Page 1 of My Best Friend’s Billionaire Brother (Billionaire Brothers #4)

Josie

The subway wooshes to a stop with a loud squeal, and the doors slide open. I tug my coat tighter around my torso as I patiently wait for riders to get off before hopping through the doors and finding a vacant seat. With another squeal, the train takes off.

I glance down at the time on my phone. If there aren’t any delays, I should make it just in time.

I tuck my feet under the seat, feeling the cold metal of the railing against my bare ankles.

I glance down at my heels, hoping they’ll hold up to the inevitable five-minute frigid, rainy, January walk from the station to the Boston Public Library .

Where my best friend is currently having what I can only imagine is the most lavish engagement party of the century.

I shake my head with a small grin just thinking about it.

When Chloe had told me she was engaged just a few months ago, I knew I was in for a wild ride.

And not even in a bad way. Daughter to one of the most prominent families in Boston, with old money going back generations, I knew that simply being in the vicinity of her wedding was going to be an experience unlike any other. And it’s already starting.

With her parents renting out the entire Boston Public Library for her engagement party.

I only hope my deeply discounted Abercrombie and Fitch dress is fitting enough for the occasion.

The ride into Boston and down to the library takes a little over thirty minutes.

I don’t have the funds to live in actual Boston, so my place is a bit on the outskirts. Thank god for easy public transit .

When the subway pulls up to my stop, I hop up and dash out the door like the rest of the riders.

Bracing myself for the cold and pulling my hood over my meticulously curled hair, I head out into the rainy streets.

The walk is barely five minutes—just crossing a street and finding the entrance—but it feels like an eternity with the wind and rain.

I jog up the front steps of the Boston Public Library, feeling the warm woosh of air as I step inside.

Immediately I’m greeted by a kind man in a tux offering to take my coat, which I gladly hand over.

He directs me toward a hall off to the right, and I follow the sound of soft music and laughter until I come across the party.

Stepping in the large and lavish room, I’m immediately confronted with what seems to be hundreds of people. Hundreds. For an engagement party.

I smooth the front of my deep green satin shift dress, knowing full well that it barely stacks up to the elegance of the dresses around me .

The room itself is beautiful, with ornate paintings adorning the walls and gorgeous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Waiters saunter about with drinks and hors d’oeuvres on trays, and soft ambient music plays in the background.

Over the sea of people, I finally manage to catch someone’s eyes. Chloe, dressed in an adorable, tulle, white gown suitable for a bride, lights up when she sees me, immediately gliding across the room through the throngs of people.

She throws her arms around me with a squeal, and I laugh. “Chloe, this is incredible,” I say, gesturing around.

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” she says, pulling back from the hug and shooting me a smile. Her blonde hair sits in soft waves around her shoulders.

A man comes up behind her, sliding an arm gently around her waist. Chloe looks up at him, her smile only growing.

“Hey, Turner,” I greet .

“Josie,” he says with a smile. “So glad you could make it to our party.”

“She’s the maid of honor,” Chloe says with an eyeroll. “If she couldn’t make it, I would have rescheduled.” She laughs.

Chloe and Turner have been dating for about two years now, and they’re about as perfect as two people could be for each other.

Both athletic, outdoorsy types, they spend their free time running 10ks, playing tennis, and going on extravagant, wilderness-related travels.

From the moment Chloe introduced me to him, I knew he was the one.

A waiter walks by, and Chloe waves him over, offering me champagne. I take a glass and thank him, and he wanders off. I take a sip. Not surprisingly, this might just be the best champagne I’ve ever had.

Chloe and I have known each other since elementary school.

We were fast friends, and despite our drastically different lives, we’ve remained thick as thieves ever since.

Chloe came from stability, money, extravagance, and I came from a broken household with a single mother and less stability than a bird balancing on a twig.

Nonetheless, my friendship with Chloe has weathered each and every storm.

And I can’t wait to celebrate her and Turner’s love.

“Did you get those links to bridesmaid dresses I sent you this morning?” Chloe asks.

I nod. “Yes, they’re gorgeous. Do you have a favorite?”

She waves off my question. “Choose the one you like best. That’s what I’m having all the girls do. Same color, different styles. I want to make sure you feel pretty too.”

I cock my head, grinning. In all honesty, I don’t care if I look like a complete and utter blob on Chloe’s wedding day, as long as she’s happy. But, true to her personality, Chloe is still thinking about others—even on the day that’s supposed to be all about her.

Turner’s attention is called away by a new arrival, leaving Chloe and I alone. She clasps her hands together and practically squeals again. “It’s all coming together so well,” she says with a shake of her head. “I’m so excited.”

Her joy infectious, I grin back.

“I had my first dress fitting yesterday, and,” she rolls her eyes as if having a spiritual encounter, “ god , is it going to look incredible on a beach.”

Chloe and Turner are having a destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, only four short months from now.

May is supposedly one of the best times to get married there.

Chloe has always dreamt of a beach vacation.

Besides, it’s a short jump from there to Turner and Chloe’s honeymoon in Costa Rica where they’ll be hiking in the wilderness, ziplining, and sliding down waterfalls.

“It’s all going to be so beautiful,” I assure her with a nod.

“Chloe!” a voice calls, and she pivots.

“You made it!” she exclaims as a tall, slender man approaches.

He’s dressed in a dark blue suit, and his brown, wavy hair is just long enough to be sexy, but short enough to be professional.

I scan him up and down, about to make a mental note to grill Chloe about this man later when suddenly … recognition slowly creeps over me.

Shit. No. It can’t be.

He leans down to give Chloe a hug, the height difference between them oddly hilarious. He straightens and turns his gaze on me. I feel a shiver run through me, although from what emotion, I’m unsure. He looks so different. So … unlike the boy I used to know.

William Summers. Chloe’s brother, and the only man to have ever broken my heart.