Page 43 of Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors)

He wasn’t saying goodbye, and he hoped she understood that when with one parting glance, he stepped through her front door and closed it gently behind him.

Within moments, he heard her crying. His arms ached to hold her, to comfort her.

He couldn’t do that yet.

He had a plane trip to make.

* * *

Gabe pulled his car in front of a farm house in Buffalo Falls, Utah.

It had only been two days since he’d left Brianne’s apartment with the sound of her crying ripping his heart apart. He missed everything about her. His body ached for her. He wanted to hear her voice and touch her soft skin. He wanted to be understood, to feel connected to someone the way he always felt connected whenever they were together.

He stared at his phone, but once again, he held back from calling her.

He had every hope of being with her again. But that couldn’t happen without Eric’s help.

Nothis permission. His help.

Help in the form of getting his ass back to Brianne so they could talk things through. Brianne needed the option of convincing Eric face-to-face to stay with her or not, and she couldn’t do that without Eric giving that to her.

As Gabe got out of the car, he was suddenly thrown back to that day he’d first seen Jamie and Brianne’s family home on Coronado Island. He’d been intimidated. Felt like the odd man out. Eric, especially, came from a similarly affluent background, and it had been easy to tell himself for six years that he was the better man for Brianne.

Yet when the front door to the farm house opened and Eric stepped out, the only thing that Gabe could think was how, in spite of everything, Eric looked perfectly at home in his jeans and T-shirt instead of the suit and tie he normally wore in LA. Moreover, although Eric wore a serious expression, he looked damn good, as if several weeks on the farm had done him a world of good.

He belongs here, is what Gabe thought.

And that’s when it struck him that he’d truly done all of them a huge disservice—assuming that just because Eric and his family were rich, he was the better man for Brianne. But also assuming thatBriannewas the perfect woman for Eric. In his effort to keep his feelings about Brianne to himself, Gabe had never really asked Eric many questions about their relationship, including whether Eric was having any doubts before the wedding. He hadn’t asked Eric much about whether he was happy with his life period, working for his father’s company and living in LA. He’d just assumed he was.

Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe Eric hadn’t been happy with his life. Maybe, just maybe, he’d called off the wedding because hehadn’tbeen surehewanted to marry Brianne. Because Gabe knew how ruthless and stubborn Eric could be. Even if Brianne had said Gabe’s name in his dreams, it didn’t make sense that Eric would simply step aside and not fight for a woman he was truly meant to be with.

“I’m guessing you know about the dreams,” Eric said, finally speaking. He strode down the porch stairs toward Gabe.

Gabe cleared his throat. “Why would you say that?”

Eric smiled. “Because if you didn’t know, you’d be railing at me for leaving Brianne on our wedding day. The fact you’re not tells me you’re feeling guilty. Because you know part of the reason I did.”

“Part of the reason?” Gabe echoed dumbly.

Eric sighed. “Yeah. Part of the reason. Because as much as it sucked hearing her call out your name, I could have dealt with that if I’d thought it was just a sex dream. But it wasn’t just a sex dream, was it, Gabe?”

Gabe crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you saying, Eric?”

“I’m saying I know Brianne has strong feelings for you, Gabe. Feelings that are more than physical. And I’m saying I know you feel the same way about her.”

When Gabe didn’t say anything, Eric continued. “According to the laws of nature, I guess I’m supposed to kick your ass.”

“I guess so,” Gabe said. He could try if he wanted to. Gabe would even let him get in a few hits. He’d let his friend get his satisfaction. It was the least he could do.

“Only we both know, in a fair fight, and not one where you were letting me win because you feel guilty, you’d pound me into the ground. The question is, have you two used the past few weeks to finally admit how you feel about each other, or has this all been for nothing? Because if it’s the latter, I don’t care if you can beat my ass into the ground, I’m going to pound some sense into you once and for all.”

Chapter Eighteen

The two weeks leading up to the glamping event had been the longest of Brianne’s life, but in the end she’d been relieved to have the distraction. It at least helped her ignore what a mess her personal life had become.

How had everything unraveled so quickly? One minute she’d been getting ready to walk down the aisle, then that fell through. Then she’d thought she might be on the verge of something with Gabe, but that had been another pipe dream.

She still hadn’t spoken to him, choosing to keep to herself while she sorted out her feelings and continuing to deal with his assistant. She felt lousy, freezing him out when he was the one going the extra mile to make sure her event would be amazing, but she just couldn’t deal with anything else right now.

---