Page 113 of The Plus One Contract

He attempts a laugh, but it comes out shaky. “Right.” Then his eyes flick to the door Daniel just walked out of. “That was not awkward at all?”

I focus on finishing the tie, smoothing the patterned silk down. “Actually, it was weirdly anticlimactic,” I say.

“He told me about last night.”

I lift my gaze to his. His eyes are rimmed with that protective older brother bullshit.

“He did? What was his story?”

“That he was a prick.”

I lift one shoulder in a shrug. “At least he was honest.”

“I never considered how difficult it’d be for you to face it all.”

My chest tightens. I finish fussing with the tie, stepping back to assess. “I’m fine, Jer. Really, I am. I chose New York. I wanted that job. No regrets.”

He watches me for a beat. “I can see that. You seem good. Nathan seems good for you.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, a shy warmth creeping up my neck. “He’s…He’s great.” The recollection of last night sends a swirl of butterflies through my stomach.

Jeremy must notice the expression on my face. “I’m happy for you, sis.” A shadow crosses his face. “I should’ve checked in more after you left. I was so torn. I was so fucking angry at him for what he’d done. And you were gone.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I handled it like shit.”

A heavy silence follows. This is the conversation we’ve both avoided.

I fiddle with his lapel, aligning a small boutonniere to distract myself. “You were stuck in the middle,” I say quietly. “He’s your best friend. You’ve been like brothers since you were little. I didn’t want you to pick sides—”

“But you’re my sister.”

“And I’ll always be your sister.” I feel a sting behind my eyes. “He’s your best friend,” I repeat gently. “It’s okay. I’ve moved on.”

There’s a man in a honeymoon suite upstairs who helped me to realize that.

Could I have faced all of this on my own? Of course. I’ve had to do plenty of things on my own.

Last week’s me didn’t know that, though. Last week’s me wasn’t sure how I’d feel stepping back into this world, wasn’t sure if I could handle the ghosts, the memories, the weight of it all.

So I brought a shield. Not because I wasn’t strong enough, but because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be.

I’m glad Nathan’s here even if he’s leaving tomorrow.

My stomach knots at the thought.

One more day.

Jeremy swallows, looking far more nervous about this talk than about his actual wedding. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

I hold out my pinky finger, and he takes it like when we were kids. “Promise,” I tell him.

“Proud of you,” he says, and it takes everything in me to fight the tears from falling.

“You too, Jer.”

“Anyway, enough with the serious talk. Let’s see if I look semi-decent.” He steps to the mirror, adjusting the tie I’ve now tamed.

I grin, glad the tension is ebbing. “You look more than semi-decent. Grace is going to swoon.”

“Great, because I’m about to pass out from nerves.”

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