Page 27 of Marrying My Brother's Best Friend

Trevor will never change his mind or give us a chance and shutting out my feelings for him is the best option. For both our sakes.

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I spent most of the next day focused on my book. The fourteenth chapter should have been the turning point between the lovers in my story, but somehow, I’m stuck.

What happens next? Does love win and lead, or do these two need more time to figure out what they want?

I didn’t base my characters on Trevor and me, but they are starting to feel a lot like us, and I don’t know what to do.

Every part of me wants them to give love a chance, but I’m torn. The voice in my head insists that taking a step back is the best thing to do. If Trevor’s never going to want me, then I should let him go, right?

I’m still lost in thought when my phone starts buzzing beside me. A smile wedges on my lips when I realize it’s a video call from Natalie, and she grins widely once I take it.

“Hey, you,” she greets, then shows me around her surroundings. “You’re missing out on a lot, Gracie. The bookstore is swamped with customers every day of the week. Someone posted an article that Trevor Hawkin’s wife works here, and we have many basketball fans trooping in all hoping they can meet you.”

“That’s crazy,” I comment and join in her laugh.

We quiet down after some time, then she asks. “How you holding up? I see you two on television and I can’t help but think, damn, they look perfect together. You two aren’t a thing yet, are you? It feels like he has eyes only for you.”

My chuckle this time is quiet, and I recall Trevor’s eyes on me each time we’re out in public or giving an interview. Why does his eyes say one thing and his lips say another?

I sense he wants me from the way he looks at me, but he’s never going to let himself feel.

“We aren’t,” I admit to Natalie, and her smile dwindles a little.

“And that’s a good thing, remember?” she reminds me. “Trevor’s not the kind of guy you want to fall for, right?”

I know she’s going to say he’s like candy next, and that all I need is a taste of him, but to me, he’s not. Somewhere amongst the glitz and glamor of Trevor’s superstar life, there’s still the boy I knew.

There’s still a kid who’s hurt, too. One who needs love to heal. I desperately wish he would let me in, but knowing Trevor, I also know it might never happen.

“Yeah well,” I say to my friend. “It’s a good thing.”

“Good,” she says with a smile, then grins again. “Because I’d hate to see you get hurt, Gracie.”

After ending the call with Natalie moments later, I decide to stroll around the house and find Trevor as I haven’t seen him all day.

The house is quiet until I approach the door to his home gym, and overhear the whisper of voices coming from inside that makes me freeze in my tracks at the doorway.

Chapter 16

Trevor

It was a long night, and it feels like it’ll be an even longer day. Zane keeps pacing around in front of me while trying to counter every reason I bring up.

“I want her gone,” I say to him, ignoring the light ache in my chest that arises each time I think of Gracie leaving. It’s the right thing to do, I tell myself. Last night, I almost gave into the selfish part of me that wanted to cling to her and never let go. I can’t do that to her. Sending her back to Golden Bay is the right thing to do. I’ve held onto the fear of turning out like my father for so long and everything I’ve done... Staying away from her till now is all because I don’t want to hurt her.

“We can make it seem as if she’s returned to her life in Golden Bay, and I can take exotic trips to visit her there often, but I just... I need her out of this house.”

I didn’t think this through. I should have known having Gracie this close would be the death of me. I never forgot about her or the hint of passion in her eyes every time I got lost in them.

Gracie has helped me a lot over the past few weeks. She got the media to see me in a different light. Everyone wants a good love story, and we’ve sold that. But it hurts to want her so much and know I can’t let myself have her. I’ve seen what love does even to the purest of hearts. I can’t let that happen to me. Or her.

“I told you, man, it doesn’t matter how we got here; what matters is that we are and you can’t pull out now,” Zane says to me as I lower the dumbbell in one hand to the ground, then swipe a hand over my forehead to get rid of the sweat there.

I’ve spent the entire morning trying to work out my muscles to exhaustion, and since I’m keeping my weight off my foot, I sit for most of my upper body programs.

“I don’t know how much of this I can take,” I tell Zane. Every second I spend with Gracie drives me closer to the edge and makes it impossible to stay away from her.

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