I looked around the ballroom and still felt a little out of my comfort zone. Okay, that was a lie. I felt completely out of my comfort zone. It didn’t matter what kind of dress I pulled over my head, this crowd—these people—were entirely out of my league. And not like in the “oh-woe-is-me” mentality, but more in the “I want nothing to do with this type of phoniness” business.
The ballroom was dressed majestically for the auction with flowers cascading from the ceiling, and gigantic flower arrangements tucked wherever there was an empty space. From the moment I had stepped into the Chateau, I felt like I was exploring a secret garden. And all this so that Gabby’s parents could raise money for someone or some family that landed on their radar. It was a different world for sure, and not one I felt completely comfortable navigating in. I mean the money spent decorating the place could’ve been given to the family, right? I obviously didn’t get it.
“Gabby,” a male voice called, startling me out of my piddley contemplations. We had bigger fish to fry, and I was here to stand strong and support my best friend. With what? I had no idea.
My head snapped up to follow the low, gravelly voice, praying that he didn’t look as sexy as he sounded. I couldn’t see who called Gabby’s name, but she froze in place. It was obviously her brother. I had never seen Gabby like this—ever. And we had been through a lot. It was like all of her confidence had been zapped right out of her.
But how did I not know that she had a brother? Why would someone hide that? We were best friends all through college and now we’re roommates. We never hid anything from each other. Or at least I thought we never hid anything from each other. However, now was not the time to get caught up in details. Gabby needed me and with every passing second that became more and more apparent. She glanced at me and her eyes held a deep sadness, one that ripped at my heart. It looked like someone had kicked her in the gut. It killed me to see her like this. Who was this stranger?
I watched the crowd disburse in front of us, leaving a shadow of someone in front of Gabby. I couldn’t see him from my vantage point, but Gabby grabbed my hand and began walking toward him, dragging me with her. I saw Gabby look at the exit sign a couple times and wondered if she was going to bolt. That would be awkward, but I’d do it. For her. She had a habit of running whereas I liked a good fight. It was the best way to hammer things out.
Navigating between some chairs, I almost tumbled into Gabby when she abruptly stopped. I wasn’t sure I wanted to look at the stranger—at Gabby’s brother.
“Hello, Aaron,” Gabby said, coolly. “Surprised to see you here.”
This wasn’t good. Whenever Gabby used that tone, all bets were off. I raised my gaze from the floor to the man standing in front of us and almost gasped aloud.
Shit! I was looking at the most attractive man in the world. The energy coming from him was intense, his expression bold, eyes alert but sensitive. Why was he Gabby’s brother? Why?
He was dressed in a fitted tuxedo that hugged his broad shoulders. The definition—more like hardness—of his contours hovered under his shirt, stretching the material. My eyes traveled down to his waist, and it was impossible to ignore the way his tux fit him in all areas. And I mean all areas. Aaron’s hair was dark, cut short, but it had a messiness that meant one thing. And that one thing would have to be ignored. It was my own theory, but it had been a hundred-percent proven time and time again.
I glanced around the room and wondered where his girlfriend was or whoever it was that he encountered so early in the evening to give his hair that quality. Bringing my attention back to him, I watched his mouth part slightly, and my eyes slid up his strong jawline, darkened by a day or two of missed shaves. I had to avoid his eyes. I knew I had to avoid his eyes. As he stood in front of us, the cockiness I sensed earlier was being swapped with concern for his sister.
“I’m guessing dad didn’t tell you I was coming?” her brother replied. I saw the muscles in his neck strain as he spoke and my stomach knotted. His voice was so deep and masculine.
“Dad?” Gabby asked, releasing my hand. “Interesting. You ran out on us, and I never heard from you, but you can call him dad?”
Oh no. This was going to get ugly and fast.
“A lot of things happened. Many that I’m not proud of, but—” he began.
I shifted my gaze to sneak another look at Aaron and felt like a complete traitor. My reasons for wanting to look at him had nothing to do with Gabby’s assault.
“Save it,” Gabby said, flashing her palm in front of him. “This is my best friend, Brandy. Imagine her surprise tonight finding out I even had a brother.”
Please don’t look at me. Please don’t look at me. You’re an enemy. An enemy!
“Aaron,” he said, giving me a slight nod as he extended his hand toward me. My eyes flashed to his. The warmth in his brown eyes almost melted me all over. Almost. After all, this was Gabby’s brother and I wouldn’t go there. However, the longer he held my gaze, the more I wanted to forget whatever this mess was that Gabby was dealing with. I mean this guy couldn’t be all bad, could he?
What was going on in the universe tonight? First, we rear-ended someone on the way here who was God’s gift to women, and then this? It was like heaven was dangling all the men we couldn’t have right in front of us!
Aaron’s gaze intensified as he waited for my response, and I felt my mouth become completely dry and heat rush through me. This was not good. I was sure Gabby was seeing right through me.
Shame on me!
I needed to redeem myself somehow.
“I know. I heard,” I replied. My voice sounded strong and confident—maybe even reserved. Possibly snarky? Was it too much?
