Falling for My Brother's Best Friend

CHAPTER THREE

Riley.

I must have been exhausted from yesterday because the only time I woke up was when Stacey came into my room and told me she had cooked dinner for me. I was surprised; I haven’t had anyone prepare dinner for me since I lived with my parents.

As I lay in bed, yesterday’s events were still fresh in my mind. I won’t forget it easily— that’s not the way I am. It’s going to hurt for weeks to come. I wish I had the ability to just forget it, to place it in the back of my mind inside a small box and leave it there for all eternity. But I love to torture myself.

Years I wasted on that jerk—years I can’t get back. I had dreams and hopes which I gave up for him, and now I have nothing to show for it, only a broken heart. Shaking off my thoughts, I grin at my sister-in-law and pull the covers off.

I won’t allow this to break me. I’m going to carry on as if everything is normal. My life won’t stop just because of this. I have to keep going and not give up. I’m a strong woman; I don’t need a man.

After a long sleep, I take a moment to stretch and glance in the mirror. I groan when I notice that my usually straight hair has turned curly—I must have been tossing and turning during the night. My redness is also noticeable since I’m not wearing any foundation.

Liam hated seeing my curly hair and the redness, but it’s just who I am; I can’t help my genetics. I always wanted to make him happy, so I would straighten my hair every morning and apply concealer before he woke up.

However, now I don’t have to do that. I’m my own person, and I make my own decisions. I’m going to embrace how I look. Stacey told me I’m beautiful, and it’s time I take that seriously.

“You can do this, Riley,” I say as I look into the mirror. I make my way to the dining room, where I find everyone waiting patiently for me.

Just as I step into the room, Mia jumps into the air, her little body crashing into mine. I’m glad I have somewhat good reflexes, and with my arms wrapped tightly around her, I instantly smile.

Family has always been important to me, which is why I have a close relationship with all of them.

“Auntie Rye, I missed you!”

Burying my face in her brown curls, I inhale the familiar scent of her children’s shampoo. Pulling back, I smile down at my little munchkin.

“I missed you too, Mi Mi! Have you been a good girl for Mommy and Daddy?”

“Yes! Santa's bringing me a lot of presents this year!”

Considering how much me and their parents and grandparents, shop for both kids I’m not surprised. Each year, they are spoiled, and each year my brother doesn’t tell us to stop.

“Oh, is that so? Then you better keep up the good behavior because Santa takes presents away from naughty children.”

She crossed her arms defiantly, her sass coming to the forefront. “I’m always a good girl, Auntie Rye. It’s Nathan who’s naughty.”

Nathan turned towards us, clearly unhappy with her comment. “I am not! You’re the one who broke something the other day and hid it from Mom and Dad!”

Oh no, here comes the fighting. They remind me so much of my younger self and their father; not a day went by when Jackson and I weren’t at each other’s throats about one thing or another. I popped his nose at one point—it was an accident. I threw the TV remote, and it hit him right in the nose. I was grounded for an entire month.

Her voice was high-pitched as she called out, “Nathan.”

She wiggled in my arms, and as I placed her down, she rushed towards him, but her dad was quick enough to put a stop to it. “Mia Lucy Taylor, enough! Sit down and eat your dinner,” he commanded.

She huffed, stamped her foot, and reluctantly took her seat. I mouthed an “I’m sorry” to my brother, who shook his head in response.

As I stepped inside to take my seat, I finally took in the entire room. The long table could easily accommodate twenty people—not just five. It reminded me of a party table lined against a wall in a club. However, this wasn’t plastic; it was oak and very expensive. The space was warm and inviting, with two candles lit in the center of the table.

My eyes wandered over to the small mini-bar my brother had set up, and I wondered if I could get away with having a shot of vodka or two. However, instead of focusing on the drink, my gaze fell on something else.

Black hair and green eyes stared back at me, and my heart pounded inside my chest. Six years. It had been six whole years. I felt like a teenager staring at their crush.

