Page 8 of Keep Me

Blue dress.

Britt wasn’t walking down the aisle to be with me, she was the start of the bridal procession. As she stepped to the front, she smiled before moving to stand next to Jackson.

That was it. It would be the only time I’d ever be able to think of Britt as more than my best friend. She wasn’t meant to be my happily ever after. She was always supposed to be on the sidelines watching, even if I hated it.

Couching, I tried to compose myself, knowing I couldn’t make a scene.Not today.

Dazed by Britt, I barely noticed the rest of the bridal party. Would it always be this way? Would I always think about Britt even though I shouldn’t?

A string quartet played “Here Comes the Bride,”then the door to the Italian villa at the end of the garden opened.

My heart raced. This was it. The reason we were all here today.

I took in a sharp breath when I saw her. Her dress was breathtaking. Simple but extravagant. Her shoulders were on show, framed by her dark curled hair. Even with the veil on, you could tell she was beautiful.

The train of her dress dragged across the grass as she made her way down the aisle with my friend who was graciously giving her away. When she made it to the alter, she gave me a small smile before kissing Adam on the cheek.

“Thank you,” she said as Adam took her in with pride.

“Anything for you,” he said, stepping away, but gave Devin, the groom, a stern look. “You better take care of her,” he muttered under his breath before making his way to me.

“As if that were ever a question.”

I moved to the side, making space for Adam as Devin stepped forward, gently lifting the veil, then cupping Reign’s face. He swiped away the single tear on her cheek with his thumb.

“You look beautiful, darlin’,” Devin drawled out as he took her in.

She gave him a timid smile.

“Are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me?” he whispered. I looked away, wanting to give them the tiniest moment of privacy before their lives changed forever. Unsurprisingly, my eyes instantly found Britt. Her blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she watched the happy couple beside me. She made it no secret that she wanted a guy to look at her the way Devin looked at Reign. I guessed she never noticed me.

When our eyes connected, she blinked away the tears, offering me a smile. I couldn’t help but think about how much I’d love to spend the rest of my life staring into those eyes, kissing away her tears, and showing her just how important she was to me.

“I’m ready,” Reign said. “Are you?”

“Oh, darlin’, I was ready the minute I met you.”

Still looking at Britt, I smiled back at her, feeling the exact same way as Devin.

“You may be seated,” the priest spoke to the guests, and we both turned our attention to the happy couple since it was better to focus on reality instead of a fantasy concocted in my head.

Chapter 2

“What are you looking at?” my former roommate, Adam, asked. I snapped my gaze to him and adjusted my blue bow tie in a lame attempt to divert his attention. I couldn’t have him know what, or more appropriately,who, had caught my eye.

He narrowed his gaze, glaring at me, and when I said nothing, he turned toward the tables. Chuckling, he shook his head. “Still? After three years? I thought you’d gotten over that little crush?”

“Crush?” I gulped. I knew where this was going, and I was tired of talking about it.

He raised his blond brow. “Don’t act like any of us could forget your not-so-secret crush on Britt.” My palms got sweaty, my heart beat a little faster, and my mouth went dry. “And don’t think I didn’t know what you were trying to do when you set us up last year.”

I glanced down at my whiskey and pressed my fingers against the etched glass, knowing I couldn’t drink too much because Devin had threatened us with murder when we got here.

I got it. He was obsessed with Reign, and the mere idea of anyone ruining her big day would send him into a tailspin no one wanted to see.

“I don’t have a crush on Britt.” It was the most unconvincing lie I’d ever tried to sell. Even as the words came out of my mouth, they sounded lackluster and unbelievable, but I didn’t care. I had to deny, deny, deny when it came to my best friend, who just so happened to be the hottest woman alive. “We’re just friends.”

As I looked back at the other tables, I smiled. She was sitting next to Adam’s girlfriend, Hayden, tapping her feet gently to the music.

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