Chapter 5

Bethany

Bethany walked into Kent's large home as the smell of apple and cinnamon hit her in the face. She breathed in deeply and made a detour to the kitchen. Martha, their chef, was whistling a tune and taking pies out of the oven.

"It smells divine in here." Bethany moved around the portly woman and closed the oven for her.

"Apple and peach pies were the first things my momma taught me how to make. I've been baking them from scratch since I was a little girl." Martha smiled and pulled her mittens from her hands. "What’s wrong? The frown on your face is not the normal reaction to the smell of this goodness, you silly girl."

Bethany chuckled and moved toward the large counter that ran the length of the kitchen. Several pies baked to perfection sat proudly. She breathed in deeply, trying to decide what her response should be.

"I'm just sad that Damon is going to have to miss the vacation part of this trip. He'll be there for the wedding, but I was looking forward to spending some time with him." She shrugged.

"That's completely natural. I would be disappointed too. His daddy is for sure." Martha picked up a rag and started to wipe off the counters. "I have chicken laid out for the big family dinner tonight. You want Mexican or Italian style?"

Matt walked in and smiled. "Italian all the way. That means more bread, right?"

"Tortillas are bread, boy." Martha wound up her hand towel and popped him.

His yelp caused Bethany to smile despite herself.

"Italian it is, unless the lady wants something else." Martha glanced back to Bethany. Matt gave her a look that said to agree with Italian or he would put a hurting on her. She laughed and nodded, her stepbrother quick to break her sour mood.

"I'm good with anything edible. I need to pack actually, so I'll get that done, unless you need my help in here?" She walked toward Martha, reaching out and rubbing the older woman's shoulder. She was so good to the Bryant's and had pulled Bethany in quickly to be part of the family.

"I'll go with you. I wanted to get you to help calm my fears. I've eaten enough Tums to kill a large baby calf." Matt walked past them, his comment making little to no sense.

"Don't let that boy fool you. He's wicked smart." Martha nodded after Matt, her voice soft and full of truth.

"Oh, I know. He thinks he's got all of us fooled..." Bethany rolled her eyes and laughed loudly at Matt's response.

"I can still hear you two. Jeez!"

***

"Tell me why you're nervous? The wedding or the flight?" Bethany walked into the bedroom and moved to the closet in search of her large suitcase. Her mother had picked up a few things for her to take on the trip, but she had yet to try them on. Whether they were going or not was another story altogether.

"Neither. My father invited Erica to join us, you know."

"That's a good thing, Matt. She's a big part of his professional life. He probably thinks of her as a daughter of sorts." Bethany glanced over her shoulder in time to watch Matt flop down on the bed dramatically. She laughed and tugged out the suitcase that she had originally brought to Kent's a few weeks back.

The plan had been to spend a week with him, but that had quickly turned into several weeks. She wasn't sure about returning to her apartment now. Not with the situation with Krista being so bad. Her friend was still in police custody.

"I don't care what he thinks of her as. She intimidates the fuck out of me. I wanted to relax, wear what I wanted and eat like a pig." He let out a long sigh. "Now I have to behave and play the part."

He sounded so much like a wayward teenage girl that Bethany had to give him some hell over it.

"Yeah, I don't think she's going to like the pink panties you wear or the way you eat your food like a dog from a dish..." She paused as he lifted his head and rolled his eyes. "Move over so I can put my suitcase up here with you, you big girl."

"You have no idea what the pressure is like." He rolled over onto his back, his eyes focused on the ceiling as he pressed his hands to his chest. "She's perfect. Perfect teeth. Perfect record. Perfect ass. Ugh. It gets old."

Bethany laughed so hard a snort resounded. "You're so dumb right now."

"I'm telling Damon you're a snorter for that." He lifted his head and winked at her.

"I think Erica is only perfect in one way and that's what scares you so damn bad."

"What way is that?" Matt rolled over, almost falling off the bed. He caught himself and moved to his stomach, his hands holding his chin up.

"Perfect for you."

"Oh please. We're like oil and vinegar. Total opposites."

"Nope. Not even close. You're both artistic, good looking and have a great outlook on life. I think you should stop trying to turn her into a big scary monster." Bethany moved to her closet and started to pull out clothes.

"Okay. I'll do that... when you do it too."

She glanced back at him, lifting her eyebrow. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Sure you do. It's just a little different. I treat Erica like an untouchable and you treat Damon like everything he does, or every word he speaks is meant as is. I'll give her a chance just to be her when you give him a chance just to be him."

Bethany grabbed a few shirts and walked to the bed, throwing them in the open suitcase.

Matt moved to his knees, pulling them back out and folding them.

