Jameson

She’s fucking with me. This is all part of some sick joke Alex came up with to see if I would fall for it.

“Will you be my man-of-honor?” Charlie asks with a bright smile on her face that almost looks like a smirk.

My best friend is a girl. And not just any girl. She’s one of the best sports agents in the business, and as of last night, engaged to the top defenseman in the NHL. To her players, she’s Charlotte Coachman aka Coach, but to me, she’ll always be Charlie, the girl I slept across from when we were kids. Now, everything is about to change.

But what the hell is a man-of-honor? What exactly does she expect me to do? I ask myself these questions several times, trying to process what Charlie is asking of me. I have never heard the term before. It’s not like I know anything about weddings to be an expert on them.

“Jameson,” Charlie says, snapping her fingers in front of my face. “Don’t leave me hanging. You already gave Alex your permission to marry me. I don’t understand why you’re acting like such a weirdo over me calling you my man-of-honor. It’s not a big deal.”

“Because I have no idea what to say. Do you expect me to…wear a bridesmaid dress?” I shake my head, frowning at Alex Parker, who is fucking laughing at me. Bastard. “Shut up, Parker,” I yell and throw a pillow from the couch at his head.

Of course, he ducks, and I end up knocking one of Charlie’s signed basketballs off its stand. Charlie has a shrine of sports memorabilia that she keeps in her living room from clients and famous athletes. Some of the items could probably go for enough money to buy a house. She’s a real collector and sports lover.

“Oh, shit, not the MJ ball.” Alex is mocking me now. Some days I really hate his ass. That ball means more to Charlie than anything in this apartment.

Covering his mouth, Alex’s eyes widen in shock as he looks down at the basketball signed by Michael Jordan, our hometown hero and Charlie’s idol.

I moved from Chicago to Philadelphia with Charlie after high school, so we could attend college here and escape the foster homes where we’d grown up. Our relationship has always been completely platonic.

And now she wants me to be her man-of-honor…

“Damn it, Jamie.” Charlie gets up from the couch, the cushion shifting beneath her weight. She smacks me upside the head, lightly and with a smile on her face. Even when Charlie is mad at me, she’s never actually pissed. “You could’ve just said yes without starting a fight with Alex. My God, I swear the two of you are like twins separated at birth. Stop being so immature and answer my question already.”

For years, it was just the two of us. We were a team until Alex waltzed into her life and swept Charlie off her feet. In the beginning, I hated Alex. I thought he was bad for her. No one had ever been worthy of Charlie, which was why I was so overprotective. But Alex showed both of us another side to him, proved he wasn’t the womanizing pig the media had made him out to be.

Their relationship had a rocky start. The Washington Capitals had traded Alex to the Philadelphia Flyers after another one his legendary puck bunny scandals. Charlie facilitated his trade and took pity on him after he moved to town. He even managed to rope Charlie into one of his scandals, making me dislike him more. But I learned that people can change, and things are not always as they seem. Alex is a good guy. I couldn’t have picked a better man for Charlie.

Over time, Alex had grown on me, especially after he made such a grand gesture last year to win her back. So, when he’d asked me if he could marry Charlie, I said yes. I’d known that Alex was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. All I had ever wanted was for Charlie to be happy. She deserves it after all the shit we had gone through as kids.

I walk over to Charlie and pull her into my arms, squeezing the life out of her. “Yes, I’ll be your man-of-honor, whatever the hell that even means. But I draw the line at wearing women’s clothing. No way is that ever going to happen.”

She laughs in my ear. I’m about an inch or two over six feet, and Charlie is almost the same height. Back in the day, she played college basketball and was on track for the pros until she’d gotten hurt. That was a life-changing day for both of us, as is this one. My best friend is getting married. And I have to figure out what a man-of-honor is supposed to do.

Thank God for Google.

“You wear a suit, Jameson.” Charlie sticks her tongue out at me because she knows I prefer Jamie to my full name.

Jameson only reminds me of my parents, who named me after a bottle of Irish whiskey, and when it comes to them, I’d rather leave the past where it belongs.

“So, I don’t have to do any girly shit?” I’m still confused and need more clarification. I can just surf the Internet when I get home. Not like I would have said no to Charlie. She’s the only family I have left. The only family I ever really had.

“Well, I can’t promise nothing girly, but it’s me we’re talking about.” Charlie is far from a girly girl. That’s one of the things I have always loved about her. No matter what, she stays true to herself and never pretends to be something she’s not.

“You might change your mind,” I joke.

“You know I hate that shit.” Charlotte rolls her eyes. “And I know this isn’t going to be easy on you because no man wants to go dress shopping and pick out cakes. Alex won’t be around as much as I would like with his hockey schedule. Plus, you’re my best friend, and I need you. ”

Those are the only words I need to hear, the only words that matter, and they bring a smile to my lips.

