She was the only thing Braydon had ever wanted just for himself, but he knew good and damn well that Jessie wasn’t on the same page. She expected Brendon to join them. He wouldn’t put it past the two of them to have discussed their plan on their way home from Ethan’s reception. That’s the way it worked.
But for a brief moment, Braydon wanted to pretend otherwise. He wanted to pretend that this woman belonged only to him and that Brendon wasn’t standing just a few feet away, ready to indulge in the one woman Braydon wanted for himself.
“Stand up,” Brendon instructed, taking charge just like he usually did.
And that was the cold, hard slap in the face that Braydon needed.
He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t share Jessie. Not with Brendon. Not with anyone. He wanted her for himself, and if she couldn’t accept that, then he didn’t want her at all.
As Jessie got to her feet, Braydon moved with her, his hands sliding down to her hips, his eyes locked with hers. “I’m not doing this,” he growled roughly.
Jessie’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly.
“What?” Brendon questioned, looking genuinely perplexed.
“You heard me. I’m fucking done.”
With that, Braydon released Jessie, wishing like hell she’d stop him, insist that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
When that didn’t happen, Braydon slipped into his room, slamming his bedroom door as a punctuation mark on what had turned into the shittiest night of his life.
chapter ONE
One month later
Zane and Vanessa’s wedding
“You look beautiful, V,” Kylie exclaimed as she and Jessie made their way into the bridal room at the small church. Clearly, Kylie, Jessie’s sister, was excited for the woman, as was Jessie.
From the moment they stepped into the room, Jessie felt the soon-to-be bride’s exhilaration mingling with her anticipation. It was almost palpable, making the room seem even brighter, if that were possible.
Jessie and Kylie joined Zoey, the three of them admiring V, who looked simply stunning.
There was an eruption of excitement, giggles, and more compliments while V stared back at the three of them now circling her as they offered their praises. It was amazing how much of a ruckus four women could make all on their own. V’s cheeks turned pink, probably from all the attention, but as the joyous moment settled down, Vanessa Carmichael—soon to be Mrs. Zane Walker—replied easily, “Thank you.”
She did look stunning. Like a modern-day fairy-tale princess in her jewel-encrusted white gown. But V didn’t need an expensive dress to make her look beautiful. The woman just was.
Today was V’s wedding day, and in roughly half an hour she would be marrying the man who had dedicated himself to working his way into her heart. As far as Jessie was concerned, Zane and V were meant for one another, a true example of how opposites attract.
It was the second Walker wedding Jessie had attended in a month. First, she had watched Ethan and Beau tie the knot, so to speak, in a ceremony that had made her weep like a baby. Today she would have the honor of watching V and Zane, the youngest Walker brother, do the same. There was a tiny part of her that was jealous that she wasn’t the one who’d found her happily ever after with the man of her dreams.
The thought had her mind wandering to Braydon. Over the last month, ever since Ethan got married, Braydon had started to pull away. She, Brendon, and Braydon still spent time together, but the sex had come to an abrupt halt after Braydon’s declaration that he was done, which, truth be told, Jessie was okay with. From the threesome perspective anyway. Their easy friendship had become more and more strained in recent weeks, and they were all getting good at pretending that nothing was unusual.
It wasn’t that Jessie didn’t know what was going on. It’s that she didn’t want to discuss it. Neither did they. And probably because they had all clammed up, the tension was soaring to astronomical levels.
“You look like a princess,” Zoey told Vanessa, pulling Jessie back to the moment.
“I feel like one,” V declared as she stared back at Zoey. “It’s just . . .”
“What?” Kylie asked when V didn’t continue.
“Nothing. I’m just nervous.”
“Which is perfectly acceptable,” Zoey assured V.
“Right. Because we all know you were a jumble of nerves on your wedding day,” V huffed, a radiant smile lighting up her entire face.
“I was!” Zoey imparted with a disbelieving chuckle. “You should remember, you were there.”
“Yeah, but you were nothing like this,” V argued, glancing at herself in the mirror. “At this rate, I’m going to trip on my gown and fall on my face before I even make it down the aisle.”