The Lover’s Promise (No Exceptions #3)(14)
Author: J.C. Reed

“It wasn’t a prank. I wanted it to be a surprise.” I grimaced and took another gulp of my beer.

“What the fuck, Jett? It’s not a surprise if she suspects.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” I mumbled.

“Spreading rose petals on the floor one day before your intended proposal. Now that’s mean. Just saying.” Kenny grinned. “So I take it she said no?”

“I didn’t even get to that part,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Was that before or after the dessert?”

I groaned at his sudden sordid curiosity. This wasn’t the time for jokes. “Forget the fucking dessert. She didn’t come.” My grave tone shut Kenny up in an instant.

Yes, Brooke had the nerve not to show up because she was busy walking the streets of New York City, I thought grimly. And visiting clubs. Already the next wave of anger coursed through me, this one more menacing than the last. The thought of her fucking another guy made me fume. I couldn’t bear the thought of another guy’s hands roaming over her body. “I swear that woman will be the end of me. If I wasn’t in love with her, I’d never go through all the fucking shit and the drama.”

“So, why deal with it all?” The question came more out of duty than interest.

“Because I love her.” I shrugged as though it wasn’t a big deal when it all came down to the three words that had changed everything in my life. “I just don’t understand why she can’t stop double questioning me. I’m fed up with all her fears.”

He laughed, the sound suddenly grating on my nerves. “She’s pregnant, dude. All pregnant women are crazy. Wait until she’s had your kid, and then she’ll mellow down.” He raised his hand to high-five me. The anger came again, and I pressed my lips into a tight line. Kenny was one of my oldest friends, but now he was proving to be more of a pain in the ass than helpful. Kenny enjoyed any form of distraction from his own problems, and now that he was stuck indoors with his broken wrist, it was even more obvious than ever. It was either listening to other people’s drama or making fun of whoever came through the door. I wasn’t in the mood for either. He got the hint instantly from my lethal expression. The sound of his laughter died in his throat.

“Okay, what happened?” He cleared his throat.

I finished my beer, realizing it wasn’t strong enough to numb the anger inside me. I needed something stronger, something that would burn its way right into my mind and wipe out the last memory of our fight. Kenny watched me, his face betraying his worry. I knew I now had his attention but he kept quiet, waiting. He knew better than to pester me with questions.

“She called me a murderer and a cheater. How’s that for starters?”

Kenny blinked. “Whoa. Why would she say that?”

I shook my head slowly as I leaned back, taking a deep breath. “No fucking clue. I wish I could read what goes through a pregnant woman’s head, but the ability would probably be useless on Brooke.”

“You sure you don’t know?”

“Are you implying that I’m lying?” I asked, ready to punch him in the face even though he was right. Or maybe because he was right. “Of course I fucking know, Kenny. She thinks I’m helping Nate. As for the cheating part, well—” I shrugged “—Ti kissed me and Brooke saw all of it.”

The short silence lasted for all of two seconds.

“Brian’s girl?” Kenny asked in disbelief, almost falling off the sofa.

“No, Tiffany from the weather show,” I growled. “Yes, Ti. Who else?”

“Get out!” Kenny burst out in laughter, but the unnerving sound died in his throat when he saw my serious expression. “No, shit. You’re serious!”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.” I turned my attention back to the bottle in my hand, realizing it was empty. With a sigh, I pushed it across the table, away from me, and leaned back, running a hand through my hair, desperation washing over me again.

“Did you—”

I pulled a face. “Fuck no.” I stared at him, disgusted that he’d even consider I’d ever fuck my ex. “I would never do that to Brooke.”

Kenny got up, his back turned to me as he grabbed two bottles of beer and passed me one. I took it out of his outstretched hand, but didn’t open it. We sat in silence for a few moments, holding the drinks in our hands.

“Does he know?” Kenny sounded worried, and rightly so. Brian was as protective of his woman as I was of Brooke. He had been with Tiffany before she had been with me. Ti was the woman he once wanted to marry.

I set my jaw and shook my head grimly. “No, but I’ll tell him.” I met his gaze. He looked at me like I had just told him I had a rat for dinner. Eventually his frown deepened.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, bro.”

“It probably isn’t, but I’d never keep this kind of secret from him,” I said. “Trust me, I like it as much as you do, but he needs to know that nothing’s going on between me and Tiffany. If I don’t tell him and he finds out…”

“All hell breaks loose. I know,” Kenny cut in.

There was an unwritten rule in the gang: never fucking mess with Brian. Short-tempered as he was, he loved to fight at every opportunity. Some said he was bipolar, others said it was his Irish blood that made him hot-tempered. Whatever the reason for his regular outbursts, people knew better than to challenge him.

“When did you see her?” Kenny asked, jerking me out of my thoughts.

“A few hours before the proposal,” I said. “I can’t blame Brooke that she’s angry. She saw Tiffany kissing me and probably thought it was the other way around.”

“And it wasn’t?” Kenny asked incredulously. Given my reputation, I wasn’t surprised.

“I swear I had no idea that she’s still into me. If I had known, I would never have asked her to bring the ring to the hotel.” I moistened my lips, ignoring the throbbing sensation in my temples. “No idea what the fuck’s going on with Ti. I thought she was happy being back with Brian.”

Kenny shrugged. “It doesn’t really surprise me. She is an alcoholic.”

“Recovering alcoholic—” I corrected “—who hasn’t touched a drop in seven years.”

Kenny stared at me. Something crossed his features.

“What?” I asked, raising my brows.