Shit. Maybe Beth had gone too far. She flinched as Brenna reached for her robe.
“Is this La Perla?” Brenna asked, enviously.
Nevermind. As usual, Brenna wasn’t listening to a word Beth was saying. She was too busy coveting Beth’s wardrobe.
Beth rolled her eyes. Her robe was in fact La Perla, but it wasn’t Brenna’s business. Admitting she’d spent a small fortune on her lingerie for Jared would only incite more mockery from Brenna.
“Pretty racy for nothing to be going on with Parker,” Brenna chided, tugging on the exposed strap of her nightie that peeked out.
Beth cringed internally realizing that now two people, who weren’t her boyfriend, had seen her lingerie. The allure was ruined. “Mind your own business,” Beth shot back.
“Well, I hope you spent as much on my wedding gift as you did your tease wear,” Brenna huffed.
Beth shook with anger. “Are you kidding? You do realize I’m missing spring break with my boyfriend to be here, don’t you?”
“Oh please, like anything would even happen. You’re such a prude.”
“At least I’m not a slut having a shotgun wedding!”
Brenna lunged, tackling Beth to the floor. She struggled to get up. Even though they were the same size, Brenna had always been scrappier than Beth. Brenna had a hold of Beth’s messy blonde hair, giving her no choice but to grab a handful of Brenna’s dyed red locks in order to save her own.
“I’m not pregnant, you idiot,” Brenna snarled.
“So?”
“So, it’s not a shotgun wedding.”
“Well that is a surprise,” Beth said struggling to break Brenna’s hold.
“Apologize.”
“No!”
Brenna’s response was a sharp yank on Beth’s hair.
“Stop it!” Beth screamed.
“Not until you apologize.”
“No!”
The fight raged on for another few minutes before the doors to the balcony slid open.
“Girls!”
Beth and Brenna stopped their bickering at the sound of their mother’s voice.
“Morning, Mom,” Brenna greeted, still holding Beth in a headlock.
“Girls, honestly. Aren’t you too old for this?”
“We’re just messing around,” Brenna replied, releasing Beth and helping her to her feet like she hadn’t just been trying to strangle her.
Beth glared at Brenna, but held her tongue. Beth hated disappointing her mother, and fighting with Brenna on her wedding week, no matter who started it, would only reinforce her mother’s view of Beth being the baby of the family.
“I’m so glad you’re here, sweetheart,” Beth’s mother said, pulling her into a hug.
“Me too, Mom.”
“Was the drive terrible?”
“No, we actually had fun.”
“Where’s Parker?” her mother asked.
“He’s in the shower,” Brenna replied smugly. “I was surprised to find them sharing a room.”
Beth’s mother sighed. “Oh, I’m so sorry about that, sweetheart. I meant to tell you there was a mix up with the rooms but we’ve been so busy since we got here that it slipped my mind. You don’t mind sharing with Parker, do you?”
Beth paused. “No, but are there really no other rooms?”
“Well, you could share with Uncle Harold if you want. He has a double room, but I figured you’d be more comfortable sharing with Parker. Harold snores like a horse.”
Hell no! Uncle Harold smelled like mothballs and moldy cheese. He was really Beth’s great uncle, but insisted on being called ‘Uncle Harold’. Like no one could tell he was eighty. Plus, he hit on the female wait staff at every family event and it made Beth uncomfortable. “No, I’m good here. I’ll share with Parker.”
“Good.” Beth’s mother clapped her hands together. “Now we have a lot to do today. Brenna, did you ask Beth if she could help with the wedding favors?”
“Yep, she said she’d be happy to.”
Beth glared at Brenna. She most certainly hadn’t agreed to any such thing! But with her mother beaming at her, Beth couldn’t really object.
“Good girl,” her mother replied. Then she sighed happily. “I just love weddings. It’s the only time I get to have all my girls back together again.”
“Oh Mom,” Brenna and Beth said in unison.
