Page 2 of My Best Friend's Grump Brother

I watched my sister being twirled by her new husband on the dance floor. The smile on her face was unlike anything I had ever seen. After years of only seeing tears in her eyes, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my chest, seeing her smile again.

I had hesitated about whether their relationship was a good idea. Sebastian, being my childhood best friend and all. He had also been through so much. He enlisted in the Navy straight from high school and then later became a doctor. His heart had been scarred a thousand times over, much like my sister's. They both had lost their first spouses unexpectedly, and they were left as single parents. Many wounds had left them untrusting of the world, but each was exactly what the other needed. Here they were, a beautiful, blended family with their kids, Ella and Sammy.

Sebastian leaned down and kissed my sister softly like she was glass. It was how he looked at her that put my worries at ease. I knew she would be okay with him—she was his sun, and he orbited her.

“They make the most beautiful couple, don’t they?” Selena walked up to me with two flutes of champagne in hand. She offered one to me, and when I didn’t take it, she gave me a skeptical look. “It’s not poisoned, Sinclair. Why would I poison you at my bestie's wedding? It’s unbecoming and sloppy. I would think you know me better than that, my love.”

I scowled at the term of endearment. Why did she always have to be so…her?

“I am not your love,” but regardless of my disapproval, I still took the flute from her.

“I mean, you can be my love someday, if you so choose to.” Selena made her presence known once more. Why did this girl never give up?

“I would much rather choke on acid.” Was I a little harsh with her? Yes, but I didn’t care. “Why are you standing here and not mingling with the rest of the groomsmen? I'm sure any of them would love to keep you company.”

“But I only want to be kept company by one person.” She stared at me over the rim of her glass. “And besides, I like talking to you.”

“Lucky me,” I drew out, taking another sip of my champagne. I would need something a little stronger than this if I was going to tolerate this woman.

Today was a day of celebration, and I refused to let anyone ruin that for me. My sister had come a long way, and so had my family. If you had told me a year ago this would be where we would be, I would have thought you were crazy. My sister and my mother are close-knit and even loving to each other…most of the time. A stark contrast to the screaming matches I endured with them last year. And, of course, Claire, finding love again. She had fought hard to put that smile on her face again.

Blissful silence passed between us as we watched the happy couple sway together. They smiled at each other with love shining in their eyes. A part of me resided in the lowly depths of my soul and wondered if that were possible for me. Would I ever find what my sister had found in my best friend? Or had my soul become much too jaded for this world?

“You did good with her, you know.” Selena drew me out of my thoughts. I tore my eyes from my sister and looked at the woman beside me. She had this wistful expression on her face as she watched them dance. There was a silent kind of pain that lay behind her eyes, but it wasn’t loud or obnoxious. It was subtle, but it was there all the same.

“I have never seen her so…happy.” The ghost of a smile played on her lips. “It’s so great to see.”

It was.

But there was this longing in her tone that intrigued me. Selena was one of those overly confident people who held her cards close to her chest. You didn’t really know who she was. She only showed parts of herself that she wanted you to see, which was always dangerous. It made her unpredictable, and I hated surprises more than anything.

As if she could feel my eyes on her, she responded, “If you’re going to stare at me, you may as well dance with me, Daniel.” The dreamy expression on her face was gone, and now she was back to her usual teasing self.

“I don’t dance,” I downed the rest of my champagne and tore my gaze from her.

“So, you admit you were staring?” The bliss in her voice was unmistakable. “Now, will you finally admit that you are indeed obsessed with me?”

I rolled my eyes, “I find drying paint far more interesting than you.”

Her smirk dropped, and she scowled at me. Her eyes moved over my face. There was always something about Selena Abrams that unsettled me; her gaze was like a laser, and she managed to dissect you layer by layer until she left you standing bare in front of her. A skill that I had tried to counter over the years.

“Dance with me, Danny Boy.” She offered her hand out to me, “Humor me.”

I shouldn’t dance with her. There was no need to humor her because I had clear-cut boundaries regarding these things, and Selena had an extensive red boundary line around her. Maybe it was the champagne flowing in my body or the fact that I felt at ease for the first time in a long time. The noise dialed down a bit, and I could breathe.

My sister was smiling, my mother held her grandchild in her arms, and I didn’t feel like the world was holding on by a thread. The cracks that had riddled the foundation of my family’s lives were finally sealing back up, and things seemed brighter.

“One dance,” I placed both our flutes on the table and took her hand in mine. “Don’t think anything of it. I still find paint drying far more interesting.”

My little dig did nothing to dull the megawatt smile on her face.

I led her to the dance floor, where many had begun gathering. I pulled her toward me, her body coming flush against mine. Her sweet scent of cherry blossom and vanilla overpowered my nose. It struck me right in the center of my chest like a two-ton truck.

She rested her head on my chest, her action making my heart lurch in my ribcage. The soft music played in the background, but my mind was focused on the woman in my arms who had managed to get under my skin one time too many.

“Hey, Daniel?” She didn’t lift her head from my chest, but her voice filtered in softly to my ears.

“Yes?”

---