Page 13 of The Complication with the Best Man

“Wait!” he calls. “You wanted to tell me something?”

I shake my head. “No, it was nothing important.”

The lie slips off my tongue, and I walk through the dining room to the kitchen where Palmer and Hudson are. I wave goodbye, and thankfully they don’t stop me.

This is going to come to a head eventually, I know that. Just not tonight.

six

FINN

The door to the hotel room opens, and Tamra waltzes in with two to-go cups. I recognize the logo from Brewed Awakenings, the coffee shop I quickly got addicted to when I was here for Hudson’s wedding.

“This little town is so cute! I’m so glad you listened to me and agreed to have the wedding here.”

After Tamra saw all my pictures from Hudson’s wedding, she insisted that we get married in Alaska. She’s always wanted a destination wedding, but I assumed she meant somewhere tropical. But that’s overdone, according to her, and no one wants to attend yet another wedding on the beach. She has a point. We’ve been to three different beach destination weddings together. All of them Tamra’s closest friends.

I hate the fact Harper’s accusations still run through my mind this morning. No part of me wanted to return to Lake Starlight with my fiancée with the chance of running into my one-night stand, but Tamra wouldn’t drop it, and I don’t have much of a choice once she gets something in her head. It hurt a little that Harper thought I would cheat on my fiancée, but she doesn’t know much about me other than my dick size and the few tidbits we shared when we were forced to hang around one another all night.

At the wedding, Tamra and I were broken up, and I thought it was for good, which I was more than fine with. Tamra and I had been together for three years. The relationship had fizzled, and we figured we were better off as friends. There was no way for me to anticipate everything that went down after I returned home from Alaska.

Now, what would have been an already uncomfortable situation is worse since Tamra hired Harper as our wedding planner. Hence my visit to see Hudson and Palmer—I wanted to ask them what they thought the best way to handle the situation was. I’d only gotten so far before Harper barrelled into the room.

God, she looked as stunning as she did when I first met her at the rehearsal dinner. The fire I love about her was on display last night too. I’m drawn to her take-no-bullshit, I-am-who-I-am persona. But as a firefighter, I know better than anyone how quickly a fire can turn and end up burning you.

Tamra comes over and sits next to me in the small living area of our hotel room, handing me my coffee.

“Thanks.” I grab the remote from the coffee table and turn off the sports channel. “Listen, about the meeting this morning. Do you really think it’s necessary?”

Tamra turns from where she’s digging through her bag, a frown on her face. “Of course it’s necessary. How do you expect to plan a wedding when we don’t even live in the state?”

“It just seems like a lot of effort to go to when…”

She tosses her bag on the chair next to her and crosses her arms. “When we’re not marrying for love?”

“Exactly.” I bring my coffee to my lips and take a hesitant sip. The worst is when you burn your tongue and can’t taste anything for a few days. My life is going to be in turmoil during our time here, so I might as well enjoy the taste of the food.

She places her hand on my leg. “You knew what this would entail when you agreed to all of this, Finn. If our plan is going to work, it has to be believable, and anyone who knows me knows I wouldn’t slap together a half-assed wedding.”

She couldn’t be more right. Tamra can be a little high maintenance, as anyone who knows her can attest. If we were in love and this were a real wedding, she’d make her parents pull out all the stops.

I sigh. “I guess I see your point.”

She squeezes my thigh. “You just need to be present for these things, play the role of the doting groom, and we’ll be in the clear.”

The same uneasiness I felt when I agreed to marry Tamra in the first place worms its way through my veins. I hate lying to everyone, but I have no choice. I’m doing this for my family.

She stands, taking her coffee. “We need to leave in twenty minutes.”

“No problem, I’m ready.” I pick up the remote and turn the TV back on. Might as well pass the time watching the sports updates rather than counting down the minutes until I’m in the same room as my fiancée and my one-night stand.

* * *

I parkthe rental truck on Main Street and soak in the quaint downtown. It really is postcard perfect, and I can’t come up with one reason Tamra wouldn’t want her wedding here.

When I don’t immediately undo my seat belt to get out of the truck, Tamra pats my leg. “This may not be a real wedding, but planning is so fun.” She claps her hands in front of her, excitement radiating off her. “C’mon, let’s go.”

She wouldn’t be as excited if she knew who Harper was to me and the fact that I haven’t stopped thinking about her since I left Alaska.

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