Back to Me without you (Sibling Love Book 1)

by Christie Mack

  “So have you spoken to Mom and Dad at all since your news?” Sam asked his brother as they sat outside at a cafe along Sydney Harbour. They were taking particular note of the way the sun glistened off the water. The sight was breathtaking.

  “I’ve talked to Mom. She’s beginning to be as excited about this wedding as she was for yours.”

  Sam thought back to his wedding. He remembered how there had been a time when his mother believed he and India would be together forever. She and India both loved fashion and shopping, and she’s seemed thrilled to have a daughter-in-law who shared her passion. Of course, that had been before she discovered India was a gold-digging tramp. Now she didn’t even want to know about the woman her oldest son had married.

  “How about Dad?”

  Sam knew their father was a different story. Their mother wanted what was best for her sons. If that meant marrying women they loved, then she was on board. Their father had a whole other set of rules for Sam and Justin. What he expected from them was entirely dissimilar from what Sam and Justin wanted. He didn’t believe that Sam and Justin needed to marry to meet great success in their careers. In fact, Gordon didn’t want his sons to tie down to just one woman so early in their respective careers.

  “We made small talk at the party for Mom’s sake, but that’s as far as it went. I don’t care what he or anyone else thinks. This wedding is happening whether people like it or not.”

  After last night’s debacle, Sam didn’t want to give Justin a reason to stop talking to him. He loved his brother too much to allow that to happen.

  Justin was happy to be marrying Jessica. For his brother’s sake, Sam pasted on a smile as best as he could.

  Besides, Justin had been Sam’s biggest supporter when he had married India. Everyone else said it was not going to work out. Sam owed it to Justin to do the same for him. And he didn’t think Jessica looked to be the kind of person who was only seeking to marry a rich man. She wasn’t like India, and he guessed Abby wasn’t either.

  “So, I apologise for last night. I never intended to make a big deal about not liking your idea to marry, particularly at the engagement party. I was hoping I could make amends by planning a bachelor party for you.”

  Justin shook his head, showing a tiny smile in his brother’s direction. “It’s okay,” he said. “I know you’re just watching out for me. Your intentions were in the right place, and you have a great heart. Besides, you didn’t destroy my evening. My fiancée and I still had a good time celebrating with those we love most. Jessica and I have decided together that we don’t want a hens’ night or a bachelor party. We just want to keep things simple. We wouldn’t have even had an engagement party if it weren’t for Mom. That was her idea. There are some things that we’d like to do our way.”

  “Okay, okay,” Sam surrendered his hands in the air. “So no bachelor party. But we can still go out for a beer together, right? You know before your man card goes away altogether?”

  Justin flexed his arms behind his head. “Of course, we can do that. I’ll always have time for you. But enough about me. What about you?”

  “What about me?” Sam was wondering what Justin was getting at.

  “Don’t play coy, big bro. I know when something is up, and something is up with you. What happened last night? And don’t worry; whatever we talk about won’t go any further than you and me. I respect the bro code.”

  “So no pillow talk between you and your fiancée?”

  “There’s not much that I won’t fill Jessica in on, but I’ll still respect anything that you might disclose to me in confidence. So c’mon, tell your little brother what you got up to last night.”

  Sam sipped his steaming hot espresso. Working long hours at the hospital meant he lived on more coffee than he cared to acknowledge. But he loved his coffee. If he had to have a vice, he supposed he could have chosen worse things. He raked one hand through his too-long hair. He needed a haircut, but he’d been so busy that he just hadn’t had time. When he wasn’t working, he was usually sleeping off the previous shift and getting ready for the next one. He supposed his mother would find him a hairdresser before Justin’s wedding. She wouldn’t want her eldest son serving as the best man with his hair the way it was.

  “There’s nothing to tell,” he replied nonchalantly. “She’s a nice person.”

