Page 18 of Claimed By My Brother's Best Friend

She did the right thing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I’d gotten a lung full of her honey and vanilla scent when my nose touched her cheek, and I wanted more. I wanted to be surrounded by it, and I knew that was wrong. I should be satisfied with the friendship we were reforming and leave it at that.

Familiar headlights poured into my rearview mirror. I glanced at my side mirror and saw Sav’s tan Honda pull to the curb behind me. The rain had lessened over the last few seconds, so I climbed out of my car at the same time as her. I watched as she leaned into her car to grab her purse and a reusable cup.

The outside read,“Reading Rocks!”which made me smile.

Once she lifted her head, she caught sight of me and froze. I offered her a smile, and she returned it. The hood of her jacket covered her head, protecting her hair from the drizzle. She closed the distance between us and stopped directly in front of me.

“Hello, Christopher. How are you?”

I snorted at the use of my full first name. “Fine,Savannah. How about yourself?”

She shrugged. “Could be better. I’m about to be surrounded by a bunch of people I don’t know that well. Not usually my idea of a good time.”

We started down the street, swerving to follow the stone path that led to Sean’s front door. “You know more than half the people there,” I argued.

She gave me a pointed look. “Not really. Nicole’s friends will be here, and I’ve only met them once.”

I scrunched my nose. “They’re not the friendliest, are they?”

She shook her head. “Nope.” Her lips popped with the “p” sound, and it was honestly too adorable. “But that might be my fault. I’m also not the friendliest person either.”

I sighed dramatically. “Lord knows that’s true.”

She elbowed me in the ribs, so I laughed as I cradled my side. She walked ahead a few paces before spinning on her toes and giving me a mock death glare. “Watch yourself, Christopher. Tonight could make or break our newly reformed alliance.”

I grinned. “Would you say we’re friends again?”

She tapped her finger against her nose a couple of times. “We’ll see.”

I loved seeing the playful side of her I hadn’t witnessed in a while. It warmed my heart that she could joke openly with me. She knocked on the door.

Sean answered, paused, and quirked an eyebrow as he looked at us. “Did you two come together?”

We shook our heads and said, “No,” simultaneously. Sav’s ‘no’ sounded sharper and more horrified than I would have liked.

“Okay, okay, don’t bite my head off, sis.” He pulled Sav into a tight hug, pushed down her hood, and kissed the top of her head. She laughed as he swayed her back and forth while doing this. I scanned the living room, seeing who I recognized.

Nicole’s friends, Anna and Laura, sat together in a chair. Anna sat on Laura’s lap, which caught me a little off-guard. They fluttered their fingers in a wave toward me, and I briefly raised my hand in greeting. A man seated in the middle of the couch stood, offering his hand. “I’m Lucas, Nicole’s brother.”

“Chris,” I said, shaking his hand.

Sean surprised me with a side hug, kissing my temple before I shoved him off. He chuckled, clearly in a really good mood. And why shouldn’t he be? He was marrying the woman of his dreams. I only hoped he never knew what it was like to be strung along and humiliated by a woman the way I had.

I had no reason to think Nicole would ever hurt him, but I wasn’t sure it was worth it to trust anyone too much. I hated feeling that way, but I figured I always would.

I stood awkwardly, offering Sav the only available seat next to Lucas. I tried not to eavesdrop as they introduced themselves to each other and began chatting, but I heard every word. Apparently, Lucas loved to read. He was an English professor and taught creative writing. He’d published two books, and Sav seemed so impressed that I wanted to punch him in the face.

I wasn’t being rational.

Brian patted me on the shoulder, making me jump. “Dude, relax. You look like you’re guarding the queen over here.”

I huffed, keeping my arms crossed. “Just hungry.”

“Me too,” he admitted.

We talked about work for a bit before Sean finally called everyone to dinner. We sat around the dining table, and Nicole set out the serving dishes. I couldn’t tell what exactly the food was. It looked like various casseroles smothered in cheese to hide a scary mess underneath. I had hoped they would buy everyone pizza or something, so I regretted showing up to this event with an empty, rumbling stomach.

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