My Best Friend's Brother (A Bashir Family Romance Book 1) (12 page)

I stayed in the small apartment my dad shared with Renee while we made his funeral arrangements. It was going to be a small, quick burial with just the few friends he had made in town and me, the only relative I knew of.

She made a huge show of paying all the bills for the casket and burial plot from their joint account,
no doubt full of his hard-earned money
—none of which I would ever see. I didn’t care about his money though. Out of the few possessions my dad had, there was only one thing I wanted.

But it turned out she got her greedy hands on that, too.

When I brought my dad’s lone dark blue suit to the funeral home for the undertaker, I asked him about my dad’s gold cross.

“Your mother already took it,” he answered, his eyes kind and full of sympathy.

I would have marched into her apartment and punched her in the face if I had any fight left in me. But I was spent, unable to sleep. I needed to last one more day and then he would finally be laid to rest.

I would figure out how to get home later.

Without his gold cross.

At the cemetery, a local pastor said a short prayer and quoted some scripture and that was that. Renee and I placed roses on his casket and he was lowered into the ground.

Goodbye, dad. You did the best you could. I love you.

The skies were threatening rain, and I felt a few drops give their warning. Renee made a big deal about getting her hair done and her nails freshly painted in dad’s “favorite color,” some obnoxious shade of hot pink. I prayed it would rain if only to ruin her hair. And if God through in a little acetone, to ruin those gaudy nails as well, that would be nice too.

A moment later, the rain came quickly and fell in torrents. It didn’t take long before I was alone with my father, everyone else running from the spring shower as if it contained flesh eating bacteria.

Renee was the first to leave. “Oh no, my hairdo!” she shrieked as she ran to her car, her stilettos digging into the fresh mud.

I was profoundly relieved. I could finally cry now that I was alone, and I did, keeping pace with the pounding rain. From somewhere deep inside, years of repressed tears turned to sobs and released in rivers sliding down my body mingling with the cold deluge from the sky.

I wept for my dead father, for my alcoholic mother I would never know, and for the orphan I was now…but had really been for all intensive purposes since I was two. I wept for my damaged relationship with the Bashirs, and for hurting Annika.

And I wept for Dev.

I had forced my mind to move on from him, but my heart was still broken and bruised trying to hold on to some hope that he cared about me.

Why couldn’t I just let him go?

When I was empty of tears I just stood there, a sort of zombie transfixed by the muted colors of the trees in the rain and the rows of dreary gray headstones against the bright manicured green of the lawn. The impossibility of moving on—literally and figuratively—paralyzed me. There was nowhere for me to go…and no one to come get me.

I was utterly alone in the world now.

An hour passed, maybe two. I wasn’t sure. As I sank into the saturated ground, frozen in my loneliness, time seem to stand still.

At some point, I felt I left my body. I could almost see myself, a slight figure in an ill-fitting, hastily purchased, black dress, standing in front of freshly dug grave. I was numb and cold, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care for anything anymore.

When I saw a dark figure move toward me in the rain, I watched with the indifferent curiosity of a ghost. As he approached me, my mind registered it was Dev, but I had no reaction.

I’m hallucinating.

Beneath the concern and worry, his face looked beautiful. Perfect. How I loved that face. The rain caught on his long lashes over his dark, soulful eyes. I focused on a solitary drop hanging onto the tip of one lash…holding…holding, the surface tension fighting to stay intact. And then, depleted of will, it gave up and fell into a stream of water racing down his cheek.

He said something to me, but I didn’t understand.

He’s talking to me. What is he saying?

Everything started to turn black. I fought the wave of dizziness, but I couldn’t hold on any longer. Like the raindrop, I simply let go.

I’m falling.

Moments later, I woke slightly to the feeling of his tight embrace and a rocking motion over a hurried gait, the rain pounding on my upturned face.

He’s carrying me.

When he shut the passenger door to his SUV, my senses returned. My head pounded with a headache, so I slouched against the seat and turned toward the door window in an effort to escape the throbbing. I heard him get into the driver’s seat next to me, and felt him lean over me to check if I was conscious. I made sure he saw I was, but I avoided eye contact, believing it would lead to talking. And I had nothing to say to anyone.

I
vaguely recall the SUV pulling up to a large hotel, but how I got up to the room is a blur of images.

Dev’s arm wrapped tightly around my waist as we walked through the lobby.

