Page 28 of Marrying My Brother's Best Friend

“You started this, don’t forget,” Zane reminds me. “When I came up with the idea of a fake romantic relationship that will help the fans root for you, you said you had the perfect woman for the task. You made it possible for her to agree to this with your whole hospital stunt, and you brought her to New York. Why do you want to back out now? Why do you think..." Zane trails off when we hear the door creak a little and suddenly turns around to the doorway. “Who’s out there?”

I stiffen as Gracie enters my gym room and looks from Zane to me. She’s paler than ever, and her eyes hold the sting of hurt as she asks. “What hospital stunt? What are you talking about?” I sense her question is directed at me, even though she’s staring at Zane.

“Gracie…”

“I need you to tell me the truth right now. What did you do?”

She looks at me, and her eyes narrow into tiny slits, making their green depths even more piercing.

“Back in Golden Bay, I saw two girls trying to get a picture of us at the hospital, and I could have stopped them, but I let it happen and told Zane to help make those pictures go viral with rumors of us being together. I did it to help convince you to agree to my ruse.”

“What?” she croaks, then blinks twice before taking a step back.

“Gracie, wait…”

“You manipulated me!” She cries out, then shoots me a pained look that makes my heart sink even further. “You knew I’d feel obliged to help because I was entangled in this mess anyway, so you did that to rope me in. How could you?”

“Gracie, just listen to me.”

“There’s nothing you can say, Trevor. You’re not charming your way out of this one. I am on your side. In the midst of this entire ordeal, I was on your side, and I chose to stand by you because I know you…Deep down, I know who you really are. I thought I did.”

She turns away from me, and I forget about the pain in my ankle. I rush after her without hesitating, but she’s already marching towards her room, her hands flailing at her sides.

“Gracie, wait, I thought it was the only way. That’s why I let it happen. I knew you wouldn’t agree to this farce without a little push, and I really needed you.”

“You really needed me?” she thunders as she spins around to look at me. “That’s your excuse?”

My eyes soften a little even though hers stay cold and cut through me. “And what about now? You don’t need me anymore, so you’re just gonna ship me back to Golden Bay? You just discard people when it’s convenient for you? When you’re done with them? You don’t want me here, you can’t let yourself love me and…”

Her words fade away as I pull her to me and silence her with a kiss. Gracie’s words roaring around me is to blame for this. I can’t help myself or deny my passion for her any longer. I press her to my body and she whimpers before parting her lips for my hungry kiss.

The madness lasts a second before she pushes against my chest to free herself, then staggers away from me. Her right hand moves to her lips, and she strokes their moist folds before lifting her quivering gaze to me.

“This is it, Gracie…This is why I can’t have you here, Gracie. I want you so much it’s driving me insane, and I can’t…I can’t let myself…I just can’t.”

She’s still quiet as she stares at me with tears in her eyes, then she presses her lips together. “You’re gonna regret this,” she whispers a second after I lower my chin to avoid her gaze. “I’ll leave, Trevor, but you’re gonna regret this, and it might be too late when you do. I’m not going to wait around for you forever.”

She heads into her room after that, and the door closes behind her. A hollow feeling sinks deep in my chest. This should be a relief, but for reasons I don’t understand, the air around me becomes thick with the weight of my loss and I have a deep feeling it’ll never change.

***

Zane drives Gracie off to the airport the next morning, and we don’t even say goodbye before she leaves. I’m in my living room after that trying to catch up on the game, but the silence in the air torments me, and I can’t bear it.

It’ll pass after a few days. When I first left Golden Bay, I thought about her all the time. Not a single day passed without me missing her, but I got over it in the end. I’m sure it’ll be the same thing this time.

My doorbell rings later that day, and I expect to see Zane on the other end when I limp over to open it.

“You’re in so much trouble, trust me,” Jace says the moment I open up, and he flashes the bottle he’s holding at me.

“What are you doing here?” I question once I let him in. We haven’t spoken since the last time we fought in Golden Bay, and this is the longest we’ve spoken since we first became friends in high school.

“Where’s my sister?” he asks once he enters the house.

It’s not Jace’s first time visiting me in New York, and so he leads the way to my kitchen while I limp behind him. “She left for Golden Bay.”

Jace arches a brow when he turns to me. “What did you do?”

I don’t answer him at first. Jace will only freak out if I tell him the thoughts running through my mind.

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