Lizzie and Dave’s rehearsal and wedding are both located at the Adler Planetarium deep in the heart of Chicago. The views are spectacular, but I can’t take my eyes off my date. It’s rare to see Mark Ashton wearing anything other than jeans and a t-shirt, but tonight he’s wearing gray pants and a long-sleeve black shirt. He looks dressy even though he still maintains his casual appearance, and I can’t wait to see him in his tuxedo tomorrow. I think I might die from lust.
“Reese!” Lizzie throws her arms around my neck with exuberance after she hugs her brother hello. “I’m so happy you’re here.” She’s glowing, an excited bride ready to get married tomorrow. Tonight’s rehearsal dinner also marks the first night I’ll be in the same room as Mark and Brian since that night on the roof.
I’m expecting the boys to act like adults for their sister, though a tiny part of me is also expecting fireworks of epic proportions.
I don’t know whether Brian will have a date for the wedding. I typically see wedding dates as pretty serious, especially when it’s your sister getting married, but if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t want to show up alone.
Lizzie breaks into my thoughts as she leans in close and whispers, “Thank you. You fixed him. He’s never looked better.”
A little heat forms behind my eyes as I pull out of our hug. “Are you ready?” I ask her.
She grins and grabs Dave’s hand in hers. “A little late if I’m not!”
Mark slides his arm around my waist. “Can we do anything?” he asks her.
She shakes her head as she points her finger at Mark. “You’ve done enough.”
He grins. “You got it?”
She presses her lips together like she’s trying not to cry, and then she nods. “We got it.”
“Got what?” I ask stupidly.
Mark waves his hand in the air like it’s nothing. “Just a final little deposit to help cover some of the last-minute expenses.”
“Little?” Lizzie asks, shaking her head. She looks at me. “It was enough to cover the entire wedding, honeymoon, and down payment on a new house.”
“How big is that fucking house if it’s only enough to cover the down payment?” Mark asks. He elbows Lizzie in the ribs good-naturedly, and she jumps while I giggle.
Diane and Paul are talking to Gram and another couple around their age when Mark walks up and taps his mom on the shoulder. She turns around and throws herself into his arms.
“Oh, Mark! You look great!”
“You’re beautiful, Mom,” he says. He hugs his dad next. “I’d like to introduce you both to my girlfriend, Reese,” he says.
Diane narrows her eyes. “We’ve met.”
“Clean slate,” he says in a tone that makes it sound as if he’s reminding her of a conversation they’ve had before.
Diane blows out a breath. “Nice to meet you,” she says, sticking out her hand to me.
I smile awkwardly. “You, too.”
Gram hugs me next, and as she does, I say quietly to her, “Thank you for your note. Your words stuck with me in all the dark days.”
She pats my back lovingly. “Thank you for all you are for him.”
That damn heat presses behind my eyes again while Paul hugs me then introduces me to his brother and sister-in-law.
We’re looking across the water at the distinctive Chicago skyline as the last embers of light fade to the blackness of night. Mark’s arms are secured around my waist when I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention.
Mark looks over my shoulder and stiffens. He lets out a low curse. The air shifts, and I know immediately that Brian is here.
I turn to look, too, and I see that he did bring a date.
Kelsey, his modelesque bitch of a secretary, has her arm hooked through his as they make their way toward Lizzie and Dave. They make an attractive couple—her with her long legs looking like she just stepped off the runway and him in that damn suit and tie that gets me every time—but they also make me want to barf.
Anger bubbles inside me. I knew from the beginning that he and his secretary had a thing. I don’t really care anymore that he was screwing her while he came between Mark and me. I don’t care that he forced us apart while he made me believe we had a future together. It would be hypocritical of me to even think about that anymore after Mark and I got together behind his back.
I don’t even care that she’s the one who got stuck with him. They can have each other.
But I do care that he’s flaunting her here tonight. After everything the three of us went through, after his phony apologies, he has the nerve to bring this bitch to his sister’s wedding. He knew I’d be here tonight, and he knew his brother’s arm would be around me. To parade around with Kelsey is just straight up disrespectful after he banged her on the side while he tore Mark and me apart.
Fuck him, the witch by his side, and the broom they flew in on.
I pull out of Mark’s arms and begin to storm over to him. Mark grabs my elbow and attempts to pull me back, but I’m on a mission that’s not to be stopped.
The patio where the dinner is located has started to fill with people I don’t know—relatives, bridesmaids, groomsmen, dates. Music plays from some hidden speakers, a quiet and tranquil instrumental piece. The din of voices rises and falls over the music, a crescendo of music in its own right.