“I know, I know, I’m being sappy, but that’s my job,” she replied pulling both her daughters in for another hug. “Well, I’m off to meet with the caterers. Brenna, do you want to come with me?”
“I’ll meet you there,” Brenna said. “I have a few last minute items I need to go over with Beth.”
“Okay, don’t take too long. We’re already doing all of this without the groom’s input, so it makes yours even more important.”
“Wait, what?” Beth interjected. “Why am I here if the groom hasn’t even arrived yet?”
“Eric is serving our country,” Brenna replied, bristling. “He’s flying in the night before the ceremony so we can spend the few days he has for leave on our honeymoon.”
“He’s a Marine,” Beth’s mother said, practically swooning. “We can’t wait to meet him, sweetheart.”
“I won’t be long, Mom,” Brenna promised. “Why don’t you get started with the caterers and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
As soon as their mother was out of the room, Brenna turned, grinning fiendishly at Beth. “Thanks for helping with my wedding favors, Bethy. Filling five hundred sand bottles would’ve taken me forever, and you know how bad the sun is for my complexion.”
“We have the same complexion,” Beth growled.
Brenna shrugged. “The supplies are in the lobby. Have them done by five. Mom wants us all to go out to dinner in town.”
“How am I supposed to get them all done myself?”
“Take Parker with you.”
Beth gaped after her sister as she walked toward the door.
“And this isn’t a whim,” Brenna said.
“What?”
“Getting married. You said this is just a whim. But it’s not. Eric is the best thing to ever happen to me. You’ll see.” And with that, Brenna sauntered out of the room.
For such a tiny girl, Brenna certainly had a lot of swagger. The room felt empty as soon as the fiery redhead slammed the door. But then Beth heard the bathroom door open.
22
Parker
In his haste to escape Brenna’s accusing stare Parker had forgotten to bring a change of clothes into the bathroom with him. He’d taken a shower—an ice cold one. It helped immensely, but when Parker heard Beth’s mother in the bedroom he’d been afraid to come out wrapped in nothing but a towel.
He’d known Barbara Bennett for years. She was the closest thing Parker had to a mother since his passed away. But despite their close relationship he didn’t think she’d look too kindly on him parading around her daughter’s room half naked.
When Parker finally heard the door slam he counted to ten. The room was still quiet. He peeked his head out of the bathroom. “Is Hurricane Brenna over?” he asked.
Beth jumped like she’d forgotten he was still in the room. “Yeah, sorry.”
Parker sighed and padded barefoot into the bedroom. He went straight to his duffle bag, rooting around for some clothes.
“She’s unbelievable,” Beth muttered.
“That’s one word for her,” Parker joked. He knew how much Brenna got under Beth’s skin. Jumping on the ‘Brenna’s a bitch’ bandwagon was the only way to cope when Beth and Brenna were fighting—which was pretty much always.
“And she’s already ordering us around,” Beth whined.
Parker’s eyebrows raised in alarm. He hated being dragged into Brenna’s schemes. “What’s she want us to do?”
“We have to fill five hundred stupid bottles with sand before dinner. I mean seriously? It’s our spring break. We didn’t come here to do manual labor.”
“Sand
? What for?”
“Wedding favors.”
Parker groaned internally. He reminded himself it could be worse. Brenna had a way for coming up with the worst ideas on the planet. Once she invented a game called ‘roller ball.’ It was basically dodge ball on roller skates, which pretty much amounted to Brenna wailing on Beth and Parker while they tried to escape her wrath on roller blades. They might have stood a fighting chance if the roller blades they were wearing weren’t from Beth’s older sisters and at least three sizes too big.
Then there was the time that Beth beat Brenna at ‘Dance Dance Revolution’ and Brenna had been so mad she squirted a whole bottle of Visine into Beth’s cherry coke, but Parker ended up drinking it. He spent the rest of the day in his bathroom thinking he had food poisoning until Brenna finally admitted what happened because Parker’s father was about to take him to the hospital. Parker shuddered at the memory.
