by Lizzie Shane
Max would tell her she should just rip the band-aid off, but when it came to stuff like this, Parv was perfectly happy to ease into it as slowly as possible. Sidney would find out soon enough. And she couldn’t escape the fear that when she did, everything would change.
* * * * *
“Your sister’s here to see you.”
Max looked up from his computer at Candy’s words, experiencing an uncharacteristic stab of dread at the mention of his little sister.
Sidney never came to his office.
Parvati must have told her.
And no matter how many times he’d told Parvati that everything was okay and she shouldn’t borrow trouble, he felt an unexpected surge of nervousness at the thought of facing Sidney now. He didn’t think she would have come all the way down here to see him just to tell him how happy she was for them.
But regardless of what she said to him, it wasn’t going to change anything. He and Parvati were together. Sidney was just going to have to get used to it.
“Thanks. Will you send her in?”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Max watched Candy retreat—distracting himself by wondering if she seemed a little more subdued than usual. Elite Protection had discontinued doing business with Hank the Hammer and Max had encouraged Candy to file a restraining order if he kept bothering her, but he wasn’t her keeper, he was her employer and there was only so much he could do.
Then his sister walked in, ruining his attempt to forget about her arrival. “Hey, big brother.”
“Sidney. Hi.” He barely stopped himself before asking to what he owed the honor of her presence. He didn’t want to hurry her into chewing him out for dating her best friend. He stood, rounding his desk, and met her halfway across his office. “How’s the wedding stuff going?”
She made a face. “I am so sick of people asking that. I love weddings. Love them. Weddings are my life. And for the first time I’m starting to wish I did something else for a living. Anything else. It’s all anyone can talk to me about anymore.”
“I promise I don’t really care how your wedding crap is going. I was just trying to be polite.”
She snorted a laugh. “I appreciate that. Thanks. I’m actually here about something else,” she said as she perched on the edge of one of the chairs facing the desk.
Max retreated back behind the big slab of wood, stalling for time to figure out what he was going to say to Sidney about Parv—and understanding for the first time why Parv was so nervous about telling Sidney. Talking about it with her made it real in an indelible way.
He looked up, forcing himself to meet Sidney’s gaze without flinching. “I guess you’re here to talk about me and Parv.”
Max’s first clue that he’d royally screwed up was the slow upward creep of Sidney’s left eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Shit. Double shit. He’d agreed Parvati should be the one to tell her and then he’d gone and spilled it the first chance he got. “Why did you say you’d come by?”
Sidney wasn’t so easily distracted. “What do you mean you and Parv?”
“Hmm?” Max played dumb, but Sidney’s expression said she wasn’t buying.
“What about you and Parv, Max?”
“It’s nothing,” he said—and then immediately regretted the words. “Or not nothing. It’s something. But not a big deal.” That was wrong too. It was a huge deal. “No reason to make a thing of it. We’re just hanging out.” Jesus. He was making a mess of this.
“’Hanging out’?”
“Seeing each other.”
Sidney’s eyes narrowed. “And what exactly does that mean?”
“She’s my—we’re a couple.” The word girlfriend stuck on its way out in a way it hadn’t when he’d said it to Parvati. It had been so easy then.
“Jesus, Max.” Sidney looked like she would have thrown something at him if there’d been any projectiles in range. “She’s my best friend.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“And it didn’t occur to you that maybe you should keep your hands off her?”
“I like her.” Which was the height of understatement, but he didn’t think Sidney would believe him if he tried to express how he really felt. Not that he was capable of expressing it.
“Yeah? Well, so do I. And I don’t want you taking advantage of her just because she’s right there in front of you as an easy target.”
“I’m not—”
Sidney talked over him. “I know you won’t do it on purpose. You probably won’t even realize you’re leading her on, but she’s going to read into things because she’s been in love with you since we were teenagers.”
“In love?” He’d known she had a crush on him—she’d told him that herself—but he hadn’t considered that it could have been more serious than a little infatuation.
Sidney groaned. “Great. Now you’re going to run for the hills and I’m going to be the bad guy.”
“I’m not running anywhere.” And the idea of Parvati being in love with him certainly wasn’t going to spook him. Part of him liked it. More than he was ready to admit.
It felt a little strange though, the idea that she could have loved him for all that time. Like it gave more weight to the way he felt about her now, dragging the fledgling feeling into reality.
“Anyone else,” Sidney groaned. “You could have dated any woman in Southern California.”
“I’m dating Parvati. That isn’t going to change just because you don’t like it.” She opened her mouth to argue and he played his trump card. “Do you really want to be the one responsible for breaking us up? I thought you didn’t want to be the bad guy.”
“Are you together enough to be broken up? I thought you were just hanging out.”
“What we’re doing is none of your business.”
“If you were dating anyone else, that may be the case, but you made it my business when you went after my best friend.”
“I didn’t go after her.”
“Of course not. The great Maximus is never at fault.”
Max stood up, having taken enough shit for one afternoon. “Was there a reason you dropped by? Or was it just to give me shit?”
