Chapter 1
Tierney
I had a sip of beer, the heaviness in my chest increasing. Being at this wedding was not easy. Celebrating love was the last thing I felt like doing.
Liam caught my eye as he twirled Vanessa around the dance floor, and I forced a smile onto my face. Right now, I didn’t look like a supportive best man. Instead, I looked like a miserable eejit who didn’t want to be here. Even if that was the case, the least I could do was hide it.
“So, are you going to ask me to dance?”
I turned, silently groaning. Ashley was looking at me expectantly. I’d made the mistake of hooking up with her a few weeks earlier, and now she was desperate for a repeat performance.
I smiled, taking her hand.
“Of course! That’s the duty of the best man, is it not?”
Her cheeks flushed as she leaned closer.
“Best man and lover. I haven’t stopped thinking about it, Tierney. You were incredible.”
Oh, shit. I wasn’t sure how I was going to talk my way out of this one.
“I thought we both agreed we weren’t going to mention that night again.” I said, raising my eyebrows. “Although that hasn’t been easy considering most of our friends know about it.”
She shrugged her shoulders, her grip tightening on my hand.
“Nothing stays quiet for long around here.”
No, not when you run around telling everyone.
“Come on. Please dance with me.” She pouted.
I nodded, draining the rest of my beer. One dance might get her off my case, and it was a wedding after all. Ashley led me to the dance floor, and the song changed to a much slower one. A more romantic one.
“Perfect timing.” I sighed underneath my breath, as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“I know you said it was a one-off, but I’m child free all night… If you want to stay over.” She purred, pressing her body closer to mine.
I swallowed, trying to work out the most polite way of declining her offer.
“As fun as it was, I think we both know we shouldn’t go there again. We’re friends, and I don’t want to lose that.”
She smiled, moving so she was right against my cock.
“Have you not heard of friends with benefits?”
Jesus, she was persistent, and a few years earlier I’d have been more than willing. Not now, though.
I was being offered it on a plate and I couldn’t muster up the interest. I’d been drowning my sorrows when she turned up uninvited the other week. Anna, my ex-fiancée, had told me she was leaving the States with our son, Noah.
Correction.
He wasn’t my son. It didn’t matter that I’d been there throughout her pregnancy and his birth. Genetically, he wasn’t mine. She’d even had me removed from his birth certificate, and I had no legal rights to contest anything.
The truth was that I’d suspected I might not be his biological father from the start. I still loved him the same, but just when things seemed better... Her cunt of an ex-boyfriend returned and destroyed everything. I couldn’t even find any comfort in his death. That bastard had ruined my life more than I’d ever realized.
Anyway, drowning my sorrows had led to me spending the night with Ashley. It wasn’t that it was bad, but she was way too clingy and full-on.
“Hello, earth to Tierney?”
She waved her hand in front of my face and I cleared my throat.
“I’m not interested in that sort of arrangement.” I muttered, my tone sharper than I’d intended.
A frown crossed her perfectly made-up face.
“Anna isn’t coming back. I know you’re hurt, but you have to move on with your life.”
I untangled her arms from my body and stepped back.
“I don’t need or want your advice.”
She sighed.
“Maybe not, but you should hear it. We have a real connection, and it would be wrong to ignore that. You’re missing out on something special because of that selfish, immature bitch.”
“Do not talk about Anna like that.” I snapped, my muscles tensing.
“Why not? It’s the truth. The whole time she was with you, I could see it in her eyes. She never loved you the way you deserved.”
Hearing her say that was like a knife cutting through my flesh and I snapped.
“It’s none of your business what went on between me and Anna. I’m not interested in you, Ashley. I regret sleeping with you because it’s given you the wrong idea. If I could take it back, I would.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Ok, so much for being polite and sensitive. She let out a sob before darting away, bumping into Vanessa and Liam.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She cried, holding up her hand as she ran off.
Talk about drama...
Vanessa and Liam turned to me and I made a face.
“Jesus, T. Did you have to upset her tonight?” Vanessa sighed, folding her arms across her chest.
The other people on the dance floor were starting to look and I shook my head.
“She was asking me to stay over. What was I supposed to do? Screw her again to keep the peace at your wedding?”
Liam exploded with laughter.
“That sounds like the best man’s duty to me.”
His bride looked furious as she elbowed him in the side.
“I’ll go and speak to her. You sort him out.”
I rolled my eyes as Liam came over, patting me on the shoulder.
“Come on. Let’s get some of the stronger stuff and sit outside.”
I chucked back my tumbler of whiskey, staring out at the landscaped gardens.
“I’m sorry to upset Ashley, but she mentioned Anna, and it triggered me.”
He nodded, picking up the bottle to refill my glass.
“I understand, but don’t hate me for this... Ashley has a point.”
I frowned.
“I am moving on.”
Liam eyed me warily. We hadn’t known each other for long, but as soon as we met in the garage we clicked.
“Mate, you still have all Noah’s stuff in his room.”
Noah.
It hurt like hell every time I thought about him.
I picked up the tumbler and had a swig, hoping the burn of whiskey would stop the tears in my eyes. Losing people wasn’t anything new for me. I’d dealt with it my entire life. It didn’t get any easier, though. Noah had been my son, regardless of his DNA. We’d had such a special bond, and now I didn’t even know where he was. The pain was crippling if I thought about it too much.
“I’ve been meaning to clear it out, but I’ve been busy.”
