Fighting for my Best Friend (Fated Series Book 4) Read online

  “Ladies and soon to be dance machines,” he said. “May I please have your attention.” He took a sip from his drink and cleared his throat while the shuffling in the room came to a standstill. “I know that as Claire’s closest friends and family, you came here under the guise that you would be celebrating her official union with Dave, the great love of her life. But between you and me, I know you really came to hear her get roasted by her baby brother.”

  Everyone laughed, even Claire. Though I believe I saw a flash of panic in her eyes.

  “The trouble is, folks, most of the stories that are embarrassing for Claire make me look really stupid, and for those of you that know me well, you know my ego is a delicate thing.” His eyes met mine. “Perhaps too delicate.” He pursed his lips. “But I will say that even when Claire was outsmarting me- which was all the time- she always managed to make me feel good about it. I personally believe that’s the true source of her power, the fact that she can make it clear that she’s right and you’re wrong and somehow leave you feeling great about it.” He looked down at the groom. “So good luck with that Dave.”

  Claire blushed and everyone nodded, as if she’d outsmarted them, too, at some point or another.

  “And trust me folks, I wracked my brain thinking of ways I could embarrass her today, but then it occurred to me that it would be totally inappropriate to do that. Because the truth of the matter is, she has never embarrassed me. On the contrary, being her little brother has arguably been the greatest source of pride and comfort I’ve had in my entire life.” He swallowed. “And when I think about what a privilege it is to call her my sister, I know without a shadow of a doubt that she will be a wonderful wife.”

  Dave put his arm around Claire, and for the first moment during the speech, Aiden looked nervous, but he pulled himself together.

  “And if I have to share her with anyone, I’m glad it’s Dave. Because from the very first time she introduced me to him, I could tell that he knew how lucky he was to have a chance with her. And I know he’s not going to blow it. Not only because he’s smart enough to know he’ll never find a more impressive woman to spend his days with, but because I will kill him.”

  Knowing nods peppered the room’s perimeter.

  He raised his glass. “To my beautiful big sister and the luckiest guy on Earth, may they be as happy for the rest of their lives as they are today.”

  Chapter 8: Aiden

  Claire stood up and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Was that okay?” I asked, hugging her back.

  “It was wonderful,” she said, smacking me in the chest. “But I could kill you for making me so nervous.”

  “It’s not too late, ya know?” I grabbed the mic off the table. “I’m sure an encore would be appreciated if you’re not satisfied.”

  “Don’t even think about it,” she said, giving me the same serious eye she’d been giving me since I was old enough to test her.

  “Nice job, man,” Dave said, standing up behind her.

  “Thanks, Dave.”

  “The part about coming after me was a bit overkill, but-”

  “I meant every word of it,” I said, smiling.

  “I know you did, big guy.”

  “You guys set for drinks or can I get you something?” I asked.

  “I think we’re good,” Claire said, looking between her glass and Dave’s.

  “Cool. Well, I’m going to get hammered now so if I don’t offer again, please don’t think I’m a dick,” I said, draining the rest of my champagne as I thirsted for something stronger.

  “You are free to go,” Claire said. “Thanks for doing your bit.”

  I nodded. “And for doing it so well.”

  “That, too,” she said.

  I walked around the table just as my Dad was walking up with two short whiskeys. “Well done, son,” he said, shoving one at me.

  I took the glass and knocked it against his. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “My favorite part was the bit about killing him if he blew it.”

  “Funny,” I said. “That was Dave’s least favorite part.”

  “He’s just lucky he doesn’t have to hear it twice,” he said, knocking his drink back. “I was going to share a similar sentiment, but I like the fact that you did it publicly. Way to keep it classy.”

  I laughed. “That’s me, Dad, a bundle of class.”

  “I noticed you brought Lucy Ryan as your date.”

  “Yeah. It was Claire’s idea. She did her hair.”

  “The two of you still just friends?”

  “Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s pretty.”

  “She’s always been pretty.”

  “Yeah, but she used to be emo.”

  I laughed. “She wasn’t emo, Dad. She just likes to wear black.”

  “Well, the yellow is refreshing.”

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  “And I spoke to her, and she didn’t cuss a single time.”

  “Jesus, Dad.”

  “What? All I’m saying is that it looks like she’s turned out to be a pretty respectable young lady.”

  “Yeah, well, we’ve all come a long way since we were sixteen.”

  “You should tap that.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You should tap that.”

  “That’s what I thought you said.” I loosened my tie. “Who taught you to say that?”

  “Our new intern.”

  “Well stop it. You’re too old to say that.”

  “Christ. I only said it to you, Aiden.”

  “I mean it, Dad. Never again.”

  He blew air out from between his lips.

  “How much whiskey have you had?” I asked.

  “Just this one.” He stared at the drops in his glass. “Times six.”

  “Maybe you should drink some water.”