Most people here already know Mark and aren’t star struck by him, but the people who’ve never met him stop and stare as we hurry past.
I storm over to Brian with Mark hot on my heels. I wait until he’s done introducing his date to his sister. When he turns around, all bets are off. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but it’s not going to be pretty.
“Mark, Reese. Lovely to see you. Reese, I believe you’ve met my date, Kelsey.” The cocky grin is back on his lips, and I need it gone.
Something comes over me in that moment, some primal need to protect both Mark and myself. It’s animalistic, a real fight or flight moment, and my body screams to fight. This asshole gets it all—the successful business that he built because of his brother, the pretty girl who doesn’t care that he was with me while he was fucking her on the side, the love of a mother who turns a blind eye to the awful things her son does.
It’s not right.
I slap him across the face with a loud crack that seems to echo into the night.
Kelsey gasps and the smug smile slips from Brian’s lips as every person on the patio seems to go quiet at the same time.
“Fuck you.” My words are a quiet hiss.
Mark pulls my stinging slapping hand in his and starts to pull me away. “Not here,” he says sharply.
He leads me inside just as we hear someone outside say something that causes the group of people gathered to laugh. The noise resumes, but it’s muffled from in here.
“What the hell was that?” Mark asks.
My sensibilities seem to come back to me as the red that took over my vision fades back to normal colors. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“This is Lizzie’s weekend,” he says. His voice is hard and direct, and I hate that he’s using that tone with me. “I won’t allow anything to ruin that, least of all Brian.”
I nod. “I need to apologize to Lizzie.”
He nods. “That would be nice.” One side of his mouth tips up in a smile. “You cracked him good.”
“Think I left fingerprints?”
He chuckles. “I hope so. Fucker had it coming.”
“I thought if anyone was going to hit Brian this weekend, it’d be you.”
He lifts a brow and nods. “Me too.” He focuses his gaze out the window, and I follow his line of sight. Brian’s having a conversation with one of the groomsmen, and Kelsey stands by his side looking a little lost. “But I made a promise to myself that I’d move forward. What he did doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Of course it does.”
He shakes his head and turns his gaze back on me. “I went through some pretty dark days without you, Reese. But I’ve got you back now. The darkness is gone. Part of me wants to say fuck the road that got us here, but the other part of me recognizes that Brian played a pretty big part in the two of us finding our way back to each other. In the end, that’s all that matters.”
I run my fingertips along his jaw, the bristles there awakening the desire that’s always inside me for this man. Love blooms in my chest for him and it rolls over me like a wave. I never knew I could love someone this hard, this much, this strongly.
“You’re a better man than he is,” I say softly. “You’re kind and forgiving. He doesn’t deserve that.”
Mark pulls me close by my hips. “You’re right, he doesn’t. But you and I deserve happiness, and if that means forgiving Brian so we can push that shit to the past, then let’s do it.”
“Oh God,” I say, covering my face with my hands.
“What?” He pulls at my hands, and his eyes are full of concern as he gazes down at me.
“Did your mom see me hit Brian?”
Mark laughs, and it’s not a small chuckle or manly little snicker. It’s a full-on, hysterical laugh that infects me, too, as I start to giggle.
“Can we talk?” The serious voice interrupts our laughter. Mark looks up and I whip around.
Brian and Kelsey stand just a few feet away from us, and Brian looks earnest as he waits for our reply to his question.
“About what?” Mark asks icily—a contrast to the words he just spoke to me.
“I don’t want to fight with either of you.” His voice carries a hint of desperation.
“Then why did you bring her as your date?” I ask, nodding at Kelsey.
“Because she’s my girlfriend.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I ask Kelsey.
She nods. She looks one part terrified of me and one part awestruck to be in Mark’s presence as she clings to Brian’s side.
“Why would you want to be with someone like him? Someone who was screwing you on the side when he was trying to seduce me away from his brother?”
Kelsey looks surprised. She glances over at Brian, and he nods as if to tell her it’s okay to speak. I’m not sure I care for that dynamic, but I’m also not sure it’s any of my business. Maybe I’m misreading the situation.
She clears her throat. “We didn’t get together until recently.”
Brian nods. “It’s true. There was always an intense attraction between us, but we never did anything behind your back.” Their eyes lock, and a genuine affection passes between them. “I knew what I was doing to you was wrong, but I wasn’t going to drag Kelsey into it.”
