The Stand-In Boyfriend

by Christina Benjamin

  Parker pulled Beth closer. “Well, when you put it that way . . .” He kissed her slowly, until she was putty in his hands. Parker sighed. “Hell, who am I kidding? I’ll let you call me anything you want.”

  Beth giggled. “I know.”

  She loved the easy banter they’d grown into since they started dating and was reluctant to let go. It seemed Parker was too, but with the first day of college looming there didn’t seem to be much choice.

  Beth finally managed to pry herself away after multiple failed attempts in which Parker dragged her back to his bed. “Alright, I guess I should go.”

  Parker looked at his watch and frowned. “If I keep you any longer you’re gonna miss your first class.”

  She pouted. “I don’t wanna leave you.”

  “I know,” Parker replied. “I don’t want you to either, but we talked about this. It’s gonna be fine. Our campuses aren’t that far apart.”

  Beth groaned. “It’s just gonna be weird.”

  “I know.” Parker admitted. “I’m not gonna know what to do with myself. We haven’t spent a moment apart since we got back from Georgia.”

  “Mmm, Georgia,” Beth mused. “Can we please go back there?”

  “Yes. Every summer. And then we’ll retire there when we’re old and gray and drink gin and play bridge like Nana.”

  Beth laughed. “That sounds perfect! But do we have to wait until we’re old and gray? Retirement is so far away.”

  Parker stroked his chin. “Good point. We’ll move there right after we graduate so all our kids can run amuck at Bellemora like we did.”

  Beth looked up at him, eyes wide. “We’re having kids?”

  “Lots of kids,” he replied kissing her nose.

  Beth sat up. “Just how many kids are we talking?”

  “Oh at least six. But not all girls, okay? I love your sisters, but they’re crazy.”

  Beth snorted. “You wouldn’t want six of me?”

  “On second thought,” Parker tackled her back onto the bed kissing her until she was breathless.

  “Okay, okay. I think I better go before you jump start the kid plan.”

  Parker chuckled, but walked Beth to the door. He slid his college hoodie over her head, kissing the crown of her head when it popped out. Her blonde hair was in a messy ponytail and he couldn’t resist giving it a tug. “Now go to class so we can get to our amazing future sooner.”

  Beth grinned standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you, Parker Reed.”

  “I love you too, Beth Bennett. Don’t worry, okay? It won’t be that bad.”

  “I know,” she said trying to put on a brave face. “We’ll see each other all the time.”

  “One more kiss,” Parker said pulling Beth toward him by her sweatshirt strings.

  And then she was out the door.

  Beth walked across the blustery campus as the fall leaves danced in the crisp air. The wind smelled of change and she tried not to be nervous. But as she continued to her waiting car, she glanced down at the words embroidered across Parker’s college hoodie and smiled—Harvard University.

  Maybe change wasn’t so bad after all. Parker had changed his mind about college and now their campuses were only a few miles apart. Everything was falling into place for them. With Parker by her side, the future was full of possibility. And as much as that excited her, Beth was more focused on the present these days. Mainly because she’d gotten much better at seeing what was right in front of her, and she really liked the view.

  Beth smiled at her driver as he opened the door to her town car. Settling into the comfortable leather of the back seat, Beth let her mind wander back to Georgia for a moment. She and Parker had returned to Bellemora after graduation and spent four weeks discovering just how many things they didn’t know about each other.

  Grinning, Beth looked out the window as the beautiful Boston scenery passed her by. Georgia could wait. Beth and Parker had a lot of memories to make in Boston first. Especially since they had rewritten their rules . . .

  Rules for surviving a crush on your best friend:

  Always admit how you truly feel.

  Never let your best friend date a jerk.

  Attend as many weddings as possible together.

  And always remember . . . love is worth the risk.

  To my readers,

  I want to personally thank you for taking the time to seek out this great little indie book. Writing is truly my passion. I believe each of us can find a small part of ourselves in every book we read, and carry it with us, shaping our world, our adventures and our dreams.

