“I just don’t want to be around my brother any more than necessary. I wouldn’t say I’m mad at him, it just brings up bad memories. I shouldn’t blame him and it’s not his fault our dad replaced our mom, but it’s hard for me to be around him. I used to come around for Christmas and stuff, but I had to stay away for my mental health. Is that going to cause a huge problem? I know you two are close.” She rubbed her sweaty palms up and down her thighs.
Christian put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “It’s not a problem. If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to. Would it be weird for you to meet Alyssa? I think you’d like her. And I would like to bring you as my date to the reception, but if you aren’t up to it because he’ll be there, that’s okay. Just think about it.”
“I’ll think about it,” she agreed.
His fingers were warm on her chin when he gently turned her face to look at him. With the air cleared, she finally took a close look at him. His hair was bordering on wild, as if he hadn’t taken time to style it after showering, and the scruff on his chin was new. She reached her hand out and stroked his face, enjoying the way his facial hair tickled her palm.
It wasn’t until his breath hitched, that she thought about what she was doing. He covered her hand with his and pulled her into a kiss, his tongue teasing along her lips until she allowed him in. She slipped her hand beneath his shirt, wanting to feel as much of him as possible as he caressed her, the heat from his hands scorching her through her clothes. It was only a kiss, but she was already wet; her body aching to feel him everywhere.
She jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. It hadn’t taken her long to forget that he’d ordered food.
“Awesome timing,” he mumbled sarcastically as he straightened his clothes and headed for the door. “Remind me not to order delivery next time.”
Chapter 11
CHRISTIAN
Chris stretched his legs out as he tried to get comfortable. No matter what, there was no such thing as a comfortable chair in a hospital, which made no sense considering the amount of time people spent at bedsides. He hoped to get an update soon. If modifications needed to be made to her house, Robbie would only be in town for a short time in order to help out. If she wouldn’t be returning home, they would need to figure things out together.
He'd come straight from work and his mother was still sleeping, but he didn’t want to risk going home and falling asleep. Watching her sleep so peacefully, it was hard to believe she was in a hospital bed and recovering from major surgery. With his arms folded, he settled into the chair.
As soon as he was settled, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Assuming it was his brother, he only opened his eyes enough to swipe open the call.
“Hello?” His voice was scratchy from lack of sleep.
“Chris. This is a disaster. I wish you’d listened to me and come here for the wedding. All Michael is trying to do is calm me down, and I don’t want to calm down.” He wasn’t expecting to hear Alyssa’s voice.
“Alyssa?” he asked as he hurried into the hallway. “What’s going on? Isn’t it four something in the morning over there?”
“I don’t even know where to start, Chris. They had the wedding. Everything was okay until some bitch showed up to our table at the hotel bar and said the wedding wasn’t legit because she and Brian were still married!” Alyssa explained in a rush.
Chris was doing his best to follow what she was saying, which was hard to do when behind on sleep. “He’s married? Then how could they get a marriage license?”
“Exactly!”
He shook his head to clear the cobwebs but was still unable to connect the dots. Brian and Kerry had been engaged for what seemed like forever. How could they have overlooked an entire wife?
“It’s been days since I’ve had decent sleep. Please spell it out for me because I’m lost.”
“I’m sure they must be divorced, but that’s not the point. He had a fucking wife, Chris!”
If she wasn’t pregnant, he’d swear he’d fallen victim to a drunk dial. Since he really didn’t want to drag the conversation out or ask her again to repeat herself, he did his best to connect the dots. Brian had been married and divorced. Kerry had no idea about an ex-wife. The ex-wife showed up in Vegas to stir shit up, and it worked even though the general consensus was that she was lying. And it worked because the bottom line was that he’d kept a previous marriage from Kerry.
“Alyssa, I know you don’t want to calm down, but you need to. It’s not good to get yourself upset. Wait till you have thekid before you decide you want to stab a bitch. Why don’t you take some deep breaths and say some positive affirmations or something …”
“Do what?” she half shouted. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? If I wanted a voice of reason, I wouldn’t have called you. No offense.”
Chris laughed. “I’m just saying, maybe he forgot. Maybe it never came up in conversation.”
“He forgot? Do you ever forget you were married to Vivian?” Alyssa asked.
“Maybe it never came up.”
“In five years. In the five years they’ve been together he forgot to mention an ex-wife because it never came up in conversation. Sure. Makes total sense to me.”
Chris couldn’t help uttering a very loud and dramatic sigh. “I’m not trying to defend the guy. I’m just saying try not to let that woman ruin everything, which is obviously her plan. Finish out the trip. Leave the reception plans in place. Kerry doesn’t need to rush into any major decisions, and as the maid of honor, it’s your job to keep her calm.”
There was a long pause. “Who are you and what have you done with Chris?”
