Page 4 of Snow Place Like Home
It had been a lifelong struggle for me, one that had put my acting skills to the test over the years.
I’d never hurt for female attention, and I used to date often, but none of the relationships ever lasted.
And Goldie was always the girl I’d compare everyone else to.
Sadly, no one compared to her.
That was saying a lot, seeing as I’d never even touched her.
But then she’d gone off and gotten a dickhead boyfriend in college, and they’d stayed together up until recently. I despised the dude, and I’d never hidden my disdain—I’d just hidden it under the ruse of being protective—but truth be told, I was jealous.
Hell, I’d be jealous of any man who was lucky enough to be with her.
Thankfully, the asshole had lived up to my expectations and proved himself an unworthy douchebag. I’d offered to fly there and beat his ass on her behalf, though she’d declined the offer.
Long story short, Goldie had always been off limits.
She deserved the best.
Not the douchebag and not me.
I was the guy who hung out at her house all the time because his family was a fucking train wreck.
I’d almost told Jack how I felt about his sister the night we graduated from high school, but instead I’d spent the entire evening down at the local jail trying to get my father out, as he’d been arrested once again.
Goldie knew how fucked up my family was because we’d always been close, and she was the one person I’d never been embarrassed to open up to about it.
But bringing her around that? I wouldn’t have considered it.
Talking about it was one thing; exposing her to it was another.
“Thanks, brother. I’m just glad you’re here. There’s no one else I’d want standing up there next to me,” he said before clapping me on the shoulder.
Holly leaned forward and shook her head. “I hope you want me up there too.”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Of course I do.”
“Thanks for getting us a car service for the weekend. It takes the pressure off driving in the snow.” Holly reached into the pocket of Jack’s costume and clicked on something, and a few more strands of lights lit up across his chest.
I shit you not. They’d been together since we were in high school, and these two were made for one another.
They came out to Los Angeles often and stayed with me when they’d go to Disney or attend a football game. They felt more like family than friends, and celebrating them was easy.
“Of course. Happy to do it.”
“Also, I don’t think I thanked you enough for making sure Jack’s bachelor party a few weeks ago was tame,” she said as we turned down Main Street.
“Well, this guy didn’t want lap dances—he wanted a football game and a steak dinner.” I laughed. Jack Jacobs was not your typical groom-to-be. I’d been to plenty of bachelor parties that were anything but tame, but he was different. Jack was the most loyal guy I’d ever known.
“You went above and beyond,” Jack said. “Flying all the guys out to New York and paying for that huge rental house for all of us to stay in, along with tickets to the game and everything else we did that weekend.”
“I’m the best man, it’s my job. Plus, I had to compete with Goldie.” She’d organized a freaking Disney cruise for Holly and her friends for the weekend.
“Oh yes, you know Goldie. She went all out,” Holly said. “She’s the best maid of honor a girl could ask for.”
“She sent me a bunch of pictures, bragging about how it would be impossible for me to top her party,” I chuckled. “So,how is she doing? I mean, how is she really doing?” I asked as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, and I turned to face Jack.
“It’s been a few months since everything went down, and she’s been busy getting her vet clinic open, so she seems okay.” He shrugged. “But I’m sure she has trust issues after what that asshole did to her.”
