I groaned. I’d given Brandy whatever she wanted for this wedding. Since she was my only sister, I took a no-holds-barred approach to making her wedding wishes come true. It wasn’t like I was hurting for money. Far from it. I was one of the highest-paid professional pitchers in MLB. And if you counted my endorsements, I could buy a small island in the Bahamas and not even blink.
“That wedding planner is something else. Besides being neurotic about every single detail, she can’t stop flirting with me.”
One of my fears: fans. Not all fans, but the overly obsessive type, the ones I paid a shitload of money to file restraining orders against. I could spot them a mile away, the crazed look in their eye. When I’d caught one of my fans in my kitchen, waiting for me at the table, I nearly pissed myself. I didn’t even know how that one crazy fan had gotten in my house. I didn’t even want to think about the lengths that she had taken to accomplish breaking in.
Let’s not talk about the nurse tending to me when I’d had a concussion, taking a picture of me while I slept. She’d sent it to a friend, and it had gone viral.
The wedding planner didn’t fall into thestalker baseball fancategory, but she was annoying as fuck.
“For someone that runs a top wedding business, there’s not a lot going on up there.” I motioned to the vicinity of my head.
“Listen, Austin, I’d love to make small talk. Not.” She rolled her eyes. “But I need those favors.” She tugged the zipper of her jacket all the way to the floor.
I couldn’t help but grin at what was hiding underneath. “You got a cute little body on you, Sydney. Why are you hiding it under that marshmallow?” I teased, trying to rile her up. I needed to stop, but her reactions were amusing, as though I had personally offended her in some way.
“Because it’s below zero and snowing.” She threw up both hands. “Austin, I’m serious.”
My grin died on my face. This woman was no fun. “Brandy is not here. And she’s definitely not with my mom, given that my mom is out of the country. She’ll be back in town a day before the rehearsal dinner.”
My mother’s current rendezvous of choice was Antigua, with the latest man she was dating. I couldn’t keep track, nor did I care.
“I have no idea where the favors are.” I raised an eyebrow, wondering what her next dramatic reaction would be.
Sydney’s eyes widened, and she whispered as though she were in some scary movie, “Did she say she was talking to her mom? Is that why she had to get off the phone? I thought Brandy said she was with her mom.”
I whispered back, biting back a laugh, “But she’s not.”
She stared blankly behind me, zoning out. After a few beats, I peered to follow her line of sight, wondering what she was looking at. Nothing but air. “What?”
She seemed to snap out of it. “Nothing. Sorry. I was talking to myself. Where’s Brandy’s room?” She stomped down the long foyer and headed up the stairs that led to the second floor. “There are so many damn rooms in this house. Do you really need eight bedrooms for just the three of you?”
I hadn’t originally come from luxury. My father had left us when I started high school, and my mother worked two jobs to make ends meet. Getting drafted my senior year and signing a huge contract was the bestfuck youto my father I could’ve ever hoped for. And buying this house for my mother and sister was what I’d wanted to do. He had never provided for us, having abandoned us, but I could.
Sydney huffed as I followed her up the stairs. “Can you help me out here? Just tell me where Brandy’s room is in this place. If you can help me find the favors, then I’ll be out of your hair.” She almost smiled. Almost.
I grumbled as I led her to my sister’s bedroom. “Are you always such a joy to be around?” I was partly kidding.
Her mouth slackened, and she let out a visible sigh.
“I’m telling you, you need a beer.”
The comment was meant to make her smile, lighten her mood. It didn’t.
She stopped in the middle of the hall. “I’m sorry.” She rubbed at her brow and wrapped her arms around her center. “I have a lot on my plate. It’s been a long few months.” She closed her eyes briefly, sucking on her bottom lip. “Serena is so deeply involved with work and delegating my sisters on their jobs because she has control issues that no one has been helping Alec with the wedding, except me.”
Against my better judgment, her stress made me soften. “I get it. I’ll give you a pass this time.”
Even though it didn’t seem like it, I was stressed too. Brandy had been a bit of a bridezilla these last few months, and I sorta understood where Sydney was coming from. In a way, she and I were alike in that we’d had to raise our younger siblings.
“I want to make sure everything is perfect for my little sister. That’s why I’m giving her whatever she wants. Hiring this wedding planner, paying for everything her heart desires. Between you and me, she has free rein on my credit card right now.” I grimaced, and finally, that made her smile. I couldn’t help but grin, seeing that out-of-place brightness on her face.
“I’ve seen Brandy shop,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “I hope your card has a limit.”
I shook my head. “Nope.” I leaned into her, and our eyes locked. I thought her eyes were dark brown. Up close, they were hazel, like maple syrup or the light undertones of caramel mixed with toffee.
I held my breath.
One. Two. Three seconds passed before I blinked, cutting the connection between us. I swallowed. Hard.