She reeled back, shocked by my admission. “How could you think that?”
I put the last pair of jeans away and closed the drawer.
I waved a hand at her and said, “Look at you, Emma! You have the perfect relationship with the perfect guy. You’re happy. You didn’t get with some fuck up like I did.” I opened another box, my back now turned to her.
“You think my relationship is perfect?” She snorted. “I assure you, it’s not. We have our ups and downs like everybody else.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, grabbing the stack of clothes from the box. These were on hangers so I walked over to the closet to hang them up. “But you guys are…ugh…. You’re perfect for each other. Braden and I were not. You warned me that he was the wrong guy, so I guess I was afraid you’d say ‘I told you so.’”
“You know I would never do that,” she defended, “and Ezra could just as easily have said that to you. My God, he’s the one that punched Braden, not me.”
I finished hanging up the clothes and faced her with a frown on my face. “I didn’t want to be a bother to you, okay? You’re always wrapped up in Maddox and now you’re planning your own wedding,” I pointed to her hand where a unique purplish pink diamond glittered, “so I didn’t want to be an inconvenience. I knew I could count on Ezra.”
“But you can count on me too.” Her voice was no more than a whisper and hurt swam in her blue eyes. Her mouth fell open and she let out a small gasp. “Are you lying to me? Is something going on between you guys and that’s why you and Braden broke up?”
I snorted. We were back to square one. “No,” I emphasized the word. “We’re only friends and Braden is a lying, filthy, cheating scumbag.” My fists tightened at my sides.
“Did you start the name calling without us?” Maddox joked as he and Ezra arrived with more boxes. “I’m hurt.” He set the boxes on the floor and then swooped down to give Emma a kiss on her cheek.
Ezra smiled as he watched the gesture. We were both so used to Maddox and Emma’s constant displays of affection that we were no longer grossed out.
“Do you have enough room for everything?” Ezra looked concerned as his eyes flitted about the area. He seemed to be taking stock of the furniture to see if there was enough space for all of my belongings.
“It’s fine,” I assured him, my hand briefly landing on his arm. I let go hastily when Emma’s eyes fell to where I touched him. She was reading into nothing. “You don’t need to worry about me,” I told him, pretending Emma wasn’t listening to and analyzing every word that left my lips, “you letting me stay here is enough.”
It was kind that Ezra was going out of his way to try to make me feel comfortable but it was completely unnecessary. I couldn’t help but feel safe in his presence. Was it my ideal scenario to be crashing here for a while? Definitely not. But I was okay.
He nodded and flashed a small smile. “I’ll try to stop worrying then.”
Expecting Ezra not to worry would be like anticipating the sky turning green. It was never going to happen.
Ezra was usually a laid-back guy, but when he cared about someone or something it worried him endlessly.
Ezra turned to leave once more but Maddox appeared in the doorway. I hadn’t even realized he left.
“These are the last two,” he declared, setting the new boxes on the floor beside the others.
“We’ll be out back while you finish unpacking.” Ezra nodded at Emma and then me.
The guys left, their shoes smacking against the wood stairs.
I went to work opening the new boxes and noticed that the one containing my wedding dress and the sheets were suspiciously absent.
Emma eyed me with a speculative look as she set about removing items from boxes. “So…you don’t have any feelings for him?”
I sighed. This wasn’t a new question.
“I love Ezra as a friend. Nothing more.” I muttered the words as I stuffed my bras and panties into the top dresser drawer. I could refold them later.
Emma made a noise that sounded like a grunt of disagreement. “You guys have been skirting around your chemistry for years. It’s only a matter of time…”
“A matter of time until what?” I asked.
“Until you fuck each other’s brains out.”
I laughed, the kind of laugh that came deep from your belly. Before Emma met Maddox she blushed as red as a tomato at any mention of sex. That girl was long gone.
“That’s not going to happen,” I declared once I’d sobered.
She quirked a brow and eyed me with indignation. “We’ll see.”
We finished unpacking all of my stuff and I changed into a pair of jeans and a lightweight sweater. While the summer days were scorching hot, the evenings could be downright chilly where you wanted to snuggle beneath a blanket.
Emma and I found the guys out back seated around the fire pit. A fire roared and the makings for s’mores lay on a side table.
Emma scurried over to the chair beside Maddox, but he snagged her around the waist before she could sit down, and she fell onto his lap with a giggle.
I took the chair beside Ezra, wanting to distance myself from their sickeningly sweet displays of affection. Their relationship was one for the storybooks—one I didn’t think I’d ever find for myself.
Was I jealous?
I didn’t think so. I was happy that Emma had found something so special, but I was also smart enough to know that it was rare and the chances of me finding it were slim to none.
“Did you get everything unpacked?” Ezra asked, stealing me from my thoughts.
“Yes,” I answered, staring at the roaring fire as it soared higher. I leaned back in the Adirondack chair, making myself comfortable.
“Good,” he replied.
I felt like there was a slight awkwardness between us at moments, and I guessed that was perfectly understandable since I’d ignored him for the last six months and then come barreling back into his life with a mountain of baggage.
“Oh, here,” he said suddenly, reaching down. He removed the top on a longneck bottle of beer and held it out to me.
“Thanks,” I smiled, taking it.
Maybe to someone else it would seem surreal to be sitting around drinking beer with the bassist and drummer for one of the most popular bands in the world, but for me it felt right. Initially, when I first met the guys I’d been starstruck. I’d been a fan of their music before I knew Emma was dating Maddox, so it was bound to happen. But you didn’t have to be around them long before you realized they were like everybody else.
“It’s been a long day,” he commented, leaning back in the chair and stretching out his legs.
“It’s been a long two days,” I corrected.
He chuckled and the shadows of the flames danced over his handsome face.
Across from us Maddox nuzzled Emma’s neck and she let out another giggle before kissing him on the lips. He grasped her hair in his fingers and murmured, “I love you.”
I let out a sigh.
Ezra’s head swiveled in my direction. “You’ll have that one day,” he declared.
“I hope so,” I replied, “I really hope so.”
He lifted his bottle of beer to his lips and drained what was left. He stood up, placing the empty bottle on the nearby table.
“I think it’s time for us to get to the real reason for this gathering.”
Emma and Maddox immediately broke apart, giving him their full attention.
My brows rose in interest and I set my beer on the ground beside my chair.
“I’ll be right back.” He looked at me when he said the words, warning me to stay in my seat.
I raised my hands in surrender and sat back.
He disappeared inside and I looked at Maddox across the fire. “What is he up to?” I asked, giving Maddox my best glare—daring him not to tell me the truth.