Page 76 of It Should Have Been Me

He tosses the ball to me, using a little more force than necessary. “Scott, this is not a joke. Do you think he didn’t notice the way you looked at her? You think he’s not going to pick up on the underlying tension? We were with him for less than five minutes, and it was awkward as fuck. You can’t hide this. If he finds out before or at the wedding, it’s going to be a disaster.”

I shake off whatever it is I’m feeling. It will have to wait for another day to be felt. My friend asked me to be his best man for a reason, and I have to honor that by making him my number one priority. “He’s not going to find out. At least not before the wedding. Dyl, it’s probably going to kill me to see them together, but I won’t do anything to mess up your special day. I know how important it is for you and Isabella.”

He shakes his head as he swipes the ball away from me. “You didn’t have to complicate things like this. I don’t understand why you couldn’t just stay away from her.”

I stop dead in my tracks. “Did you really just say that to me?You,of all people?” I snort out a laugh. “Don’t play that self-righteous card with me, Dylan. It’s not like you could stay away from Isabella, either.”

“Bella and I were different. We were both single.”

“Were you now?” I grin because I know I hit a tender spot with that question. My boy hates to acknowledge this, but it is a fact. “Emotional cheating is still cheating, Dyl.”

“Fuck you, Scott!” He tosses the ball at me, and I chuck it back with the same amount of force. “You know exactly how everything played out. And need I remind you that a lot of it wasyourfault?”

“My part in it doesn’t change anything. You knew what you wanted and you couldn’t live a lie anymore. So, get off your high horse and stop preaching to me about how I should’ve stayed away when you’re guilty of the same thing. That chain you always wear around your neck? I know it came from Isabella because I was there the day she gave it to you. It came off when you broke up with her, and it was back onlongbefore you and Fran got divorced. Loving these Diaz women is more of a curse than a blessing, a curse that neither of us has been able to lift inyears.”

He stares off into the distance as if he’s pondering something. “My mother’s lying. That prophecy was real.”

He says it more to himself than to me. I don’t know what he’s talking about anyway, so I don’t bother trying to find out. Instead, I take advantage of his distraction and snatch the ball away from him, sending it flying into the hoop.

“Hard facts coming at ya, Dyl. At one point in our lives, we’ve both hated these Diaz women. At one point in our lives, we’ve both had to admit that we were stuck in relationships that weren’t going to work because we were still in love with these Diaz women – me with Courtney, you with Francesca. Let me make it simple by putting it in a math riddle for you. If you haveoneheart and you give it away toonewoman, what do you have left for anyone else?”

“Nothing.”

“Fucking nothing, Dylan, so at this particular point in our lives, both of us have to accept that we’re trapped in this curse for the long haul...whether we like it or not.”

“We should’ve run when we had the chance.”

“Ah, Dyl, you’re still so naïve,” I say with a laugh. “The reality is we never had a chance.”

17. Catalina

Irelease a slow breathas I take in my reflection in the mirror. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. I’ve gone through the last two days in a state of nauseated discomfort. It’s like I’m clamping down vomit and sheer disgust with myself every second. I skipped dessert because it’s been a struggle to keep my dinner down. JP has spent most of his time with my mom and Keith, so we haven’t spent much time alone for him to notice how off-ish I’ve been. My mother has noticed my odd behavior and has tried talking to me about it a few times, but I’ve avoided the discussion like the plague. Her loyalty lies with Scott, and quite honestly, I’m afraid of what her advice might be if I tell her the truth.

So, I’ve pretty much just been lying to everyone and manipulating my way through every situation. I’m a total bitch for doing this, but I played on JP’s reserved demeanor. On Wednesday night, I casually mentioned that my mother is old-fashioned when it comes to unwed couples sharing a bed and allowed him to come up with sleeping arrangements. I knew he’d suggest that we sleep in separate rooms, so I’ve avoided any kind of intimacy so far.

I won’t be so lucky tomorrow night, though. We’re all going to be staying at the Royale hotel where the wedding reception will be held, and I’ll be sharing a room with JP. I don’t know how I’m going to worm my way out of that one, but that is a problem for tomorrow. Right now, I have to figure out how I’m going to get through the rest of this rehearsal dinner.

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