Page 73 of My Brother's Best Men
“And you’re not a mistake. I’m just a mess and I don’t want to drag you or Matt or Elijah down with me.”
Benny holds me tighter. “That’s not your choice to make, princess.”
There’s a soft, quiet pause and all that can be heard is our breathing and the soft slosh of the water.
“I know,” I whisper.
Benny adjusts me as he reaches for the soap, carefully washing me in the gentlest of ways, and I can’t help but feel like a weight truly has been lifted between what happened earlier and now…
“Maybe we can just be a mess together,” he says, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it.
I nod as he washes the soap from my body. “If we’re a mess, might as well be hot ones, right?” I say, humor finding its way into my voice.
He chuckles. “The hottest.”
I don’t know how long we stay in the bath, or when we leave. All I know is as I drift to sleep in Benny’s arms, I feel like for the first time, everything’s going to be okay.
13
SOPHIE
“You seem happy,”Raegan says, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Huh?” I shake my head as I realize I must’ve zoned out while I was stirring my iced coffee.
“Well,happier, I guess. Just saying you’ve been smiling all morning,” she says with a grin.
“Here’s your refill,” Elijah says as he plops down in the chair next to Raegan and me.
“Thanks,” I say as Matthew and Benny chat in the corner with Sam. Lucy, Natalie, and Tiffany finally come down the hall to the lobby, and I realize we’ll have to leave soon if we want to get a start on our spa day since tomorrow is the wedding and tonight, we’re partying bachelor slash bachelorette style at one of the clubs nearby.
“So who is it?” she asks, leaning in to whisper so the others won’t hear her.
“No one,” I say.
She smiles. “Bullshit, you haven’t smiled like thatin ages.”
I can’t help but grin. Because she’s right, I am happy.
Ever since last night. Since Elijah and I had our…kiss of understanding, since Matthew and I admitted our feelings and pursued them, since Benny broke me and put me back together. I feel like a million bucks.
And today at breakfast, after spending the morning making out in the shower with Benny, I felt like maybe things were actually working out.
When Elijah and Matthew showed up to our room, they seemed better too. Though it was still awkward, because all three of my brother’s best men, who I have accepted Idohave feelings for, were in the same room. But then Matthew broke the weirdness and started talking about a rematch of cornhole later, saying that Benny and I could team up and he would team up with Elijah.
And suddenly, things felt…good. Familiar, even.
Like the old days when we could just hang out and have fun…
“I still can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow,” I say to Raegan as I sip my fresh iced coffee.
“I know. We’re going to be sisters!” she squeals.
Elijah shifts closer to me and instinctively, I do the same. He gives me a grin.
Things have been different between us since we had our moment last night. Since he told me he loved me. Since he kissed me.
It feels like we’ve turned a new leaf, and though it’s not perfect or anything, it feels like we’re on our way to better things. I’m not stupid enough to think we could go back to the way things were—and I don’t know that I would everwantto go back to theway things were. Where I hid my feelings and jealousy-scrolled through his social media. Where I bottled up the feelings I had for him.
