Everybody's After Love (5 page)

Suppressing the eye roll deep inside me at the formality of this event, I force a smile instead because my brother always thinks of everything. Pressing the doorbell, I hear loud chimes ring inside the house and the sound of a yippy dog.
Great, they’re small dog people.
The door swings open and Barbie at fifty opens the door wearing an emerald green halter tea-length cocktail dress with diamonds around her neck and ears that I don’t even want to know what the price tag says.

“James Paul, good to see you!” the woman proclaims, pulling him into a hug and a kiss on the cheek. With Paulie safely inside the house, I stand there awkwardly until who I assume is Mrs. Ladner turns her attention to me and gives me a big smile. “Your brother doesn’t do you justice, you are absolutely gorgeous. You must be Julianna.”

My cheeks blaze red and only increase in color as she pulls me in for the same hug and kiss she gave my brother. I mumble, “It’s actually Jules.”

Leaning back, but not letting go of me, she nods. “That’s right, I apologize. Brianna told me that. I’m Rita Ladner and let me just say that I could not be more excited to have both of you joining our family.”

Both of us?
I glance over at Paulie who has a smile on his face. Mrs. Ladner pulls me down the hall while my brother heads up the stairs to see his future bride. I turn my head from side to side taking in the luxurious floor plan. Vaulted ceilings throughout the entire first level, a library to my left, a formal dining room to my right, and a spacious kitchen straight ahead. She shows me to a chair at the breakfast bar and I set the bottle of wine on the counter, still too in awe of the house to mention it.

“So, Jules,” she says with difficulty, as though it pains her to not say my full name, “James Paul has told us so much about you, but remind me exactly what you do for a living.”

Really?
Because he hasn’t told me anything about this family other than to be on my best behavior. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I explain, “Well, currently I adjunct teach for the local university and am working toward my EdD so that I can join their staff full-time.”

“That’s wonderful!” she proclaims and for a brief moment I see a sparkle in her eyes. It’s a look that only a mother can give and I wonder if that’s how my mom would see me if she was still alive.

Mrs. Ladner returns to the punch as I begin to fidget. I grab a carrot off the tray in front of me and take a loud, crispy bite. Mrs. Ladner looks up surprised and I stop in mid-chew, wondering if I should spit it out. My eyes dart around the kitchen looking for a napkin when both of us turn in the direction of another carrot cruncher.

A tall, lanky man with short, dark hair and a matching trimmed beard stands beside me, chewing on the orange vegetable. Unlike Mrs. Ladner, my brother, and myself who are dressed for the President’s inauguration, he’s wearing an unbuttoned blue and white plaid dress shirt with a white t-shirt underneath and a pair of dark denim jeans. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. This handsome man winks at me, as though we share a secret with our carrot munching habit. He has that same perfectly round nose that Bri does, so my best guess is that this is her brother.

His long arm moves around my shoulder and I look from his hand up to his chocolaty brown eyes, getting lost for a brief moment. Giving me a squeeze, he says, “You must be Jules, the maid-of-honor.”

Fighting the eye roll I feel coming on, I nod. “And who are you?”

He leans down close to my face, but speaks loud enough that Mrs. Ladner can hear. “Can’t you tell? I’m the black sheep of the family. Bentley, Bri’s older brother.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mrs. Ladner grimace as Bentley shortens his sister’s name. I hold in a smile and shake his hand. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Bentley.”

He raises his eyebrows to say likewise as he grabs another carrot and heads out the door. Mrs. Ladner taps her spoon on the edge of the bowl. “Bentley,
please
go change for the party,” she begs.

He lifts his carrot above his head to signify that he heard her, but keeps walking. Well, at least his voice isn’t as annoying as his sister’s…and his backside looks mighty fine in those tight jeans.

Before long, the party is in full swing and I’d been introduced to every single family friend of the Ladners, all hundred of them. I am now safely positioned between my brother’s two best friends, Doug and Smitty. They both helped Paulie raise me. Seriously, three college men raising a teenager, it’s a shock that we all survived. We had our own version of
Three Men & a Baby
except it was three men and a teenage woman.

Champagne flutes are being passed around to toast the bride and groom. Looking at the lavish furniture and decorations, I sigh. A pang of envy shoots through me as I recall the one bedroom apartment Paulie and I lived in while I was in high school, completely different than this life of luxury that Bri and Bentley obviously had. Paulie tried to keep us in our parents’ house as long as he could, but when I entered ninth grade, he moved us to an apartment to ensure there was money to put me through college. Meanwhile, he’s still paying off his college loans.

Mr. Ladner holds up his drink as he drones on and on about his little princess and the eye rolls can’t be contained. Doug elbows me after my third eye roll, he always was the most strict of the three men. I raise my eyebrows, questioning his actions. I mean its only been three eye rolls in ten minutes as we hear about every highlight of Bri’s life, I think that’s pretty good. We’re only up to Bri’s junior high days when I step outside on the terrace.

Away from the crowd and the clean air in the country, my mind can think more clearly. The bright moonlight reflects off the lake down the hill from the house. The stars are twinkling above me as I watch them closely, hoping for a falling star to wish on. I down the champagne and lean over the railing as a meteor streaks across the dark sky.

“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might—”

“What are you wishing for?” a deep, rugged voice says. He stands against the railing, his back to the lake and slightly leans toward me.

Startled, I straighten up and smooth out my dress. “Why aren’t you inside listening to the ode to your sister?” I know it’s rude and Paulie would probably kill me if he knew I said it, but sarcasm is my best form of defense.

