Falling for My Brother's Best Friend

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alec.

I was keeping an eye on Riley as she sat on David's lap. He was playing Santa for this chaotic event after being roped into it by Kate. Honestly, I'd rather him than me.

A few minutes later, when I looked over again, she was gone. I scanned the room, unable to see her through all the bodies, until my eyes landed on the corner where she stood.

A woman I know all too well was gripping her arm, her red nails digging into Riley’s skin. Quickly, I stood up and made my way over to them. “What the actual f**k?!”

Both women turned to me; Riley looked confused, while Julie, my ex, appeared furious despite having no reason to be.

My voice was commanding as I said, “Let her go now.”

“Are you cheating on me now, Al?” she sneered, looking Riley up and down. “With this w***e?”

Riley is no f*****g w***e. With a warning look, I replied, “Watch your f*****g mouth.”

As we glared at each other, Riley spoke up, clearly upset—though not as much as I was right now. “You invited me here while you have a girlfriend? After everything I've been through, you’re making this poor woman feel the same way?”

I swear, why do women always believe things that come out of someone's mouth without proof? It's irritating. Turning towards Riley, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close, our sides touching.

"We are no longer together, and we haven't been for two months. Little mouse, she’s been following me and showing up out of the blue. Whatever she said is a complete lie. If you don’t believe me, just ask Jackson; he will confirm it."

Her eyes darted between mine as she read my expression, and I made sure to keep my eyes trained on her. “Come on, little mouse, you know me.” She must have understood my thoughts, because seconds later, she wrapped her arm around my back. “Oh, I remember now. I’m sorry, love.”

She turned to Julie. “I’m sorry that you had a bad breakup, but he has moved on.” I felt the warmth of her touch on my chest as she finished, “He’s with me now.”

Julie’s face turned beet red, and just as she raised her hand to slap Riley, I stepped forward, and her hand connected with my cheek instead.

I'm not one to hit a woman, so I let out a heavy breath and grab her hand, which is frozen in place.

"You're lucky I'm not like all those other men because I’d hit you f*****g back. Julie, leave. I don’t want you here. I don’t want to marry you, and you will never change my mind. You’re clingy, crazy, and most of all, you’re not good enough for me.

I might have been a bit harsh, but it's been two months, and she won't leave me alone. A couple of weeks ago, she was inside my house, waiting for me in my bed, and I had to throw her out.

Her eyes start to fill with tears, and I brace myself for my usual reaction when I see those tears, but it doesn't come. Instead, I drop her hand and step back, positioning myself to shield Riley in the process.

“But you said you loved me,” she cries out, black tears trailing down her face from her smudged mascara.

“I once did, but not anymore. You were pushy, Julie. You wanted everything from me, and you were using me. But that's over now. You need to leave before I have you thrown out.”

She stamps her foot like a child, a behavior that clearly hasn’t changed. “I’m not leaving without you."

She walks toward me and wraps her arms around my neck. As she rises on her tiptoes to kiss me, I gently push her head back.

“Julie!” I warn her as her eyes fill with sadness. She tries again, so I push her back once more while I hear Riley rushing away, her heels tapping against the floor in a hurry—probably heading to the security team waiting at the door. How they haven't noticed this yet is beyond me; it seems I need to replace them.

I can feel the eyes of every worker on us as the struggle continues. I’m going easy on her; I could easily overpower her, but I don’t want to hurt her. If I did, I would get into trouble, so keeping her at a distance is my only option.

As I look at her face, frantic and desperate, the realization hits me: I can't keep going like this. I think it's time I get a restraining order. I haven't done it yet because I know it will make me look weak.

As I grab her arms, Mike approaches and pulls her away from me. She struggles against him as security arrives. "Let me go! He is mine! Let me go!" she shouts, desperately reaching for me.

I run a hand down my face, feeling drained of energy as both men grasp her arms, and drag her from the room while she kicks and screams. “I will make you regret this Michael’s you can't get rid of me that easily”

Lowering my head, I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out a deep breath. When I lift it again, I notice everyone's eyes on me.

“Get back to the damn party!” I didn’t need to shout, but they didn’t need to keep staring at me. I was already pissed off, and I didn’t need anyone else making it worse. At least now they had something to gossip about.

I could already hear the whispers: “Mr. Michaels, our boss, has a crazy ex-girlfriend who showed up and made a huge scene, only to be dragged away by security. You should have seen it; I’m sure this isn’t the end of the drama.”

Fortunately, they obeyed, turning their backs to me and rushing off to find something else to do. Mike wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Let’s go get a drink.”

When I took my seat, the bartender, who already knew my order, slid a glass to me. I knocked it back as if it were water and then slammed it down for a refill.

I could feel Mike’s eyes burning into the side of my face. “How long has this been going on, mate?”

“Since I broke it off with her. She’s like a damn leech.”

“So she’s stalking you? Why haven’t you told me about this? Have you reported it to the police?”

With my head lowered, I turned it slightly to look at him. “A grown man calling the cops because a woman is following him? Come on, dude, like they would take that seriously.”

He shook his head disapprovingly. “We’re getting this sorted. I saw the look in her eyes when she was being dragged away. What else has she done? I want to know everything.”

I really didn’t want to talk about this right now. What I wanted was to drink myself into a coma and forget all about this mess. “Let’s just forget about it for now, alright? Besides, I don’t know what I want to do right now. Just enjoy your drink.”

He let out a huff before turning to his glass. Leaning back in my chair, I glanced over to make sure Riley was still nearby. She was, sitting two seats down with a glass that looked like vodka and Coke. Her head was bowed as her finger circled around the rim.

With a low whistle, I capture her attention, raising my pointer finger to beckon her towards me. I didn’t have to say anything to Julie; she could have believed her own lie, but she knows me too well to think I would really invite her here if I had a girlfriend.

When she’s close enough for me to grab her hand, I pull her onto my lap and place a soft kiss on the same hand I grabbed. “Thank you, little mouse.”

“W-w-what?” she stutters, her cheeks turning bright red.

“I appreciate what you did for me. Thank you.”

She stares at me for a moment before her eyes drop to my tie—the one she picked out for me just a few hours ago. Grabbing the fabric, she plays with it as she says, “She gave me a bad vibe; there was something in her eyes! Anyway, I thought saying we were together would help.”

She lets the fabric slip through her fingers and tries to stand up, but I hold her close to my chest. “Have a drink with us, little mouse, and in an hour or two, I’ll take you back home. I’m sure you’ll want to stay for the games that Kate organized.”

Her eyes light up with excitement, which makes me smile. She’s one of a kind, and I can see why her family is so protective of her.

For the next hour, we drink, and just as she finishes her last glass, they announce, “It's time for Pin the Nose on the Reindeer.” She jumps up from my lap, nearly hitting her head on my chin from her excitement.

“Easy, little mouse! You nearly took me out!”

She covers her mouth and giggles, “I’m sorry, but it’s game time!”

With a huge smile on her face, she saunters off. Leaning back in my chair, I watch as she tries to pin the nose on the poster while blindfolded.

I guess tonight wasn’t so bad after all. For the first time in a long time, I’m not miserable.