Page 20 of Deal Breaker
“But I’ll just get some of these.” I grabbed a fork from the side and shoveled in a mouthful of the scrambled eggs straight from the pan. “Mmm, delish!”
Autumn slapped me with a tea towel. “Now you’re making fun of me. Get out of here.”
I slipped into the bathroom, just off the kitchen area. There wasn’t time for a full shower, so I compromised with the quickest strip wash in history, making sure to use a heap of deodorant and cologne to cover up any lingering scent of alcohol.
While I brushed my teeth, I heard voices at the front door. I froze, mentally face-palming myself for completely forgetting about Sophie. There was an exchange I couldn’t quite overhear, then I heard another door slam. Peeking into the living area, only Autumn was there, humming quietly to herself as she cooked. I dashed across the living area and back to the relative safety of my room. Quickly pulling on my tux, I shoved my feet into the uncomfortable dress shoes and stuffed the cravat into my pocket. One of the guys would have to help me with it when I got over to the Lodge. Subconsciously, I knew I was deliberately avoiding Sophie. But with all the other responsibilities I had that day, having a confrontation with her now wouldn’t solve anything. It needed more than a quick, five-second apology and me leaving straight after. I didn’t know whether she’d even want anything to do with me after my actions this morning. Tucking my phone into my pocket and ignoring the additional “where are you?” messages from Joshua, I headed back out.
“Looking good, big brother.” Autumn cast her gaze over my outfit. “Seriously, if you were worried about being single, I think looking like that today will score you any number of offers.”
There was only one offer I wanted. And I didn’t know whether she would even speak to me again.
“Thanks, sis. Gotta go, I’ll see you at the ceremony.” I gave her the similar once over, wagging my finger at her yoga pants and sweatshirt. “Assuming you’re not going like that?”
A tea towel flew past my head. “Get out of here!”
“Such violence!” I laughed and ducked out of the door before anything heavier hit me.
Retracing my steps to the Lodge, I shivered in the morning sunshine. Deceptive as ever, the sun looked warm and welcoming, when in truth the air temperature felt around zero degrees. Guilt crept in as I realized Sophie would have been outside in this, wearing a hell of a lot less than I was right now.
She really was never going to speak to me again.
The minute I stepped into the restaurant, I spotted Joshua, Evan, and Trent straight away. Resplendent in their wedding suits, it wasn’t difficult. I weaved my way through the tables of other guests, wondering how many of them would be at the wedding later.
“There he is!” Joshua rose and waved his champagne glass at me.
My liver winced in protest. “Bit early, isn’t it?”
“Max, I only intend on getting married once. I plan to celebrate every single second of it.” He took a small sip of the drink, as if to prove he wasn’t going to be smashed before he said his vows. “And why aren’t you dressed properly?”
“Overslept,” I explained, taking a seat. None of the guys needed to know about the incident with Sophie. “Didn’t set an alarm.” That much was true. In the confusion after all the events of last night, I hadn’t remembered to. Then again, there was a lot I hadn’t remembered already today.
“Never mind.” Joshua plopped down next to me. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. All my best buds are here.” He swiped at his face, and I wondered if a little bit of sentiment wasn’t getting to him.
Evan took the lead instead, as best man. “Before all the chaos kicks off today, I just wanna say that you guys are perfect together. When Joshua brought Brianna home for the first time as his fiancée, it was the best surprise. But we’re all so happy for you, and today is going to be the most superb day ever. Brianna will make the perfect bride, and I can’t wait to see the two of you even happier together. Don’t leave it too long to make me an uncle!”
Joshua snorted, almost spraying the contents of his champagne filled mouth across the table.
Whether it was the strange night’s sleep, the whole kissing Sophie thing, or simply the emotion of the day, my breath caught in my chest. This truly was it for Joshua. He was marrying the love of his life, and I was there to be a part of it.
I reached for the glass of champagne at my place. “To Joshua and Brianna!”
Trent and Evan joined in. “To Joshua and Brianna!”
Two servers appeared with plates of pancakes, bacon, and syrup, the perfect antidote to the creeping hangover I felt coming. I wished I’d remembered to bring the Advil, which was sitting on my bedside table along with the soda Sophie had brought me last night, which would no doubt be flat by now. A bit like my chances with Sophie.
The strong black coffee helped, though. We ate and drank, and reminisced about how Joshua and Brianna had gotten together and how his proposal had almost gone disastrously wrong. Then the conversation turned serious as Joshua admitted how much he loved his bride, and how he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her.
The choked feeling in my chest returned. Deep down, I knew I felt the exact same way about Sophie. But I thought I’d blown any chance on that front.
The woman I’d seen walking around at last night’s rehearsal dinner with a clipboard approached our table. “Joshua, the photographer is ready to do this morning’s pictures with you and your groomsmen. If you’d like to make your way out there now, I’d appreciate it. We don’t want you seeing Brianna before sheactuallywalks down the aisle.”
“Sure, Melina, absolutely. We’ll go now.” Joshua flashed a grin at Melina, but she had already turned on her heel and disappeared. He gestured after her. “Melina Moralis, wedding planner extraordinaire. It’s been like having a third person in the relationship for the past few months. But I’ll miss her when we’re married.” Joshua stared wistfully after her, making me wonder what was so special about her and the planning process. Honestly, even the thought of arranging a wedding brought me out in hives, even though I was a long way away from the prospect.
I drained the remains of my coffee and stood up.
“Right, let’s get you sorted.” Evan helped me tie the cravat, a deep burgundy to compliment the bridesmaids’ dresses and Brianna’s favorite calla lilies. When we’d been fitted for our dress suits, Joshua had been eager to make sure we all knew the reasons behind every single choice. Maybe that had been an intervention from Melina to remind us of the meanings of every item. “There,” he said, patting my chest. “Gorgeous,” he added, in an affected voice. “You’ll be beating them off later.”
We headed up to the Gentlemen’s Suite, which Joshua had informed us was the place for us to relax and chill out before the ceremony started. Upstairs from the main reception room, where we’d be spending most of the day, it was equipped with a couple of squishy sofas and a refrigerator which was stocked with bottles of beer and water. The perfect refuge if any of us needed a time out later in the day.
