“You left him. He doesn’t love you! He loves me! Get out of here, you homewrecker! You can’t have him!”
Once more, Matty wasn’t listening to Alex as he closed the distance between himself and Wells, coming to stand on the stair below him, his head tipping back as he looked at her brother with nothing but a love in his eyes that was beyond overwhelming.
It was the way Jensen looked at her.
She didn’t want to lose that.
Soon the tears were welling up in her eyes as Matty whispered, “I love you, Wells. You know I do.”
“He doesn’t love you,” Alex yelled before looking up at Wells. “Wells, tell him. Jesus, are you mute?”
But Wells was still speechless, his eyes locked with Matty’s as he moved onto the step with Wells, their bodies so close that if either of them moved, they’d be touching.
“Wells!” Alex yelled once more, but she was pretty sure neither of them was listening as they stayed locked in each other’s gaze.
“Please tell me you still love me. Because no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop loving you,” Matty whispered, and Wren’s heart ached at the look on her brother’s face. He loved Matty, it was apparent, but he was scared.
Scared shitless.
Which was not a look she often saw on her brother.
“Wells! Damn it! What are you doing?” Alex exclaimed.
“I swear I’ll never hurt you again. I’m sorry. But you are mine, baby, remember? You told me that. That I was yours, and I am,” Matty begged. He didn’t touch Wells, he just stood there, his eyes pleading while the room was tense and silent. He looked so damn big next to her brother. He was thick with muscle, but he was lean and looked gorgeous in the suit he wore. He had come to impress; the suit wasn’t cheap, nor was the posh haircut and clean-cut shave. Matty Haverbrooke was one gorgeous man.
When Wells’s eyes started to fill with tears, Wren went to save him. She had no idea what she was going to do, but before she could, Jensen stopped her. “This is all him.” She looked at Jensen, her own eyes pleading as his hand slid off of her and into his pocket. “Let him do this.”
“Do what? You better be kicking him out!” Alex yelled. “This is insane. Why are you just standing there? You don’t love him, do you? What kind of best friends are you? This dude hurt him. Kick him out!”
His voice was so high-pitched and full of rage that Wren was wincing, but Matty and Wells weren’t moving as Vaughn said, “We’re the kind of best friends who want the best for our brother. Let him think!”
Alex went to argue, but her father’s voice filled the room. “Son, that’s enough. You need to say something.”
Wells’s eyes widened as he tore them from Matty to their father. He was terrified, and Wren wanted to wrap her arms around him, fix it for him. But she couldn’t. This was all him, like Jensen had said.
Looking back to Matty, Wells’s mouth trembled as he asked, “Your family?”
“Wells!” Alex cried, but Wells shook his head, waiting for Matty to answer him.
“Ha, told ya,” Vaughn scoffed to her and Jensen, but they weren’t paying attention as Matty nodded vigorously.
“I’m telling them. Even if you don’t want me, I’m telling them. I promise. I just want you by my side when I do it because I love… I love you so much, Wells, please.”
Wells paused, his lips trembling. “Why now?”
“It doesn’t matter because you’re marrying me!” Alex shouted, and Wren wasn’t sure why the guy was still talking. It was obvious that Wells and Matty were in their own world.
“I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was scared. I’m still fucking scared, but I couldn’t let you do this without you knowing that you changed my life. You make me want to be a good man, and I know I can do it without you, but I don’t want to. You’ve made me want to fix things with my sister because of how much you love yours. I want to tell my brothers and my parents because I want to be myself. I want to be me instead of lying all the time. But, Wells, I want you beside me, with me, loving me. Please, say you will. Take me back, let me love you as you always loved me because, Wells, you own my heart. The whole damn thing. You know I don’t do this kind of thing, but I can’t stand by and watch you marry this guy. I can’t.”
When a tear rolled down Wells’s face, Alex yelled, “Then leave!”
“I can’t. I’m sorry, Alex, I am. But I love him,” Matty said to him, but his eyes stayed glued to Wells.
“Wells, tell him to go!”
Swallowing hard, Wells looked back at Alex, and when he slowly shook his head, Wren covered her mouth to keep in her sob. “I’m sorry, but my heart beats for this man.”
Matty let out the breath he was obviously holding before they wrapped their arms around each other, their mouths meeting in a familiar but beautiful way that took Wren’s own breath away. She hadn’t even noticed that Alex had stormed out or that his parents were yelling at hers. All she saw was the love that her brother felt, and soon she was grinning. He had loved Matty for as long as she could remember, and seeing them together, she could understand why.
It was a love like hers and Jensen’s. But was that over?
When she looked to Jensen, she saw he was watching her, his eyes full of tears. The room started to clear out of Alex’s family and friends, but she was pretty sure Wells was too busy kissing Matty to notice the ruckus going on around them. Everyone was yelling or asking what was going on. But she couldn’t be bothered with them either because her world was staring at her with such uncertainty in his eyes.
But before either of them could say anything, Wells and Matty parted. Wells was laughing, wiping away his tears. “Shit, sorry.”
“You don’t be sorry, honey. It’s obvious you belong with this boy,” her mother said, coming toward them. “I’m Elaine Lemiere. You’re Matty?”
Matty’s face flushed as he nodded. “Yes. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
He held out his hand, but she ignored it, hugging him tightly as Matty grimaced, very unsure of himself. Wren’s father came over then, holding out his hand. “I’m Wells’s father, Winston. Matty, it’s nice to meet you.”
Exhaling hard, Wells shared a long look with Winston before smiles appeared on both their faces. Squeezing Matty’s shoulder, Wells said, “I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t get married today.”