  Following my dream to write frees my soul but knowing others find joy in my writing is indescribable. So thank you for your support and I hope your enjoyed your brief escape into the magic of these pages.

  If you enjoyed this story, don’t worry, there’s plenty more currently rattling around in my rambunctious imagination. Let me and others know your thoughts by sharing a review of this book. Reviews help shape my next writing projects. So if you want more books like this one be sure to shout it from the rooftops (or social media.) ;-)

  - Christina Benjamin

  PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW HERE

  The Maybe Boyfriend

  Christina Benjamin

  Book 6

  Chapters 1-5

  Prologue

  May·be (ˈmābē)

  adverb

  perhaps; possibly. Example: "Maybe this could work."

  synonyms; perhaps, possibly, conceivably, it could be (that), it is possible (that), for all one knows.

  noun

  a mere possibility or probability. Example: “No ifs, buts, or maybes”

  When dating, ‘maybe’ can be a girl’s best friend.

  “Maybe I’ll give you my number.”

  “Maybe we can go on a second date.”

  “Maybe he’s the one.”

  However, there are definitely times a girl doesn’t want to hear the word ‘maybe’.

  “Do you care about me or did you just want to sleep with me?”

  “Do you see this relationship going anywhere?”

  “Are you dating anyone else?”

  And the word ‘maybe’ should never be used when describing a boyfriend.

  “Zander O’Leary is your boyfriend, right?”

  Maybe, maybe isn’t such a great word after all?

  1

  Megan

  “Can we go over the itinerary again?” Megan asked while finishing her Irish coffee.

  “Good Christ, woman,” Devon muttered. “We’ve been over it a dozen times since we left Boston. Nothing’s changed. Zander’s picking us up in Dublin and we’re gonna have a grand ol’ time chasing leprechauns and rainbows.”

  “Don’t patronize me, Devon.”

  “Then don’t ask patronizing questions.”

  “I’m not sure you understand the meaning of the word, Dev. Still having trouble mastering English? I guess it’s understandable, but you have been living in Boston for almost three years. I’d hoped you’d have caught on by now,” Megan teased.

  “I speak English just fine.”

  “No, you speak Irish. But that’s a good thing since we’re going to Ireland! Now make yourself useful and read me today’s itinerary or make me another drink.”

  “Megs, that mouth a yers is gonna get ye in a right foul mess if ye don’t mind it, lass.”

  Megan crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at Devon. She loved her best friend’s boyfriend dearly, but sometimes she wanted to murder his stubborn Irish arse. She didn’t have any siblings, but she assumed the love-hate relationship she shared with Devon was pretty close.

  Megan turned around in her seat searching Sam out. Her best friend, Samantha Connors, was six rows back in the private plane Cor-Tec had chartered to fly them to Dublin. Devon was part owner of the billion-dollar tech company, along with Sam’s father. That’s how Megan had scored such an amazing study abroad internship in Ireland.

  Goi
ng to Ireland was a dream come true for Megan Fields. She’d had an obsession with the whimsical country for as long as she could remember. But this was the first time she was actually able to visit. Megan was supposed to go for a semester her sophomore year, but Sam’s demanding sports medicine courses made it impossible. Seeing Ireland with her best friend was part of the draw for Megan, so she deferred her study abroad opportunity until they could go together. Luckily, Devon had pulled some strings so they could all attend this year.

  Megan was currently a third year film student at Boston University, where she shared an apartment with Sam and Devon. She loved them both dearly and was seriously happy that their relationship was going so well after all of the hurdles that almost derailed them in the beginning, but she often felt like the third wheel. Which was part of the reason she was out of her mind about going to Ireland, where she’d finally get to meet the love of her life in person—Zander O’Leary.

  The only problem? Zander had no idea that Megan was in love with him.

  Zander was Devon’s best friend and business partner. They’d had a complicated history for a while, but since Devon and Sam started dating, things had been better between Devon and Zander.

