Page 33 of The Best I Never Had

He groans. “Seriously?”

“His family would be pissed. And his mom’s emotional because her dead husband isn’t here for her son’s wedding and Addy’s already scared she won’t be accepted by them and Owen doesn’t want to deal with the fallout. And, I don’t know, I want to help him, too.”

I want to give him this little sliver of freedom, even if it’s not as much as he deserves.

Vaughn studies me for a minute. “Fuuuuuuuuck, you’re going to fall in love with him.”

My stomach flips like I’ve been thrown out of a plane with no parachute, but I force an eye roll. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.” He laughs, but there’s a hard edge to it. He leans forward, bringing his face closer to the camera. “Thee, be careful.”

“There’s nothing to be careful about,” I say, breaking eye contact so he can’t see the lie. “And if there was, aren’t you the person who’s spent years telling me he’s a great guy?”

I don’t even know why I include that last bit. Obviously, Owen’s a good guy, but that doesn’t matter.

“Yes, he is a great guy. And I meant it all those times I said it. But he’s about to be Addy’s brother-in-law. The two of you have concocted this massive deception, and getting emotionally involved will just make things messier.”

“He says like she’s unaware of her own predicament,” I mumble.

“You know how Addy’s going to react if this comes out. She’ll get pissed and take it—”

“Don’t insult my sister,” I say with so much venom that it slithers through the phone to poison my friend.

He sighs. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. But I’ve watched you beat yourself up over things with Addy for years.”

“I don’t do that.”

He levels me with a stare. “What about that time we got drunk at De Leon Springs and had to call her to pick us up? A totally normal thing for a Saturday, but you cried after she dropped us off because you were, and I quote, ‘so irresponsible.’”

“She had to leave a work picnic to get me!” I yell.

“That you didn’t know she was at. She could have told you to call a rideshare, but she didn’t. And you beat yourself up for weeks.”

What Vaughn doesn’t realize is that the day at the springs wasn’t an isolated incident. Yes, it sounds normal and reasonable, but it’s mixed in with the years of me screwing up and dragging Addy down with me.

“You’re going to do the same thing if something happens at the wedding, and I don’t want that for you. So stay away from Owen.” I don’t answer, and he stares at me long enough that I think the connection has dropped until he sighs. “Just think about it, okay?”

I nod, saying a quick goodbye so he can get to his date and I can hype myself up before meeting up with Owen’s family. Because even though my knee-jerk reaction is to fight Vaughn’s comments, he is right. My best bet to keep Addy happy is to stay away from Owen Hayes.

Thirty minutes later, everyone’s gathered in the lobby, ready to head out for the joint bachelor/bachelorette party.

I spot the person I’m absolutely not going to talk to under any circumstances. His back is to me, his jeans hugging his ass and thick thighs. But I’m not noticing that. I’m being responsible, because I’m not here for my own fun. I’m here to give Addy the future she’s always wanted.

Gabriel bounds over like the puppy dog he is, throwing his arm around my shoulders again. “How can I earn your forgiveness, oh perfect one?”

“What?” I ask, the word broken by a laugh.

He gestures to my elbow. “For injuring you. I’ll spend the rest of my life paying my penance.”

I chuckle at his enthusiasm. “It’ll heal up in a day or so. No need for self-flagellation.”

“Thank god for that. In that case, are you ready to fall in love with me?” he asks with a cheeky smile, and I poke him in the side. He jumps a few steps away. “Wait until you hear me play, and then we’ll talk.”

We’re heading into town tonight to a dive bar that’s apparently the greatest place ever to party, which sounds like a pretty big declaration for a town with about four stores. But I was promised live music, and that’s all I need to get on board.

“You’re in the band?”

Gabriel gives me a cocky smile. “I am. Does knowing I’m a musician change anything for you?”