Returning to Rockport: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Kelsey Clayton

  I take a minute to think it over. There are tons that flow through my mind, and deciding on one is difficult. Finally, I figure it out.

  “Okay, so there was one night after Julia’s boyfriend cheated on her. After consuming so much wine and ice cream that we thought we were going to be sick, we got our RA to let us use his printer. We printed out a ton of pictures of the guy with cheater written really big across it. Then, we went up to the roof and tossed them it.” I giggle at the memory. “I swear it took weeks for him to get rid of them all.”

  His eyes widen as he chuckles. “Whose idea was that?!”

  “Mine.”

  He looks me over and takes a sip of his beer. “You’re not as innocent as you make yourself seem.”

  I laugh. “Oh please. After the summer you and I spent together, I couldn’t have looked innocent if I tried.”

  “Touché.” He smirks. “Okay, your turn.”

  “Hmm.” I sit up just a bit to drink some of my wine then lay back down. I know what I want to ask, but I don’t think I have the balls to ask it. Instead, I go with something safer. “Out of all the houses you’ve designed, which one is your favorite?”

  “The one I’m having built right now.” He answers without any hesitation.

  “The one you won’t let me see?”

  He grins and rolls his eyes. “You’ll see it eventually. Just not yet.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So you keep saying. Okay, next.”

  With one more swig of his beer, he places the empty bottle down next to him. “What’s your biggest regret?”

  My eyebrows furrow. “Honestly, I don’t think I have one.”

  “Come on. Everyone has something they wish they could have done differently.”

  Oh I do, but I’ve had way too much wine to get that real. So, I shrug. “I cheated on a test once.”

  “Did you get caught?”

  “No, but I felt horrible about it for weeks.”

  His head falls back as laughter flows out with ease. “Okay, I take back what I said earlier. You’re definitely still innocent.”

  “I think your dick would say otherwise.” I slur, watching his expression go serious in a millisecond.

  “Fuck, McKenna. You can’t just say things like that.”

  I could push it further, tease him a little like I was doing earlier, but I’m actually enjoying this little game we’re playing so I don’t. “If everyone has one, what’s yours?”

  “My what?”

  “Biggest regret.”

  He smiles down at me and puts out his hand. When I take it, he pulls me up and sits me on his lap. His hand brushes a strand of hair out of my face and then rubs against my cheek. The way he’s looking at me makes me feel like he can see straight into my soul.

  “Letting you leave for New York without telling you how I really felt.”

  And in that moment, I fall a little more.

  19

  MCKENNA

  The bakery is a cute little place with an assortment of delicious things on display. I want to try them all. A girl behind the counter with pink hair greets us as soon as we enter, asking if there is anything she can help us with. When I tell her who we are and that we have an appointment for our cake tasting, she directs us to a table and tell us she will go get the owner. I thank her before Parker and I sit down.

  “This place is adorable.” I remark, looking around at all the different décor.

  Parker smiles and nods. “Tatum chooses the best of everything, I’ve noticed.”

  “Yeah. She’s really good at her job.”

  The owner comes out and introduces herself. Her name is Elizabeth. She’s an older lady, probably mid sixties, with short black hair. You can tell by the way she talks about her cakes, that she loves what she does.

  “You two are a beautiful couple.” She compliments.

  Parker thanks her while I smile down at my lap. His arm goes around my shoulder and I swallow down the lump in my throat. Would he still be like this if he knew about all the time I’ve been spending with Colton lately? Who am I kidding? He wouldn’t even be here if he knew.

  Elizabeth goes to retrieve the samples from the back. Once she’s gone, Parker leans over and kisses my cheek. “I feel like this is one of the few things we’ve done for our own wedding.”

  I shrug. “That’s what happens when you hire a wedding planner. They do it all for you. It’s what we’re paying her for.”

  “Well, I still want to be the one to pick out your wedding band.”

  As I think about how quickly the summer is starting to go by, I can’t help but feel uneasy. I’m supposed to be using this time with Colton to figure out what I want, but if anything, it’s only confused me more. On the one hand, Parker is amazing. He’s everything I always knew I should want. On the other, Colton was the first person to hold my heart in his hands and I’m not sure I ever got it back.

  “Okay.” Elizabeth returns, placing two plates in front of Parker and I. The tiny cakes on each one make my mouth water. “We’re going to go one at a time and I’ll write down your thoughts and a score from 1 to 10. Don’t be afraid of offending me. Everyone has their likes and dislikes.”

  The first piece we try is a white cake with a hazelnut filling. I let the taste settle in my mouth, really thinking over how I feel about it. The cake itself is perfectly moist, but I’m not sure many people like hazelnut. Overall, I rate this one a six. I’m sure it won’t be my favorite, but I can’t bring myself to give it a lower score.

  The second is a red velvet cake with a sweet cream cheese filling. It’s absolutely mouthwatering and if it were for something less formal, I would probably go with this one. However, my mother has always insisted there is something taboo about a dark wedding cake. And trust me, this wedding has enough bad karma already.

  By the third piece, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I discreetly slip it out to find a new text.

  Colton: Can you sneak away for a bit? I miss you.

  I smile around my fork and type my response.

  McKenna: I miss you too, but I’m stuck at a bakery for at least the next hour and a half.