Returning to Rockport: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Kelsey Clayton

  The memory of that night is all too clear. After Colton had left, I was a wreck. I wanted to run to Ivy but she had already left earlier that day for college; a one semester stunt she did at Pepperdine University before deciding she couldn’t handle being so far away. Thankfully, Tatum was home. I spent most of the night soaking her lap with my tears.

  “Trust me, I remember.”

  “Do you? Because I’m not sure you do. If you did, you wouldn’t entertain the thought of you and him for a single second - not when you have someone like Parker wanting to spend the rest of his life with you.”

  The mention of my fiancé is like being doused with a bucket of ice water. What kind of horrible person am I? I’m supposed to be planning my wedding, the day Parker and I vow to spend forever together, and here I am, hung up on an ex. Hell, I don’t even know if I could call him an ex. He was never my boyfriend to begin with.

  “I’m such a bitch.”

  She snorts but shrugs her shoulders. “I mean, I won’t tell you you’re wrong. You have a great guy who only wants to give you the world. I really don’t want to see you mess that up for someone who treated you like a summer fling and tossed you away when it was over.”

  I won’t lie, the way she describes what Colton and I had together burns, but I think that was her intention. Tatum has always been the kind of person who tells it like it is. It’s something I admire about her. Besides, she has a point. Colton shattered me into pieces, and Parker managed to at least somewhat put me back together without even realizing he was doing it.

  “You’re right. I’d be an idiot to let myself get wrapped up in all things Colton Brooks again. I have Parker and our wedding coming up.” Taking another sip of my water, I nod with a newfound determination. “Him and I will just have to stay away from each other.”

  I WAKE IN THE morning to my alarm blaring into my ear. I slam my hand down on the snooze button and groan tiredly. When I roll over, I’m happy to find Parker asleep next to me. He had gotten tied up in Boston with something and didn’t end up getting home until after I was asleep. I smile as I see his eyes flutter open and lean over to kiss his cheek.

  “Mmm. Good morning.” He greets me.

  “Morning.”

  “What’s got you looking so chipper? Are you that excited for house shopping?”

  Honestly, I had forgotten about our plans for the day, but I won’t tell him that. “Of course. Who wouldn’t be excited to go buy a house?”

  He chuckles and stretches before sitting up. “Well, try not to get your hopes too high. It’s only our first time looking and I don’t want you to settle on something you don’t absolutely love. I want you to have everything you have ever imagined.”

  My heart swells in my chest and I realize everything Tatum said was right. This man would hand me anything I asked for on a silver platter. I smile brightly and move to wrap my arms around his shoulders from behind.

  “I already do. I have you.”

  The memory of Colton’s hands on my waist still lingers in the back of my mind, but I do my best to push it away. I’m marrying Parker and he loves me. That should be enough, right?

  4

  I pull down the mirror to mess with my makeup for what’s probably the 100th time in an hour. Ivy chuckles from the driver’s seat, causing me to roll my eyes at her. I don’t wear much of this stuff often, so when I do, I never think it looks right.

  “Will you stop? You’re going to end up resembling a raccoon if you keep fucking with it.” My best friend chastises me as she switches her focus between me and the road.

  “I just need to look as good as possible.”

  She hums. “Why? A certain brunette you need to impress?”

  My blood runs cold at the mention of Colton. I never did check with Tatum to see if he was invited, but judging by our talk on Tuesday, I doubt she would allow him to attend.

  “No. Some of Parker’s close family friends are going to be there and I’ve never met them before. I want to look my best.”

  If she doesn’t buy my excuse, she doesn’t mention it. That’s one thing I can say about Ivy. If I need to lie to make myself feel better about something, she usually doesn’t call me out on it. She only voices her opinion if she knows I’m going to regret whatever it is I’m about to do. She’s the total opposite of Tatum.

