“I know,” Tyler said, raking a hand through his hair. The valets pulled up with their cars and he sighed. “Why don’t I follow you to your place?”
Her first instinct was to tell him no–that they could talk tomorrow because she really needed to sort her thoughts out on her own–but she would only be delaying the inevitable. They did have to get on the same page because apparently, this wasn’t about to be a paper-only arrangement anymore. Josie knew all about the families of the bride and groom and they rarely kept to themselves when there was a wedding to plan.
“Yeah. Sure.” She climbed into her car and pulled away and seriously contemplated calling Leanna just because she needed to get her thoughts out and have her little freak out before she had to talk to Tyler. At least with Lea she could yell and curse and say every wildly inappropriate thought she had in her head without any consequences. She knew how her friend would react and therefore it was a safe space. But with Tyler, she had no idea how he’d react to her level of crazy and she couldn’t guarantee that she wasn’t going to say something off the wall or insulting to him.
Or blurt out how she went out with his brother two nights ago and had been having very sexy and inappropriate dreams about him ever since.
Probably should have thought about things like this before agreeing to marry him.
Although…to be fair…she technically hadn’t agreed to marry him.
Technically.
He asked her to say yes, but…
“Oh God…I’m grasping at straws big time here,” she murmured.
And that’s when she realized there wasn’t enough time to call Leanna or anyone and freak out. That was going to require some quality time and not just a ten-minute phone call. She’d talk to her tomorrow at the office, but Skye wouldn’t be there, and she really wished she could have the three of them sit down to talk this through.
“What have I done?” she whispered.
She’d done what she normally did–acted hastily without thinking of the repercussions. And the weird thing was that she was only like that when it was her personal life. In business, she was extremely levelheaded and thought everything through. Some would call that balance, but right now Josie could only classify it as being batshit crazy.
It took fifteen minutes to get home and even as she pulled into the driveway, she still had no idea what she was going to say to Tyler.
They walked into her place together and he spoke first. “Okay, I know that was a little unexpected…”
“A little?” she asked sarcastically. “Ya think?”
Nodding, he walked into her kitchen and got them both something to drink. It was something he’d done dozens of times over the last several months, but for some reason, it bothered her. Following him, she took the glasses from his hands and poured the wine herself.
“I get it,” he said. “You’re upset. Trust me, I am too! I had no idea they’d be there, and I certainly had no idea my brother would be coming home after all this time! Honestly, it would have been the perfect way for us to stay under the radar if we hadn’t run into them tonight!”
“Why?” She handed him his wine.
“With Daniel coming home after all this time, everyone’s attention would be on him. You and I could have slipped away for a few days with no one even realizing it. But now my mother is going to be plotting and planning all kinds of things for our wedding and I have no idea what to do about it.”
Now this she could work with, she realized.
In her line of work, they dealt with overbearing parents of the bride and groom all the time. Pacing around her kitchen, Josie collected her thoughts. “Okay, here’s what I think needs to happen then. You tell her that this is all new and you feel bad about taking the attention away from your brother. That should buy us enough time to…you know…maybe do what we said we were going to do.”
Tyler eyed her suspiciously. “Why do I get the feeling you’re regretting this?”
Um…because I am?
That was just nerves talking, Josie told herself. If nothing else, she was a good friend and she could do this to help Tyler out. Leanna had been right when she said this wasn’t the way to get the things she wanted–the things she’d dreamt about more and more lately.
Taking a sip of her wine, she stopped and faced him. “Honestly, Tyler, I am regretting this a little. When we talked about it, it was going to just be between us. Now your whole family was there to witness it and you know there’s a chance of word getting to my family. I don’t even know how I’ll explain it to them.” She paused and started to pace again. “If we tell everyone that this is just a business arrangement, you know we’ll catch a lot of crap for it because no one would understand.”
“So…what are you saying?”
She couldn’t believe she was going to say this, but…
“I think…” Pausing, she cleared her throat. “I mean…I think…”
Tyler’s phone rang. “Jos, it’s St. Clair. I have to take this.” He smiled. “For him to be calling this late, it has to be good news!” Then he turned and walked out of the kitchen to take the call and Josie wanted to scream.
She was so close to saying this was a mistake and maybe just tell his parents in a few weeks that they reconsidered. It wouldn’t be a terrible thing. But if this call was truly the news Tyler was waiting for? If he was offered the promotion based on this phony-baloney engagement then…well, then she’d have to go through with it. There was no way she would be able to live with herself if she cost him the job he’d been working toward for so long.
“I swear I don’t get enough credit for being a good friend,” she murmured, walking over to the French doors that led to her backyard. There was a cozy seating area around a stone fire pit and the entire area–while not large–was fenced in for total privacy. It was her sanctuary and as soon as Tyler left, she was going to sit out there and stare up at the stars and seriously think about her life.
And how this was all possibly going to play out.