I felt the firmness of his handshake. His strong fingers wrapped around my hand and my mind imagined those fingers crawling up my spine. I caught a flicker of amusement in Aaron’s eyes and my stomach clenched.
Damn him!
My breath caught as his gaze held on to mine, and I let out a noise like a strangled cat to hide it. His mouth curled slightly, and I noticed how deliciously soft his lips looked. He nodded, and a smirk was hidden behind the seriousness of what was set before him to deal with.
I just prayed Gabby didn’t notice.
And I prayed that he would quit looking at me. His gaze twisted me up inside and that wasn’t good.
“I didn’t want to ignore you all night, although that was my natural inclination, but I think it’s time I go find a seat,” Gabby muttered.
Thankfully, his gaze broke from mine.
“Gabby, I hope you’ll give me a chance to explain things. Maybe over coffee?” Aaron asked, his voice softening.
Gabby was already turning around when she muttered her response, and I was quick to join her.
“You going to be okay?” I asked as we made our way to the table.
“I will be. I don’t understand why he’s back. Shit. I don’t even know where he’s been, or why he left in the first place.” Gabby sighed, and I felt her hurt and wasn’t even sure over what.
“I’m here for whenever you want to talk about it,” I whispered, feeling an odd sensation scatter down my spine. I quickly looked over my shoulder and caught Aaron’s gaze falling down my body. I narrowed my eyes at him and pushed down the feelings of pure delight that pulsed through me.
I. Am. A. Horrible. Friend.
I glanced under the stalls in the ladies’ restroom, and after finding absolutely no anonymous feet, I let out a sigh. I looked at my phone and slid it on the counter. I had five minutes before work started. I had to pull it together. After being accosted by Aaron this morning, I was left with so many unanswered questions. Like, why was he in this building? I promised myself after last night that I would forget him as quickly as I met him. Then I dreamed about him all night. But being the good friend that I was, at least I was riddled with guilt all morning. I even convinced myself that he was truly undesirable. All was going according to plan. It really was.
U
nfortunately, running into him this morning did nothing but reignite the images I tried so hard to put out of my mind. I had to have lunch with Gabby today. I needed answers, and I prayed those answers would confirm what a creep he was.
“Okay,” I whispered to myself, glancing in the mirror. “Aaron is bad…bad…bad.”
But even as I recited the chant to myself, I caught a glimpse of a smile surface on my lips just by uttering his name. I grabbed some more mascara out of my purse and dabbed it on my lashes, hoping that would make me look less guilty, maybe brighten my eyes up. My brown eyes, usually held a brightness on their own, but after last night and this morning, they were definitely absent of any such spark.
There was something so absorbing about the idea of him. The way he smiled at me earlier was electrifying.
Enough!
Tossing my Starbucks cup in the trash, I grabbed my phone and trundled off to my desk, shaming myself the entire way.
After a morning of scheduling travel and turning in expense reports for the team, I was hoping that the nagging guilt would dissolve but it didn’t. And now I was completely exhausted from pretending to be disinterested in Aaron. My cell phone rang and not recognizing the number, I sent it to voicemail.
Peeking over the cubicle wall, I watched Gabby on the phone and knew now was my chance.
I grabbed my phone and quickly texted our third musketeer, Lily Novak. Maybe she knew about Aaron.
Did you know Gabby had a brother?
I tossed my cell on my lap and grabbed a folder to file when the cell buzzed with Lily’s message.
She’s an only child
I shook my head and let out a deep sigh. So Lily was fooled too. How could our best friend not mention this? And why?
Nope. Apparently not. I met her brother last night and ran into him this morning. And let me just say WOW but not… Shame on me. I will burn. I will burn for this I tell you!! Not to mention he did something horrendous which was why he wasn’t around. What is wrong with me?
I had to admit that it made me feel better that Lily didn’t know that Gabby had a brother either. All three of us were best friends—had been since college—and this whole secret—keeping thing was really worrisome and made me wonder what else was out there that she hid. My phone buzzed once more, and I glanced down to see what every best friend would tell another in this situation, which was why I loved Lily.
You will not burn. But I would try to find out what’s up. That might solve your problem. Unlike me, you have good judgment-lol. xxx
I chuckled and wrote back,
You, my friend, don’t know all the thoughts that crossed my mind. But yes, time to find out what mystery man did to our bestie. Will keep you posted. xxx
Setting the phone down, I noticed a voicemail from the earlier call and pressed the speaker button. Listening intently, I heard nothing but silence for a few seconds followed by shallow breathing. My pulse quickened slightly, but I knew this had to be a mistake. Probably just someone with the wrong number and a bad case of asthma.
As I sat listening to Gabby recount everything that happened or, more to the point, didn’t happen with her brother, Aaron, I couldn’t help but wonder if his vanishing was that big of a deal. I knew I’d be heartbroken if either of my two brothers left without a hint of where they were going, but there was something inside of me pushing me to find out Aaron’s side of the story. I couldn’t pretend to know the depths of despair that Gabby felt after her mother died, especially when her brother took off right after. And from the sounds of it, Aaron was more than just a brother while Gabby was growing up. He was the one and only dependable male figure she learned to rely on because her father was always busy working. Unfortunately, all that did was make me want to learn more about Aaron, not penalize him. Maybe if I reached out to him and found out what he’d been up to or where he’d been for ten years, I could help Gabby repair the relationship with her brother.