  “Are you kidding me? And watch everyone else get silly at the bar I’m paying for?”

  “I see your point, Dad, but it’s still early. If you fuck up Claire’s day, she’ll punish all of us.”

  He sighed. “Damn.”

  “How’s Mom holding up?” I asked, looking around the room.

  “Oh fine. Except her life is over.”

  “What? What are you talking about? No it’s not.”

  “Try telling her that.”

  “I will,” I said. “If you promise me you’ll switch to beer.”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  “How about I get you your first one?”

  “Deal,” he said, heading back to his table.

  I had no intention of getting him anything else to drink. My hope was that he’d get bored waiting for me and drink the water on the table. Or even the wine. Anything to keep him off the whiskeys this early. Fuck. Maybe I couldn’t get hammered just yet.

  I looked around the room and saw my Mom flirting with one of the waiters while she smuggled a bunch of pieces of salmon roulade into a napkin.

  “Hi Mom,” I said, squeezing in between her and the underage staff member. “How are you holding up?”

  “Good,” she said. “Except for the fact that I’m past my sell by.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, you don’t need me anymore,” she said, popping an appetizer in her mouth. “And your sister used to at least humor me, but now that she’s officially flown the nest she’ll never tell me anything again.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Now it’ll just be her and Dave and I’ll be the enemy that they try to avoid as much as possible.”

  “That’s not true.”

  She stared at me the same way Claire had two minutes ago. “Yes it is,” she said. “You think I don’t know what marriage does to people? It makes them secretive. It’s like a private club for two. And the two always need someone to align themselves against, and it’s always the mother in law.”

  “That’s ridiculous.
Why don’t you focus on the positive?”

  “And what might that be?”

  I grabbed one of her salmon bites and prayed for a light bulb. “I can think of three things.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Number one is the fact that you’re a fantastic Mom to have raised such a well-adjusted daughter who is going to make such a good wife and mother.”

  She dismissed my comment with a wave of her hand. “Claire raised herself. I didn’t even pack her lunches.”

  “But nobody here knows that.”

  “True.”

  “So you can take the credit.”

  “Fine. What else?”

  “This is a great party and you put everything together.”

  “It is fab, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. I even heard a few people saying it was the classiest wedding they’d ever been to,” I lied.

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know their names.”

  “What table are they sitting at?”

  I pretended to look around. “I don’t know.”

  “If you see them, point them out to me.”

  “Okay.”

  “What’s number three?”

  “Number three is that soon you’ll be a Grandma and you’ll basically get to be a parent again without all the shitty parts.”

  “I need a drink.”

  “Was that not helpful?” I called after her. Damn.

  I weaved my way through the room back to my table, slumped in my chair, and put my head in my hands.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucy asked.

  “My family is beyond insane.”

  She laughed. “They put on a great party though.”

  I turned my head towards her. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

  She smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. “Your speech was wonderful.”

  I sat up and leaned back in my chair. “You think so?”

  She nodded. “It was lovely, Aiden. I actually got choked up.”

  “Claire was worried I was going to embarrass the shit out of her.”

  “I know. She told me when I was doing her hair.”

  “Which looks great by the way.”

  “Thanks,” she said, glancing down at her lap. “Not that it matters. I mean, your sister is absolutely glowing today.”

  “I know. It’s mad, isn’t it?”

  “It’s like she’s filled with tea lights.”

  I smiled. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Thanks for inviting me.”

  “I can’t imagine anyone else being here. It’s stressful enough without having to worry about making sure my date is okay.”

  She pursed her lips.

  “Not that I don’t care if you have fun, but-”

  “I know what you mean,” she said.

  I reached for the white wine and tipped it over my glass. Two mouthfuls came out.

  “Did you write your speech on paper?”

  “Just notes. Why?”

  “Cause maybe you could give it to Alex if I ever get married so he doesn’t cock everything up.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

  “Which? Getting married or Alex making a mess of it?”

  I turned to look at her.

  She blushed.

  “You have a yellow streak,” I said, noticing a cheeky flash of color in her hair. “I didn’t see that before.”

  She smiled. “It matches my dress.”

  “So it does,” I said, draining my wine glass. “My Dad’s delighted that you’re not emo anymore, by the way.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I know. He told me he was glad I’d left the dark side.”

  I laughed. “I think he might be wasted.”

  “He’s one to watch alright.”

  I opened my mouth to say something, but I stopped myself when I noticed Lucy’s eyes drift over my head and double in size.

  “Sorry I’m late, babe,” I heard someone say in a familiar voice behind me. “Did I miss your speech?”

  Chapter 9: Lucy

  Aiden’s face dropped.

  “Hi Lucy,” Chelsea said. “I didn’t know you were invited.”

  She was wearing a tight fitting blue dress that looked like an oversized tube top.

  Aiden turned around in slow motion. “What are you doing here?”