“I will expect you to help me pick out my dress and do things like that with me,” she continues, her expression mirroring mine. “Those are maid-of-honor type duties, which makes them your man-of-honor duties. If you don’t like the title, we can always call you something else. Don’t listen to Alex or his friends. They’re idiots.”

I nod in agreement, and she continues.

“I thought we could start at this boutique Sydney found in the city that sells dresses she swears will look amazing on me.”

I try to stop myself from frowning and fail miserably. “Dress shopping with Sydney.”

Alex slaps his palm down hard on my back and chuckles. “Good luck with that, man. Charlotte is going to dump all the crap she doesn’t want to do on you.”

Charlie elbows Alex in the arm. “Hey, that’s not true.”

“You know it is,” I deadpan. “I’m sure you’d rather gouge your eyes out than shop for a wedding gown.”

She shrugs and leans into Alex. He pulls her into his arms and kisses her forehead. “For this one,” she says, jabbing Alex in the chest with her finger, “I will make an exception. Alex wants the big wedding and everything, which is why we need a bridal party. And, unfortunately for you, that means helping me out with the girls and whatever things you do when you get married.”

I laugh because I love that Charlie is just as clueless as I am when it comes to weddings. We’d attended several of them together over the years for players Charlie represented, but all of this is new to us.

“I guess we have a lot to learn then. Did you pick a date yet?”

Biting down on her bottom lip, Charlie looks at Alex. “Do you still want to go with your dad’s birthday?”

Alex buries his face in her hair and nods, holding her there for a few seconds. After his father’s death a few years ago, Charlie had become the life coach Alex was missing. She filled the void that his father had left behind. I know he’s hurting on the inside, just as Charlie is upset that her father isn’t here to walk her down the aisle.

Neither of them has any family to invite, apart from Mickey Donaghue, Alex’s godfather and Charlie’s boss at DMG. At this point, Mickey is family to all of us. Of course, they also have me. I still have no idea which of us she will ask to escort her down the aisle. While I hope it’s me, because I would be honored to do this for her, I know she might choose Mickey over me.

Charlie flashes a wide grin in my direction. “It looks like we’re getting married on July fifteenth. Mark your calendar, man-of-honor. We have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it.”

“Do you really think you can plan a huge wedding in only a few months and with Alex on the road with the team. And what if they make the playoffs?”

“We’re making the playoffs.” Alex’s tone is confident, as always. “There’s no question about it. Sydney and Kennedy will be able to help no problem. Sydney lives for this type of shit, and she’ll talk Kennedy into following her lead.”

Dealing with Carter Donovan and Tyler Kane is one thing, but adding their girlfriends to the equation is another. Just like Alex, his teammates give me a hard time, as if having a female friend is such a weird thing. They make jokes about me being one of the girls and stupid shit that I ignore for Charlie’s sake. Now, I will be like one of the girls in this wedding. I will never hear the end of it.

“So, Sydney and Kennedy are going to be bridesmaids?” In some ways, I feel somewhat relieved because that means I won’t have to do all the feminine crap with Charlie. While I want to be supportive, I don’t know a damn thing about dresses or planning parties. I don’t want to make a mistake that ruins her big day.

Kennedy and Sydney are nice, easy to get along with, but it’s going to be hard enough getting Charlie to commit to something without them around. When Sydney is in a room, she controls everything in it—including the people. I can already see her talking Charlie into doing things she would never do just for her own enjoyment. It’s probably best I am there to steer her away from any of Sydney’s outlandish ideas.

“Yes, I asked Kennedy and Sydney to be my bridesmaids. I’m sure they will do most of the things you have no desire to do, but I would like you there for moral support if that makes sense.” Charlie steps away from Alex with her hands shoved into her jean pockets. “We’re a team, remember? So, I need my wingman to do this stuff with me.”

“Hey,” Alex interjects, pretending to be annoyed. “I thought I was your wingman.”

“You are.” She smirks at him. “But Jamie was the Goose to my Maverick long before I ever met you.”

“Why do you always have to be Maverick?” I ask, throwing my hands onto my hips in mock irritation. We’ve had this discussion at least a hundred times since we’ve known each other, all with the same result.

“You have to stop being such a sore loser, Jamie. I won Maverick fair and square.”

“Because you can do a better crossover than me? We were only kids back then.”

“I can dribble circles around you now.” She winks at me, and I shake my head, laughing. “I could dribble circles around you with one eye open, hopping on one leg, and with my other hand tied behind my back.”

“It’s still not fair that you’re Maverick when Goose dies!”

She holds her hand up to her mouth and chuckles.