I became lost in my world, daydreaming about Aaron and wondering if the pull I’d felt was imaginary or not. There was only one way to find out, and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to see him again without wishing for so much more.
Gabby started laughing once she realized I’d zoned out, and I turned scarlet red and began giggling. I felt like I was in grade school, hiding my first crush from my brothers so they wouldn’t tease me endlessly.
“Sorry!” I babbled as she polished off the two éclairs, and I finished my sandwich.
But then my mind drifted back to the mysterious stranger with the beautiful brown eyes, and I knew I was seriously in trouble and needed to message Lily immediately. Besides, I knew the stress of Gabby’s brother reappearing was getting to her, and I might need some backup if it got worse. With everything Gabby had gone through, I’d imagine it made her fearful of reconnecting or even connecting in the first place. It explained a lot as to why it felt like there was a wall there at times. She had to learn to deal with life on her own, and not even all the money in the world could have prepared her for what she had to face with her own health issues.
I glanced down quickly so that Gabby couldn’t catch the tears that were surfacing as I thought about her heart transplant and everything she went through to become strong again, both physically and mentally. I shouldn’t be worrying about anything but making Gabby’s life better and less complicated, mixed with a little fun of course. And I think that was going to start the moment the sexy bike builder dropped off her new bike. Each time I transferred his call to her, I detected something more behind his words than just scheduling a time to drop off her new bike. It was going to be my mission to make sure that Gabby didn’t blow him off as quickly as she usually did. Forget Aaron. I needed to put Gabby first, like she always had done for me.
“Well, Gabby’s got a little surprise coming her way,” I confessed to Lily as she hopped out of the booth to give me a hug.
Lily drove up from Portland and met me at one of our favorite pubs since we were both in a bit of a self-imposed crisis mode. A pitcher of ale was delivered to our table, and I knew tonight would be a good confessional night for us both. The lighting was low and the place was just beginning to fill up with the after work crowd. The dark paneling provided a homey vibe, but the funky lighting and zany artwork completely twisted the décor into an artsy atmosphere.
“Smart thinking,” I said, laughing as Lily gave me one last squeeze. “A pitcher is definitely the way to go tonight. And you look fab, by the way.”
A text came over my phone, and I glanced down at the number—another unknown number with a bunch of garble. This was really getting annoying.
“What’s up?” Lily asked.
“Are you getting weird texts? I think my number somehow got on a robo call list or something.” I showed her my screen and she shook her head.
“Huh-uh. I haven’t been getting anything like that.”
I deleted the text and pushed my phone away, glancing at Lily.
Lily’s auburn hair was piled on top of her head, and she looked calmer than normal. Although, I could still detect a slight note of frantic hidden behind that façade. But that was her nature, which was why a job at a PR firm was great for her. All of her crazy energy would produce something great in the end, and nothing would slip by her. I, on the other hand, preferred a bit more of an organized life. It had gotten me this far, and I wanted stability to carry me forward as successfully as it had done in the past. I had wanted to go to law school ever since I was a little girl. Planned for it, dreamed about it, and now I was finally about to enter the program. I had been studying hard all summer just to prepare for my first semester, and finally my plan would start to take shape.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you guys,” Lily said, shaking her head. “I feel like even this small distance is driving me to make absolutely insane choices.”
I stared at Lily for a split second before I burst out laughing.
“What?” she whined, shoving a curl behind her ear.
/> “Yeah, I’m sure it’s the four hour drive that’s screwing with your judgment.” I rolled my eyes and poured myself a glass of ale.
There was a reason she commanded so much male attention. She was downright gorgeous. Lily’s hair was a unique shade, but I think what made the red stand out even more were her green eyes. Dressed in a pair of baggy boyfriend jeans and a loose red tee that exposed her cleavage, she was covered up more than most but still oozed sexiness. She never seemed to notice exactly how much attention she received from the opposite sex, which somehow always got her into trouble with the women around her.
I, however, added a little more zest to my dressing hoping for the same result. I actually wasn’t sure how that was going to work once I started law school in the fall. They all dressed so conservative and boring. Just because I wanted to go into law, didn’t mean I wanted to dress like an old lady. I enjoyed the few assets I was blessed with and wanted to show them off, at least a tad. Tonight I was in a pair of black leggings and an oversized gray top with a v-neck that went as low as one could get away with, but I had a lace camisole under it. Really, all three of us were different, but we complimented each other so well.
“Hey, not nice. But what were you saying about Gabby? Why can’t she get her butt down here to see me?”
“She is waiting for her new bike to be delivered that daddy bought her,” I said grinning. “And it’s being delivered by the insanely hot bike builder, who I think has the hots for her. Anyway, she was expecting him to arrive in an hour, but he left a message on our machine and arrived early.”
“Rich people’s problems…And?” Lily’s brow arched.
Beyond Doubt (Beyond Love Series #2) Page 2