to your brother and you must meet Marlena.”
Marlena?
My eyebrows instantly drew together when she said that name. She squeezed my hand, nearly dragging me through the crowd to reach the front before I could question it.
That name had to be a coincidence. But really? Not many women were named Marlena in this world. I only knew one, and she was unique in every way.
I saw Lloyd in a blue suit, his back turned to us, and a woman standing right beside him, her back facing us as well.
She looked familiar, even at that angle.
Her skin was caramel, smooth. Her black hair was short, cut in a long, layered bob with the tips touching her shoulders, and she wore a knee-length sleeveless ivory dress that showed off the fullness of her hips and legs.
Those legs.
That ass.
Her body.
Everything about her was too fucking familiar.
“Oh, Lloyd!” Mom chimed when she’d finally gotten close enough.
But I stopped walking and stood only inches away, realizing this was no coincidence at all. This was fucking real. This was happening.
Lloyd turned around when he heard Mom’s voice and so did the woman standing beside him. And when those familiar blue eyes swooped up to meet mine, I swear my heart fucking failed me.
My throat thickened, body going completely numb. She had on the biggest, pearliest smile, but as soon as she saw me, that smile vanished. Her jaw dropped just a fraction, and her eyes swam with shock and guilt.
The reaction happened so fast, but she pulled herself together quickly when Becks gave her a hug around the neck.
This had to be some sick, twisted, fucking joke.
There was no way in hell my brother was marrying Marlena Winters, the woman that robbed me of my sleep every single night. The woman who ripped my heart right out of my chest and tore it to shreds. The woman I wanted to hate but couldn’t, because she still owned my heart, despite how broken it was.
“Vincent, this is Marlena. Isn’t she just stunning!” Becks sang, bringing Marley a step closer. I couldn’t fucking speak, but I reacted by offering a hand. Not for my sake, but for my mother’s.
Behave.
Behave.
How was I supposed to fucking behave when the woman of my dreams was standing right beside a man I despised, wearing a large diamond ring he bought?
“Marlena, this is my brother, Vincent,” Lloyd announced, stepping closer to her, running his hand over her hip. I clenched my other hand, trying hard not to flare my nostrils when he squeezed her there.
“Vincent,” Marley said, grabbing my hand and shaking it. She avoided my eyes, swinging them over to look at Lloyd. “I—didn’t realize your brother would be joining us. You didn’t tell me.”
What she meant to say was she did
n’t realize I, Vincent Chambers, was his fucking brother at all.
“He didn’t even tell me your name,” she went on, finally looking at me, and I saw the remorse swimming in those blue irises. The fear. She was begging me silently not to say anything—not to mention our past or what we had. To pretend to be total strangers in this moment. “I just found out last night that he even had a brother.”
Why was she talking like this? Like some puppet on a string? She sounded too formal. This wasn’t her.
Lloyd butted in. “Yeah, and there’s a reason for that. We aren’t as close as brothers should be.” He capped my shoulder with a small chuckle. I glared at him. “But we’re still family. That’s all that matters. Wouldn’t have anyone else as my best man. Isn’t that right, brother?”
I looked between them, feeling Becks staring at me. She shifted on her heels, concerned now, but she had no reason to be. Before I could say something stupid, I asked, “Where is the bathroom? I need to take a piss.”
“Oh, Vin,” Becks hissed. “Do you have to be so nasty about it?” She pointed towards the exit. “Down the hall and to the left. Hurry back. The party is about to start, and I don’t want you to miss anything.”
I turned before she could finish talking and stalked out of the ballroom. As I found the exit, someone bumped into my shoulder. I glared at the person and it was Dickhead Senior himself. William fucking Harris. Mom’s husband.
“Well, if it isn’t my spoiled-rotten stepson,” he boomed, laughing at his own stupid joke and squeezing my shoulder a little too aggressively. “I see you’ll do anything for money nowadays, won’t you?” Everything about him pissed me off, including his annoying hillbilly accent.
“Fuck off, Will,” I spat, shoving his hand away and storming off. I wasn’t in the mood for his shit. I wasn’t in the mood for any of this shit.
This couldn’t be fucking happening. What the hell had I just walked into?
I paced the bathroom, raking rough fingers through my hair and cursing beneath my breath. And then, I took a moment to breathe, letting it all sink it.
Lloyd was a pilot for Redwire Airlines. Marlena told me she got the job as a flight attendant there the last time I saw her. They had to have met through their jobs. But why, out of everyone she could have met and ended up engaged to, did it have to be him? And why so soon? It’d only been two and a half years since the last time I saw her, for fuck’s sake!
The tables had turned now.
Fuck the money.
Fuck the wedding.
He had Marley—my Marley—and that shit didn’t fly with me.
MARLEY
I knew from the very first moment I laid eyes on him that he was trouble.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Cut and toned in all the right places, but still lean. He still looked the same. He wore his auburn hair messy, like he still didn’t give a damn about what people thought of him. And knowing him, he probably didn’t. It was one of the many things I used to love about him. He didn’t let a lot sway him, especially someone else’s opinion.
I should have known to leave him alone as soon as I met him. My life probably would have been better off but, like I said, Vin was an addiction. He made me high with just the simple trace of his fingers, the caress of his soft lips on my skin.
He intoxicated me in every way. With how we started, it seems rushed. Things happened so fast—too fast—and spiraled even faster, and eventually I couldn’t control them anymore. I couldn’t handle him anymore.
I didn’t regret what we had. No. I couldn’t, because I loved him, with every ounce of love I had in me, and loving him taught me how to grow. But just because I loved him, it didn’t make him mine, and it didn’t make me his. It didn’t make our relationship right or okay.
