Love Survives (9 page)

“I appreciate that, sir.”

“We’ll be seeing you soon. I know you’ll make the right choice.”

When we hung up I looked at the double doors opening and closing as people entered and exited the airport. I was one flight way from seeing the love of my life again. Was I really going to be scared about my brother? What more could he throw at me that I hadn’t already experienced a million times before? He already had what I wanted. He’d won, I’d lost. The truth was sleeping next to him every night, wearing the ring that he’d saved up to buy. If he knew her any at all, he would have presented her with her mother’s ring, which she’d mentioned using again and again.

As much as Branch irked me, I recognized there was little I could do. My job was to stand by his side while he promised to love and cherish Kat. It was going to be the most important day of their lives, and they’d invited me to stand beside them. As a brother I understood I couldn’t let them down. As much as it was going to sting, it was paramount to all the guests, but mostly our parents. Kat was finally taking the Valentine name. I’d dreamed of the moment that she’d become my wife, I just never suspected she’d be his instead.

There was no right decision. In my eyes it was all wrong.

I made one more phone call before checking in for my flight. I didn’t know how he’d react to me contacting him, but I at least had to attempt to keep the peace.

“Hello, brother. Are you calling to tell me you’re not going to show?”

“Is that what you want to hear?”

“I don’t know, Brooks. In a way, yeah, it would make it less weird, but it’s not just my wedding. If I had it my way we would have eloped a long time ago. This ceremony is for Katy. It’s what she wants, and I promised to make sure it’s perfect.”

“That’s the reason for my call. Are you going to be okay if I’m there?”

“As long as you keep your hands off my soon-to-be wife, I don’t care. We’re still brothers even if I want to rip out your throat.”

I wasn’t sorry for what happened. I could have said no at any time. I slept with Kat because I wanted to. It was selfish, and I deserved to lose her forever because of it. “I want to get past this. I’m sorry, Branch. I know you hate me. Can we try to be friends while I’m there? It’s the only way I’ll be able to get on the plane today.”

“Fine. I’ll be nice. Maybe I’ll even give you a hug, but don’t think for a second that I’m letting my guard down. What you did can never be forgiven.”

“I understand. I guess it’s final then. I’m getting on a plane to come home.”

“I guess so.”

When we hung up I didn’t feel anymore excited about seeing Branch. I half expected him to tell me to stay away. Nothing was more clear to me than knowing this was Kat’s idea. For some reason it made me smile. I just had to be on my best behavior.

Chapter 10

While on the
plane ride to Washington, DC, I had a ton going through my mind. My first initial gut feeling was telling me to avoid eye contact with Kat. If I didn’t reconnect with her in person than everyone would assume I’d moved on and gotten over it. I was certain Branch would have a skeptical watch over me, but actions speak louder than words. I had to make it seem like I held no interest in Katy Michaels. My family depended on it.

I think my nerves were at extreme levels when I climbed into the cab that was taking me to the hotel. I was about to come face to face with the woman that I’d put on a pedestal. I knew she was going to take my breath away. Hiding that sort of excitement wouldn’t come without effort. I might be able to fool half the people in the room, but none of the ones who truly knew me. I wondered how I could hide the only thing I’d never been able to deny. How could I look into her eyes and not want to hold her; to make up for all the time we’d spent apart, from all the mistakes I made that pushed her into my brother’s arms? How could I face what breaks me down, lowering me until I’m riddled with pain?

As we pulled up to the entrance of the lavish hotel I wondered if I’d be able to will myself inside. That’s when I saw her, standing right in the lobby. As far away as she was, I knew it was her. Waves of heat overwhelmed me as I handed the driver some cash and stepped out of the vehicle with my bag thrown over my shoulder and my eyes still fixated on the prize. She couldn’t see me checking her out, finding all  the things that had changed about her in a matter of seconds.

Her beauty had only accentuated with time. I worried she wouldn’t feel the same about me. In that moment, when I walked into the building, nothing else mattered in the world. I’d forgotten about the promise I’d made to my brother, or the fact that anyone could have seen this reaction as a threat. My only focus was to get to her, hold her, and contemplate never letting her go.

I never would have expected her to react the way she did, and it only made our connection more consuming. My arms wrapped tightly around her body, while I took in the fragrance of her hair, remembering back when we still lived under the same roof. I had to keep holding her there to prevent her from seeing the tears that I was fighting back. She’d never understand how much I’d wished for this. For as many nights as I could count, I dreamed of this moment with her; one that was mutual and more endearing than any letter or phone call could provide. “I missed you so much,” I whispered, barely able to get words out.

She backed away and took in my appearance. I wondered if she liked me being in my fatigues. Did she notice any changes in me?

“It’s been a long time.”

What did that mean? Was she disappointed? Couldn’t she come back into my arms for a little while longer?

I had to remain calm. This was much harder than I expected it to be. “You look great, Kat.”

“Can I help you, sir?” The lady behind the desk interrupted.

For a second I had to look away even though I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. “I’m here to check in. The name is Valentine, Brooks Valentine.”

Before I had the chance to hug her again, or even consider what else we could talk about without me losing my cool, I heard my brother’s voice. He was in the room with us, and it was the first time we’d seen each other since he’d found out I’d slept with Kat.

