Better as Friends

by Liliana Rhodes

  "You know what? Just forget it," Gideon said angrily before walking away.

  I reached out for his arm, hoping to stop him, but he kept walking. I didn't blame him, how could I? I had been the worst friend possible. I was never open with him, I never told him how I felt. Even now, with my arm still through Taylor's, I realized what Taylor and I must look like.

  I ran after Gideon, but I lost him in the crowd. I walked in and out of the different alcoves trying to find him, but it was useless. He was gone.

  As I turned back to find Taylor again, the music stopped and someone annoyingly tapped on a microphone

  "Excuse me, folks. Is this thing on?"

  I spun around to find Gideon on a stage by the bar. I started to make my way closer to the stage to find out what he was up to.

  "I don't know how many of you know who I am, but that really isn't important right now," he said. "You see, it was at this fundraiser almost a year ago that something in me changed. I was friends, best friends, with this incredible woman." He pointed to me and smiled. "She's smart, she's funny, and she can tell a dirty joke that would make a sailor blush. I'm telling you, any of you single guys out there, if you ever meet a woman like this, don't make her your friend. Because having her as your friend is torture."

  "What do you mean having me as a friend is torture?" I asked as I reached the stage.

  "Did I mention she's feisty? I love that. Just let me finish please, honey," he said with a tender look in his eye. "You see, this whole talking thing is the problem. I'm a man, she's a woman, and in all reality we should speak the same language, but we don't. She's just too smart for me. I know I joke around a lot and I try to keep things lighthearted, but she was the only one who could ever see through all of that. And that meant a lot to me. When you find someone that can look past your bullshit and still care about you, you hold on to that person. That's unconditional, that's the kind of relationship where you can be away for months and come back and pick up exactly where you left off."

  "Keep going," I said. "You're getting better."

  Gideon laughed. "I'm not done yet. You see, folks, when we were at this fundraiser last time, I didn't see my friend standing at the bar in a dress that left no room for the imagination, I saw her for the first time as a woman. It was then that I realized how much I cared about her and what I really felt for her. But you know what? We were great friends. I didn't want to lose that, and neither did she. I'm not going to bore you with all the juicy details of what happened after that. But trust me, there was some hot stuff going on, am I right?"

  He looked at me expectantly and I just shook my head.

  "Get to the point, Gideon," I said. "No one needs to know about that."

  "Well, what happened between us was incredible. But despite all the wonderful things and my telling her that I loved her, we didn't work out. And that was my fault."

  He looked at me apologetically before looking out at the crowd again.

  "You see, folks, I was immature. I would think with my dick more than anything else and every time I got hard, I thought I was in love. You guys know what I mean, the loss of blood to your brain is pretty intense. Now, when you have a friend that you tell everything to, they know what an idiot you are. So when I told Becca that I loved her, she rightly stepped back and told me to go to hell."

  Gideon scanned the crowd that was listening quietly.

  "It's a tough thing when the person you love tells you to take a hike," he said quietly. "But once I stopped feeling hurt and angry, I decided to take some time away and focus on myself. She was right, I wasn't ready. Yes, I still loved her, but I was too immature. Being the best man that I could be for her was all that mattered to me, and I made sure I became that. So now I'm standing here and I don't know how she feels. She's here with another man, and I don't know if I lost my chance. But if I didn't tell her that a day didn't go by without my thinking about her, I would never forgive myself.

  "Becca, I left so you could be happy. I left to make you happy. While I was gone, I made sure to become the man that deserved you. I have always been a man who would do anything for you. I don't want you looking at me like that kid that slept his way through the city. I want you to look at me as the man that I've become, the one that still loves you. The one that will always love you."

  I couldn't believe what he was saying. Again Gideon said exactly the right thing. He said just what I needed to hear. But this time I was really listening.

  I thought about all the times our friends told us we were perfect together and how we were both too stubborn to admit they were right. I couldn't remember a time when I didn't love him, but while he was open and told me how he felt, I pretended our friendship meant more than that.

  "Listen, Becca," he said, "I don't know what's going on with you and Dr. Blond over there, but I don't see a ring on your finger. I don't want to waste any more time. I know what I want. I know the rest of my life would be a waste if I didn't spend it with you. I know that this might sound crazy, but Becca, will you marry me?"

  My breath caught in my throat. Did I hear him right? He had to have lost his mind. But what was crazier was that I wanted to say yes.

  "As I look around the room, I can see you all think I'm crazy, but hear me out," Gideon said. "All of you married people, you dated for a while, right? It doesn't matter how long it was, it could've been weeks, it could've been months, it could've been decades, let's be honest. In the end you all end up in the same place, married."

  Gideon looked around the room and as I turned around, I saw couples nodding with him.

  "Becca and I have been friends for over a year. Let me correct that, we've been best friends. We talked about everything. We were the last person to say anything to each other before we went to sleep and the first person to say something when we woke up. For all that time, we might as well have been dating, just without the sex. Sure, we had our own lives. I'd go out with the guys, she'd go out with the girls, but at the end of the day, we always came back to each other because that's who we enjoyed being with most of all."