“You’re so full of shit,” I say.
They both look shocked, but frankly, they deserve one another.
“Reese, stop.” Mark slings an arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. “Let them have each other.” He presses his lips to my temple and then looks at his brother. “Thank you for calling Reese.” He doesn’t say anything else, but both Brian and I know he means when he was in the hospital.
Brian nods. “We all have Kelsey to thank for that. She knows everything, and she’s the one who convinced me to make the call.”
“I’m glad for whatever led you to make that call.” Mark’s eyes meet mine, and his are full of passionate fire. “It might have saved my life.”
“I know it saved mine.” I tilt my chin up and he presses a soft kiss to my mouth that only awakens more desire inside me.
“Oh, thank God!” Lizzie’s voice pierces the quiet inside the room. “I thought I was going to have to break up a fist fight in here, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be between Mark and Brian or Reese and Brian.”
Dave laughs beside her, and Diane and Paul stand behind them.
“I’m so sorry that I did that outside in front of everyone, Liz,” I say. I refrain from saying that I’m not actually sorry I did it.
Lizzie flips a hand in the air. “Forgotten. My wedding planner said we need to get the rehearsal started now that everyone’s here. You all ready?”
Brian puts his hand on the small of Kelsey’s back to lead her out of the room, and I start to head that way, too. But Mark stops us all in our tracks with his words. “While we’re all together and before the craziness begins, I have something to say.”
Seven sets of eyes turn on Mark, and he clears his throat. I take a step back to be by his side for whatever he’s about to say.
He looks down at me with adoration as he laces his arm around my waist. He clings to me as if he’s drawing strength from our connection. He looks over at his sister. “First, congratulations to Lizzie. You’ll be a beautiful bride tomorrow, and you’re a beautiful bride-to-be tonight.” Her eyes shine with tears as her brother speaks. “I’m glad we’re all forced in the same room for a happy occasion. I won’t go into details, but the past couple months were rough on me. I’m thankful we’re all here to celebrate together. I’m thankful Reese is by my side for this, and as hard as it is to admit, I have Brian to thank for that.”
He takes a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, what you don’t know is that I wasn’t hospitalized for exhaustion. I was on a destructive path and didn’t give a fuck. Brian recognized that and figured out how to fix it. While I’ll never forget that he kept Reese and me apart, I can start the process of forgiving, and I hope you know that I learned forgiveness from the two of you. I hope you’ll exercise the same when you think back on everything that’s happened.”
An awkward beat of quiet passes between all of us after his words before he finishes his speech. “And now I wish I had a glass because that sounded like a toast. It’s not. I love you all. Let’s go rehearse and then get drunk.”
A laugh rises from the group of Fox family members gathered. Mark leans down to press a kiss to my cheek. Lizzie hugs Mark, and I hear her whispered thanks in his ear. She hugs me next, and then she says, “Like he said, let’s go rehearse and then get drunk!”
She heads toward the door with Dave. Brian hangs near the door with Kelsey, but before we go through it, we have to face Diane.
“Some speech,” she says softly. She gives Mark a hug then looks with anxiety at him. “Are you okay?”
He nods. “I wasn’t.” He glances briefly over at me before he returns his gaze to his mother. “But then she came back, and now I am.”
Diane’s eyes fill with tears, and then she does something I never expected.
She reaches out toward me and gives me a hug.
It’s not a friendly, warm hug, but it’s a start.
“Thank you for whatever you did for him. He was lost, but you found him.” Her words are simple, and she stalks out of the room before I have the chance to respond. Paul gives us both a smile, pats his son on the back, then follows his wife out to the patio.
I sigh in relief, but then I spot Brian hanging by the door and unease darts through my chest.
Mark grabs my hand in his and I follow a little behind him as we make our way toward his brother.
Brian clears his throat, all traces of that cocky grin still missing. “Thanks for what you said,” he says quietly to his brother.
“Didn’t want to fuck up Lizzie’s big day.”
“You’re letting it all go because of Lizzie?” Brian’s eyebrows furrow.
Mark shrugs. “Someone has to be the bigger man. You may be a goddamn cocksucker, but you’ll always be my annoying little brother.” He punches Brian in the arm and then pulls me out the door with him, and I can’t help but think how he really does put everybody else first.
What Brian did was unforgivable, yet Mark’s heart is so big that he’s forgiving him. I don’t know that I have the same capacity, but I can certainly learn something from the man I love. And the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that no one—not even Brian Fox—can come between a man and the woman he’s destined to be with.