He sat there, staring right at me from his seat at the table, watching as Lloyd and I greeted the rest of the guests. His name wasn’t on the guest list. I would have spotted his name from a mile away.
I believe his mother said the name Vincent during dinner last night, but I didn’t think it was that Vincent. There are millions of guys named Vincent in this world. They were the Harris’s. His last name was Chambers. It didn’t add up . . . at least not at the time.
He looked down at mine and Lloyd’s entwined fingers, and I saw the pain flash across his face, like he’d just been shocked by a thousand watts. My mouth felt full of cotton just from looking at him, my heart hammering against my chest. I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from his stare for the life of me—to pretend I didn’t see his shock and pain.
We knew each other, and we knew each other very well.
“You okay, babe?” Lloyd asked beside me. I finally pulled my eyes away from Vin, smiling up at him.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just glad your mom put all of this together.”
He smiled. “Yeah. Me, too.”
I glanced over at Vin again when Lloyd looked away. He wasn’t sitting anymore. He was standing and walking towards the bar. He was irritated. I could always tell by the way he hunched his shoulders and steeled his jaw.
“Your brother seems very . . . quiet,” I noted.
“Oh.” Lloyd rolled his eyes and then glanced towards the bar. “Trust me, he’ll be fine once he gets whatever drink he’s about to order. Fucking alcoholic.” I winced when I heard the harshness in his tone.
“Do you not like him or something?” I asked lightly, trying to make it seem like I didn’t really care. But I did.
“He’s the big brother but acts ten years younger than me. Only reason he’s even around is because I love my mother more than my pride and will put up with his shit for now.”
I tried not to frown. “Oh.” Wow. Slowly pulling my hand out of his, I stepped aside and said, “I have to run to the ladies room. I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be long. We’re about to get started.” I nodded and he turned to talk to an approaching colleague.
I zoomed past our table—the table we were going to be sharing with Vin—and even quicker past the bar. I felt him watching me go, and I prayed hard that he wouldn’t come chasing after me.
But this was Vincent we were talking about. Formerly known as my Vinny. He didn’t give a damn who saw him. I heard footsteps when I made the turn to get to the next hallway where the bathrooms were, and then his voice surrounded me, echoing down the hallway.
My heart plummeted and tears immediately reached the brink of my eyes. They burned like hell, but I didn’t let them fall. My hand was right above the door handle. All it would take was one twist and push and twist and I would be inside, away from him. So why hadn’t I pushed the damn door open yet?
“Marley,” he called again, and my stomach twisted in a thick, tight knot. I looked over my shoulder, but didn’t meet his eyes. I couldn’t. Not alone. Not like this.
“Turn and look at me,” I heard him say as he took another step forward.
“I swear I didn’t know, Vin,” I murmured, dropping my hand.
“Of course you didn’t.” I heard the ice rattle in his glass. “My brother? Never in a million fucking years . . .” He trailed off and it seemed like he was thinking.
I had to be brave. This was already done. The plans were already in the making. I was marrying Lloyd Harris. That’s why I was here—to celebrate him asking me.
I turned around and looked him square in the face. I tried to keep my expression stern. The expression vanished as soon as I met the beautiful, familiar whiskey irises. They were nothing like Lloyd’s at all. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell they were brothers.
Lloyd had blond hair and green eyes. Vincent had auburn hair and brown eyes. Day and night is how I would describe them. Polar fucking opposites.
“You shouldn’t have come if you knew it was me, Vin,” I said, taking a step forward.
“That’s the thing,” he sighed. “I didn’t know it was you.”
“How couldn’t you? He’s your brother.”
“I don’t keep up with Lloyd or his women. I do
n’t give a shit about him or them.”
I swallowed hard, looking down the hallway. Someone was coming. I could hear footsteps on the marble. Forget the bathroom. It could wait.
I hurried down the hall to get back to the party, but before I could pass him, he grabbed my elbow gently, locking those brown eyes on me.
He looked good—better. His eyes were bright again. They had life and held meaning. I noticed what was in his glass wasn’t alcohol. It was Coke on ice. I could hear the fizz.
“Please, let me go, Vin,” I whispered, hearing the footsteps getting closer.
“You told me to let you go once before, and I listened. Look what happened when I did.” My eyes flashed up to his. He scanned me, up and down, like he didn’t like what he was seeing. “This isn’t you, Marley.” He narrowed his gaze. “What the hell are you doing with him?”
I scowled. “You don’t know who I am anymore, Vin. Things have changed. People change.”
“No,” he mumbled. “People don’t change. And if they do, it’s never this fast.”
“Yeah, well, I guess you would be the one to know all about that, huh? Not being able to change overnight?” The footsteps grew closer. He finally released my elbow, and I took a step away. I didn’t mean it, but I couldn’t take it back. It was the truth, after all. “I have to get back.” I walked away before he could say anything else to me.
And it was my luck that I did, because Mr. Harris was coming down the hallway. “Oh—there you are. Come on, girl! Party’s about to start. Got people waiting on ya!” I forced a smile at him as he swung a heavy arm over my shoulders. Mr. Harris looked at Vin as he turned with me and put on a smug smile. “Why are you standing around like some lost fool? Get your ass to the table and be happy for your brother, boy!”
I looked over at Vin, who was glaring at Mr. Harris like he wanted to strangle him. Then he looked at me, but I looked away faster, walking with Mr. Harris back to the party.
“You don’t wanna hang around that boy, trust me,” Mr. Harris said, already reeking of booze. “He ain’t no good. That boy will get into some deep shit and drag you right down with him.”
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