Page 86 of The Step Dare

“I know the feeling,” I say.

This catches her attention, and she tilts her head. “What?”

Fuck.

“I meant, I understand what you mean.”

She winces, like she’s not quite sure she buys it. How could she? She knows me too well for that.

I open my mouth, like some part of me just wants to spit it out:Brenner does that for me, and I want you to know he makes me as happy as Keith makes you happy.I’d love toshare this with her, but it’s not just my news to share. And this definitely isn’t the time. So I press my lips back together. I must stifle it for a little while longer.

There’s a knock at the door, saving my ass.

“Come in,” Mom says, and Brenner pokes his head in.

“Sherrie is really stressed about the guestbook,” he says.

Mom and I burst into a laugh. Really, of all our concerns, that has to be at the bottom of the list.

“Okay,” Mom says, “we both have enough to do before the rehearsal starts. So let’s get to it.” She squeezes my hand. “Just know, Taylor, you were the one who saved me. And I’m glad you’re the one giving me away to Keith.”

When Mom discussed it with Grandpa, even he said,“I wasn’t even considering it’d be anyone other than Taylor.”

I get the answers to Sherrie’s questions, and Mom promises to text Jane to make sure she doesn’t come back with anything dramatic like self-cut bangs. I give her another hug, then head out with Brenner.

We’re not far down the hall before he grabs my wrist and pulls me through a door. In no time, he’s pushing up against me, his lips against mine.

“Fuck,” I moan as he pulls away, those dark eyes set on me as he licks his lips. “Been missing that all day.”

“You and me both.”

“And if I didn’t think your cousin Sherrie would lose her mind, I’d jerk you off right here.”

Bren grabs at my crotch. “I’m already making you hard,” he says as he feels along my stiffening cock.

“You can’t tease me like this.”

“We get through today, and I somehow survive being Dad’s best man, I’ll do whatever the hell you want tonight when we get back to the room. Now shut up and make out with me for a fewmore minutes so I can deal with the rest of my family for the next few hours.”

We enjoy a quick make-out before prying away from each other and resuming our tasks.

Brenner helps with decorations while I deliver the word to Sherrie about the guestbook. Then we keep busy until it’s time for the rehearsal.

The wedding planner explains the order of everything, and we do a walk-through of the ceremony. He shows me how to walk Mom down the aisle, and when the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmates join us, it’s apparent Todd and Beth’s efforts haven’t done much for Jane’s perm. Unless the nest on her head is somehow better than what it was before.

Shortly after, Sherrie heads down the aisle with Dakota, and despite her earlier enthusiasm, our five-year-old flower girl looks a little shaky, but she manages to reach Mom and Keith before bursting into tears.

“Oh, baby,” Mom says as she, Keith, and Sherrie hurry to comfort her.

When Dakota’s sobbing subsides, Mom and Keith exchange a look, Mom’s lips twisting into a smile, the sunlight sparkling in her eyes like they did when we were discussing Keith earlier.

Keith’s grinning too, like even with this little hiccup, he knows he’s the luckiest man in the world to be here with my mom.

And fuck, now I’m tearing up, and this isn’t even the actual wedding.

I turn and catch Brenner’s gaze, and it’s clear by the glint in his eye that he caught the moment too. It’s nice sharing this with him, both of us getting to see just how right our parents are for each other.

It’s the sort of thing that reminds me, as much bullshit as a person can go through, even when things seem bleak, you never know what life has in store for you.

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