  Megan and Zander had actually been instrumental in getting Sam and Devon together and it had spawned their own cyber romance. Megan and Zander had been video chatting for nearly three years since first connecting Sam and Devon. But this was the first time they’d meet face-to-face, and the idea had Megan more than a little excited. Even though Zander shamelessly flirted with her online, he never gave her any real inclination that he wanted anything more than friendship. But Megan always suspected it was because a relationship hadn’t really been an option since they lived on separate continents. Although that certainly hadn’t stopped Megan from falling head-over-heels in love with the Irish heartthrob.

  Now that she was actually headed to Ireland, Megan was convinced she and Zander were meant to be. She’d always been a hopeless romantic, and watching Sam and Devon’s love story unfold had made Megan crave one of her own. She was convinced if she could just spend some time with Zander and play it cool that he’d find her irresistible.

  Unfortunately, playing it cool was definitely not one of Megan’s specialties. She was more of the in your face, impulsive type, and routinely contracted nerdy verbal diarrhea about useless movie facts when she was nervous. Megan could already feel her nerves flapping around her stomach like over-caffeinated bats. Which was precisely why she needed to distract herself for the rest of the flight.

  She glanced back at Sam again. All she could see was the headphone-clad top of Sam’s brunette head buried deep in her kinesiology book. Megan groaned. She was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. Maybe the three Irish coffees hadn’t been such a good idea?

  She’d hoped the copious amounts of whiskey she’d added would counter act the caffeine but it seemed Irish coffee was stronger than the Boston beans she routinely mainlined.

  Megan glanced out the plane window as the clouds played peek-a-book with the patchwork of green and blue landscape below. The scenery only made Megan more jittery. She couldn’t wait to get her feet on the ground—and arms around Zander!

  Megan had always been a bit boy-crazy. She’d dated her fair share of Boston collegiate while nursing her crush on Zander, but none of them ever held a candle to him. Even without having met in person, Megan’s attraction to Zander was undeniable. Her mind raced away with visions of him waiting for her arrival and she vaguely found herself wondering if she could die of horniness as her legs bounced to the rapid rate of her hopelessly pining heart.

  “Do you need to use the loo?” Devon asked, interrupting Megan’s thoughts.

  “Huh?”

  “Yer legs are shaking like a jackhammer.”

  “Oh. I might have had a wee bit too much coffee,” she lied. In truth she just needed to talk to Sam about Zander before her anxiety got out of control.

  Megan was a take-charge, positive individual, but she wasn’t completely immune to doubts. She needed some girl talk with her bestie to calm her nerves. Her stomach had been a shitnado of stress since she boarded their flight in Boston, and presently, remaining silent and seated seemed like an impossibly tall order.

  Since the flight attendant would most likely frown upon Megan doing backflips in the aisle to expel some of her pent up energy she decided to pester Devon some more.

  “Come on, Dev,” she begged. “Just keep me occupied. Let’s go over everyone at Cor-Tec’s names one more time. You know I love listening to your accent.”

  “Now who’s being patronizing?” he shot back.

  “I was just messing with you. You know that’s how I show my love.”

  “I know you’ve had everything ye need to know for yer Cor-Tec film project memorized months ago and yer just trying to drive me batty.”

  “Well Sam is busy being boring so you’re my only option for entertainment.”

  “Why don’t ye watch a movie?” Devon suggested pointing to the large flat screen on the wall.

  “I’ve seen them.”

  “All?”

  “Yes, I’ve seen all the movies. Now talk to me about something before I throw up, damn it!”

  “Wait, are ye really gonna be sick? Ye know I don’t do well with sick,” Devon said nervously.

  “No, I’m not going to be sick you bitch waffle. I’m just nervous about meeting Zander in . . .” Megan glanced at her watch. “Oh God! Like twenty minutes! Shit! This is really happening. I’m gonna meet Zander!” Megan squealed, her voice near supersonic.

