Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
He tipped his head. “You got it, boss lady.”
“Nicknames, Will.”
He smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
For a split second, I wanted to kiss him, but we had a bet, one I did not want to lose.
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Liam West said from behind us.
We both laughed.
“I think that’s your cue, playboy.”
“Oh, look who’s got nicknames now.” Will winked, then kissed me on the cheek. “See you tomorrow, wifey.”
As I watched him walk away, Mia rolled her suitcase toward me. “You guys make a cute couple.”
“We’re not a real couple.”
“Deny it all you want.” She smiled. “But you like my brother, and he’s always liked you. He never talked to me about women until I met you.”
“Probably to complain.”
She shook her head. “Will likes you. Trust me. I know my brother.”
“You know my past. I don’t have good luck with men.”
“Give him a chance. He’s not like the others. When Will wants something, he goes all-in.”
“I’m not sure what I want,” I confessed. “My career has come first for so many years I don’t know how to make room for anything else.”
“Will agreed to move to DC. It’s not just about saving face for him. He wouldn’t do this for anyone.”
I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You think so?”
“I know so. My brother is loud and annoying and an ass. He always has to be the center of attention, but he’s a good guy. He means well.”
“We have three months to figure this out.”
Chapter Eleven
WILL
It was the big day. Mia and Ethan’s wedding. They packed the church with at least two hundred guests. I could barely get down the aisle to speak to Ethan’s mom before the service.
As Ethan’s best man, I promised to handle all the bullshit wedding stuff. Like make sure he didn’t forget the rings… or his vows.
I stepped into the back room, where the groomsmen were getting ready. Mia and Clarke were down the hall somewhere. I had spoken little to Clarke since we agreed to stay married.
After we touched down at Philly International, Clarke left with Mia, and Ethan slept in his old bedroom at the apartment we used to share. My sister was traditional and didn’t want Ethan to see her before the wedding. She thought it was bad luck, even though they’d been living together for the past year.
I cracked open the door, and Ethan was still pacing across the floor.
“Dude, chill.” I shut the door behind me and leaned against it. “You’re driving everyone fucking crazy. Stop worrying. Mia is fine. I have the rings. You know your vows.”
He nodded. “I’m so fucking nervous. I hope I don’t fuck up the vows.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Just worry about Mia, and let me do the rest, okay?”
“I can’t forget my vows.”
This was his number one concern for the past week. You would never know it by looking at him, but my best friend was a fucking mess.
“We rehearsed your vows no less than twenty times.” I squeezed his shoulder. “You got this.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the rings, noticing mine. It still felt weird to see that hunk of gold on my finger. It was probably fake. Like our marriage. But if we were going to do this the right way, I had to replace our cheap rings. Clarke deserved better than some dime store band on her pretty finger.
Ethan took the rings from me and shoved them into his pocket. He blew out a deep breath as our eyes met. “I want to go over the vows one more time.”
“Dude, this isn’t a pop quiz. Just speak from your heart. Tell Mia how you feel.”
“I want to say the words I spent weeks writing for her, not some shit I make up on the fly.”
“Fine. Go ahead.”
Ethan ran a hand through his dark hair, pushing it out of his eyes, and then cleared his throat. “Okay, here goes.”
I listened to his speech, trying not to cringe. Every time we ran through his vows, my stomach turned.
“I choose you and promise…”
Oh, my God. I can’t do this anymore.
Drowning out the end of Ethan’s speech, I wanted to plug my ears with my fingers. Yeah, I was immature. But so what? Hearing those sappy ass words come from my best friend’s mouth would have been weird with any woman. But with my sister? It was even weirder.
After he finished his vows, Ethan stared at me, unblinking. He looked inhuman. Like one of those creepy ass vampires from Twilight.
“Breathe,” I reminded him. “Only the entire church will hear your vows.”
“Dude,” he groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“E, you play hockey in front of thousands of fans. And millions of people watching on TV. Why are you freaking out over a few hundred people in a church?”
“Because when I’m on the ice, I’m a different person. This is personal.”