“I’m sorry,” Beth said sinking down onto the bed. “I shouldn’t have dragged you here. I forgot how awful Brenna can be.”
Parker wanted to hug Beth and tell her there was nowhere else he’d rather be, but the fact that he was still in nothing but a towel stopped him. “Hold that thought,” he said taking his duffle bag into the bathroom to change.
He came out a minute later dressed in gray board shorts and a blue v-neck tee. He’d put his contacts in since they’d be spending the day at the beach. He had a tube of sunscreen in his hand as he smiled at Beth. “Well, we better get going if we’re gonna get through bridezilla Brenna’s minion work.”
“Why do you look like you’re dressed for a day of fun at the beach?” Beth asked.
“Because I am.”
“This isn’t going to be fun, Parker. We’ll probably get sunburns and blisters from shoveling sand.”
Parker laughed. “You’ll get sunburned.”
Beth narrowed her eyes. “Not all of us were blessed with beautiful skin that bronzes in the sun.”
Beth’s comment caught him off guard. “You think I have beautiful skin?”
“Duh,” Beth replied. She seemed to play off the compliment, but Parker caught the slightest blush on her cheeks.
He tamped down his ego and tossed the sunblock at Beth. “That’s what this is for.” He’d packed a bottle of SPF 60 specifically for her because she never remembered how badly she burned.
Beth caught the bottle and looked at it gratefully. He knew what she was thinking without her even having to say it. Thank you for knowing me. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for being my other half.
He knew because it’s what Parker thought of every time Beth did something little, yet monumental for him. It was the way she always carried an extra phone charger for him because he never remembered to plug his phone in at night. Or how she brought his mail in when she went to her own mailbox because neither Parker nor his father could seem to remember to do the menial task. Or the way she left Parker little sticky notes with silly messages on his windshield or front door. Sometimes she’d even sneak them into the pocket of his folded pants and he wouldn’t find them for months.
All of those little things added up. They made Parker feel cared for, understood, treasured . . . loved. Having Beth in his life meant the world to him. And he knew the feeling was reciprocated.
It was the little things that meant the most to them both. The things that came with knowing someone almost better than they knew themselves. It had always been that way between Parker and Beth. And he’d always thought it was just because they’d grown up together. But lately, he’d started wondering if maybe it was more than that. And from the way Beth was staring at him, with a mix of awe and appreciation on her beautiful face, Parker hoped maybe there truly was something more between them. It had certainly felt that way before Brenna charged into their bedroom.
Parker swallowed back the emotion bubbling in his chest. He wished he could ask Beth if she felt it too—that unbreakable bond between them and how it seemed to be changing lately. But Parker didn’t know how to explain how he was feeling, only that it overwhelmed him at times. He couldn’t imagine there being two people more suited for each other than they were. They knew each other on another level. It was the only way he could describe it.
Brenna’s sisters knew her. And supposedly so did Jared. But never once did Parker see them go the extra mile for Beth like he did. And it’s not that Parker felt he deserved something for his efforts. They really weren’t even efforts. He just always thought of Beth first.
Parker stared at Beth and wished he could find a way to tell her everything he was feeling. How could he feel so connected to her, yet not be able to show her what was in his heart?
He sighed. Now was not the time nor place. “You brought a bathing suit, right?”
Beth nodded.
“Well, go get dressed, Cinderella, we have an evil step sister to appease.”
Beth
Beth took a quick shower before getting dressed to go to the beach with Parker. She was still fuming over her encounter with Brenna. How dare she burst in their bedroom like that and start accusing Beth and Parker of scandal. Thankfully, they hadn’t been doing anything, but they could’ve been. They weren’t kids anymore. Waking up so close to Parker this morning had proved that to Beth. She felt a rush of shame at the memory. What would’ve happened if Brenna hadn’t walked in?