The curious look of an older couple at the check-in desk reacting to my soaked clothes and hair.

The red glow of the digital numbers over the elevator door moving slowly from one to nine.

Standing next to the bed with Dev efficiently stripping off my cold, wet dress and then moving me under the blankets.

The bed was delicious. I hadn’t slept for the past two nights and now I couldn’t stay awake if a parade marched through the room.

When I woke in a daze a few hours later, the room was dark and empty. I wondered if I had, in fact, imagined him.

Where is Dev?

I fell back asleep believing he was just a hallucination. I would worry about the details of how I got to the hotel when I felt better. Sleep was calling me back.

Sometime later, I awoke refreshed, my senses alert. The room was dark except for a crack of light coming from the security lights in the parking lot outside. I could see Dev sitting in the armchair next to the window watching me.

“Feeling better?” He sounded anxious.

I sat up in bed and quickly realized I was in only my bra and panties. I pulled the blanket up over my chest.

Too late for modesty, Scarlett.

I noticed that my luggage and purse were neatly stacked in the corner of the room.

“You got my things.” My voice sounded quiet and weak.

“Ah yes, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Renee. Interesting lady.” He sat down on the edge of the bed next to me and pulled something out of his pocket. “I fetched this for you as well.” He dangled my dad’s gold cross in front of me.

I snatched it from him, not bothering to hide the emotion on my face. It was as if he had returned a piece of my dad to me.

“How did you get this?”

He raised his eyebrows like he was reliving some uncomfortable memory.

“When I tracked her down, she struck me as someone who might be tempted to hang onto some things that I know your father would prefer you have. If there’s anything else you want, I’m happy to go back.”

I imagined Renee facing Dev and suppressed a smile. He could be pretty damn intimidating when he wanted to.

“No, this is all I wanted.” I met his eyes. There was so much emotion between us…it was almost unbearable.

He grabbed my hand and held it tightly. I could tell he was holding back from doing more.

“I’m so sorry about your father, Scarlett. I came as soon as Annika told me.”

I looked away and pulled my hand from his. Dev being here was too much to process.

But he came.

“Why are you shutting me out?” he asked, almost pleading.

I bit my lower lip trying to gain the courage to say what I needed to say.

“I know what you did, Dev. You don’t have to keep pretending to care about me because my dad died. I’m a big girl. I can take the truth.”

“Pretending? You think I’m
pretending
to care about you?”

“You’re very good at it. You had everyone fooled, especially your mother.”

He flinched at my words, and then moved back to the chair. He folded his arms and rubbed his chin, thinking.

“I know it was difficult for you…when my family returned. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I know I was…
insensitive
that morning. But I was wrapped up in my own problems, Scarlett.”

“What problems?”

He looked taken aback. “You read my letter, right?”

“No. Annika just gave it to me. I haven’t had a chance…with everything going on.”

“Oh.” He shifted uneasily in the chair. “But you ignored my calls, my emails. Why?”

Didn’t he realize what everyone else did? We couldn’t be together.

“I didn’t see the point. Sorry,” I offered.

He just stared at me and I tried to pretend I didn’t see the pain in his eyes.

He stood up in a hurry. “We better get you back home, Scarlett.”

“I can take a flight.”

Only after I said this did it occur to me that I had probably maxed out my credit card.
You stupid, stubborn girl.

“I can arrange a flight for you, if you wish, but I would prefer someone keep an eye on you. In case you faint again. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want.”

He paused, weighing my response, and almost said something but stopped himself.

“Thanks,” I offered quietly. Did I look as pathetic as I sounded?

“We can drive straight through to Texas. I’ll be in the lobby when you’re ready.”

As he quickly headed for the door I regretted everything I had said. I wanted so badly to tell him I loved him for coming after me…that I thought about him all the time…that there could be no one but him.

But I didn’t.

The heavy hotel door shut behind him with a sickening thud.

Dev didn’t say a word to me all the way to Colorado, and when he spoke it was out of necessity.

“Looks like a spring storm. I don’t have any chains and it would be stupid to risk it.”

It was dark outside, but I could see the snow flurries painting the road white farther up ahead. A flashing sign signaled that chains would be needed if we were to continue.

“What should we do?” I asked. I never had to deal with snow in Texas.

“There’s a decent looking hotel off the highway. We’ll just stay the night here and reassess in the morning.”

He looked at me tenderly. “You could probably use some more rest.”