  “Sam!” Devon bellowed. “I could really use yer help up here. Megs has gone a wee bit mad.”

  Sam’s head emerged into the aisle several rows back. “Guys! I’m studying.”

  “But we’re on vacation,” Megan called back.

  “Study abroad, not vacation,” Sam corrected.

  Megan rolled her eyes. “I miss the old Sam,” she whispered to Devon. “Doctor Sam is no fun.”

  Devon glanced over his seat to see if Sam was watching them before replying. “I know. I tried to tell her double majoring would be no picnic.”

  “I can hear you!” Sam hissed from her seat.

  “Then just come up here already,” Megan begged. “You can study later. We’re going to Ireland for an entire semester! Get excited people.”

  “I am excited,” Devon said giving Megan a goofy smile.

  “You’re just excited to see your mangy mutt,” she replied.

  “Eggsy is not a mutt!” Devon shot back, sounding sincerely wounded.

  “Who do you love more?” Megan asked. “Eggsy or Sam?”

  “That’s not a fair question. One is my best mate and one is my girl.”

  “Oh my God! You’re always supposed to choose girlfriend!” Megan yelled. “Sam! Devon loves Eggsy more than you.”

  “I didn’t say that!” Devon barked practically leaping out of his seat to silence Megan with a hand over her mouth.

  They battled with each other, Devon messing up Megan’s mane of wild black hair, while she tried to give him a wet willy. Sam finally snapped her book closed and marched up the aisle, shoving Devon back into his seat and plopping down next to him.

  Devon promptly gave Sam a kiss. “Hello lovely,” he said pulling her onto his lap. “Nice of ye to join us.”

  “I didn’t have much choice with you two carrying on up here. What’s the problem?”

  “No problem,” Megan chirped, bouncing in her seat. “I’m just excited to go to my favorite country with my two favorite people!”

  Sam studied Megan quizzically for a moment, and then swiped the travel mug from her hand, sniffing it suspiciously. Sam’s eyebrows shot up and she turned an accusatory gaze on Devon. “You let her have an Irish coffee?”

  “No, he let me have three!” Megan squealed, wiggling her dark eyebrows.

  Sam glared at Devon and shook her head. “You’re useless as a babysitter.”

&nb
sp; Devon offered an apologetic grimace. “Megs is persuasive.”

  Sam narrowed her eyes and sniffed Devon’s breath. “And how much whiskey did you have?”

  “This many!” Megan giggled as she held up four fingers.

  Devon shot Megan a traitorous scowl as Sam swatted him.

  Sam sighed. “What am I gonna do with you two?”

  “I tried to refrain, love,” Devon murmured.

  “Yes, I’m sure Megan had to twist your arm.”

  Devon smirked his adorable crooked Irish boy smirk that he knew admonished all sins and Sam smiled back. “Come on, love,” he begged. “We can have a little fun, can’t we. We’re going home, after all.”

  “Boston is home, Devon.”

  “Aye, but Ireland be in our blood!” Devon yelled, before picking up the tune to his favorite Irish song. “In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone.”

  Megan joined in and soon the two of them were belting the chorus. “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”

  Sam rolled her eyes but eventually joined in when Devon substituted her name for Molly Malone’s and began serenading Sam with his best Irish brogue.

  “More Irish coffees!” Megan yelled when the song was over.

  “I think you two have had enough,” Sam warned.

  “Oh come on! You have to have one, Sam! I’ll order us another round!” she said, reaching for the flight service button.

  Sam was on Megan in a flash, pinning her arms to her sides. Megan knew better than to struggle. She never stood a chance against Sam’s soccer muscles or towering frame. At five-three, Megan was nearly a head shorter than her best friend. Plus, Megan possessed the pale string bean arms of a lifelong film nerd.

  She and Sam were opposites on almost every front, yet somehow they’d gotten along thick as thieves since the day they’d met. It gave Megan hope with Zander.