“Well look at what the cat dragged in.” Branch came walking in with his arms full of boxes. He sat them down in a chair and walked over to greet me. I knew right away that this was all an act. “It’s real good to see you, bro,” He said loud enough for everyone to hear. Then, in a low whisper he spoke only to me. “If I see you putting your hands on her again it’s going to get ugly fast.”

I pulled away and faked a smile, realizing he’d seen how uncontrolled I already was around Kat. I couldn’t help it. For some reason I felt like I loved her even more, as if the distance between us had only made it stronger, instead of helping me to forget. “Yeah, you too,” I finally replied to Branch. He may have been fooling everyone in the room, but I was on high alert, as if he was my sworn enemy.

It felt great to see my parents again. I’d missed them and noticed right away how well they both appeared. I’d worried that they’d fall apart, but perhaps being forced together because they were all that was left had made them stronger. It was strange to me how that could happen, but it also gave me hope that sometimes love conquers all. Now, I’m the farthest you can get from a sap, but it was definitely a nice feeling to see my parents this way.

Before I’d even noticed what was going on, Kat was walking away from us. I tried not to let my brother notice that I was watching her, but it was too late. His expression left me wondering if he was going to kill me while I slept. I’d been there for less than ten minutes and already had a hit out on me because I couldn’t keep my shit together when I was with Kat. Coming to the wedding had been a terrible idea. I already knew it wasn’t going to end well.

While trying nonchalantly to search for Kat without being obvious, a cute red-head bounced over to greet me. It took me a second to realize that this must have been Kat’s friend Melissa. She stared into my eyes as she grabbed my hand to shake. I’d seen this look before, but found it hard not to laugh at how she was acting like a teenager who was flustered at the sight of me. “Hey, you must be Melissa. I’m Brooks.”

“I know. Kat told me all about you,” she responded with a smile. “Branch said you were single. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know that we’re in this together.”

“Come again? In what?” I had no idea what she was talking about. Was she implying that being single was something to celebrate?

“The duties of the being the best man and maid of honor, of course. What did you think I was saying?”

“I don’t know. Sorry, I’ve been traveling all day. My mind’s in a million places.”

“That can be resolved. There’s a bar right over there. After a couple drinks I’m sure you’ll feel more comfortable.”

I’m pretty sure she was hitting on me, and for some reason it was disturbing. I wondered if Kat had put her up to it, or possibly Branch. At any rate I had to be cordial because my brother and his accusing eyes were fixated on my every move.

Since I didn’t feel like carrying on a long conversation with this chick, I decided to head to my room. “I’m just going to go get changed. If you’ll excuse me?” I moved her body to the side, picked up my bag and headed for the elevators. Once inside I leaned back and took a few deep breaths. I didn’t know where Kat was, or even if she was thinking about me, but I couldn’t get my mind off of her to save my life.

I’d no sooner sat my things down on the bed when someone knocked on my door. I turned hoping and praying that it was her. To be behind closed doors and hold her again would have been fantastic, unfortunately that’s not who was waiting when I opened it up.

“Branch? What’s up?”

He punched me in the gut, sending me back to the bed. While I tried to catch my breath he started to speak. “You were here for a few seconds and already went back on your word. What the fuck is wrong with you? I told you to stay away from her.”

I shook my head. “You’ve got it all wrong,” I lied. “I was simply saying hi. If I didn’t hug her she would have suspected something. Get over yourself Branch. It was just a hug.”

He pointed directly at me. “Keep your hands off of my girl, Brooks. This is my last warning.”

“Or what?” I peered him right in the eyes while I stood to be level with his face. “What will you do? Will you send me away? Will you attempt to beat my ass because we both know how that will end. I’m almost double the size of you and have been trained to take down the enemy. There’s no way you could handle me. Take your threats and get the fuck out of my room. I’m here because I was asked to attend. Like it or not, SHE wants me here, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”

My brother just stood there, searching for something he could say that would bring me down. He looked away as he replied. “She feels sorry for you. That’s why you’re here. Kat’s like that. We’re the only family she has left. She thinks of you like a brother and nothing more. You’re fooling yourself if you thought you could come back here and be friends again. If she only knew what you did to her. You should be in jail.”

“She wouldn’t do that to me,” I whispered under my breath.

“Oh really? You think she’d ever forgive you?” He shook his head and began to chuckle. “Just remember who she’s marrying, brother. You weren’t her first choice. You lost. Say whatever you want, but I never had to sneak my way into her bed.”

It took everything in me to not plummet my brother to the ground. It was a low blow, one that I’d lived with since the first night I’d been intimate with Kat. He’d taken what I’d done and used it as a weapon against me, knowing there was nothing I could say or do to defend my actions. He had every right to be angry with me, but at the end of the day he was correct. She’d chosen him, and I couldn’t change that.

“Get out of my room!” I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as I said it.

Branch stood with the door half-open. “If you can’t act right don’t bother coming downstairs later. It’s going to be hard enough pretending that I like you during the service. I’d hate to have to strain myself this early on.”

When the door shut I buried my face into my hands. This couldn’t be happening already. This mess was mine to clean up, but I didn’t even know how to begin making it happen, not when I knew she was the only reason I was there in the first place.