I wish I had known. Because then I’d have understood that there were reasons she offered herself so easily and freely that night—reasons that had nothing to do with me or the connection between us. I’d have understood that Molly McKinley is a woman who needs to be taught her value, and that if I ever want her to see herself the way I see her, those lessons need to come from me.
She pulls her hand away and blinks at me. “I need to get upstairs.”
“I love you,” I say softly.
She tries to hide her wince, but I see it before she climbs off the couch and slides back into her shoes. “Brayden, I—”
“Miss McKinley!” Bella says, flying into the break room in a rush. “You said to come get you when the bride and groom got here.”
“Thanks, Bella,” she says.
“Are you sure you don’t need me?” I ask again.
She shakes her head. “I’m beginning to think you’re just trying to get out of your speech, Brayden.”
Molly
“Miss McKinley,” Bella says softly after dinner’s been served. “I think you need to see this.” She holds out her phone.
I shake my head. “Not now, Bella.” I nod toward the head table, where Brayden is about to give his speech as best man.
She bites her lip and looks anxiously between me and Brayden taking the microphone across the room. “Just look on Instagram as soon as you have a chance.”
I nod then press a finger to my lips, indicating she should be quiet now. She rushes back to the kitchen to help the other servers clean up.
Dinner service went well, considering we were short-handed, but I haven’t been able to chase away this gnawing feeling that’s been eating at my stomach and whispering ugliness in my ear since the incident with Austin.
Austin’s assumptions and presumptions about me brought all my old fears to the surface, and with every word Brayden said to try to make me feel better, I just kept thinking that what happened with Austin is more of the same. I got kicked out of my house because my landlord thought he was entitled to a piece of me, and when I didn’t hand it over, he got pissed. Brayden lost an investor when I got drunk and careless and forgot I wasn’t that girl anymore.
Tonight could have been worse, but it was a reminder that I can’t leave my past mistakes behind. They will follow me, and I have no idea why Brayden would want to put up with it.
Behind the head table, he straightens his suit jacket and smiles at the room. He’s gorgeous and kind, and the sight of him makes my throat go thick. “Good evening, everyone. I’m Brayden Jackson, Ethan’s brother, which means I’ve had the absolute pleasure of being his best man, and it means now you get the dubious pleasure of listening to me speak. Anyone in my family can tell you that’s not something I choose to do often.” He pauses a beat while everyone laughs. “Tonight, however, I’m proud to say a few words.” He turns toward the newlyweds. “I’m not someone who believes everything happens for a reason—at least not in the sense that there’s some cosmic plan unrolling outside of our control. We lost our father too soon. I watched my mother lose the love of her life too soon and watched my siblings each struggle with their grief. And I guess that just hurt too much to accept as some cosmic plan.” His gaze lands on Ethan. “When Ethan lost his first wife and was left to raise his daughter while ravaged by his grief, I knew I’d never believe such a thing.”
The last of the guests’ whispers quiet at the mention of Ethan’s late wife, and all eyes settle on the best man.
“And now that I’ve convinced a room full of people that I should never be allowed to speak at a wedding again”—laughter—“I’ll get to my point. Regardless of how good or bad the things in our life are, we get to choose. It’s the choice that’s the gift. Ethan and Nic chose love. Despite their individual heartaches. Despite their own fears of getting hurt. They could have declared their love just wasn’t meant to be. Instead, they fought for something better than the heartache they’d both endured before. And because they made that choice, they found something that inspired even my old, jaded heart to believe in the power of love.” He raises his glass. “To Nic and Ethan.”
“To Nic and Ethan,” the crowd calls in return, and they all drink. Even Brayden, who meets my eyes over his glass and holds my gaze. And because I’m a coward, because I’m not sure I can believe in the same things he does, I turn around and head for the kitchen, where my staff is working to clean up.