Given Charlie’s basketball skills, I bet she could do everything she said and still kick my ass. I was the one who encouraged her to play basketball. The day we met, Charlie had walked into the foster home where I was living for a few months with a basketball tucked under her arm and a backpack full of clothes slung over her shoulder. Even back then, she was strong and never let anyone see her cry. Charlie held onto the ball for dear life because it was the only thing she had left to remind her of her father.

Before she moved into the house, I thought I would lose my mind. Our foster parents were some of the worst people I had ever met. They made every day a living hell and treated us as though we were slaves. But Charlie made it bearable. I made it through some of the worst years of my life because of her. And that basketball she’d brought with her was only the beginning of our friendship. Basketball was a significant part of most of our past. And our future.

She removes her hands from her pockets and hugs me. “How about Jobs and Wozniak, my little computer nerd.”

I always make the comparison to the Apple co-founders when she brings up Goose and Maverick or even Pippen and Jordan. While my best friend is the cool, confident, badass sports agent, I am a computer programmer. But I’m badass in other ways. I earned a degree from Drexel University in Computer Engineering, and now I run my own think tank of super nerds for a global tech company with headquarters in downtown Philly.

“Now, you’re name calling? You’re on thin ice, Charlie.”

“You’re such a nerd, Jamie.” Charlie rubs her knuckles into my hair, the same way she did when we were kids. Some things never change. “But a lovable nerd.”

“I thought that’s what you like about me.”

“I do. You’re the kind of man that women admire because of your brain. You’re a goddamn genius. Unlike Alex…”

“Unlike Alex what,” Alex chimes in, coming closer with his arms folded over his chest.

She tugs at the end of his T-shirt, holding him in a vise. “You’re the kind of man women admire for your rock hard abs and sexy smirks.”

“Oh, that’s just great,” Alex deadpans. “Jamie gets to be the smart one, and I’m just some stupid jock?” He laughs as he finishes his sentence.

Charlotte messes with him all the time because he’s always giving me shit about something. I think a small part of Alex is jealous of what I have with Charlie, and it gets under his skin on occasion. He doesn’t understand that our friendship has spanned so much of our life and that no one can break the bond we share. Not even Alex.

“You know I love you for other reasons.” She scrunches her nose, making a goofy face at him. “You’re smart in different ways. Being able to read the situation on the ice before it happens takes serious smarts. That’s what makes you so good, Alex. You can read the game, just like how Jamie can probably hack the NSA.”

“I’m not that good,” I chime in, and the corners of her mouth turn up slightly.

Focused on Alex, still holding him in her clutches, she whispers, “I wouldn’t be marrying you if I thought you were a dummy.”

They share a moment so intense as they stare at each other that it almost makes me uncomfortable. Not so much in a bad way, more like I need to leave before they start fucking in front of me. Alex leans down to mouth something I can’t make out against her lips. This is too intimate for me to be standing here, watching them.

“I’ll see you guys later.” I lift my keys and water bottle I left on the island in the kitchen and head toward the door.

“Wait,” Charlie says, with urgency in her tone. “I forgot to mention that we start tomorrow.”

I turn around to face her. “Start what tomorrow?”

She gives me a sheepish look. “Sydney was able to pull a few strings to get us an appointment tomorrow after work at the boutique. I doubt I will find anything I like in this place, but will you come along for the ride with me?”

I nod. “Of course. I’ll pick you up from work, and we can drive over together.”

She smiles so wide I can see her gums. “Thanks, Jamie. I promise I’ll try to make this as painless as possible.”

“Don’t worry about me, Charlie. I’ll get through it just fine. I’ve been through a lot worse than helping you try on dresses. This will be a piece of cake.”

She thanks me one last time before I say goodnight, leaving the happy couple so they can properly celebrate.

As I walk toward the elevator, it hits me. Not only am I part of the wedding party, but I will need a date. And I can’t bring some stranger to my best friend’s wedding. No, that would not work.

Women have a hard time accepting that my best friend is a girl. It’s not like either of us had planned it. That’s just how it happened. I’m always penalized for my friendship with Charlie. At first, the women I meet assume Charlie is a man, and then, they meet her and don’t know how to react. Charlie overpowers a room when she’s in it. That dominance is what makes her one of the best sports agents in the business. But it also makes her intimidating as fuck.

Girls always assume that Charlie and I have feelings for each other or at the very least that we’ve had sex. I remember Alex wondering the same thing in the beginning. We haven’t even gone as far as a kiss on the lips, not unless you count the kind of peck you’d give a family member. We never had sexual feelings for one another, and even if we did, we needed each other too much to sacrifice losing what we have for sex.

With Charlie always around, it hasn’t been easy for me to keep women in my life. She usually scares them away after the first encounter. On accident. She would never do that on purpose unless she really couldn’t stand the woman I had introduced her to, which has happened a few times.

How do I find a date without Charlie scaring them off? I need someone strong, confident, and just as intimidating as Charlie. A woman who can stand her ground. Now, I need to find her.