Josie finished her wine and contemplated pouring herself a little more but decided against it. If only Tyler would get off the damn phone and let her know what was happening…
It took another ten minutes and by that point, she was ready to come out of her skin. But when he strode into the room with a huge smile on her face, she knew what it meant.
She was getting married.
“I got the promotion!” he exclaimed before walking over and spinning her around in his arms. “I owe it all to you, Josie! There’s no way this would have happened without you!”
Okay, at least he was acknowledging that…
Placing her down on her feet, he gently grasped her shoulders. “I don’t even know what to say. There was a part of me that was starting to doubt all of it. And then the way things went down tonight with my family and I saw on your face that you were having doubts…” Pausing, he gave her a nervous smile. “Are you…are you really having doubts?”
Swallowing hard, she silently cursed her dedication to this situation.
“I was,” she admitted softly, “but you don’t have to worry. I’ll marry you.”
And because he was a friend–her buddy–he…high-fived her. “This is great! I really appreciate it, Jos. And don’t worry, we’ll figure out how to handle my folks. I’m sure they won’t be a problem.” Then he yawned and told her it was late and he needed to get going and she didn’t stop him.
That night, she barely slept, and it had very little to do with Tyler and everything to do with his brother.
What were the odds?
Yeah, she still couldn’t believe it, and what was worse, she had a feeling there wasn’t going to be any way to avoid him.
And the sick part was, she didn’t want to avoid him. If anything, sitting next to him at dinner had her feeling all kinds of tingly and turned on.
What is wrong with me?
The next morning when she got to the office and verbally exploded all over poor Leanna about her night,
that was exactly what she asked again. “Seriously, what is wrong with me?” she cried.
Lea just stood there and blinked for a solid minute. “Wow…I’m not even sure which part of that story deserves the most attention.”
“I know! All of it’s awful! I had Tyler to the left of me proposing, while I was essentially playing footsie with Daniel on my right!”
“Not footsie,” Lea corrected. “I mean…it was your hands, but…”
“So not the point right now! You know what I’m saying! What do I do!”
“For starters, you don’t marry Tyler!”
That was the solution she kept going back to and yet…she couldn’t make herself believe it. “I can’t back out on him. I just can’t.”
“Josie…”
“Although, for all I know, Daniel’s going to say something and then things will get even more awkward.”
“Yeah, that would worry me if this were a real engagement,” Lea murmured, reaching for her coffee. “He can tell Tyler about you making out with him in the parking lot–and at some point, we’re going to talk about why you kept that to yourself–but what difference will it make? It’s not like Ty’s going to be jealous.”
“True.” She nibbled on her bottom lip and tried to make sense of this whole situation. She remembered the way Daniel looked at her right before he left–almost as if he were threatening her right then and there that he was going to tell his brother about them.
Them, she thought with a small snort. There was no them. She wished there were a them, but…clearly that ship had sailed.
And sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
She let out a sad sigh. “I’m so confused.”
Lea walked over and hugged her. “I know you are, sweetie.” She paused. “Is it too early for cupcakes?”
“Probably.” Then she frowned. “But since making bad decisions has suddenly become my thing, maybe I’ll just have some frosting.”
“That’s my girl.” Together they walked to the kitchen where Lea always had extra frosting on hand for emotional emergencies.
Bless her.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” she said after her first spoonful of strawberry frosting.
“Which part?”
“All of it. Maybe Daniel will tell Tyler everything and see that it’s not a big deal and…move on. It could happen, right?”
“Or…you can just avoid the whole thing and just…you know…not marry Tyler.”
She groaned. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record.”
“Pretty soon I’ll have the extended disco version ready for you,” Lea said with a smirk as she danced around the kitchen making up words to the worst song known to man. “You can’t marry Tyler! Woo!”
“You’re not marrying her.”
The words were out of Daniel’s mouth Sunday afternoon before he could even stop them.
His little brother turned to him as if he didn’t understand the statement. “Um…what?”
“You heard me. This wedding? Yeah, it’s not happening.”
Tyler’s eyes went a little wide before he casually leaned against the counter. They were standing in the middle of their parents’ kitchen with two dozen relatives outside on the deck. This probably wasn’t the smartest time to have this conversation, but it looked like he had a lot of catching up to do with his brother.
“You’ve been gone a long time, Daniel,” Tyler said casually. “And I’m not the same kid you remember. You can’t tell me what to do and you don’t get to have a say in my life.”
Fifteen years was a long time to be away; Daniel knew that. He also knew how much could change during that span of time, but it didn’t change the fact that he knew when something wasn’t right.
And there was definitely nothing right about his brother’s strange proposal to Josie Sullivan.
The last thing he wanted to do was start a fight, but there were things he also needed to get off his chest. “Look, can we just…talk?” he suggested. “Not here in the middle of the kitchen, but maybe in Dad’s study?”
Tyler gave him a hesitant look before nodding.
Neither said a word as they walked down the hall to their father’s study and shut the door. Before Daniel could utter a sound, his brother turned and lashed out.