  Justin crossed his arms and watched his brother. “I don’t believe you. Abby is fucking hot. You’d have to be nuts or crazy in love to not try to pull something off with her. So excuse me if I don’t believe the load of bullshit you’re trying to feed me. I know you better than anyone.”

  It was true. He did. Justin would make one hell of a lawyer some day, much like their father.

  “Something did happen between you and Abby?”

  Sam didn’t say anything. That was all the response Justin needed. He fist-pumped the air with a satisfying grin planted on his face. “I knew it! But I didn’t believe we could pull off sisters.” Justin whistled, shaking his head like he had trouble understanding his words.

  “It isn’t like that,” Sam tried to explain, then paused. What exactly was it like? Whatever it was he had going with Abby was still a mystery, even to him. He continued carefully. “Last night was a one-time thing. We didn’t do anything.”

  Sam watched his brother try to keep a straight face. “Sure, okay. Nothing happened. Is that the line you have to tell yourself so you don’t fall for my fiancée’s sister?”

  One thing that he did figure out from last night is that he and Abby had at least one thing in common. She hadn’t mentioned it directly, but Sam could sense that she was guarding a heart that had been broken and betrayed. She’d encountered relationship woes in her past, too.

  Sam gave Justin a pointed look. “Look, nothing happened last night. That’s my story. And even if something had happened, Abby wouldn’t want Jessica to find out.”

  Justin nodded, telling Sam he understood the unsaid implication of his non-admission. “Okay. But if something had happened and Jessica found out, you know, she might feel different about the whole thing if she knew you a little better. She’s protective of her siblings because of what they’ve been through as a family.”

  “C’mon, man. Just drop it. If that happened, we’d address it then. But it won’t, and even if it did, it wouldn’t change anything because Abby and I don’t want to be together.” Sam took a sip of his coffee to soothe his irritation, then spoke plainly. “Last night was a one-time thing, and it only happened because we were both drunk and didn’t know what we were doing.”

  “You mean Abby was drunk. I know you know how to hold your liquor,” Justin corrected.

  Sam brushed his brother’s comment off. “Jessica won’t find out because you promised me you won’t tell her.”

  “Fine. I won’t tell Jessica. I just hope this doesn’t blow up in your face.”

  “It won’t,” Sam assured his brother, although he wasn’t completely sure he believed his words “I’m not worrying about anything like that. I’m just going to look forward to getting to know your future sister-in-law. After last night, I can tell she’s a whole lot of fun, and that’s all I’m looking for right now.”

  There was a small part of Sam that thought he might have genuine feelings for Abby. Then again he didn’t know her that well and sometimes he thought with his heart more than he liked. It was why his heart had been betrayed more times than he’d like to admit. He’d been known to jump too fast into relationships without thinking about what might happen next. Last night’s sex had been pretty good and maybe that was playing with his emotions more than he wanted it to.

  Justin tipped his hot mug at his brother, making one final comment. “Okay, but I hope you know what you are getting yourself into. Careful bro, those are words spoken by men who fall too fast for women and end up with a broken heart.”

  Sam knew that better than anyone. With one disastrous marriage already under his belt, he was keeping his heart under lock and key
, or trying to, anyway. Fun was all he could handle right now.

  Now he just had to get through the two weeks before the wedding without getting closer to Abby than he was already feeling.

  Five days had passed following Abby and Jessica’s blow-out with each other. Jessica had managed to slip past Abby at every available opportunity, avoiding her so they didn’t get into another quarrel over her approaching wedding.

  Abby made it no secret that she didn’t like the fact that her sister was getting married. She had also promised herself she would try to be happy for Jessica. If it was what she wanted then Abby couldn’t stand in her way, nor could she try to stop the wedding. When it came to what Jessica wanted, there was no one altering her plans. She was a Carter after all. Abby had tried to apologise for the way she had acted but to no avail. Abby wasn’t even sure Jessica still wanted her as the maid of honour. That hurt. Jessica was her little sister and besides Steven, she was the only family she had left in the world.

