Page 120 of Just One of the Groomsmen
“And so will I.” Tucker cleared his throat. “Opportunities like this don’t come along very often, and she needs a nudge to get her to go for it, so I’ll be the asshole who gives her the nudge.”
“Still don’t understand why you had to go and sleep with her,” Ford mumbled.
So I could get that much more attached, and experience how amazing we could be together before life ripped her away.
Life didn’t care about fair, and the timing seemed extra cruel, coming right when he’d gripped hold of that fickle bitch, hope.
He replayed her rounding the cabin of his boat and throwing her arms around him all those months ago, minutes before Shep had announced his engagement. She’d hugged him so tightly and something inside of him whispered,There you are. Exactly what I’ve been missing.
He’d loved her in a different way then, but over this past month of spending more time together, and going out on the water, and kissing, and…so much more—and he didn’t just mean the sex, although it’d been incredible—their relationship had deepened and morphed into something else entirely.
None of that changed anything, though.
“I crossed a line I shouldn’t have; I get that.” It tasted bitter on the way out, and even though it’d made a mess of things, Tucker couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
“You’d better make it right,” Shep said.
“I wish I could. But I’m willing to have things not right if that means she’s happier in the long run.”
Ford shoved his hands in his pockets and hung his head. “This blows.”
Amen, Tucker thought, but because things were still too volatile, he didn’t say it.
If he voiced it, he might also add that it sucked way more for him, andhewas the one who had more to lose.
Everything to lose.
Then again, with his center of gravity suddenly off-kilter and misery streaking through him, deadening every organ it touched, it felt like he’d already lost it all.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Addie stepped out her front door and threw her arms around Lexi. “Thank you for coming.”
Lexi patted her back, the paper bag in her hand crinkling as she did so. “Okay, you totally initiated the hug this time, where usually I have to sorta force them upon you, so now I’m extra concerned.”
Addie half laughed, half sobbed.
“I gotcha, girl. I even brought reinforcements.”
Panic tore through Addie as she cast her eyes toward the street, terrified Lexi’s bridesmaids would be storming in, and then she’d have to pretend she had a normal problem that didn’t involve falling for her best friend.
Because yeah, she’d fallen hard, and the landing freaking sucked.
Lexi moved into the living room and lowered her bag onto the coffee table, then she reached inside and pulled out a large bottle. “See, I brought wine…”
Wine. Right.
Maybe she could just choke it down to help numb the pain.
“And, ta-da!” She brought out a six-pack of Naked Pig Pale Ale. “I know you guys like this stuff. And if you need something harder, I also grabbed Will’s bottle of Jack.”
Addie blinked back tears and initiated her second hug of the night.
Then they settled on the couch, and the entire story spilled out of her. About how she and Tucker had kissed after he’d taken her for a ride in his renovated boat, and then kissed some more, and how they’d slept together and it was amazing, but he didn’t want anyone to know. Then she covered the way everything had fallen apart so quickly, leaving off with the awful screaming match at the houseboat.
Lexi listened, nodding and patting her shoulder, and at the end, she opened the Jack Daniel’s and passed it over.
Addie took a burning swig and handed it back. Lexi tipped it to her lips and then coughed, her eyes going watery.
