My Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

Evan just sighs and takes a seat in one of the waiting room chairs.

His wife sits down beside him.

I just keep on pacing. I can’t help it. The sheer thought of something happening to Maybe has me straddling the line of barely keeping it together and completely losing my shit.

It feels like an eternity goes by before we hear anything.

“Uh…Maybe Willis’s boyfriend?” the nurse behind the reception desk calls out into the waiting room.

Without even thinking, I respond, “That’s me.”

She waves me over and provides a quick update. “Dr. Shepard wanted me to let you know they’ve started the surgery, and she is doing great.”

“Okay. Thanks. Will you let me know as soon as you hear anything else?”

She offers a kind smile. “Of course.”

A hint of relief fills my veins, but it’s not enough to completely remove the fear that’s become front and center. And I’m pretty much lost in my own head as I walk back toward Evan and Sadie.

It’s not until I lift my eyes to meet his that I notice the confused, albeit slightly irritated look on his face.

“Did she just call you Maybe’s boyfriend?”

Ah fuck.

“Uh…” I pause, completely unsure of what to say. I mean, I’m not her boyfriend. But shit, that’s what I want to be. And I can’t exactly act like I’m just friends with her at this point.

Not when I’ve realized I’m in fucking love with her.

Evan stands up from his seat.

“Ev,” Sadie mutters and pulls on his arm, but he ignores her.

“What the fuck is going on, Ives?”

Shit. The only time Evan ever drops last names is when he’s fucking pissed.

“It’s not exactly what you think.”

He narrows his eyes. “So, you’re not her boyfriend?”

“No, I’m not,” I say, and I know I can’t avoid this conversation any longer. I have to be honest with him. He deserves that much from me. I just didn’t think I’d have to do it on the night of his wedding in the middle of an ER waiting room while Maybe is in the midst of surgery.

Call me crazy, but I never quite pictured those circumstances.

“But I am in love with her.” I let the words fall past my lips, and between one blink in the next, Evan’s fist moves from clenched at his side to straight into my face.

“Ah shit,” I mutter and shake off the pain.

“Evan!” Sadie exclaims, but he’s far too worked up at this point to heed her warning.

“I asked you to help her with her career, not fuck her!” he shouts. “Jesus! I fucking knew something was going on with you, but not in a million years did I think it was my baby sister!”

I cringe. “Whoa there, buddy. That’s taking it a little too far.”

He laughs in outrage. “Like you’re one to talk. You apparently went a little above and beyond on doing me a favor, don’t you think?”

“I’m sorry,” I say, and I truly mean it. “I can tell you this is not what I planned on happening, but it happened. I can’t help how I feel about her. Your sister is an incredible woman who gives me something to look forward to every day. I thought I could be happy to have her as a friend, but over the past few months, our relationship has turned into something neither one of us expected.”

“So, you’re, like, together?” he questions. “You’re dating my fucking sister?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I can assure you…” My voice is haunted. “We are not dating.”

His face morphs into confusion. “Then what the fuck?”

“I want to be with her,” I admit. “More than fucking anything. But right now, she doesn’t want to be with me.”

His brow furrows again, and his face gets hard. “What did you do to her?”

“When I realized I was in love with her, I couldn’t…” I pause because how in the hell do I explain this?

“You couldn’t…?”

I sigh. “Just know I couldn’t take things to the place she wanted them to go.”

He shakes his head back and forth, he closes his eyes, and he brings his hand up to cover his clearly uncomfortable face. “Yeah, okay. I don’t want to know any more.”

A long moment of silence passes between us.

But eventually, Evan finds his words again.

“You should’ve been honest with me from the start.”

“I know. You’re right. And I’m sorry.”

“It’s going to take me a while to get over this, you know?”

I nod. “Understandable.”

“And it doesn’t mean I have to like it at first.”

I nod again. “I wouldn’t expect that.”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair before lowering his voice to a grumble. “Sorry I punched you.”

I shrug and smirk. “I deserved it.”

“Yeah, you definitely did.” A half smile lifts one corner of his mouth. “Thanks for being there for her tonight.”

“I’ll always be there for her,” I say with conviction.