  Abby was making her way through the parking lot of one of the biggest shopping centres in Sydney. It was a chilly day for spring. She headed toward the store entrance where she knew her sister would be trying on wedding dresses. She would be with her friends, who were also serving as bridesmaids. Despite Abby’s sister and maid of honour status, she wasn’t told about the shopping day planned for that morning. Thanks to social media, she had managed to pry through Jessica’s Facebook page, finding out her plans for the day.

  Abby hoped that when Jessica did see her there, she wouldn’t ask her to leave. Trying on and searching for the perfect wedding dress was a big deal, especially when their mother wasn’t here. Abby didn’t like shopping. Although, if she got to bond with her younger sister then it was a sacrifice she was about to make.

  Once she reached the storefront, she used her hands to peer in through the shop window looking for her sister. Sure enough, she found her rummaging through the many racks of wedding dresses with her friends and Justin’s mother. Jessica was a fussy person when it came to shopping—in general, and for special occasions. She liked vintage with sophisticated elegance whereas Abby was more casual with flair.

  Abby drew in a slow deep breath and entered the shop. She heard laughter followed by a slight jingle of bells above the door echoing through the store. Faces stopped, turning toward the door. Jessica turned toward her and Abby’s heart dropped. She didn’t look too happy to see her there. Abby straightened her spine and smiled. If Jessica wasn’t glad to see her, well that was just too bad. She wasn’t going anywhere until she had at least tried to make amends.

  “Can I assist you?” a sales assistant asked her.

  “No, thank you,” Abby said, shaking her head. “I’m with her.” She pointed to Jessica.

  “Ah! So you’re the maid of honour. Jessica’s sister. Annie?”

  “It’s Abby. And yes I am,” Abby corrected the woman, tucking a loose strand of hair behind one ear. Abby’s forced smile relaxed, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Jessica had informed the sales assistant that she was the maid of honour. It was more than enough for Abby to realise that Jessica still wanted her to be part of her wedding.

  They were sisters through thick and thin, through the good and bad times.

  “You’re just in time,” the saleswoman replied in a friendly way. “Maybe your opinion will encourage your sister to decide what dress she’s searching for. Sisters have a way of making everything alright.”

  “I’ll help in any way that I can,” Abby replied as the woman guided her towards Jessica and her friends.

  Jessica kept her gaze on what looked like a never-ending rack of wedding gowns. She didn’t know why Abby was here. If she wanted to try to talk her out of marrying Justin, she could just turn right around and leave. But despite her annoyance with Abby, there was a small part of her grateful to have her big sister find her at the shop.

  Jessica loved her friends—she did—but they could never hold a candle to the bond she shared with Abby.

  “Hi,” was all Abby said when she approached the group. Jessica could see she was a little nervous. She knew Abby had nothing in common with her friends.

  Jessica’s petite friend Adriana started with a hello in return. With her long blonde hair pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head, she sent Abby a friendly smile. Justin’s mother smiled too before taking a sip from the glass of champagne in her hand.

  Meanwhile, Jessica’s other friend Raleigh—also known as the ice queen—shot daggers towards Abby. Jessica knew Raleigh didn’t like the fact that Abby turned up, or that she would be Jessica’s maid of honour. But Abby was her sister. Jess silently hoped Raleigh wasn’t going to be a bitch to Abby. Jess was loyal to her friends, but in all honesty, Raleigh could be a total bitch to someone she had an issue with. Steven had flat-out called Raleigh a conniver, but Jess always stuck up for her. Raleigh had her good side too, and she just didn’t always show it.

  “I didn’t think you were going to come,” Adriana said.

  Jessica hadn’t mentioned anything to her friends about her argument with her sister. They didn’t need to know there was a rift between them.

  “I suppose that’s because shopping isn’t Abby’s ideal version of fun,” Raleigh purred.

  Jessica sent an expression of warning in Raleigh’s direction.

  Raleigh brushed her off, then wandered over to another rack of bridal dresses in an attempt to look busy.