"I'm perfectly fine with Damon being who he is."

"Were you hurt by him not talking to you this morning?" Matt pulled out another shirt, folding it and averting his eyes from her.

"Yes."

"Why?" He glanced up at her quickly, his eyes wide as if he were worried.

"Because if we're going to be together, I expect him to communicate with me. I was on the fucking phone with him, and he didn't say anything, Matt. Not two words." Heat rushed up her chest and coated her throat. Surely Matt wasn't taking up for Damon when he was a cock earlier that day.

"And why didn't he say anything to you?"

"Because he's an ass and doesn't think of other people."

"Who's staying behind to take care of the mess at McKenzie and Bryant?" Matt moved off the bed and nodded toward the closet. "Go get more clothes while I drag myself deeper into this hole for the sake of my wayward older brother."

"Damon is staying back to take care of things. It's his damn job." She stormed to the closet and yanked out a few more items, not giving two shits about what she wore. No one would be there to impress anyway.

"No, it's my father's job to take care of large scale things like this." Matt paused and lifted his hand as Bethany started to retort. "Damon has his faults, I'll give you that, but him staying behind totally debunks your claims. He's caring, and he does think of other people. He's not used to being exclusive with someone and is working through his own demons. He was stressed, I bet and didn't want to snap at you. It was the same thing I would have done, sparing you from my wrath. You don't deserve to get hit with it."

Bethany started to bite back, but truth stopped her. Matt was right. She was pushing so much angst onto the situation only because she wanted to be the one holding the cards. If Damon was a true bastard and things didn't work out, she could simply blame that.

She dropped the remaining items in front of Matt, her shoulders dropping. "You're right."

"Yep. This time I am. Write it down. Doesn't happen often." He moved around the bed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'll try and give Erica a bit of grace, but you do the same to Damon. Who knows, we might both end up happy in the end."

"I think we will." She wrapped her arms around the big guy in front of her and pressed her cheek to his chest.

"Now... you're not my sister for another few days. Throw your undies at me, and I'll fold them for you." He moved back, lifting his hands as if preparing for the onslaught.

Bethany grabbed the closest pillow to her and started to beat him with it. He screamed like a small child, getting a hold of a larger one and wailing back.

He was exactly what she needed in her life. A friend. A brother.

***

Bethany picked up the bread and walked into the dining hall behind Martha, her mom and Kent already seated at the table. They all took their seats, Damon's still empty. Sadness rolled over her, but she forced it away. He would be there soon, and she would work hard to make him feel welcomed. She needed to be his centering, his soft place to land, no matter what that meant.

"All right, let's pray?" Kent bowed his head and prayed over the food and the trip they were leaving for in the morning.

Bethany whispered amen and glanced up, Damon sliding his arm over her shoulders and smiling.

"Sorry I'm late. Long day at the office. My boss is a monster." He smirked as everyone chuckled.

Bethany leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before squeezing his thigh softly. "My prayers are answered."

"You were praying for me to have a slave-driver of a boss?" He winked and pointed to the large plate of chicken in the middle of the table. "Someone start passing that toward my end of the table. I need it... now."

"How was everything? You get anywhere on all of the stuff at the office?" Kent picked up the platter and passed it, his voice shifting to business.

"It's good. We can talk later. Let's just enjoy our dinner together, Dad. You guys get everything wrapped up in the wedding decorations and stuff? Aunt Allison driving anyone mad yet?" He smiled and stood, reaching for the platter. He offered the serving fork to Bethany and glanced down at her, a smile on his lips.

"Yes. I swear I'm not sure what I did to be blessed and cursed so much by my only sibling. She's been planning beside Karen, but we wanted this to be small. Intimate. It's going to be over two hundred people."

Bethany turned, her mouth dropping open. "On a destination wedding? That's insane."

"I agree." Bethany's mom picked up her wine glass and took a long drink.

Kent reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "The good thing is that between Allison and Matthew, we're almost done. Just a few things to be done once we get on the island, but other than that, we plan on relaxing. I want you guys to do the same."

Matt looked up from his plate. "When is Erica coming out?"

"She's already there. I believe her flight was at lunch today. She's wrapping up the negotiations on the liability contracts for one of our partners who's out there already."

"Of course she is." Matt huffed and picked up his chicken, biting into it without cutting it.

Bethany laughed. "Hey. You're breaking our promise."

He put the chicken down and started to cut it, a smirk lifting his mouth. "It was more for your benefit than mine."

"Most things are." Bethany turned to Damon as a look of question slipped across his handsome face. "I'll tell you later."

"Please do. If Matt and Erica are involved, I want to know all about it."