More like grumpy and withdrawn. When he wasn’t mocking and rude, that is.
The entire time they'd been filming in the meeting room he’d been frowning, standing with his arms crossed over his stupid, wide, muscular chest. The best man looking like he wanted nothing to do with the wedding was exactly the kind of drama that would have people buzzing around the water cooler.
At least Audrey’s glowing review of Fox wouldn’t play into that storyline too much.
“He’s been through so much, Eli’s been like a brother to him. Eli, Fox, Wade, and M—” She paused and cleared her throat. “The three of them were all super close in college.”
Bruce’s lips lifted slightly at the almost mention of Milo. Sienna sighed, knowing he’d end up splicing this together into something horrible.
“Harry has fit right in with them.” Reagan jumped in, trying to cover for Audrey. “Who knows, maybe I’ll have all the same four guys at my wedding in a few months.”
They all laughed, and Bruce made a signal that made the cameraman drop his camera.
“Thank you, ladies, that was great. Time for me to go find those guys and see if they have such nice things to say about you.” He winked, and Sienna suppressed a shudder.
“That wasn’t so bad,” said Audrey once Bruce and the cameraman were gone. “I think this will go great, don’t you?”
Sienna only wished the smile she gave her sister could be a real one.
Four
10 Days Until Dream Wedding
Fox closedhis eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on the pool stick in his hand and the shot he was about to take. He opened his eyes, pulled his arm back and—
“Those sisters are quite something, aren’t they?”
His concentration totally shattered by Bruce’s question, Fox’s shot went wide, and he cursed under his breath. What was the point of filming them while shooting pool if he was going to interrupt them with questions every two seconds?
“They’re great,” said Eli. “It’s such an honor to become part of such an amazing family of strong women.”
He was the picture of a relaxed, handsome groom-to-be, with his short cropped blond hair and bright smile, leaning casually against his stick that he’d propped against the floor.
Fox ran a hand through his slightly-too-long shaggy hair. He usually kept it short, but work had been crazy in the weeks leading up to this trip. The last time it had been this long was college, and unlike most people, he did not want to relive his college days.
“The Hudson women have had to be strong through many losses, right?” Bruce’s eyes gleamed.
Eli’s face fell, and Fox scowled. Fox had read the contract enough times to know there hadn’t been a clause about divulging all your darkest secrets on television. They could cut and paste however they wanted but if you didn't reveal too much, they couldn't do too much damage. Fox's survival plan was to say as little as possible. And if Eli was smart, he’d keep his mouth shut too.
“Fox, your turn.” Wade smacked his arm with his pool stick, and Fox poked him back. Wade’s eyes lit with mischief, and Fox scooted away from him around the pool table. The friendly scuffle that ensued was distraction enough from the question, and Bruce turned to Harry.
Fox caught Eli’s grateful look and shrugged. As much as Fox didn’t want to be on camera, he wasn’t about to let Eli get eaten alive by this bloodsucker producer.
“Reagan seems like a nice addition to their little trio.” Bruce’s smile was all teeth and no heart. “A little red firecracker I bet, huh?”
“Oh, I know how to keep her in her place.” Harry exchanged a smug wink with Bruce.
Fox had to ball his hands into fists to stop from doing something stupid.
Who talked about such a sweet girl like that? Fox had known Reagan since college. Not as well as Audrey, but she’d been there throughout everything that had happened, and Fox was loyal to those who were loyal to him.
And it was only because of that loyalty that he did not give Harry the black eye he deserved right now. Messing around with Wade was one thing, but Eli and Audrey did not need a fight to break out. Even though Bruce would be sure to love it, Fox wasn’t here to make the sleazy producer happy. He was here to make sure his friends got the best wedding ever.
Bruce turned back to Eli and the questions calmed down a bit, focusing on how he’d met Audrey and their early days of dating. It was pretty classic, cheesy, love story stuff. Fox turned his attention back to the game, ignoring the cameraman hovering just a little too close.
Fox gave one-word answers to his dumb questions like “Any guesses what’s in store for the first challenge tomorrow?” and “How’s it feel to see your best friend get married?” He’d hoped it would give Bruce the hint he wasn’t going to play his games, but the gleam in the producer’s eye left Fox feeling unsettled.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Bruce and the cameramen left.
