Page 49 of That Time I Kissed My Brother’s Best Friend

Off to the side, the front door creaks. Kasey and I turn as the door opens slowly. Mrs. Graham peeks her head out first, testing the waters. Then she waves the rest of the family out onto the porch. Brady converges on me first, clapping me on the back.

“Welcome to the family,” he announces. “You know I always wanted a brother.” He turns to Kasey. “No offense.”

“None taken,” she says. She spins around and looks at her parents. “Did you have any idea Beau was going to do this today?”

“Of course!” Mrs. Graham crows at the exact same time Mr. Graham shakes his head and says, “Not a clue.”

Mrs. Graham humphs. “Maybeyouwere clueless, Phil,” she says. “But nothing gets past me.”

Kasey’s father shrugs. “Beau did speak to us back in July before he started visiting you in LA. So I suppose we did see this coming. Just not exactly when. Or what Beau would be wearing.”

“The suit was my idea,” Brady says. “I thought maybe Kasey could sit on Santa’s lap.”

“Uh, yeah no,” I chime in. “That wasnotpart of the plan.”

“Speaking of which.” Kasey gathers my hand in hers. “Let’s get you out of this costume and into your brand new Christmas pajamas.” Her mouth quirks. “I’ll give you one guess what’s on them.”

“Oh, man.” I chuckle. “I hope it’syourface and not Brady’s.”

Kasey gives my fingers a squeeze. “Hope springs eternal.”

I look down at her ring. “It certainly does.”

* * *

Thank you so much for reading, and I sure hope you enjoyedThat Time I Kissed My Brother’s Best Friend. If you did, please consider leaving a review.

Then read on for a teaser from Natalie and Brady’s story—That Time I Kissed My Groomsman Grump—coming in 2023!

A Teaser For That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump

ONE YEAR LATER: KASEY

I smile down at Natalie and Brady, who are sitting next to one another on my parents’ old sofa. I’m standing above them, practically vibrating with excitement. More to the point, I am literally vibrating. That’s because Beau’s been blowing up my phone all morning. He’s back in LA, waiting for me. I’m still in Abieville, ready to head to the airport in an hour. I slip the phone from the pocket of my sweatshirt and check his latest message.

Beau: Did you ask her yet?

Me: I will as soon as you stop texting me (heart eyes)

Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I clear my throat and smile. “We are gathered here today—”

“Excuse me,” Brady breaks in, wearing a frown. I can’t tell if he’s confused or annoyed, but neither is the vibe I’m going for. “Why do you sound like you’re officiating a wedding?” he asks.

“Thisisabout the wedding,” I say. “If you’d just let me continue—”

“Yeah, Brady,” Natalie says. She faces him and shrugs. “Stop interrupting, and let your poor sister talk.”

He gives Nat some serious side-eye. “You just interrupted her too.”

“Whatever, Mr. Grumpy Pants.”

They both cross their arms over their chests.

What is up with these two today?

Actually, to be honest, Brady’s been acting kind of strange for a while now. But I’ve got less than an hour before I leave for the airport, and I’m way too excited to let my brother bring me down.

“I’m going to start over,” I say. “Because I have a whole speech prepared, and you two kind of messed me up.”

---