Page 7 of My Brother's Best Men
“I’m sorry, I—” I move toward the door, but I’m stopped by Raegan, who’s entering.
“Sophie…hey…” Her gaze flicks between me, my brother, and the boys. “You’re here early,” she says carefully, glancing at my brother.
“I was just leaving,” I say, but she doesn’t move, blocking my exit.
“Oh. I see. Is…everything okay?” Raegan sets her keys down on the end table in the foyer, her eyebrows furrowing as her bright hazel eyes meet mine.
“Sophie wants to crash here, and Sam’s all worried their mom’s gonna freak if she finds out Soph changed up theplan,” Matthew drawls dramatically.
Benny smacks him upside the head again.
“What was that for?” Matthew whines.
“Not your fucking circus, Matt.”
“I’m just saying!” Matthew shoves Benny, who grunts out a curse.
Raegan purses her lips. “Of course you can stay here,” she says, glancing at my brother, who runs a hand through his hair. “You’re always welcome here.”
“I didn’t say she couldn’t, I just said—” Sam sighs.
Raegan leans forward, her arms going around me without warning, and I hate how comforting her hug feels right now. The urge to start bawling hits hard, and I think maybe I really should go, but before I can move, she holds me at arm’s length.
“You look exhausted,” she says softly.
It’s not the words themselves, but how she says them. It’s the knowing look in her eyes. She knows something’s up, but unlike my brother, she’s not going to press me. Which I’m more than thankful for.
“I am,” I say, my voice shaking. “It’s a long way from Seattle to Virginia.”
Reagan grabs my hand and pulls, releasing the suitcase handle from my grip. She casually grabs it and spins it toward her, wrapping her free hand around my arm. “Come on, I’ll show you the guest room,” she says with the warmest smile as my brother sighs in annoyance and exasperation. “We can talk about your mother later,” she adds as we pass Sam.
I can still feel Elijah’s gaze on me, still feel Benny and Matthew watching me like a damn soap opera. But thankfully, once we turn down the hall, the heat of their gazes disappears. Raegan opens a door at the end of the hall, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” I say, but I’m not able to hide the shakiness or the beginnings of tears in my voice. Raegan slides my suitcase in and hugs me. “I wasn’t trying to cause a problem, I just—” I drop my gaze from hers.
“You’re never a problem, Sophie,” she says warmly. “I promise.” She lets me go. “Whatever you need, just let me know, okay?”
My heart warms as tears start to fall. Raegan is like that. Always looking out for others, always so giving and kind. I couldn’t ask for a better sister-in-law.
But I don’t want to detract from her spotlight. I’m here forher.And their wedding is going to be so perfect, andthatis what I want to focus on. What Ineedto focus on, instead of my life that’s literally blown up in my face in the worst way possible.
In a few days we’ll be on a plane to the Virgin Islands, and I’ll be standing on the beach next to her, watching her marry my brother. The realization is bittersweet. I don’t want to sour her with my fucking drama, so I say, “I think I just need to sleep.”
She nods. “Okay.”
And with that, she lets me go, shutting the door in her wake. I fall onto the guest bed, surprised at how comfortable it actually is. But then again, maybe I’m just so achy and tired that anything would feel comforting right now.
I curl up on top of the fluffy comforter, close my eyes, and let sleep take me under, hoping when I wake up this nightmare of a day will be over for good.
2
SOPHIE
I wakeup in the middle of the night, the urge to pee overwhelming. The clock on the nightstand tells me it’s three in the morning.
The witching hour. Great.
Nothing good ever happens at three am, but I always wake up in the middle of the night needing to pee, and then I can never go back to sleep.