  Pulling up to the outdoor venue, I’m blown away. The sun is just barely beginning to set. Twinkling lights hang all around while other soft lanterns help illuminate the place. There are pink and white lace accents that work well with the ivory decorations. Teagan and the staff she’s hired did an amazing job.

  I’m in awe as I climb out of the car and grab onto Ivy’s arm, using her as support while I take in the scene in front of me. Even she seems to be a little shocked by it all. As soon as we get close enough, someone comes to hand us each a glass of champagne. We thank them and both take a sip.

  “This is incredible.” I mumble, slightly unable to speak. I can’t believe this party is for me.

  “Well, this is what happens when you get engaged to one of England’s elite.”

  I snort. “You make it sound like he’s part of the monarchy or something. He’s not.”

  “Mhm, and how many vacation homes did you say his family owns again?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  Her eyebrows raise. “Oh, that’s all? I take it back then. He’s a total peasant. You could do better.”

  I can’t help but laugh and shake my head. There are two things about Parker that make Ivy absolutely swoon whenever he’s near. The first is his accent. I never knew the girl had such a thing for British men. The second is his family’s wealth. She knows I’m not using him for his money, but she does envy the fact that I’ll never have to worry about finances.

  “Now, if only I could find him.”

  The two of us look around the venue which is already starting to fill with people, but none of them are my fiancé. He’s been at Harvard all day dealing with stuff for his upcoming semester, but he promised he would be here. I can’t exactly celebrate an engagement without the man I’m engaged to.

  “Tatum!” I shout, getting her attention. She glances over at me for a second to wave, then excuses herself from the cater waiter to come our way.

  “Hey, you’re here. What do you think? Do you like it?”

  I nod enthusiastically. “It’s gorgeous! You’ve really outdone yourself.”

  “Well, it was easy with the endless budget your fiancé was kind enough to give me.”

  “Speaking of, have you seen him yet?”

  She shakes her head, confirming what I was afraid of. “I thought he was coming with you.”

  “Nope.” I pop the p for emphasis. “He had some things to do in Boston for school. He’s supposed to meet me here.”

  “Hmm. Well, don’t worry too much. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” Her words are meant to soothe me but she’s clearly distracted with everything she needs to do. “Excuse me, the bakery just arrived to deliver the cake.”

  As Tatum walks away, Ivy watches me carefully. I take my phone out of my clutch and open my texts with Parker. I haven’t heard anything from him since this morning when he let me know he arrived at Harvard safely. My fingers compose a quick message asking where he is. I watch as the bubble pops up shortly after, indicating he’s typing. Sure enough, his response comes quickly.

  Parker: I’m so sorry love. Things ran late. I’m on my way but there’s traffic.

  Dread washes over me as I realize I’ll be spending part of our engagement party without him. There are already people I don’t know walking around. I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t know what to say to them without Parker to do the introductions. Ugh, I hate that he put me in this uncomfortable situation after promising me he wouldn’t.

  I don’t bother answering him as I click the screen to my phone off and toss it back into my bag. Ivy must notice the change in my attitude because she sighs and hooks her arm with my own.

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nbsp; “Come on, let’s go get something a little stronger than this champagne.”

  A COUPLE SHOTS OF tequila later, I’m standing at a high-top table with Ivy and Tatum. The party is going well, sans the fact that Parker is still MIA. The more time that passes without him here, the angrier I become. No amount of alcohol in the world can dull the irritation coursing through my veins.

  “I’m telling you, he is by far the hottest man I’ve ever seen in my life.” Ivy gushes about one of the waiters she works with.

  “I’m pretty sure that’s how you describe every new guy that catches your attention.”

  She makes a face at me and goes to continue, but Tatum’s voice cuts her off.

  “Crap. McKenna, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot to un-invite him.”

  “What?” I ask, turning around to find who she’s referring to.

  My sights land directly on Colton. He’s standing next to Maverick while they say hello to my parents. The way he looks in that suit is enough to bring any girl to her knees. Every feeling I had geared towards Parker’s absence vanishes as soon as Colton’s eyes meet my own.