“I was filming in the area and wanted to ask you about Dad. He’s refusing to come to the wedding unless I extend a personal invitation to his new wife—but I don’t want to piss off Mom by having her there even if this Claudine would really want to travel halfway around the world with a six month old.”
He sank back down onto his chair. “Shit.”
“My sentiments exactly. It’s so much easier when it’s someone else’s family drama I’m having to referee on their wedding day.”
“I’m not sure Mom would be bothered by Claudine. She seems awfully okay with the whole thing.”
“I’m bothered by it,” Sidney snapped before cringing and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Sorry. He was just such a dick when he met Josh and now he wants me to kowtow to his trophy wife. Josh is being a prince. Down the road, he doesn’t want me to regret not having my father at my wedding because I’m mad at him in the moment, but it’s so tempting to just tell him not to bother.”
Max shrugged, useless when it came to the emotional stuff. “If that’s what you want.”
“I wanted him to actually be there for me for once in my life. I wanted to know it mattered to him to be there. But since he’s pulling this shit, part of me just wants him to stay away.” She looked him in the eye then. “Can you talk to him? I’m not asking you to mediate, but if you could just get a read on the situation…I don’t know. Maybe it would help.”
“I’ll try,” Max promised.
“And regardless of what he says, I wanted to ask for one other thing.”
“Anything.” As long as it wasn’t leaving Parvati alone.
“Would you walk me down the aisle?”
Max froze, the words hitting him with unexpected force. “Are you sure?”
Sidney wet her lips. “He can come to the wed
ding, but he doesn’t have the right to give me away. He was never there, Max. You were. Even if I give you shit about being unreliable, when it matters you’re always there. So will you be there when I get married?”
He cleared his throat roughly. “I’d be honored.”
Her shoulders lowered with relief. “Good. Now if we can just get our father to stop being a selfish dick, everything will be perfect.”
Max grimaced. “I’ll do what I can.” He rose, coming around his desk. “I know we don’t really do the mushy crap, but I’m proud of you, Sid. I always envied the way you went your own way.”
“Are you kidding? I envied you. You were good at everything.”
“Not everything.”
“No.” She met his eyes and he could see her wanting to resurrect the argument about Parvati. “Not everything.”
“I’ll call Dad. Maybe he’ll be reasonable.”
“Maybe,” Sidney agreed.
But as soon as she left, it wasn’t his father he called.
* * * * *
“I screwed up.”
“Max?” Parv shifted her cell phone, wedging it between her shoulder and ear as she juggled her bag and tried to unlock her car. She’d just finished her hours at Once Upon a Bride and was looking forward to enjoying a rare afternoon off from Lacey’s Cakes when Max had called. “What did you screw up?”
“I didn’t mean to tell her. I thought you’d already talked to her or I never would have said anything, but when she showed up here—I just blurted it out.”
She didn’t need to ask who, dread kicking in at his first sentence. She finally got the door open and slumped into the driver’s side, dropping her bag on the passenger seat beside her. “What exactly did you say?”
“I said we were together. I think. I wasn’t exactly smooth.”
“How did she take it?”
“Honestly? She was pretty pissed. But I think it was all directed at me, so you should be okay.”
Parv frowned, confused. “She was mad at you?”
“She seems to think I’m taking advantage of you. She accused me of going after an easy mark because you’ve been in love with me for a decade.”
“She told you that?” Parv had gushed about her feelings for Max when they were younger, but Sidney was her best friend and that was in confidence. For her to tell him like that—it felt like a betrayal. Like her best friend was actively trying to sabotage things with Max. Things that weren’t exactly rock-solid to begin with.
“In her defense, you’d already told me something similar,” Max reminded her.
“She didn’t know that.” Parv hadn’t talked to Sidney about the way things were developing with Max at all—in part because every time she started to Sidney would roll her eyes at the very idea. “I have to go,” she said into the phone, shoving her keys into the ignition. “I need to talk to her.”
“Babe, I’m sorry I told her. It just slipped out.”
“It’s okay.” She wasn’t sure it would have made a difference how it came out. Sidney had been against it from day one. “I’ll see you tonight, Max.”
She tossed the phone on the passenger seat when the call disconnected, only realizing when she’d started the car and gripped the steering wheel that she had no idea where to find Sidney. She wanted to have this conversation in person. She could feel the force of everything she wanted to say pressing against the back of her throat and she didn’t want to do this over the phone, but Sidney was filming today and could be anywhere.
Parv kept the car in park and reached for her phone. She expected to get Sidney’s voicemail, especially if they were filming—but her friend picked up on the first ring, answering with, “What the hell were you thinking?”
Of course she picked up now. Sidney could make time for Parv when she wanted to chew her out. Bitterness twisted around the hurt caused by the oh-so-supportive greeting.
What had she expected? Congratulations? A champagne toast? She’d known Sidney disapproved. But she wasn’t going on the defensive today. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Did you tell Max that I was in love with him when we were teenagers?” she demanded instead.
There was a beat of silence as Sidney changed gears. Then, “Yes, I said that, but—”
“And it didn’t occur to you that maybe that would be a huge violation of my confidence? That I trusted you not to throw me under the bus with your brother but you were too busy being right to stop and think maybe you shouldn’t say something like that?”