I let my eyes scan the person sitting before me. His golden skin was something any supermodel would dream of, and his rolled-up dress shirt sleeves showcased tattoos that crawled up his arms, disappearing under the sleeve. My eyes locked onto the muscles of his bicep, watching them tense and relax before me.

A throat cleared, snapping me out of my ogling. I turned to Stacy, who had a knowing look on her face. With reddened cheeks. I rushed toward my chair, sitting up straight and placing my hands in my lap.

Alec Michaels, my brother’s best friend, sat across from me, and if you haven’t already noticed, I might be guilty of having a crush on this man. Who could blame me? With all those tattoos and muscles, it was hard to resist.

I shook my head as I picked up my fork. “Stop it, Riley. You’re getting divorced, for God’s sake! Besides, you don’t like him anymore. You got married and left the country; you forgot all about this man. Keep it that way.”

I bit down on my lower lip and focused on the food in front of me to distract myself: chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, mixed vegetables, and Yorkshire puddings. My favorite!.

Looking up from my plate, I turned my gaze to Stacy. “Thank you so much for this. I can’t remember the last time someone cooked a meal for me.”

She waved me away with a loving smile. “You’re my sister, and I need to look after you—especially with what you’re going through.”

I cringed inwardly; I didn’t want my business out in the open for others to hear. I hadn’t even told my parents yet. With my head down, I let my eyes drift forward to see Alec staring at me, his head tilted and a curious look on his face. “How have you been, little mouse?”

His deep, rumbling voice hits me in places it shouldn't. My stomach erupts with butterflies. "Little mouse"—that's something I haven't heard in a very long time.

I was always so nervous around him that I could hardly say two words, prompting him to give me that nickname. I thought it would annoy me, but surprisingly, I liked it.

It still makes me blush when he says it, and that hasn’t changed; my cheeks are suddenly blazing hot. Luckily, my already red face helps hide it.

"I'm good." That's a change; normally, he loves to be a complete jerk to me.

As we begin to eat dinner, I wonder what he is doing here. It’s November 18th. Isn’t he supposed to be with his family at a ski lodge or somewhere expensive? Ignoring my thoughts, I take a bite of my mashed potatoes. As soon as it hits my taste buds, I can’t help but moan.

This prompts Alec to remark, "Seems you're enjoying yourself a little too much, little mouse?"

My cheeks feel on fire once again. When I turn to look at him, I see that he’s smirking. I want to wipe that smirk off his face. “Tell me, why are you here? Isn’t the holidays supposed to be for family? Last time I checked, you’re not family.”

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but I can see him starting his usual antics, so I’m going to beat him to it.

Unbothered by my question, he grabs a large scoop of mashed potatoes with his fork and shovels it into his mouth. “Didn’t Jackson tell you?” he raises a brow at me and continues, “I’m staying for Christmas.”

He’s staying with us for Christmas. No, no, no. He can't. I thought we were going to my parents' house. Where would he sleep? There are three rooms. Every year, the kids share a room while Jackson and Stacey take the sofa bed downstairs, and I stay in my childhood bedroom.

“Oh, and I'm sorry,” he continues, “to hear about your husband. I thought you knew what he was really like, considering he was flirting with your maid of honor. Maybe I should have told you.” He shrugs, taking another bite as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on me.

I was mid-bite when suddenly, a piece of chicken got lodged in my throat, causing me to sputter and cough. It took Stacey slapping my back for it to fly out of my mouth and land on the table.

Nathan exclaimed excitedly, “Cool!”

Meanwhile, Mia looked disgusted and said, “Ew.”

Lilly, my once best friend before I moved to Chicago, Suddenly, I lost my appetite. My once rumbling stomach twisted at the thought that she hadn’t told me or warned me about what was happening.

With tears in my eyes, I said, “You know you’re a real arsehole.”

Then I turned to my brother and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling very hungry anymore.”

With my head lowered, I walked away from the table and headed to my room, just as Jackson whispered, “What the hell is your problem, dude?”