  I haven’t seen him since I fell into his arms on Tuesday morning. I’ve done everything I can to avoid him, but apparently, my luck has worn out. I don’t know how I feel about that exactly.

  The way his stare bores into me, I’m finding it hard to remember why I didn’t want him here in the first place. Neither one of us look away as him and my brother make their way over to us. Maverick gives Tatum a kiss hello then focuses on me. Colton is the first to break the eye contact before smiling subtly at the ground.

  “You look beautiful, Squid.”

  I wince in embarrassment. “Shh, people can hear you.”

  “What?” He chuckles. “I can’t compliment my baby sister?”

  “I think she was referring to the nickname.” Tatum explains.

  “Ah. Okay then, you look beautiful, McKenna.”

  A shy smile stretches across my face. “Thank you.”

  “Where’s your fiancé?” Colton finally chimes in.

  “He’s… uh, he’s running late.” His eyebrows raise. I’m not sure if it’s Parker’s absence that surprises him or the way I don’t seem to mind it right now. Regardless, it makes me feel like I need to explain. “He had a meeting at Harvard for medical school, and you know how Boston traffic is.”

  “Harvard Med School? Well damn, Mac. You really hit the jackpot.”

  I don’t respond. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I’d have any idea what to say to that. I thought him and I had shared a moment a few days ago. Did I imagine the way he shuddered when I whispered his name, or the way his fingers dug into my waist? I could have sworn he was just as affected as I was but looking at him now, he seems completely indifferent.

  “It’s that British accent. Right, McKenna?” Ivy nudges me playfully.

  I giggle, knowing exactly what she’s doing. “Definitely”

  “And here I was thinking it was my charming personality.” A familiar voice catches my attention.

  We all turn our heads to see Parker only a few steps away, wearing a light gray tuxedo and looking like sex on legs. Ivy gapes while my smile grows. He walks directly to me and wraps his arms around my body, placing his lips against my ear.

  “I’m sorry, love. The bloody traffic was horrible.”

  I hug him back half-heartedly before taking a step back. “You knew it would be. You should’ve left earlier.”

  His eyebrows furrow. “I apologized. What more do you want from me?”

  “I want you to keep your promises. You said you would be here on time, not a half hour late.”

  “McKenna.” He says my name like a parent warning their child. “Do you really want to do this here?”

  After a short internal debate with myself, I realize he’s right - I don’t want to ruin our engagement party. He’s here now and that’s all that matters. I sigh and arch onto the tips of my toes to kiss him innocently.

  “I missed you today.” He whispers.

  If you missed me, you wouldn’t have been late. “I missed you, too.”

  Parker turns his attention to the rest of the group and greets each one of them. Ivy, like usual, melts in the palm of his hand. If she wasn’t my best friend, I’d wonder if I had something to worry about. As his attention reaches Colton, I hold my breath and watch the exchange.

  “Nice to see you again, mate.” Parker extends his hand.

  After looking at it like it’s diseased, he takes it. “You, too.”

  “If you lot don’t mind, I’m going to steal McKenna for a bit. There are a few people I’d like for her to meet.”

  When none of them protest, Parker leads me over to a group of men who look old enough to be my parents. I spare a glance at my friends only to see Colton scowling at where Parker’s hand rests on the small of my back. I don’t get a chance to try to analyze the meaning of his reaction before Parker speaks.

  “Gentleman, let me introduce you to my fiancée, McKenna Taylor.”

  I’M NOT SURE WHERE Tatum managed to find this DJ, but he’s really good. After spending an obnoxious amount of time listening to Parker talk to his friends from Columbia University about the growing stock market, I excused myself and found Ivy and Tatum on the dance floor. The three of us move to the music, losing ourselves in the beat of the song. As the tempo slows, Maverick spins Tatum around to slow dance.

  “Want to go get a drink?” Ivy questions.

