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I let out a shaky breath, finally hearing the message he’d been saying all these years. It wasn’t my fault.
“Now, what do you need? I’m assuming you’re not going to marry the nightstand?”
“Nightstand?” I asked, quirking my brow as I tried to figure out the reference.
“Yeah. Sorry, but he’s about as bright and useful as one.”
My jaw fell open as I gaped at my brother. He stood proud, with his arms crossed, not ashamed of his comment. That was the thing about Bryce; he never apologized for who he was.
“No, I can’t marry Brandon,” I said once I’d recovered, shaking my head for emphasis.
“Good. I wasn’t looking forward to spending the holidays with him. I get that not everyone loves baseball, but the dude thinks a grand slam is what you order at Denny’s. Add in the fact that Dad would’ve snapped if he brought up cricket one more time.”
Grimacing, I suddenly wondered how anyone in my family had thought it was a good idea for me to marry Brandon. Had we all become too scared to say anything?
“How do I get out of here? I can’t walk down that aisle. With everyone looking at me, I won’t be able to say no. It would be too much pressure. Not to mention I don’t want to embarrass him. Despite being dull, he’s been a good friend to me. He’s not a bad guy.”
Bryce groaned but nodded. “We have different definitions of friends, but fine.” He rubbed his hands together, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. “Time for Operation Cleat Retreat. Leave the distraction up to me. I feel like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.”
I huffed, crossing my arms as I tried to hide my nervousness. “You seriously need to get out more. You’re becoming like Dad with how much time you spend at the sports complex. Plus, I’m not sure this situation is how that phrase works. Didn’t Hawk coin it to run out on cleat chasers?”
Bryce ignored me and rolled his eyes as he pulled out his phone and hit a button. “Hey, I need you to pull your car around to the side entrance and take BB somewhere no one will look for the night.”
“Why does that sound like you’re sending me off with an ax murderer?” I mumbled, debating if this was really the lesser of two evils.
Bryce narrowed his eyes at me but said nothing. “Yeah, leave now. Just say there’s a flower emergency or some shit. I’ll head off the others while you escape. Yeah, thanks, man.”
He disconnected the call and shoved his phone back into his suit pants. “Hawk’s on his way. Stay with him until morning. Give it time to blow over.”
At the mention of his best friend, butterflies I hadn’t felt all day erupted in my belly as my heart picked up speed. I licked my lips, and my cheeks blushed as heat and desire rolled through me. Crap, crap, crap.
I hurried around the room, throwing what I could see into a bag to keep myself from looking at Bryce. It had been years since I’d sworn that my childhood crush on his best friend had disappeared. I didn’t want him to see how big of a lie that was when Hawk was the key to my escape.
Kicking off the torturous shoes, I slipped on my hot pink high tops and grabbed my purse as I yanked the veil off my head. Bryce peeked out the door, telling someone I’d be just a minute before he shut it and motioned for me to go out the other.
Thank you, Emerald Stadium, for having a million escape routes!
“Go, go.” He waved me off, one last look of concern on his face as
I ducked out the door with my bag clutched to my chest. My heart raced now that I’d finally decided to do something for myself.
“Wait!” Bryce called, stopping me in my tracks. He ran up to me and pulled me into a hug. I instantly wrapped my arms around him, loving how safe and cared for I always felt in my brother’s arms. “I’m proud of you, BB. Love you more than tacos.” He kissed my cheek before he turned me and pushed me out of the door just as someone rounded the corner. I could hear him talking, but I didn’t focus on it and took off down the stairs. My steps echoed around me, my breathing loud as I prayed not to run into anyone.
Pushing through the exit door, I looked both ways before I spotted Hawk’s Mustang idling at the curb. Pumping my legs, the white dress flew around me as I ran through the frozen grass. The door opened as I neared, and I slid into the front seat, the feeling of home registering around me as fresh-cut grass and sandalwood engulfed me.
Gazing into Hawk’s mismatched eyes, our gazes locked, and we held each other’s stare. My heart flipped over as it felt like we stole a second just for ourselves.
Maybe baseball hadn’t failed me this time after all, and I’d just been given the curve ball I needed.
THREE
HAWK
I hated weddings. They felt too orchestrated for my taste. I didn’t like people telling me how I should feel about something in general, but weddings took the cake. Every detail was planned to showcase the couple’s love, attempting to convince you that these two people were about to make the most beautiful commitment to one another.
In my experience, monogrammed napkins and color schemes had nothing to do with love. In fact, it seemed like the more effort and detail that went into the decor, the less likely the couple would make it to five years.
Not that I was a relationship expert or anything. I steered clear of any romantic entanglements and focused solely on my career. People depended on me to support them, and I wouldn’t let my little sister down, even if she didn’t think she needed it anymore.