“If all you want to do is come in here and tell me how to live my life, then I’m going to save you the effort,” he began firmly. “I’m a successful lawyer now. I’ve got my shit together and I don’t need your advice. You took off fifteen years ago without giving a damn about any of us, so it’s a little too late for you to pretend like you care now.”
Okay, that certainly wasn’t what he was expecting but…wow.
“How do you even know this girl?” Daniel asked calmly.
“I’ve known Josie for years. Her brother Elliott is my best friend.” Tyler’s gaze narrowed. “Do you even remember that?”
After letting out a long breath, Daniel moved to sit on the edge of their father’s desk. “How would I remember your best friend having a younger sister?”
“Not that part!” Tyler snapped. “About who my best friend is!”
“I remember Elliott and I guess I just didn’t put two and two together with the Sullivan thing. Jeez, unclench.”
“Seriously? I walk in here today expecting to have a nice time with the family and the first words out of your mouth are to tell me that I can’t marry Josie. Hmm…I wonder why I’m upset?”
“Nice. You turned into a sarcastic lawyer. Mom and Dad must be proud,” he murmured.
They both grew silent and Daniel cursed his heated words. He and Tyler were never close, never had anything in common, and it seemed like they still didn’t.
Except being attracted to the same woman.
Yeah, that.
After Josie left him in the parking lot after kissing him senseless, he regretted not trying harder for a second chance with her. And then finding her sitting with his brother–who was asking her to marry him–pretty much sent him reeling. Now he was dealing with a whole range of emotions–anger, disappointment, disbelief, betrayal–and none of them were rational considering the situation. And none of them were helping him reconnect with his brother.
“Sorry,” he forced himself to say. “That was uncalled for.”
“Yes, it was,” Tyler replied wearily. “You’ve been gone for a long time and you don’t know anything about me anymore and you certainly don’t know anything about Josie, but…it’s really none of your business.”
That was his cue–his opening to tell his brother exactly why this was his business and what he knew. But somehow, that wasn’t what he led with.
“Ty, come on. I may not have ever proposed to anyone, but I think the girl shouldn’t look terrified and the guy should put a little more emotion into it. That was the world’s weirdest proposal!”
“Only because you all showed up and interrupted!”
He had a point, but…something still seemed off about the whole thing.
“Is she pregnant? Is that why you’re rushing a proposal?”
“Who says we’re rushing it?”
“Everyone,” Daniel countered. “Mom and Dad were certainly shocked and the whole way home after dinner–and ever since–they’re still a little shocked at this turn of events.” He paused. “Just be honest, Ty. If she’s pregnant and you’re doing the right thing, then…good for you.”
Groaning, Tyler said, “She’s not pregnant.” Raking a hand through his sandy blond hair, he walked over to the windows and stared out at the party outside. “Josie and I have known each other since forever. We realized we’re very compatible. We’ve always been friends and after helping me plan a big event for my firm, we realized there was…something there.”
If his brother thought he was making his case, he was not only the world’s biggest liar but possibly an even worse attorney.
He also knew he wasn’t going to get anything out of him right now because he was on the defensive. So he
threw out a suggestion.
“Fine. How about I take the two of you out to dinner one night this week so I can get to know her and…you know…see the two of you together.” The words felt wrong because he had no idea how it would feel if the two of them really were in love. How awkward would it be to lust after his sister-in-law?
“Um…Josie’s schedule is usually pretty chaotic…”
“The two of you seem to make time to see each other,” he interrupted. “One dinner, Ty. Surely you can appreciate that I’d like to spend some time with the two of you–you know, since you’re getting married.”
“Daniel…”
“Look, I know I’ve been gone for a long time, but I’m back now. I’m out of the service and looking to settle back here in Raleigh. This is going to be my home. Permanently.”
Tyler turned and stared at him. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Seriously.”
“Wow…I didn’t even think…I thought you were just scoping things out and…”
“Yeah, well…I’m back to stay. I’m renting a townhouse while I look for a place of my own because…” Pausing, he chuckled. “As much as I’ve missed Mom and Dad, there’s no way I was moving back in with them.”
With a laugh of his own, Tyler nodded. “I get that.” Then he shook his head. “You know you could have crashed with me.”
“Actually, I didn’t know that. The truth is…like you’ve mentioned several times…I don’t really know you anymore.” He shrugged. “I’m not saying you’re to blame–I think we both are–but I appreciate the offer.”
“We’re family and maybe now that you’re back and we’re both adults we can actually try to be friends too.”
“I’d like that,” Daniel admitted gruffly and held out his hand to shake on it, only to find himself being hugged.
Good grief…
“So where’s your townhouse? Is it close by?”
“It’s about twenty minutes from here in the…” He had to stop and remember the name of the community. “It’s a new community. Oak View Terrace.”
You May Kiss the Groomsman: A Meet Me at the Altar Novel Page 4