Page 3 of Had to Be You

"When did she find it?" Ford breathed out.

Their mom had stopped wearing the ring after their dad died because she said it was too painful. Growing up, Knox had always known that Ford would get the ring since he was the oldest brother. But when he was going to marry his first wife and asked for the ring, their mom had lied and said she’d lost it. She did it because she knew that Tish wasn’t ‘the one.’

Knox slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Bro, she never lost it. We all knew that shit with Tish wasn’t going to last."

If someone googled The Worst, Knox was sure that a picture of his brother’s ex-wife would be the first result. The woman had lied, schemed, and basically extorted money from his brother for eighteen years. Thankfully, the twins were in their early twenties now, so he didn’t have to deal with the Spawn of Satan, aka Tish, anymore, but Knox had to admit he was surprised that Ford would let another woman in.

After seeing Ford’s reaction to the ring, Knox was even more determined that he needed to make sure that this Chrissy hadn’t pulled the wool over his brother’s eyes. He wanted his brother to be happy, but he was not about to sit back and stay silent while his brother got taken advantage of.

"So, are you gonna give me a tour, or what?"

Ford nodded less than enthusiastically, and the two men and Duke headed inside. Knox was impressed by the work that Ford had done in the year since he’d bought the place. He remembered the twins sending him photos when his brother first moved in, and the place was basically a time capsule.

Now, it had new flooring, a vaulted ceiling, a totally renovated kitchen, and a surprisingly homey and cozy vibe.

"Damn, the place looks great!"

"Thanks. I’m gonna be gone for a few hours today, so make yourself at home."

Again, Knox couldn’t have scripted this better himself.

"Actually, I need to take a shower. I’m going to a wedding." Knox grinned.

"A wedding?" Ford repeated.

"Yep, I’m going as Keaton’s plus one."

Ford’s nostrils flared, and Knox could see the cartoon steam coming out of his ears. Yeah. This was going to be fun.

* * *

"The wedding? No, I’mnotgoing to the wedding," Laura told her best friend Kennedy Dawes, who was on speaker phone as she scrubbed down the shower. "I hate weddings."

"Youhateweddings?" Kennedy repeated.

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"Since I’m tired of celebrating other people falling in love." Laura knew that might sound bitter, but hey, if the bitterness fit.

Sixty-eight. That was how many weddings Laura had been to in her life. Two of them, she’d been the bride. In eighteen, she’d been a bridesmaid, and in four, she’d been the maid of honor. The rest she’d just been a guest at, but eight of them had been destination weddings, which had cost her thousands.

"You have to go," Kennedy stated firmly. "He stood me up."

"Who stood you up?"

"The taco guy. From Tinder. He stood me up for the wedding."

Laura had told her friend that inviting a guy from a dating app to a wedding was a bad idea, but had she listened? Of course not.

Kennedy was one of the most stubborn people Laura knew. Second only to herself. It was probably why they’d bonded so quickly when Laura moved to town five years ago. They were both strong-willed, type A women who knew exactly what they wanted and would not settle for less.

Laura had three sisters who she loved more than life itself and twelve female first cousins who she was close to, but she didn’t connect with them on the same level that she did with Kennedy. Her family had never understood her relentless drive and ambition or her single-mindedness. They were all incredible, smart women, but they lived their lives in shades of gray. Laura's and Kennedy’s lives were black and white.

Kennedy was the Diana to Laura’s Anne. The Ethel to Laura’s Lucy. The Shirley to Laura’s Laverne. The Cristina to Laura’s Meredith. Or it was the other way around, and Laura was Diana, Ethel, Laverne, and Cristina.

Whatever the casting, the two of them were definitely each other’s person, a kindred spirit, a ride or die. Which was why Laura knew that she was going to cave and go to the wedding today even though she’d rather have a root canal without anesthesia.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com