  I nod and go to follow her until a hand wraps around my wrist. With a subtle tug, I’m pulled directly into Colton’s arms. My breath gets caught in my throat as I look up at him.

  “Dance with me.”

  I think it’s meant to be a question, but it comes out more like a demand. I try to find Ivy but she’s no help as she smiles, walking away with a smug look on her face. As I turn my head back to Colton, he’s already starting to sway to the music. I take a deep breath before resting my arms on his shoulders.

  “We never got a chance to talk the other day.” He murmurs.

  “Oh? What did you want to talk about?”

  We both glance around the party, looking anywhere but at each other. “How’ve you been?”

  Really? That’s what he wants to know? “Good. How about you?”

  “Can’t complain too much.”

  “My mom showed me an article about you a couple years ago. Seems like you’ve really made something of yourself.”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “I bet your mother is proud.” She always was his biggest supporter.

  He laughs softly, and God, I’ve missed that sound. “She tells anyone that will listen that her son is the biggest architect in Massachusetts.”

  “Is she wrong?”

  His shoulders move in a subtle shrug. “It’s a bit of a stretch.” When I don’t say anything else, the two of us fall into a comfortable silence, just letting our bodies sway with the song. After a minute or so, he sighs. “You look gorgeous, McKenna.”

  For the first time since we started dancing, my eyes meet his. The way he’s looking at me is so familiar and no matter how much my mind is screaming at me to turn away, I can’t. Just like Tuesday, I’m frozen in place. His eyes glance down at my lips then back up. Don’t do it.

  “Mind if I cut in?”

  Ivy’s voice breaks the spell he had me under. I nod and step out of his arms, giving her a thankful smile as I walk away. I really need a drink.

  AN HOUR LATER, THE party is almost over and Parker has barely paid any attention to me all night. I get that he doesn’t see these people often, but if it wasn’t for us cutting the cake and the massively oversized photo, no one would know we’re together - let alone engaged. Since the dance, I’ve done my best to avoid Colton. I can’t say for certain that we wouldn’t have kissed if Ivy hadn’t interrupted, and even the idea of that is trouble.

  I excuse myself from a conversation with my parents and some of their friends and make
my way over to Parker. However, as soon as I’m within earshot, his words stop me in my tracks.

  “I know it’ll be a bit difficult to juggle settling into a new house with summer courses, but it’s best for me to get a jump on things.”

  “S-summer courses?” I choke out.

  Parker turns around, looking guilty. “McKenna.”

  Suddenly, nothing he has to say is anything I want to hear. I shake my head and walk away, but he catches up to me quickly.

  “McKenna, wait.” He grabs my hand.

  I stop and spin to face him, quickly pulling myself from his grasp. “Don’t!”

  “I can explain.”

  “Explain?! Explain what? How you promised this summer would be all about the two of us? How you were so excited to spend time with me?”

  “I’m still going to spend time with you.”

  “When? You’re going to be at class all day and studying all night. When did you even decide to do this?”

  “Can we talk about this later?”

  I cross my arms. “When Parker?”

  “Last night.”

  Nodding as everything starts to make sense, I roll my eyes. “So that’s why you were late. You were signing up for courses.” His silence confirms that I’m right. “That’s just great.”

  A familiar song flows from the speakers and straight to my ears; a song I haven’t let myself listen to in years. It’s a bittersweet memory.

  What kind of eighteen-year-old doesn’t know how to slow dance? It has to be the easiest kind of dancing and yet I can’t do it without stepping on the guy’s toes. Maybe I should just skip prom all together instead of risking embarrassing myself.

  “Ugh.” I groan, tossing my iPod onto my dresser. “It’s hopeless.”

  “Well don’t you look happy.” A voice startles me.

  My head whips towards the sound to see Colton, my brother’s best friend, standing in the doorway. He looks so soft in a T-shirt and sweatpants with his hair messy as if he just ran a towel over it. God, he’s gorgeous.