  Jessica spared a smile for Abby. “Thank you for coming, but you didn’t have to. I’ve got this under control. Besides, I know how much you despise dress shopping.”

  Abby leaned in towards her sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Jessica felt her annoyance fade and squeezed her back. Maybe they could move past the awkwardness.

  “True. I don’t like shopping much,” Abby said. “But you’re my only sister, and this is a giant step towards your future. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  “Thank you,” Jessica whispered, placing her head on her sister’s shoulder and fighting off tears. Jessica wasn’t sure if Abby knew just how much her attendance meant to her but she hoped she knew it meant the world.

  Ten minutes passed and Jessica was still pondering over the many dress possibilities. She had managed to narrow it down to three choices. She just couldn’t choose between the three of them. They were all so beautiful. Jessica would have loved to wear every one of them. They were pricey. But Justin’s mother was willing to foot the bill for her dress so Jessica was able to find the dress of her dreams.

  “I like this one,” Adriana said, choosing a beaded lace on tulle with a full hemline. Jessica had to admit it was beautiful, and she would no doubt feel like a princess wearing it. But Jessica figured any dress she chose that day would make her feel like a princess.

  “That’s gorgeous, though it’s not your style, Jess. I don’t see you walking down the aisle in something like that,” Abby stated. She was spot on. She knew her sister well. Jessica preferred her dresses to have more of an elegant, sophisticated look as opposed to big princess dresses.

  Raleigh rolled her eyes. Obviously, she did not agree with Abby, but to Jessica’s relief, she kept her mouth shut.

  “I like this one,” Jessica said, holding it up and checking the price tag. “It’s beautiful—” Her jaw almost dropped. She quickly returned the dress to the rack.

  Andrea approached. “That’s lovely! Why are you putting it back?”

  “It costs too much.”

  “Why don’t you let me worry about that, dear,” Andrea insisted and lifted the dress from the rack.

  Jess felt herself blushing. “No. I can’t expect you to finance something as high-priced as this. You’re already paying for most of this wedding. It’s not right.”

  Like Abby and Steven, Jessica was one never to take a handout. She believed she ought to make her way in the world based on accomplishment.

  “Nonsense,” Andrea stated. “I’m hoping that my younger son will only ma
rry once. It will be my pleasure to ensure that you are one beautiful bride on your wedding day.”

  Her future mother-in-law was about to make Jessica cry in a good way. “Thank you,” she replied and felt her eyes fill with tears.

  “You’re welcome,” Andrea hugged Jessica. “I’m sure if your mother was here, she would be so proud of you and would want to see you wearing the dress you want most in the world.”

  Jessica didn’t know what to say. She was rendered speechless by Andrea’s kind generosity. Although she didn’t think Andrea should be spending so much money on a dress for someone, she didn’t know that well, Jess didn’t think Andrea was the kind of person who took no for an answer.

  Before she knew what she was doing, she was trying on the gorgeous sheath gown with a bold floral embellished overlay, accentuated with shimmering crystals. Her friends and family waited for her to reappear from the dressing room. When she came out and stood before the three-way mirrors, she heard their intake of breath.

  “Wow!” Adriana gasped.

  “You’re beautiful, Jess!” Abby exclaimed.

  “Do you think so?” Jessica asked, doing a little whirl on the spot. With all eyes on her, she felt like a princess. And she wondered if this was how Kate Middleton felt. It was a strange feeling, but something she would have to get used to when the actual day was upon her. And she was sure she would like being the center of attention for a little while.

  “It’s beautiful, Jess and totally you,” Adriana squealed.

  “Thank you,” Jessica said, trying to control the giddiness threatening to overtake her. “I think so too.” She turned towards her future mother-in-law and beamed. “Thank you again. So much.”

  Andrea’s eyes were growing shiny with tears as well. “You’re welcome, honey. I wasn’t blessed with daughters of my own, so I’m happy to be able to share your day with you.” Then she embraced her once again.