We pulled into the worn but clean Happy Pines Lodge and Dev checked us in while I huddled by a heater in the lobby. When he returned, he looked apologetic.

“Sorry, Scarlett. They only had one room. Apparently we’re not the only ones seeking shelter from the storm tonight.”

I almost laughed out loud.

Of course there’s only one room.

“I can sleep on the floor,” he offered.

“Thanks.”

Room 205 wasn’t half and had a rustic, cozy feel. Dev put the luggage in the closet and then turned to me as I took off my coat.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m famished. There’s a restaurant downstairs…shall we go?” he asked.

The last thing I wanted was to sit across from him eating Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes from a box.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Contrary to what you must believe, you’re not a squirrel, Scarlett.” He looked at my small bag of roasted almonds on the desk. “You can’t live off of nuts.”

“I’m fine, Dev. Thanks.”

“I’ll bring you something.”

When he was gone, I took a long, hot shower. I thought about the letter and wondered what was in it that was so important. I made up my mind I was going to read it that night.

I towel-dried my long curls and then put on my robe. Dev was still gone, so I opened up my purse where I had kept his letter since Annika first gave it to me. When I couldn’t find it, I emptied out my purse on the desk and sorted through the piles.

Not here? Damnit, where could it be?

I carefully went through my luggage. Nothing.

Then I spied Dev’s overnight bag.
Could he have taken it?

I glanced at the door. Surely he would be gone for a little while longer. I carried the leather carry-on to the bed and opened up the first exterior pocket, the most obvious place he would have stashed it. There was nothing inside but a black velvet box. A jewelry box.

What is this?

I thought it could be the box Renee kept my dad’s necklace in. I opened it, expecting it to be empty, but instead there sat a large diamond engagement ring.

What is he doing with an engagement ring?
It looked like two carats set in intricately etched platinum. Someone had taken great care picking it out.

It was perfect. 

Before I could think of all the reasons he would have this ring, the door opened. Dev stood there, no doubt surprised at seeing me rifle through his things—
again
. He looked horrified when he spotted the box in my hand, as if I found something sinister among his possessions—something that revealed a deep, dark secret.

“What are you doing?” he gasped.

I snapped the box closed.

“Sorry. I was looking for something.”

He walked in carefully, like he was approaching someone with a loaded gun. He was trying to read my face.

“What’s the ring for?” I asked, forcing myself to sound indifferent.

He moved in closer, his gaze intense and serious. I almost looked away, his eyes burned through me.

“It’s an engagement ring. I bought it for you five months ago,” he answered, his voice solemn. “I’ve been carrying it around with me like an idiot ever since.”

I wasn’t expecting that.

Of all the things he could have said, I never would have guessed it would be that. A million thoughts ran through my head, but no words came out.

He continued. “You might as well know. I was planning to ask you to marry me…after you graduated.” He brushed my wet hair back from my cheek. His touch was electric, and my breath quickened. “No matter what you think…or what anyone else has told you, I love you, Scarlett.”

I could feel my eyes filling with tears. I tried to hold them back, but failed. I looked down at the cheap hotel carpeting, trying to hide my emotion.

“But you can’t
marry
me. Your family…”

When I blinked, I felt the build-up of hot tears release and roll down my cheek.

He moved in so close I imagined I could hear his heart beating. But it was mine, racing, pounding in my ears. He tenderly lifted my chin up so he could see my face.

“There’s no one standing between us, my love, except for us. I know you’re young, but we can wait. I just want—need—you near me. I can’t explain it, but I found you just when I had lost myself. When I didn’t know who I was anymore. Scarlett—”

Out of words, he leaned down and kissed my tears away on each cheek, slowly, methodically. He made his way to my mouth and kissed me carefully, as if I could break. Then he pulled back and searched my eyes for some sign that I felt the same way.

I was overwhelmed.

Marry me?

But I was 18 and just out of high school—we were
both
so young.

Something didn’t make sense to me, but the look of utter love in his eyes convinced me that somehow it would all work out.

I kissed him back, hard on the mouth, the intensity of my feelings taken possession of my body.

In between breathless kisses, he whispered, “Scarlett, tell me you love me.”

I met his eyes. I didn’t know what the future would hold or what obstacles we would face, but what I did know was enough for now.

It was everything.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tight, never wanting to let go.

“I love you, Dev.”

The end.