Swoon: A Brother's Best Friend Standalone

She squeezes me tight. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” I kiss the top of her head. “Don’t worry. You won’t have too long to wait. A ring will be on your finger long before you start thinking about pulling the goalie.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispers, before pinching my nipple hard.

“Ow. Dude!”

She giggles.

“Aren’t you supposed to pinch yourself when you can’t believe something?” I say, laughing.

“Oh yeah. Sorry.” She pinches herself and frowns. “Well, that’s not nearly as fun.”

I laugh and kiss the top of her head again. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” She kisses my shoulder. “Baby, you just do it for me.”

It’s one of the lyrics from my song, of course. So, I sing it back to her.

“Was that performance tonight a one-time thing?” she asks. “Or will you ever sing me that song again?”

“I’ll sing it to you every night of your life, if you want,” I say.

“I do.”

“Then so it shall be, milady. Your wish is my command.”

She sighs happily, like a Disney princess. “I love you, Colin.”

“I love you, too, baby. And I always will.”

Thirty-Four

Amy

Six Months Later

“Hey, ladies,” Caleb says, coming to a stop in front of Violet, Alessandra, and me.

We three women are sitting on a bench in a far corner of Reed Rivers’ spacious patio, not far from the spot where Reed exchanged marriage vows with his bride, Georgina, a few hours ago. Ever since dinner ended and live music kicked off, Violet, Ally, and I have been dancing pretty much nonstop inside the house. At times, we’ve shaken our asses with our men. But mostly, we’ve let loose as a trio.

When we came out here to this bench a few minutes ago, I thought we’d throw back a quick drink and catch our breath before heading back inside to boogie again. Given the history between Caleb and Violet, I never would have thought, not in a million years, that Caleb would approach and say hello to our trio before we’d made it back inside.

I hop up to hug Caleb in greeting. We already hugged and said a quick hello earlier, right before sitting down for the ceremony, but I know it’s a big deal for him to come over here, so I want him to feel supported and encouraged.

As Caleb and I pull apart from our embrace, he smiles warmly at me, before tentatively smiling at Violet, who’s risen from the bench and is now standing next to me, her breathing shallow.

“Hi, Violet,” Caleb says softly. “You look beautiful.”

It’s a heartbreaking compliment, considering everything Caleb divulged to me when I stayed at his house six months ago. This inked mountain of a man unexpectedly poured his heart out to me during those five days, every bit as much I poured mine out to him, so I know, despite his hard outer shell, Caleb’s got a gooey-soft center—one he only shows to people who’ve earned his complete trust.

“Hello,” Violet replies softly. She steps forward like she’s going to hug him, but abruptly stops herself, which causes Caleb to wilt. But when Violet sees Caleb’s body language, she recalibrates and follows through with her initial instinct, widening her arms and giving him a warm and tender hug.

Alessandra and I exchange a look that says, Should we leave?

“We’ll let you two catch up in private,” I murmur, motioning to Alessandra to follow me.

But Violet disengages from Caleb and says, “Stay. There’s nothing Caleb and I need to say to each other in private.” She fixes her blue eyes on me, and I know from being around her so much these past six months, she’s nonverbally telling me she’ll cut a bitch—a bitch named Amy—if I take as much as a single step.

When it’s clear I’m staying put, Violet returns her attention to Caleb. “I’m so happy to see all the RCR guys decided to attend the wedding, even though you knew we’d all be here. I know it means the world to my brother that both bands could put their differences aside long enough to help him celebrate his love for Georgie.”

“My bandmates have always wanted you to be happy, in whatever form that took,” Caleb says. “They thought I was being an asshole—throwing a temper tantrum.”

“You were,” Violet says.

To my shock, Caleb nods in agreement with Violet’s comment, before saying, “My band stayed away to keep from pissing me off—as I’m sure Colin and Fish stayed away to show solidarity with Dax.”

“And with me,” Violet retorts. And it takes all my strength to keep my face neutral in response. I’m rooting for Caleb, of course. I love that man. But I can’t deny I’m proud of Violet for sticking to her guns and saying what needs to be said, without holding back.

“And later, with my son, too,” Violet adds. “Do you know Dax and I have a son?”