Page 83 of Bring Me To My Knees

“Because my brother asked us to,” I tell her, taking a sip of my drink.

I ended up making an excuse to Mitch about not being able to make it back home for Christmas, and he bought it. After I told Delaney what happened, she agreed it was best to stay away from home, but Mitch called me a few days after and begged me to come home for New Year’s Eve.

So, here we are.

It’s so much easier to deny my feelings for Clark when he’s not standing in the same room as me.

“I need a refill. Do you want anything?” she asks.

I glance at my drink. I’m going to need about twenty more of these to get through tonight.

“Yes, please. Bring me several,” I tell her, and she raises her eyebrows in question.

I watch her walk away, letting my eyes drift in his direction. He looks good. I haven’t seen him since that night he showed up at my house. He’s laughing at something my brother is saying, while Riley has her hand on his arm.

He doesn’t pull away, and that leaves a sour feeling in my stomach.

As if I have any reason to feel that way.

I scan the room for Delaney, but she’s lost somewhere in the crowd, so I lean back against the wall at the back of the room. I’ve been trying desperately to avoid any kind of contact with Clark, and so far, I’ve succeeded. I’m not even sure he knows I’m here.

My brother puts his glass in the air, tapping the side of it with a spoon, as if he’s ready to give a speech.

“Can I get everyone’s attention please?” he yells over the music.

Someone cuts it off, and the crowd in the room goes quiet.

“Thank you everyone for coming. Today is a huge day for Clark and me. Our brand-new company is finally off the ground, and I can finally let it be known we’re thriving.” He smiles.

My brother and his infectious smile. I’m so happy for him. If anyone deserves everything to go right for them in life, it’s him.

Mitch called me a month ago to tell me about the company he was starting. It’s a real estate company. They’re flipping houses and then selling them. Of course, he had no support from our parents, because he didn’t follow in our father’s footsteps. If you’re not a lawyer or a doctor, then you mean absolutely nothing to them.

It’s a shame that both of their children are such disappointments.

Everyone claps, congratulating the two of them, before Clark raises his glass in the air.

“Yes, thank you everyone. Now that I’ve got your attention, I want to take a moment and do something that’s been a long time coming.” He smiles over at Riley.

It’s a fake smile. Anyone that knows him knows that. I can see it from all the way over here.

That’s when it feels like I’ve got tunnel vision. I’m putting two and two together about what’s about to happen. He’s not getting down on one knee, like a typical proposal, but he is standing in front of her with a giant diamond ring.

This cannot be happening.

I can feel tears prick my eyes. My hand flies to my chest, because I swear it feels like I can’t catch my fucking breath. I search the room in a panic for Delaney, but she’s still nowhere to be seen.

I don’t know what he’s saying. It feels like I’m underwater. I don’t want to know. All I know is I can see the diamond shining from across the room.

Riley’s got a fake-ass smile on her face, because I know she knew this was coming. She had to have known.

Someone bumps into me and my red wine spills down the front of my dress.

It’s my favorite fucking dress.

“Sorry,” they mumble.

Riley’s got her arms wrapped around Clark’s neck, and everyone has surrounded them, congratulating them.

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