Bentley laughs and I notice he has a small dimple on his right cheek when he smiles. He’s now wearing the suit his mother requested. He lifts his chin up in the direction of where Mr. Ladner is still talking and the party goers are sipping their champagne as it’s now room temperature.

“My old man can be a little long winded, especially when it comes to his little girl. So what are you wishing for?”

Spinning the flute in my fingers, I open my mouth to answer, but then stop.
What am I wishing for?
As much as I’d love to wish this marriage wasn’t happening, I’m not that cold-hearted. Maybe I should wish that I’d eventually like my future sister-in-law.

Before I can respond with a seemingly safe answer like world peace, Bentley slowly moves his head up and down. “Right… you aren’t supposed to tell or it won’t come true.”

A smile tugs at my lips as his comment is something Paulie would say to save me from total embarrassment. My eyes cast back to the lake in front of me and I see Bentley turn his head in the same direction.

“You ever night fish?”

“Excuse me?”

“Night fish? You set out poles with bells on the rods so when you get a bite, it catches your attention.”

“Um…no. I don’t fish, not during the night or day,” I say, scrunching up my nose in disgust at the thought of touching wiggly worms or slimy fish.

His hand catches mine as he grins and pulls us toward the driveway.

“You do now!” he exclaims with the same elation his sister had at the church.

“Uh… what? What are you talking about?” I stumble in my heels as he hurries us across the patio, pausing only to help me catch my balance. He stops in front of a Ford F-350 on raised wheels. I look up at the cab of the truck and back at him. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to climb into that.”

Without warning, he opens the door, picks me up so gently that I don’t even realize he’s moved me until I’m sitting in the bench seat of the cab. As he closes the door and walks to his side of the truck, I quickly look around and see camo seat covers, a tackle box in the backseat, and a camo garter hanging from the rearview mirror. The smell of mulch hits the fresh, yet woodsy scent of his cologne as he climbs in beside me and roars the engine to life.

“Hang on, Jules, we’re about to make you country,” he declares with a grin full of excitement. Seriously, where do these Ladners get their enthusiasm?

***

Shifting gears, I grin and watch a shocked Jules hanging on tightly as I cut through the field to the lake. I should probably be back at the party, listening to my father boast on my sister, but unlike the other guests, he doesn’t have to convince me. I know Brianna is an incredible, kind, and devoted young woman. Besides, Bri never mentioned how attractive her future sister-in-law was either.

Jules is the hottest brunette I’ve seen in a while with the brightest blue eyes that I can barely pull my attention away from. Her complexion is dark, especially for this time of the year and her sultry cocktail dress displays a pair of smoking hot, toned legs that make me want to know where they end.

I feel my pants getting tight and force myself to look away from her. I haven’t dated in almost a decade and the last time I was intimate with a woman was two years ago. I need to get it together before Jules notices and I don’t get a chance to get to know her myself. Between her looks and the stories I’ve heard about her, I have a feeling we’ll probably get along very well, maybe too well.

CHAPTER 6

I quickly find out where Bentley gets his excitement from. The bump and thump of his diesel truck bouncing over the field, driving through the mud. The guy is grinning ear to ear as I’m holding on to the “oh-shit” handle above the door and hanging on for dear life. It doesn’t take us too long to reach the lake where he backs his truck up and shuts off the engine. He turns to me with a sideways grin and a wink.

“Ready?”

I shake my head, waiting for my stomach to settle. Ignoring my gesture, Bentley jumps down from his truck. He walks to my side, opening the door and offering his hand to help me down. Gripping my right hand tightly, his left hand moves to my waist to steady me as I slide out of his truck. I hang on to him as gracefully as I can while trying not to let my dress fly up at the same time. Once my feet are on the ground, he doesn’t let go of my hand. Instead he guides us to the back of his vehicle where he drops the tailgate.

When he lets go of me, I’m confused by the tingling sensation flowing through my body, starting where his hand had held mine. I don’t have long to contemplate what this means as he grabs me by the waist again and sets me on the end of his truck.

Grumbling, I mutter, “I’m not a ragdoll.” Geez, the man just swings me around however he feels.

He frowns. “Sorry about that. Would you like me to help you down so you can climb up in that dress of yours?”

My cheeks glow at his comment as my legs dangle from his truck and I look down knowing there’s no way I would’ve made it up myself. I roll my eyes and give a slight shudder as a breeze blows off the lake in the cool March evening.

Bentley slips his suit coat off and holds it in front of me with raised eyebrows. “Want my jacket?”

I start to protest, but when another wind blows through, I gladly slip it around my shoulders as I mutter thanks.

Bentley rolls up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and loosens his tie. Standing in front of me, he leans toward me and I freeze, not sure what he’s going to do. His face just inches from me, his lips turn sideways while his hand reaches behind me and he retrieves two fishing poles. Relaxing a bit, still confused as to why his touch and proximity are making me nervous, I lean back on my hands while he hums a somewhat familiar tune and untangles the fishing line.

“What are you humming?”

He looks up, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “Get Your Shine On.”

I scrunch my nose, not familiar with the name at all. “Who is it by?”

Letting out a deep belly chuckle, he looks at me and gets serious when he sees I’m not clear what he’s talking about. “Florida Georgia Line… You know who they are, right?”

I shrug. I’ve heard a few of their songs on the radio, but I’m not a country fan. Bentley turns his attention back to the fishing poles, still shocked by my lack of musical knowledge as he shakes his head. Picking up both poles, he turns toward the lake which is a muddy mess on the shore line.

“What about your suit?” I ask. One step toward the water and he’ll be ankle deep in mud.