“Don’t blame me if he broke up with you because of something I said—”
“God, you just can’t believe it, can you? You can’t imagine a world in which Max might actually want me. You’re supposed to be my friend.”
“Friends look out for one another,” Sidney snapped, sounding far from friendly. “Max never sticks with anyone—you’ve seen the women he normally dates. Models and aspiring actresses—”
“So you’re saying I’m not good enough for him.”
“Of course not! Stop putting words—”
“Who am I good enough for, Sidney?” Parv interrupted, rolling now. “Who should I be with if I’m out of my league with Max?”
“Parker seemed like a nice guy.”
“All two times you met him.”
Sidney groaned. “Oh my God. Please tell me you didn’t sabotage a perfectly good relationship with Parker to be with my brother.”
The words hit a little close to home and Parvati wasn’t in the mood to hear them. This wasn’t about Parker. Or even Max. This was about Sidney.
“Is it so hard for you to support me? I brought you to audition for Marrying Mister Perfect with me. You knew I wanted it, but when you got it instead, I supported you. When you needed a pep talk to go on the show, I was there. And when you walked away from the show in the middle of the process, spitting in the face of the dream I hadn’t been allowed to have, I didn’t say a freaking word. I supported you. And then again when you fell in love with Josh—the host I’d begged you to introduce me to because I had such a crush on him—God, you probably told him that too, didn’t you?” She could see it so clearly—Sidney and Josh laughing together at poor little Parvati and her crushes. “You got everything I’d ever wanted and yes, I was envious. Of course I was. But I supported you. I was happy for you. Because that’s what friends do. But you can’t even be happy for me when I’m going on a few harmless little dates with Max?”
It was more than that with Max. So much more. But Parvati couldn’t talk to Sidney about her hopes and fears—not with her so-called best friend determined to disapprove.
“I refuse to be the one to pick up the pieces when this falls apart,” Sidney said, unapologetic—and Parv felt her spirits sink. She hadn’t gotten through to her at all.
“What if it doesn’t?” she asked softly. “What if we can just be happy? Don’t you want that for us?”
“You want me to be happy to sit by and watch the train wreck I can see coming a mile away? I know you both too well. You’re going to fall for him and he’s going to break your heart.”
“It isn’t your choice, Sidney. It’s mine. It’s my life and I love him and you can either get on board or…” She trailed off, unable to finish the ultimatum. What was happening? Was Sidney really going to make her choose between her and Max?
“Just don’t come crying to me when he pulls a Max. You know I’m right or you wouldn’t be so defensive.”
“I’m not defensive, Sidney,” Parvati said, her voice low and sad. “And he isn’t the one who’s hurting me.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
She was waiting on the couch when Max got home that night, wearing comfort clothes and nursing a glass of scotch in what she was coming to think of as her post-fight ritual where Sidney was concerned.
“Hey,” Max said as he tossed his keys into the dish and crossed the open-concept room to her side, a wealth of concern in the single syllable.
“Sidney and I talked,”
she explained, lifting the scotch to take a sip. “Or screamed at one another. Same difference.”
Max cringed. “I’m sorry I told—”
“It wasn’t anything you did.” She set down her scotch with a clink and crawled across the distance separating them—finding more comfort when his arms closed around her than she had in the drink. She slipped her arms around his midsection and hugged him close. “She thinks she’s protecting me, but it feels like she’s making me choose.”
“I don’t want to come between—”
“I know. It isn’t you, Max. I just hate this.” Her voice broke on the word hate and the tears she’d been holding back began to sneak out.
“Hey.” He held her close, kissing the top of her head in a way that she would have thought would be patronizing, but with Max it was all comfort.
She and Sidney had argued in the past, but she’d never felt like their relationship was truly threatened before. But after the way they’d left things on the phone, she felt that way now. The cold stretches of angry silence. Sidney stubbornly refusing to admit she might not be in the right.
It wasn’t about Max—though he’d obviously been the catalyst. This had been building up for months. Months of unreturned voicemails and being shoved down the priority list.
She knew Sidney was stressed. Knew she was dealing with a lot of new shit and things were going to change. But didn’t Parvati have the right to expect at least a feigned I’m happy for you? But Sidney wasn’t happy. She was too busy thinking Parvati the Perennially Single was about to have her heart broken again.
Her tears drying, Parvati leaned back in Max’s arms until she could meet his eyes. “Whatever happens between us, I don’t blame you for any of this.”
“You can’t absolve me of guilt, Parv. I played a part.”
“Maybe so, but I’m glad you did. I’m never going to regret this, Max.”
He met her gaze, his own unwavering. “Neither am I.”
* * * * *
Her first shift on Tuesday morning was at Lacey’s Cakes—which was a relief because it meant she didn’t have to face anyone at Once Upon a Bride. She didn’t know what the tone was going to be there. She and Sidney weren’t really on speaking terms after the way they’d left things and she wasn’t sure Victoria would want Parvati working there if the atmosphere was going to make the Cold War look warm and fuzzy.