Page 45 of Needing You

“This is so sweet of you, Bren,” Ellie gushed, her face pinched into an emotional smile. “Thanks for letting us get ready with you.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t have it any other way. Charlotte and Isobel were bitter when I told them I wasn’t having bridesmaids, but they chilled out when I said we could have a girly get-ready session anyway.” She said the last part in a mock whisper, and the two girls laughed as the stylists started working on their hair.

“Why didn’t you want bridesmaids?” I asked, unable to fight my curiosity.

Brenna sighed. “Well, honestly? Nothing about my life is simple. I’m always going here, there, and everywhere, and there are always a ton of people around. I guess I just wanted it to be Connor and me up there at the altar and not have it be a big production for once. Though now that I think about it, Jake’s already with Ellie, you’d be good to pair up with Will, and I’m sure those two would havelovedto hang on the arms of the other two Walker boys.”

This time, instead of laughing, Brenna’s friends flipped her off over their shoulders and made us laugh. I turned back to Brenna with a warm smile. “I think it’s romantic that you want it to be just the two of you.”

“Thank you,” she replied, lifting her shoulders as she sipped her champagne. Then she set the glass down and leveled me with a look. “Speaking of romance.”

I gulped, glancing at Ellie, who only pursed her lips to stifle a laugh. Some help she was.

“What’s the deal with you and Will?” Brenna asked bluntly. “I know the story, but I don’t reallyknow the story. And now you’re here sharing a family suite, and I guess my mind is a little blown.”

“A little?” Ellie teased.

I rolled my eyes, then sighed and gave her the shortest version of our story I could without scrimping on the details I knew she cared about. That I loved her brother with all my heart when I was a teenager, and it was never my intention to hurt him. That I only wanted what was best for our son, and deep down, I always hoped Will would get to meet him and be his father. And that I was incredibly sorry for the part I played in years of resentment, misunderstandings, and the memories we missed out on.

By the time I was done, Brenna had tears in her eyes and was fanning her face. She got up and went for a tissue, wiping her eyes and nose. “Wow. Okay, so yeah. I think I’ve got it now.”

I didn’t know what to say after having just spilled my guts to this rich and gorgeous woman who also happened to be the sister of the man I’d hurt so badly. Rambling and apologizing and begging for her not to let my actions in the past color Jackson’s place in this family in the future was probably a bad idea. But what else was I supposed to say?

Ellie seemed to notice that my well of words had gone dry, so she set down her empty glass and patted her knees. “How was last night?”

I blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

She exchanged a look with her future sister-in-law before turning back to me, reaching up to adjust her long brown ponytail like she needed something to do with her hands. “How was sharing a suite with him? What were the… uh, sleeping arrangements?”

My eyes widened until they ached around the edges. “Well, apparently Jackson told Will on the flight over that he’d rather his parents slept in the same bed than having to share one with his mother. So, that’s what we did. End of story.”

Brenna choked out a laugh. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“Your son told Will he could sleep with you?”

I held up my hands. “Keyword:sleep.He was just saying it was fine for us to do that because it made more sense than me having to sleep with him. He’s fifteen, so I get it.”

It was awkward at first, obviously. But I really did understand. I’d been freaked out beyond all belief, but it made sense, and it wasn’t like it’d be a hardship to share a bed with a man like Will. Especially given our chemistry—both in the past and the present.

But it hadn’t gone the way I’d expected. Not by a long shot.

My whole body tingled just thinking about what it had been like to actually share a bed with Will Walker. Sure, we’d snuck into his room when we were teenagers and we knew no one was home, but then we’d snuck right back out before someone caught us. Something we’d never risk at my house, by the way. Not with all the staff members milling around at all hours. But other than those rare occasions when we were sneaky teens, we’d never once spent an entire night in the same bed together.

I had to admit, it felt so damn right that I’d had trouble breathing before I’d finally fallen asleep. Which may not make sense, because if it felt right, it probably shouldn’t have caused me to forget how to breathe. But that was the problem. It felt so right to justsleepnext to him, without any of the physical intimacy I’d expected from the second the sleeping arrangements were explained to me. It had shaken me to my core.

Even now, I could almost taste the shock I’d felt when we climbed into that glorious bed and he’d simply kissed my temple and said good night without trying to take things further. It had been a long day for both of us. Between the early morning flight and the family introductions at the rehearsal dinner, I hadn’t wanted our first time to be on the heels of such a physically and mentally taxing day. But the fact that he could sense that, or maybe even felt the same way, still had me reeling when I thought about it.

“Is that really the end of the story, though?” Ellie asked, looking at me with a dubious expression.

I picked up a stray cocktail napkin and threw it at her. “You sound like April.”

“I do. It must be because I miss her,” Ellie said with a sigh.

The Walkers and the Carrigans had some long-standing feud that I was fairly certain no one knew the cause of anymore, but even without that, April wasn’t close to Brenna, so she hadn’t been invited. I’d gotten so used to hanging out with Ellie and April as a pair that it felt strange to be without her now. And with a country superstar instead, no less.

“Before you answer that, I’m gonna go get ready. I’m genuinely happy you’re here, Kate, and I’m beyond excited to have a nephew. But Will’s still my brother, so if you’re gonna talk about sex, I’m out.”

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