  "Isn't that what marriage is about?" he asked as he scanned the room. "I honestly believe that the key to a successful marriage is to be friends, because if you're not, then what's there? I see some of you nodding. I see you finally coming around to the Gideon side."

  He pointed in the direction of an older couple with grey hair that was nodding with him. Then he took the mic off the stand and jumped down from the stage and walked over to them.

  What is he doing? I wondered as I followed him through the crowd.

  "I noticed you agreeing with me," he said to the couple. "I'm gonna guess that you’re married."

  The woman nodded with a smile that lit up her face. "If we weren't friends to begin with, I don't think our marriage would've lasted this long," she said. "At least not happily."

  Gideon put his arm around the woman's shoulders. "And what are your names?"

  "I'm Joan and this handsome devil is Morty," she said.

  "I see you found a feisty one too, didn't you, Morty?" he asked.

  "I sure did. I wouldn't have it any other way."

  "How long have you been married?" Gideon asked.

  "It's been 52 years," her husband said as he squeezed her tight. "All I have to do is look at her and it takes me back to the day we met. I can tell you down to the moment that I fell in love with her."

  "Well, it's funny that you mention that. My friend here, Becca, has a thing with hearing about how couples met. Would you mind sharing that story with us?" Gideon asked.

  "We went to school together," he said. "We lived in the same neighborhood. I was ten and she was the new girl in town. She got on the bus one September morning with her long, bright-red braids and as soon as I saw her, I knew that she was special."

  "And you were just ten?" I asked.

  "What can I say? When you know, you know," he said. "We did our homework together, we would study for tests, and we would talk for hours. It wasn't un
til years later, when we were in high school, that I realized that there was something more there. She started dating some jock and—"

  "And he became an ass," Joan said. "I didn't know what happened. All of a sudden my friend was acting like a jealous jerk."

  "Oh, I know how that is," I said as I gave Gideon the side eye.

  "So I get it," Morty said. "I know what you're saying. You spent this time away for your own reasons. And if I'm right, it was like a big part of you was missing. I felt that when I was away in the war. She wasn't around, we hadn't been in touch for a long time, but she was right here." He touched his chest and smiled at Joan. "And she still is."

  Gideon nodded. "See Becca, that's exactly what I'm saying. We were friends for all that time and it was great. And then we added some benefits," Gideon said with a smirk. "And if I may say so myself, those benefits were awesome. Unfortunately, being friends after that just wasn't. I didn't want to be your friend anymore. All I ever really wanted is for you to be happy, Becca. And I know I can make you happy. If you think this blond guy here can do the job, then that's fine. Or maybe even Morty over here. I understand it, he's a handsome devil and that's something I'll have to accept. But I guarantee you that no one will make you as happy, and no one will try as hard to make you happy every day for the rest of your life like I will."

  Gideon took my hand and pulled me away from the crowd. I couldn't believe what was happening. After my pushing him away and after my acting like such a nut obsessing over our friendship and everything, he still wanted to be with me. It proved to me that he was right, he wasn't that guy who fell for every woman he met anymore. Everything he said made sense to me. He always knew the right thing to say.

  "I'm not saying you have to marry me now," he said. "But just promise me you will. One day."

  "Are you serious?" I asked

  He turned around and handed the microphone to the first person who walked by.

  "I'll show you how serious I am," he said.

  He removed the ring that belonged to his grandfather, dropped down to one knee, and looked up at me while holding the ring out in front of him.

  "See, I even have a ring. That's how serious I am, Becca. That's how much I mean everything I've been saying. I've never been more serious about anything before in my life. So what do you say? Will you marry me?"

  "Yes," I said without thinking. I didn't need to think, I couldn't imagine being happier than spending the rest of my life with my best friend.

  He tried to find a finger his ring would fit on but was out of luck. I laughed and took the ring from his hand and slipped it back onto his ring finger.

  "I'll make it up to you, I promise," he said.

  Gideon rose to his feet, picked me up, and spun me around before dipping me back and kissing me.

  I was dizzy and out of breath, and not just from the spinning, or the kiss, but because that was the effect he always had on me and somehow deep down, I knew he always would. I was never more sure about anything than saying yes to marrying Gideon.

  "I love you," he whispered as he held me tight.

  "I love you too," I said.

  "Hey, you know Xander told me there's a back room here that no one ever goes into. Care to find out if he's telling the truth?"

  He waggled his brow and I laughed. I knew about that room, I remembered Ashley telling me about how she and Xander met.

  "There's actually quite a few rooms, kitchens, museum exhibits, barns, and even coat closets that I know about," I said, thinking about my friends' stories. "Let's find some new places to make our own."

  "Have you ever been to the parking garage here? I think that's the perfect place to start."

  He took my hand and as we made our way towards the exit, I waved goodbye to Taylor. He winked at me as he smiled before turning back to the handsome man he was talking to.

  I looked back at the place where things first changed between Gideon and me. I was grateful things turned out how they did.

  "Gideon?" I said as we left the main gallery. "Did you really mean all those things you said?"

