Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(21)

“It’s been a long time.”

What did that mean? Was she disappointed? Couldn’t she come back into my arms for a little while longer?

I had to remain calm. This was much harder than I expected it to be. “You look great, Kat.”

“Can I help you, sir?” The lady behind the desk interrupted.

For a second I had to look away even though I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. “I’m here to check in. The name is Valentine, Brooks Valentine.”

Before I had the chance to hug her again, or even consider what else we could talk about without me losing my cool, I heard my brother’s voice. He was in the room with us, and it was the first time we’d seen each other since he’d found out I’d slept with Kat.

“Well look at what the cat dragged in.” Branch came walking in with his arms full of boxes. He sat them down in a chair and walked over to greet me. I knew right away that this was all an act. “It’s real good to see you, bro,” He said loud enough for everyone to hear. Then, in a low whisper he spoke only to me. “If I see you putting your hands on her again it’s going to get ugly fast.”

I pulled away and faked a smile, realizing he’d seen how uncontrolled I already was around Kat. I couldn’t help it. For some reason I felt like I loved her even more, as if the distance between us had only made it stronger, instead of helping me to forget. “Yeah, you too,” I finally replied to Branch. He may have been fooling everyone in the room, but I was on high alert, as if he was my sworn enemy.

It felt great to see my parents again. I’d missed them and noticed right away how well they both appeared. I’d worried that they’d fall apart, but perhaps being forced together because they were all that was left had made them stronger. It was strange to me how that could happen, but it also gave me hope that sometimes love conquers all. Now, I’m the farthest you can get from a sap, but it was definitely a nice feeling to see my parents this way.

Before I’d even noticed what was going on, Kat was walking away from us. I tried not to let my brother notice that I was watching her, but it was too late. His expression left me wondering if he was going to kill me while I slept. I’d been there for less than ten minutes and already had a hit out on me because I couldn’t keep my shit together when I was with Kat. Coming to the wedding had been a terrible idea. I already knew it wasn’t going to end well.

While trying nonchalantly to search for Kat without being obvious, a cute red-head bounced over to greet me. It took me a second to realize that this must have been Kat’s friend Melissa. She stared into my eyes as she grabbed my hand to shake. I’d seen this look before, but found it hard not to laugh at how she was acting like a teenager who was flustered at the sight of me. “Hey, you must be Melissa. I’m Brooks.”

“I know. Kat told me all about you,” she responded with a smile. “Branch said you were single. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know that we’re in this together.”

“Come again? In what?” I had no idea what she was talking about. Was she implying that being single was something to celebrate?

“The duties of the being the best man and maid of honor, of course. What did you think I was saying?”

“I don’t know. Sorry, I’ve been traveling all day. My mind’s in a million places.”

“That can be resolved. There’s a bar right over there. After a couple drinks I’m sure you’ll feel more comfortable.”

I’m pretty sure she was hitting on me, and for some reason it was disturbing. I wondered if Kat had put her up to it, or possibly Branch. At any rate I had to be cordial because my brother and his accusing eyes were fixated on my every move.

Since I didn’t feel like carrying on a long conversation with this chick, I decided to head to my room. “I’m just going to go get changed. If you’ll excuse me?” I moved her body to the side, picked up my bag and headed for the elevators. Once inside I leaned back and took a few deep breaths. I didn’t know where Kat was, or even if she was thinking about me, but I couldn’t get my mind off of her to save my life.

I’d no sooner sat my things down on the bed when someone knocked on my door. I turned hoping and praying that it was her. To be behind closed doors and hold her again would have been fantastic, unfortunately that’s not who was waiting when I opened it up.

“Branch? What’s up?”

He punched me in the gut, sending me back to the bed. While I tried to catch my breath he started to speak. “You were here for a few seconds and already went back on your word. What the f*ck is wrong with you? I told you to stay away from her.”

I shook my head. “You’ve got it all wrong,” I lied. “I was simply saying hi. If I didn’t hug her she would have suspected something. Get over yourself Branch. It was just a hug.”

He pointed directly at me. “Keep your hands off of my girl, Brooks. This is my last warning.”

“Or what?” I peered him right in the eyes while I stood to be level with his face. “What will you do? Will you send me away? Will you attempt to beat my ass because we both know how that will end. I’m almost double the size of you and have been trained to take down the enemy. There’s no way you could handle me. Take your threats and get the f*ck out of my room. I’m here because I was asked to attend. Like it or not, SHE wants me here, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”