Chapter Ten
Tristan
I should be more of an asshole.
But Mom didn’t raise me that way. If someone needs your help, help them. Right.
Levi and I had been friends for years, but I didn’t even know he was engaged. Maybe I was an asshole; but in my defense, the past few weeks had been hectic. The divorce, Vivian dragging me into court, and that woman from the party.
The woman in the blue gown.
It had been a month and I still thought about her every fucking day. My head and my cock hadn’t gone back to normal since they met her. I thought about asking around about her, but I never did. Part of me didn’t even want to get involved with anyone else. Especially after what Vivian did.
Levi thought he could get her to sign four weeks ago, but that was a complete failure. She still dragged me into court, drove up the lawyer fees and did everything but humiliate me since she lost. I had proof she cheated on me. Emails, texts, even security footage of that dickhead optometrist leaving my fucking house numerous times.
She still took a large sum of my money, though even ten million wasn’t much of a dent. And I let her keep the damned house, she had tainted it enough. I was fine in my new bachelor pad. But I was tired, mentally and physically.
Then, out of the blue, Levi dumped a wedding in my lap. Not mine, of course. He started dating Gabriella back in college, ten years ago. So, I was surprised it took them this long to get married. Apparently, she wanted to be finished with her residency and into her fellowship before she agreed to marry him. I had only met her once because she was a very busy dermatology resident for the past few years.
“When was the last time we did this?” Levi and I were out at the greens. I thought back to months ago.
“I don’t know. Almost a year I think.” I took a swing. I was definitely losing this round.
Levi stepped around the tee. I was surprised he even liked golfing; he was a refined country boy pretty much, who worked his way up the ranks. I think it’s why Gabriella stuck around for so long.
“Any word from Vivian?” he asked before his swing. I shook my head, picking up the tee and my club bag.
“No, and she shouldn’t be saying anything. I thought that was in the clause.” We moved on to the next green in the golf cart. The sun was beating down on me, sweat beading at my neck. But it was still relaxing somehow. Sometimes we played racquetball, but the weather was nice today.
“Yeah, it us. Just checking. She doesn’t seem like the type to listen.” He laughed. That was for sure.
“How is Natalie?” He asked. We stopped at the next tee and got set up.
“You still have the hots for my sister?” I accused, he laughed off the joke. It was a running joke we had for years.
He came home with me one year for Christmas, I think our sophomore year. When he met Natalie, he was all flustered and nervous. Made me mad, because she was my sister. But he never did anything about it.
“Nope. Way out of my league. Plus, I am engaged you know.” I furrowed my brow in confusion.
“Engaged?” I thought of his girlfriend from a while back, but I didn’t know if they were serious or not.
“Yeah, Gabriella. Don’t you remember?” He shook his head and swung, easily making it in the close tee.
“Yeah, I remember. But haven’t you been engaged for like eight years?” I chuckled. If he was, he has horrible game.
“Ten.”
He answered. I took my turn and made it in too, so we moved on. The course was pretty packed today, and I ignored the wandering glances of all the women. Most of them were with their boyfriends or husbands, and that still wasn’t deterring them. It was kind of a shame.
“That’s a long time, man.” I shook my head as I laughed. He shrugged in response.
“She wanted to wait until her fellowship started. She got a good spot at the hospital a few weeks ago so she finally decided to start planning it.” There was happiness in his voice, and it was good to see him happy.
At least someone still had faith in love and marriage. Maybe I just needed some time, but right now I didn’t even want it. I hadn’t even had sex with anyone since that woman at the gala. I didn’t expect her to even have that much of an effect on me, but she did. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, she was the first thing on my mind every morning.
Her soft, creamy skin, her tight pussy, those lips, her taste…God, it was maddening.
“That’s awesome man. When will it be?” I asked him.
“Two weeks…”
I coughed in surprise. “Two weeks?”
“Yeah…that’s why I actually need your help.” I arched my brow. He never asked for help.
“What’s up?” I went for the last tee. He was quiet as we packed up, must be a big favor.
“I just got this new case at the last minute. And I have to impress the senior partners, so I can finally move up from partner to senior partner too. And the case is already taking a lot of time, I won’t able to make all the appointments and what not for wedding planning.”
He stalled the golf cart at the clubhouse. The valet took it back and we walked inside.
“Sounds serious. What do you need my help with?” I glanced at him.
He gestured to the bar. A few drinks sounded really good right about now.
“Everything.”
“Everything?”
He nodded once. What the hell did that mean?
“Yeah, I mean I want you to be my best man.” I was a little shocked, and honored too. He had other friends he could have asked. “Can you?” He asked.
“Yeah.” I ordered a neat scotch and he got a vodka soda. “I’d be honored.” I added.
“Thanks. And uh, would you mind planning the wedding with Gab?” I nearly spat my drink out.
“I’m…not sure what that really means.” He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.
“There are a lot of things I’m supposed to go to. I’ve got the cake tasting, choosing the menu, and then the florist just quit on us because of how short notice it is.”
“You want me to do all that? Isn’t that a little odd considering I am not the one marrying Gabrielle?” I laughed. He just tried his pleading face with me, the same one he would use to get me to do his science and math homework in college.
“Yeah. Since you’re my best man and all…” I groaned and sunk into my bar stool.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help him, honestly. But if it were anything other than planning a wedding, I would be fine. I knew it would just remind me of Vivian and the shit she put me through. But I didn’t want to divulge all that with him. He didn’t need that negativity around his wedding.
“Will you do it?” He shoved me, and I feigned a glare before downing my second scotch. The bartender was on point with the refills.
“Buy me dinner, then I’ll decide.”