Once more, Matty wasn’t listening to Alex as he closed the distance between himself and Wells, coming to stand on the stair below him, his head tipping back as he looked at her brother with nothing but a love in his eyes that was beyond overwhelming.
It was the way Jensen looked at her.
She didn’t want to lose that.
Soon the tears were welling up in her eyes as Matty whispered, “I love you, Wells. You know I do.”
“He doesn’t love you,” Alex yelled before looking up at Wells. “Wells, tell him. Jesus, are you mute?”
But Wells was still speechless, his eyes locked with Matty’s as he moved onto the step with Wells, their bodies so close that if either of them moved, they’d be touching.
“Wells!” Alex yelled once more, but she was pretty sure neither of them was listening as they stayed locked in each other’s gaze.
“Please tell me you still love me. Because no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop loving you,” Matty whispered, and Wren’s heart ached at the look on her brother’s face. He loved Matty, it was apparent, but he was scared.
Scared shitless.
Which was not a look she often saw on her brother.
“Wells! Damn it! What are you doing?” Alex exclaimed.
“I swear I’ll never hurt you again. I’m sorry. But you are mine, baby, remember? You told me that. That I was yours, and I am,” Matty begged. He didn’t touch Wells, he just stood there, his eyes pleading while the room was tense and silent. He looked so damn big next to her brother. He was thick with muscle, but he was lean and looked gorgeous in the suit he wore. He had come to impress; the suit wasn’t cheap, nor was the posh haircut and clean-cut shave. Matty Haverbrooke was one gorgeous man.
When Wells’s eyes started to fill with tears, Wren went to save him. She had no idea what she was going to do, but before she could, Jensen stopped her. “This is all him.” She looked at Jensen, her own eyes pleading as his hand slid off of her and into his pocket. “Let him do this.”
“Do what? You better be kicking him out!” Alex yelled. “This is insane. Why are you just standing there? You don’t love him, do you? What kind of best friends are you? This dude hurt him. Kick him out!”
His voice was so high-pitched and full of rage that Wren was wincing, but Matty and Wells weren’t moving as Vaughn said, “We’re the kind of best friends who want the best for our brother. Let him think!”
Alex went to argue, but her father’s voice filled the room. “Son, that’s enough. You need to say something.”
Wells’s eyes widened as he tore them from Matty to their father. He was terrified, and Wren wanted to wrap her arms around him, fix it for him. But she couldn’t. This was all him, like Jensen had said.
Looking back to Matty, Wells’s mouth trembled as he asked, “Your family?”
“Wells!” Alex cried, but Wells shook his head, waiting for Matty to answer him.
“Ha, told ya,” Vaughn scoffed to her and Jensen, but they weren’t paying attention as Matty nodded vigorously.
“I’m telling them. Even if you don’t want me, I’m telling them. I promise. I just want you by my side when I do it because I love… I love you so much, Wells, please.”
Wells paused, his lips trembling. “Why now?”
“It doesn’t matter because you’re marrying me!” Alex shouted, and Wren wasn’t sure why the guy was still talking. It was obvious that Wells and Matty were in their own world.
“I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was scared. I’m still fucking scared, but I couldn’t let you do this without you knowing that you changed my life. You make me want to be a good man, and I know I can do it without you, but I don’t want to. You’ve made me want to fix things with my sister because of how much you love yours. I want to tell my brothers and my parents because I want to be myself. I want to be me instead of lying all the time. But, Wells, I want you beside me, with me, loving me. Please, say you will. Take me back, let me love you as you always loved me because, Wells, you own my heart. The whole damn thing. You know I don’t do this kind of thing, but I can’t stand by and watch you marry this guy. I can’t.”
When a tear rolled down Wells’s face, Alex yelled, “Then leave!”
“I can’t. I’m sorry, Alex, I am. But I love him,” Matty said to him, but his eyes stayed glued to Wells.
“Wells, tell him to go!”
Swallowing hard, Wells looked back at Alex, and when he slowly shook his head, Wren covered her mouth to keep in her sob. “I’m sorry, but my heart beats for this man.”
Matty let out the breath he was obviously holding before they wrapped their arms around each other, their mouths meeting in a familiar but beautiful way that took Wren’s own breath away. She hadn’t even noticed that Alex had stormed out or that his parents were yelling at hers. All she saw was the love that her brother felt, and soon she was grinning. He had loved Matty for as long as she could remember, and seeing them together, she could understand why.
It was a love like hers and Jensen’s. But was that over?
When she looked to Jensen, she saw he was watching her, his eyes full of tears. The room started to clear out of Alex’s family and friends, but she was pretty sure Wells was too busy kissing Matty to notice the ruckus going on around them. Everyone was yelling or asking what was going on. But she couldn’t be bothered with them either because her world was staring at her with such uncertainty in his eyes.
But before either of them could say anything, Wells and Matty parted. Wells was laughing, wiping away his tears. “Shit, sorry.”
“You don’t be sorry, honey. It’s obvious you belong with this boy,” her mother said, coming toward them. “I’m Elaine Lemiere. You’re Matty?”
Matty’s face flushed as he nodded. “Yes. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
He held out his hand, but she ignored it, hugging him tightly as Matty grimaced, very unsure of himself. Wren’s father came over then, holding out his hand. “I’m Wells’s father, Winston. Matty, it’s nice to meet you.”
Exhaling hard, Wells shared a long look with Winston before smiles appeared on both their faces. Squeezing Matty’s shoulder, Wells said, “I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t get married today.”
