Page 42 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

“Us getting together is as big of a surprise for me as it was for all of you.” He gives me a crooked grin, and my heart jumps. “Maybe more so since I’ve had a crush on her since we were kids, but she refused to give me the time of day.”

He then leans over, places his lips on my cheek, grabs my hand, and kisses my palm. Heat creeps up my cheeks, and my eyebrows shoot up as suddenly the world knows that Duncan has always had a thing for me.

What is he doing? But more importantly, is he trying to kill me in front of everyone?

And just like that, the press conference has gone in a completely different direction, with Duncan and his ‘crush’ being the main focus.

Chapter Nineteen

Duncan

DidIjustadmitout loud that I’ve always had a thing for Ava?

If the look on Ava’s face is any indication, I did indeed do that. The next question thrown out confirms it.

“Are you telling us you’ve always been in love with Ava?” Asks the woman in the blue shirt.

Swallowing hard, I look out over the crowd of people waiting for my response. I glance at Finn and see him holding up three fingers, a smirk on his face.

Last, I turn my head in Ava’s direction, and my heart starts to pound against my chest so hard I swear it’s going to bust through my ribcage. It feels like I just ate a wad of cotton, and words that were easily flowing are now stuck in my throat.

Ava’s eyes hold questions I’m not ready to answer for myself, let alone for her, even if all the answers are probably yes.

“It’s safe to say there’s always been a soft spot in my heart for her,” I hedge. Avoiding a direct confirmation of where my feelings for Ava stand. “Seeing her again brought them to the forefront.”

Ava’s hand shifts in mine, and I realize I’m still holding it. Staring at our hands, I feel tiny prickles on my face. Lifting my gaze to hers, I find a host of emotions swirling, leaving me unable to form a cohesive thought.

“Sometimes it’s all about the timing,” Ava says softly, breaking through my haze. Then, turning to the people in front of us, she shrugs. “At least that’s what my niece keeps telling me.”

The room breaks out in laughter for the second time today, and the corner of my lip lifts.

“She’s a niece to both of you, right?” Asks a man in the back with his hair in a man bun and wearing a t-shirt that may sayTea Time, but I can’t be positive from this distance. “Your brother and her sister were married to each other?”

“Yes,” Ava and I say together.

“Scarlett is also our goddaughter,” Ava offers, which sends out a flurry of questions about David and Fiona.

“Last question,” Stacy yells out before pointing to a woman with red hair in the front row. “The team has to get on the road so they don’t miss their flight.”

“Duncan, your brother was married to Ava’s twin sister, Fiona?” I nod again, not sure which direction this question is going. “Does it feel weird that the two of you are dating now?”

I stare at him for a second with narrowed eyes, shifting in my seat.

Isit weird that I’m dating my brother’s dead wife’s sister? Maybe if I wasn’t in love with her before David and Fiona got together.

“I’ve honestly never looked at it like that. Ava was David’s best friend before he and Fiona were a couple.” Glancing over at Ava, I see her eyes watching me intently. “Not to mention that I was the younger brother who was always tagging along.”

The room is silent, waiting for the rest of my answer. While I try to process all the thoughts moving through my head, I hear Ava’s voice.

“I think what Duncan is trying to say is there’s always been a connection between the two of us, but the difference in our ages, the fact that his brother is my best friend, who then became my brother-in-law, made things…unconventional.”

“One more question?” A person raising her hand in the middle asks Stacy.

“Last one,” She says firmly. “And make it quick.”

“When you say ‘connection’, Ava, what do you mean?”

I turn to Ava and notice her biting the inside of her lip and running her thumb over the back of her fingers—a sure sign she’s uncomfortable with this question. As much as I want to comfort her, I can’t because I am just as curious about what she meant.

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