Page 36 of Never Kiss Your Brother's Best Friend

He stops walking and points to a bench on the sidewalk, “Sit.”

Oh boy. Why do I feel like I’ve been called down to the principal’s office?

“Let’s start at the beginning. Why in the world didn’t you tell me about what happened at my wedding?”

I sigh. “You heard about that, huh? Well, telling my brother I was dumped in front of our friends and family at his reception isn’t super high on my list of things to do. Plus, it was your day. I wanted it to be perfect for you. It wasn’t going to change anything for you to know about it. It was bad enough I tripped coming down the aisle.”

He grabs my hands, “Yes, I caught a glimpse of that. But I’m your brother, I would’ve decked that guy, even if I was wearing a suit.”

“I know, but he’s not worth it. He did me a favor by dumping me because I was wasting my time with him. Plus, Sterling came to console me.”

More awkward grinning.

“Yes, I heard.” He lets go of my hands and shifts uncomfortably on the bench.

“You did?”

“Sterling and I went fishing the other day and he told me about what happened.”

“Oh.” I don’t know if that’s good or bad. “It was no big deal. He wanted to make sure I was all right and I was.”

He turns to me, “And you’ve been spending a lot of time together ever since, working on this ‘project’?” He uses air quotes when he says project.

“Yep, we both have a passion for animals. Being a vet, his passion is certainly stronger, but I love them too. So, we just put our passions together for a good cause. You saw Buddy. We have to do something. There’s too many animals without homes.”

Now it’s his turn to sigh.

“From what I saw tonight, you’re clearly working on more than just a fundraiser.” He rubs his hands over his face.

I’m not sure what to say to that.

“Look Emma, you’re an adult, so clearly I can’t tell you what to do. Sterling is my best friend and you’re my sister. I love you both, but you don’t know everything about him. You’ve been gone for a long time.”

“What do you mean? I’ve known him my entire life. He’s the same guy now he always was.”

“I’m sure it seems that way on the outside, but he’s been hurt. Did you know he was engaged a few years back?”

My jaw drops in disbelief. No, I definitely did not know that. Now I understand how my brother felt being out of the loop. Sterling and I definitely lost touch. But not knowing he was going to be married—I just can’t believe it.

“What happened?” my voice squeaks.

“Her name was Celia. They met in veterinary school in Tennessee. They dated all through college, then got engaged after graduation. They opened up their own clinic near Nashville together. It was very successful. But as the years went by, Sterling really wanted to come back home to Cedar Creek. We didn’t have a vet at the time, so it seemed like the perfect fit.”

Peter gets a faraway look in his eyes. It’s clear this next part isn’t going to be great.

“Sterling put every penny he had saved as a down payment on the building he’s in now. He and Celia were going to run the place together, get married that spring. But on the day they were supposed to move, as Sterling was packing the truck, she said she couldn’t do it. That she wasn’t a small-town girl and didn’t want that life. She gave him back the ring and that was it. She just left him.”

I gasp. How could anyone do that to him? “So, the name of his place, SC Vet Care?”

“It was named for Sterling and Celia, not Sterling Cole. He never changed it because he knew everyone assumed it was his initials, like you did. Very few people even knew he had a fiancée. He hadn’t come back to town in years, but we always kept in touch.”

We sit in quiet for a few minutes as my heart sinks deep in my chest. I don’t even know what to say to all that. I had no idea. Now that I’ve heard this story, it makes sense that Sterling seems guarded at times. I just thought it was part of his personality rather than due to having been hurt.

Finally, Peter turns to face me again after giving me some time for it all to sink in.

“That’s the reason I wasn’t psyched to see you two kissing tonight, because he’s been totally closed off ever since then. He hasn’t dated anyone since Celia. He told me he was never going allow himself to be hurt again and then he shut down.”

Peter continues. “I mean in high school, I told him that there was no way he could ask you out because I didn’t want him dating my sister in general. It just seemed weird.”

---