  He stopped and pulled me against him, with his arms around my waist.

  "Unconditionally," he said.

  The End

  Thank you for reading Better As Friends! I hope you enjoyed it.

  If You enjoyed The Billionaire’s Whim series, I think you’ll like my standalone book Unexpected Plans.

  Continue reading for an excerpt.

  About Unexpected Plans

  Keira Rivera has planned every moment in her life, from getting a job at a prestigious law firm and beyond. Even the fling she's planning for her exotic vacation is planned – she just needs to find the perfect guy.

  Griffin Goodrich is in trouble, the kind of trouble only wealthy, sexy men with a bad reputation get in. He's impulsive, stubborn, and embroiled in a lawsuit he doesn't have time for. He turns to his father for help, who agrees with one stipulation – that he take some time off for a vacation.

  Keira believes finding Griffin, her childhood crush, in the suite next door is kismet. He fits in her plan and they agree that whatever happens on vacation, stays on vacation. However, once Keira is back home all her careful plans go up in smoke.

  Chapter One

  "Dammit, Emme," Walter Goodrich said. "When I was Griffin’s age, we were already married. He's thirty! Remember what I was doing when I was thirty? Changing his diaper. When is he going to settle down?"

  Walt's wife shook her head.

  "You know better than to expect too much from him," she said.

  Walt scowled as best as he could. After retiring from Goodrich and Son Contracting, his multibillion-dollar construction firm, Walt decided he needed to be as much of a curmudgeon as possible. It wasn’t working.

  Emme covered her mouth with her hand, but Walt could tell by the twinkle in her eye that she was laughing. He grumbled as he dropped into his easy chair across from her.

  "Go ahead and laugh," he grumbled. "You’re not going to hurt my feelings."

  Emme laughed quietly as she rose from her seat and positioned herself on her husband’s lap. He wrapped his thick arms around her waist as she leaned against him.

  "You’re just bored," she said, not hiding her laughter anymore. "Trust me, I thought by the time you retired that we’d have at least one grandchild. I thought in the least I’d have a daughter-in-law to coax into having kids. I really thought by the time he was thirty he would have settled down, but you know Griffin."

  "Yes, I do. He’s as stubborn as a mule."

  "I wonder where he got that from," she said, her lips curling into a smirk.

  "Of all the damn things for him to get from me. He’s your spitting image with your pale blue eyes and raven hair."

  "Well, not anymore," Emme said as she pushed her thick silver hair behind her ear.

  "It doesn’t matter what color your hair is. You’re just as beautiful now as the day we first met."

  "It’s hard to believe that was almost forty years ago," she said. "I remember the day you pulled up to the house in your pickup truck like it was yesterday."

  "I’m sure your father still remembers that day too. He hired me to upgrade the plumbing, bet he didn’t expect me to become his son-in-law," Walt said with a laugh. "I know he hated me."

  "Maybe he still does," she teased. "He has a surprisingly good memory still. He was just worried about me, but after he saw how you were building Goodrich Contracting, that all changed."

  "I got lucky. I made some good contacts and got some great contracts. I never thought Goodrich and Son would be the company it is today. I put in a lot of hard work."

  "You did, honey. You made your own luck. You saw what you wanted and went for it."

  Walt suddenly had such a crazy and absurd idea that he was positive it would work.

  "You're right, I did go for it. And I’m going to go for it now."

  Walt picked up the phone next to him and began dialing.

  "Who are you calling
?" Emme asked.

  "Remember my old friend Joseph Anderson? He made his own luck too, and now he and Katherine have tons of grandchildren. He hinted to me once that he was behind the whole thing. I’m going to find out how he did it."

  The phone rang several times before Joseph’s deep voice answered.

  "Joseph, it’s Walter Goodrich."

  "Been a long time, my friend, how are you and your lovely wife?"

  "Ready for grandchildren."

  Joseph’s laughter boomed over the phone. Walt held the phone away from his ear so Emme could listen.

  "Say no more," Joseph said. "I know exactly how you're feeling."

  "Do you have any advice?"

  "Well, you know Griffin more than anyone," Joseph said. "Put him in a situation he can’t say no to. Sometimes all they need is a little push."

  Walt nodded as his idea became clearer. A sly smile spread across his lips. He made plans for a round of golf with Joseph before ending the call, then quickly dialed another number.

  "Drew Titan please. Tell him it's Walter Goodrich," he said when a receptionist answered.

  Drew and Griffin were old friends, and he owned several luxury resorts. This week was the perfect time for Griffin to take a vacation. Walt's eyes danced with excitement when Drew came on the line.

  "Good to hear from you, Walt," Drew said. "I was just thinking about Griffin the other day, he and I need to catch up."

  "Well, when you do, please tell him how much you're loving married life," Walt said as he snickered. "That boy needs to settle down."

  Drew laughed. "You know how it is when you find the right one. Be patient, Griffin will settle down when he meets her."

  Walt was tired of waiting.

  "I need a couple of favors from you," he said as he reached for his battered leather day planner. "I'd like to send Griffin away for an impromptu vacation."