She quickly shook the question from her wandering mind and concentrated on rubbing her sunblock in. What Beth should be thinking about was how to control her temper so she didn’t kill her bridezilla of a sister. She should’ve expected as much, but perhaps the time away from Brenna had let her horribleness fade from Beth’s memory. Or perhaps Beth had hoped her ill-tempered sister had grown up in the two years she’d lived on her own.
Brenna had been raising her little boy, Michael, on her own in Savannah. Well not really on her own. Their parents made sure Brenna and Michael were financially stable. But still, if single-parenting didn’t make Brenna grow up, Beth didn’t think anything would. She wondered if Eric knew what he was getting himself into. At least he was a Marine—hostile territory wouldn’t be a new concept for him.
Beth finished getting dressed. She put on her black strappy bikini and slipped on a pale blue sundress with embroidered white flowers. She swept her long blonde hair into a ponytail and put on her game face. She knew surviving Brenna’s wedding was going to be a nightmare. But Beth had Parker with her, and he always made everything better.
“Okay,” Beth said stepping out of the bathroom. “I’m ready.”
23
Jared
“So what do ya think?” Caroline asked settling onto the couch next to Jared. She curled her legs under herself and wrapped her long fingers around her mug of coffee.
Jared was sitting in front of the fireplace watching the snow silently fall. He hadn’t been able to sleep. All night his mind was overrun of thoughts of Beth. The guilt was really starting to get to him. Eventually, he’d given up on the idea of sleep and decided to come enjoy the stunning views from one of the many sitting rooms while the house was quiet.
“I think Aspen’s beautiful,” he replied.
Caroline smiled. “I know, right? I wish I could just live out here permanently.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Trying to get rid of me already?” she teased.
“That’s not what I meant,” Jared replied defensively.
“I know. I’m just joking, geez. Maybe I was wrong.”
“About what?”
“Maybe you and Beth are a good match.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you’re just as uptight lately.”
“And whose fault is that, Car?”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “It takes two to do what we did, Jared.”
“Yeah and you certainly like throwing it in my face.”
She shook her head and took a sip of coffee. “I’m just trying to make sure we don’t hurt Beth anymore th
an we already have.”
“By dragging me out here?”
“I told you why I did that. And don’t act like it’s so awful. I saw the way you were gazing out the windows.” She stood up. “Ya know, if you’d stop letting your guilt rule your life maybe you’d actually have some fun. Do you remember that word? It’s what attracted me to you in the first place.”
Caroline stormed off, leaving Jared alone to bask in the quietness of the sleeping house. In the silence, Jared couldn’t escape Caroline’s words. He hated that she was right. He hadn’t been much fun lately. He felt too guilty to even let himself enjoy anything. But there was nothing he could do to change the past. What was done was done. He needed to start living.
That’s what this week was supposed to be about—having one last hurrah with his boys. If things worked out with Beth, Jared wouldn’t have many bachelor weekends in his future. It surprised him how okay he was with the idea of that. But it also spurred him to make the most of his time while he was in Colorado. It’s not like free trips to Aspen were a normal occurrence in his life.
With that in mind, Jared went downstairs to roust the guys. Daylight was burning and he was itching to hit the slopes.
Beth
“Parker, we have to get these stupid wedding favors filled with sand,” Beth complained as he parked his Range Rover in front of Seaside Sweets. She’d already conceded to drive to Tybee Island’s beach instead of walking across the boardwalk to the private beach at Bellemora. At this rate they’d be lucky to have time to get everything done before dinner.
“I know, but we can’t do that on an empty stomach.”
Beth’s stomach was already growling. Seaside Sweets made the best chocolate pecan turtles she’d ever had and its gelato was to die for.
“Come on,” Parker taunted. “You know you want some.”
“Don’t use your powers for evil,” Beth teased, climbing out of the car.
“I can’t help it if your weakness for sugar is to my advantage.”
She smirked. “You’re evil.”
The Stand-In Boyfriend Page 12