Page 81 of Forever to Fall
“Brother, you’ll have to get in line. Ever since Beckett came to town, I don’t know which end is up.”
Finally, Evan’s trademark grin made an appearance, damn near lighting up the room. “Aren’t we a pair?”
Mallory reached and pinched his arm. “Certainly are.”
Evan drained the last of his beer and sighed. “I promise I’ll be an adult and take CeCe out to find her perfect ring.”
Mallory shot him a thumbs-up. “And Beckett?”
“I’ll try not to murder him at the rehearsal dinner. At least I have a few weeks to get used to this.”
Mallory huffed out a laugh. “Progress.”
For a moment, his megawatt smile melted as he asked, “You’re really into Beckett? Like this is more than a passing crush?”
He was giving her an out, a way to avoid the trickiness and messiness of the situation. But Mallory was tired of the easy way out, and she was tired of lying about how she felt about Beckett, about how he made her feel. Mallory hugged a cushion to her chest and sighed. “I’m in love with him.” If this surprised Evan, he didn’t show it. “And in case you’re wondering, I have been for, like, my whole life.”
That got a reaction. “Say what?” He blinked a few times, his left eye twitching like his brain had short-circuited. “You’ve been in love with Foxy this whole time?”
Mallory lifted a shoulder and grimaced. “Basically. Do you hate me?”
Evan ran a hand down his face and sighed. “I don’t hate you, Mal. But I will have to kill my best friend if you tell me he did something to hurt you. I’ve seen you guys lately, and it’s like there’s an electric forcefield between you.”
Mallory was incredulous. “You’ve seen electricity? Ev, come on.”
Rolling his eyes he sighed. “Fine. CeCe saw it, and gave me a ludicrously long description of my blindness and ignorance.”
“I love her,” Mallory said, unable to hold back her grin.
Evan’s lips tipped up. “So do I. Now get back to the forcefield part.” He winced as he said it, but she was proud of him for asking.
Unsure how much to divulge, Mallory decided the full truth was best. She didn’t know where she stood with Beckett, and she wasn’t about to lose the goodwill with her brother. Her world only made sense if Evan was in her life. “I said some things I shouldn’t have after the engagement party. He came over after he left with Julia, and I just—” Even saying the other woman’s name now left a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew in her heart that nothing happened and Beckett felt cornered, but that didn’t stop the hurt from being left behind. Again.
“Good Lord,” Evan said on a groan. “I need to stop fixing him up with random women.”
Mallory leaned forward and flicked him on the forehead. “Could you, please? It’s kind of annoying.”
Evan pushed himself to standing and held out a hand for Mallory to join him. Pulling her to his chest, he squeezed her firmly before stepping back and letting his arms fall. “I love you, Mal. But I’m going to go home and beg CeCe’s forgiveness for giving her the wrong ring.”
“That woman loves you more than a good loaf of sourdough bread. You could put a rubber band on her finger and she’d love you.”
“Yeah, but she deserves more than that.” Evan’s smile returned at the mention of CeCe, and Mallory’s heart swelled with love and pride. He’d gone through life with his heart on his sleeve, and finally the right woman had snagged it. She couldn’t think of a better partner for her brother.
Now that things were out in the open with Evan, she hoped she and Beckett could find their own happily ever after. They’d certainly taken an eternity to get here, and she thought they deserved one more fighting chance at forever.