“You found the time to screw Ashley.” Liam said, looking at me pointedly.
I groaned, reaching for my tumbler.
“Ok, ok. Point made and taken on board.”
Thankfully, his cell started ringing.
“I wonder who it could be. Everyone I know is here.” He joked, retrieving it from his pocket.
I snorted, having another swig of my drink as he answered. The guest list had been rather long, mostly due to Vanessa. She’d been planning the entire wedding with military precision for at least a year.
“Yeah, that’s me.” He said, his tone becoming serious.
I glanced up at him as he stood, his hand moving to the back of his head.
“She is? Shit. I’m sorry. It’s my wedding day, I can’t leave.”
He sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“Of course. Just keep her there as long as you can. I’ll work something out.”
He hung up, cursing underneath his breath.
“What’s happened?” I asked, getting up.
“My sister. Her scumbag husband has beaten her up and she’s in the hospital.”
I stared at him in surprise.
“I didn’t realize you had a sister.”
He nodded, his expression pained.
“We’re estranged. Her husband is a bastard, and if you try to get involved she pushes you away. She never reconciled with our mom before she passed, and in the end, I gave up trying.”
Fuck. This was heavy shit. If some prick had messed with my sister, I’d have taken him out. Liam wasn’t like me, though, that was for sure. He was as clean-cut as they come, whilst I had a pretty dark past...
“What do you need me to do, man?” I asked, grabbing his arm.
He sighed.
“I don’t know. Vanessa will kill me if I leave to fetch her.”
He shook his head, scrubbing his hand over his jaw.
“I have to go. She asked the nurse to ring me. She’s never done that before. Maybe this time she won’t go back to him.”
“Uh, what’s going on now?”
We turned to see Vanessa in the doorway.
“Zoe is in the hospital. She asked them to ring me.” Liam said, walking over to her.
She exhaled slowly, brushing her curled hair back from her face.
“You want to leave our wedding?”
He shifted from one foot to the other and I cleared my throat.
“Why don’t you call her and explain? I could collect her and she could stay at my place.”
Liam eyed his new wife warily. I could understand how she felt, but this was a pretty awful position to be in,
“I’ll ask to speak to her. Hopefully she is in for the night, and I can pick her up in the morning.”
He wandered off, his cell pressed to his ear, and I cautiously approached Vanessa.
“Come here.” I said, kissing her forehead and giving her a hug. “I know things have gone a bit haywire, but you’re still the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
She sighed, elbowing me in the side.
“Oh no, compliments won’t work! I’m still mad at you. Why did you have to sleep with Ashley? She had an obsession with you for months.”
I smirked, hoping to lighten the mood.
“Well, can you blame her?”
Vanessa arched an eyebrow.
“Yes, and I blame you for acting on it.”
I sighed, shaking my head.
“Ok, ok. I’ll apologize and smooth everything over. Don’t stress about it.”
She nodded, her eyes traveling to her new husband.
“He seems pretty upset.” I said. “I didn’t even realize he had a sister.”
“It hasn’t been easy. We were all close until she met Steve five years ago. He gradually isolated her from her friends and family. He’s been violent towards her before, but she’s always made excuses and gone back to him.”
I shook my head.
“Hopefully, this is the final time. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll be there .”
She sighed, and I wrapped my arm around her waist. Vanessa and Liam were my family now. If it wasn’t for them, then I’d have gone completely off the rails. My uncle had asked me to help with his nightclub, but after I got shot and lost Anna, I left New York to return to Arizona.
I swallowed, stopping myself from going further down that path. It was the past, and I never wanted to go back to being that person again.
“I spoke to her.” Liam said, walking over to us. “She’s going to stay in the hospital tonight, and I said I’d collect her tomorrow. She agreed to stay with us, V. This has never happened before!”
I felt Vanessa tense beside me, but then she was holding her arms out to him, and he was stepping into her embrace.
“I’m sorry about this, I just… I can’t not go. What if this is the final chance to save her?” He said.
“I know, baby. It’s fine. She can stay at our place whilst we’re on our honeymoon.”
I patted Liam on the back.
“I can keep an eye on her when you’re away. I’m only across the street.”
Liam nodded his thanks.
“I understand the timing is bad, but she wants to press charges and get a restraining order. The cops are going to see her and get her statement. I think she’s finally built up the courage to walk away from him.”
Vanessa stretched to kiss him.
“That’s great news, and we can support her through it. Now, not to be a nagging wife, but can we please go back inside and dance?”
Liam smiled, kissing her again before slapping me on the back.
“Of course we can! Are you coming back in, T?”
I reached for the discarded bottle of whiskey.
“Give me five.”
He nodded, disappearing inside with his arm around his perfect bride. I knocked back a mouthful of booze, hoping it might block out the stabbing pain in my gut.
It didn’t.
Instead, I closed my eyes, allowing myself a few seconds to remember the woman I’d intended to marry.
I hated that I was a dumb motherfucker who couldn’t move on. As much as I loved Liam and Vanessa, it was impossible to be at a wedding and not think of her. It was the only time in my life that I’d proposed, and it turned out to be one huge disaster.
My grip tightened on the bottle as I blinked back tears. It wasn’t getting any easier, at times it felt impossible to stop feeling this way.
“Fuck it.” I muttered, wiping my eyes, before draining the rest of the bottle.
The warm alcohol was engulfing me, blocking out the emotions I didn’t want to feel. For now, this was the only way I had to deal with it.
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