Page 4 of Smitten With My Brother’s Best Friend (SEALs of Aster Falls #1)

(Maverick)

______

She has a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend.

I’ve been saying those words like a mantra throughout the evening.

Ever since I saw Taylor Miller again. She grew up, there’s no doubt about it.

The teenager I remember was skittish, thin, and suffering from a mild case of acne.

Taylor has grown into a stunning woman. Her chest has filled out, and her ass…

I don’t even want to be thinking about her ass right now.

Her acne has cleared, giving her a clear, smooth complexion. She has grown taller and is probably around five-foot-five. She’s so much more beautiful, and I hate that I’m noticing it so much. Especially considering our history.

When we were 15, Adam read a novel…I know, shocking.

Anyway, in the novel, the guy falls in love with his best friend’s sister and ends up breaking her heart.

After Adam finished reading it, he firmly told me he would kill me if I tried anything with his sister.

I think he was joking at the time, and I didn’t really care.

I only saw Taylor as a little sister back then.

I enter the living room and notice something odd.

Taylor isn’t seated beside her boyfriend.

Most couples I know are touchy-feely, and they always want to be close to one another.

But Taylor seems uncomfortable with the guy.

I can understand that, and he seems like a douche, but it still strikes me as odd.

The Millers leave after another hour of catching up, and then it’s just my mom and me.

“Mav?” she says with an expression that tells me I’m not going to like what she says next.

“Yes, mother.”

“When are you going to get a girlfriend?” she asks with a pout.

I inwardly sigh. “When I find someone I like.”

“It’s just you’re not growing any younger, son. And look at me, I’m old now. I would just like to see you happy and in a relationship.”

I knew it. I knew it was a bad idea to have that dinner. All it’s done is make my mom super-aware of the fact that I’m not in a relationship.

“Okay, first of all, you’re not old. You don’t look a day over 30.”

She shakes her head with a smile.

“Plus, I still have time. Just because Adam found love very young doesn’t mean the same is going to happen to me. It takes time for some people, and I’m not in any rush. You should just let these things happen, mom,” I tell her.

“I just want you to be happy. Your work is your entire life. I see you invest every single piece of yourself into it, which makes me sad. Your father would have been so proud of what you’ve achieved, but he would still have wanted you to have a happy life.”

“Well, dad’s not here anymore. We can’t say what he would have wanted.

All he seemed to care about was being a SEAL.

I might not be sure of anything else, but I do know that the only thing he would be proud of is the fact that I became just like him.

I’m doing what made him happiest, and that has to be enough for him,” I say a little harshly.

My mom’s expression turns a little sad. She doesn’t say anything as I walk out of the living room. I head upstairs to my room and fall on the bed. I didn’t mean to be so unkind, but we both knew what I said was true.

My dad’s work was his life. He was happiest when he was on a mission.

From the moment I was born, he started grooming me to be just like him.

A Navy SEAL. It’s our family’s legacy. We’re one of the oldest families in Aster Falls.

Three generations and each of them had produced a son who became a SEAL.

I didn’t have much choice in the matter.

He died when I was 12, but my future was already set in stone by then.

Finish high school, then enlist in the Navy.

He was a great father, but I’ve never forgiven him for leaving mom and me alone like that. For caring about his work more than us.

My phone rings, distracting me from my thoughts. It’s Adam.

“Yeah?” I say upon answering the call.

“Hey, brother. Wanna go get some drinks? To celebrate our magnificent return.”

It’s a little weird how he’s always there whenever I need someone. Did he hear my thoughts all the way from where he was?

“I’ll meet you at Kings in ten,” I tell him.

I hurriedly get dressed and drive to the small pub in the middle of town. It’s late, so there aren’t many people there, but I see Adam has already taken a seat in front of the bar.

“Hey,” I say, sitting beside him on the stool.

“Enjoying your first day back?” he asks.

I shrug. “It’s all right. Not a lot has changed, though.”

“I was thinking that too. We leave for missions and come back, and everything is still the same. It’s kind of nice. Aster Falls will always be constant and unchanging.”

I’m afraid I have to disagree with him. It’s not nice. It’s boring. I don’t want to leave and come back to the same life and the same things all the time. I keep my thoughts to myself though. He’s so happy to be back, and I don’t want to spoil his good mood with my bleak thoughts.

We talk for a little while until it’s time to head back home. My mood is better by the time I leave the bar, and I didn’t drink much, so I drive home. My mom is already asleep when I get home. I wanted to apologize to her, but I guess I’ll have to do so tomorrow.

Just before I fall asleep, I find myself thinking about Taylor. I’m not sure where the sudden attraction and fixation is coming from, and I’m not sure I like it.

******

I manage not to see her for a whole week. It’s intentional. We’re probably avoiding each other. She’s avoiding me because she hates me, and I’m avoiding her because I don’t understand my sudden feelings around her.

I’m seriously considering leaving Aster Falls for the duration of my break.

There’s nothing here for me. All I’ve done in the past week is sleep, eat, work out, hang out with Adam, and repeat.

A change in environment would do me a lot of good.

My mom has me going to get groceries for her.

I’m a 29-year-old fully grown man, and getting groceries for my mom should be beneath me.

I leave the grocery store and drive past a restaurant in town when I notice something odd.

Or should I say, someone. Taylor Miller.

The one person I’ve been trying to avoid.

She’s standing in front of the restaurant with her boyfriend, and they seem to be having a heated argument.

I park my car and decide to watch them through my rearview mirror. I can’t help being curious.

Everything happens faster than I can blink. One minute Taylor is standing in front of him, her expression desperate and annoyed, and the next, she’s on the ground.

My blood boils like broth on a stove, and I see red because the motherfucker just pushed her to the floor. I open the car door angrily and approach them.

“Oh shit, Taylor. I’m sorry,” the asshole is saying. He doesn’t see me coming up behind him.

“Hey, asshole,” I call out.

He only has time to turn around before my fist is flying. Now he’s the one on the ground. Taylor gapes at both of us, and I move to help her up.

“Are you okay?” I ask her.

She nods.

“I’m fine. What are you doing here?” she asks.

“I was driving past when I saw the both of you. Do you need me to beat him up?”

“Motherfucker!” Terry roars. His nose is bleeding.

The sight gives me intense pleasure.

“Terry, just leave. Please.”

He looks like he wants to argue, but I glare at him, and he gets the message. He walks away from us and enters a car. A few seconds later, he’s driving away.

“What the hell just happened?” I ask Taylor.

“We got into an argument,” she says.

“He fucking pushed you! Does he do that shit often? Has he ever hit you?” I ask through gritted teeth.

I swear if he hits her, I’ll find the bastard, then I’ll kill him, with Adam’s help, of course.

“No. He was just angry, and he has never hurt me before today.”

I stare at her, trying to discern if she’s lying or not. I can’t tell.

“Come on. I’ll take you home,” I say, grabbing her wrist and leading her to my car.

My entire body is tense, and I’m still furious. I should have punched the guy harder.

“Why are you so mad? I’m the one that got pushed to the ground,” Taylor mumbles after five minutes of silence.

“What the hell happened back there?”