  She laughed. “What do you mean what am I doing here? We’ve been looking forward to this for months.”

  Aiden clenched his fists. “Are you on drugs?”

  She laughed, wiping the bottom of her nose with the back of her fingertips. “Of course not.”

  “You shouldn’t be here Chelsea.” His voice was low and controlled.

  I felt eyes on us from across the room and turned towards Claire. She lifted her palms towards the ceiling and mouthed “What the hell?”

  I hoped my wide eyes spoke for themselves.

  “Am I at your table or-”

  “No.” Aiden stood up. “You’re not at any table.” He turned to face her. “You’re not even on the guest list.”

  “Of course I am. What’s gotten into you?”

  Aiden looked over his shoulder at me. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Did I miss your speech?” Chelsea asked again.

  “Yes,” he said, wrapping his fingers around her bony arm. “But you’re still going to get to hear one.”

  I watched him lead her out of the room, restraining her like she was a crazy person.

  “Where are they going?”

  I looked up to see Claire standing next to me. “I don’t know. To talk, I guess.”

  “What is she even doing here?” she asked, shaking her head.

  “I have no idea,” I said, staring towards the door they went through. “He said he would be right back.”

  “I feel so bad for him. I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t think she was crazy enough to crash my wedding.”

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “Aiden’s going to take care of it.”

  “I mean, I guess she can stay if she wants, but-”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s not gonna happen,” I said.

  “Is everything okay?” Mrs. Briggs said out of nowhere.

  “Everything’s fine.” I stood up and looked back and forth between Claire and her Mom.

  “Did you invite her?” she asked Claire.

  “No,” she said. “And I assumed Aiden uninvited her when they broke up but-”

  “Relax,” I said. “He probably just forgot to clarify that their breaking up meant he didn’t want her here.”

  “She is a model,” Nancy said.

  “Aiden told me she wasn’t the brightest,” Claire added.

  “Why don’t you two go back to having a good time? That’s what Aiden would want.”

  “Don’t you think we should check on him?” Nancy asked. “Make sure he’s okay?”

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” I said. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll check on him.”

  Claire nodded.

  “You’ll come get us if he needs anything?” Nancy asked.

  “Of course.”

  I downed the rest of my wine and headed off through the doors, looking over my shoulder only once. They were both still standing together at the table and looking in my direction. Mrs. Briggs gave me a little wave.

  Fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt one of Aiden and Chelsea’s domestics. Worse of all, her showing up was just a reminder of my recent infidelity to him, and I actually thought we were making progress getting away from that.

  When I reached the corridor, I froze in my nude shoes. The hallway was as long as a swimming pool, lined on each side by more conference room doors than I could see from the top of the hall.

  “Drink miss?” A man with a silver tray asked.

  “Please.”

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Would you like me to grab you a chair?”

  “N
o,” I said. “I’m not as drunk as I look. I’m just not used to walking in heels.”

  “You don’t look drunk, miss. I was merely being polite.”

  “Thanks.”

  He took one step away and-

  “Wait,” I said. “Would it be terrible of me to finish this really quick and take another?”

  He smiled. “Not at all. It would be more terrible to deny yourself.”

  “Thank you for your understanding,” I said, finishing my drink and swapping it for a full glass of champagne.

  “Of course.” He nodded. “See you around.”

  “I hope so,” I said, feeling slightly bloated from the fizzy bubbles in my stomach. I took a few steps down the hallway and covered my mouth, guessing I was about one burp away from feeling fabulous.

  But then I remembered what I was doing. Looking for Aiden and not looking for Aiden at the same time. Why didn’t I just let his Mother go after him? She was much scarier than I was, at least where Chelsea was concerned.

  I looked back towards the reception hall and then down the hallway again. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing. I guess I was just trying to locate him well enough that I could make sure his family gave him space without getting so close it seemed like I was interfering.

  I certainly had no intention of eavesdropping when I set off down the hall. Unfortunately, the only way I could detect if they were behind a given door was to listen quietly outside it, glass in hand as I stalled outside each one.

  At times, I forgot I was wearing a bright yellow dress and actually felt like I was being a decent sleuth. Of course, then I’d look down and be grateful that no one else knew what a fool I was being. I stepped up to another door and held my breath. Nothing.

  Nothing after nothing after nothing. And suddenly, I heard voices down the hall and walked as lightly as I could towards the noise.

  When I reached the outside of the door, I pursed my lips and perked up my ears, freezing when I heard my name.

  “Were they Lucy’s panties?”

  “What?”

  “Just tell me? Were they Lucy’s panties that I found in the apartment?”

  Silence.

  “Well?!” She sounded like a rabid animal. “Were they?”

  “No. They weren’t Lucy’s panties, okay?”

  I swallowed.

  “Not that it matters,” he said. “Because who I sleep with is none of your business anymore.”