The Longest Wait Read online

  That One Night

  Copyright © 2019 Erin Lynne All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or transmitted in any form including electronic or mechanical means, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or critical articles.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Published: Erin Lynne 2019 Cover Design and Formatting: Damonza

  ISBN:

  Life for Sofia Winton was what she considered perfect. She had friends she loved, an amazing career, and enough flirting in her life to make someone blush. She had no need for a boyfriend, because who honestly had the time for that headache? She kept everything casual when it came to men, as in, get out of my life the next day casual. Sofia learned early on relationships weren’t worth it. Because of this, under no circumstances, could she forgive Alex Copeland, who also happened to her best friend’s older brother.

  He was nothing but bad news.

  All her fun and games came to a screeching halt when Alex, the man who taught her the valuable lesson to never fall in love moved to her city. The nerve of him. As usual whenever they saw each other, it was nothing but a fight. He was impossible to get along with, despite how much everyone else adored him.

  While their friends loved the comedy act between Sofia and Alex, it was a tiring verbal war between them. Ever since Sofia was burned by him ten years earlier, she tried to avoid him at all costs. However, he was determined to not let that happen.

  One night out, after all of their friends left, they called a truce and had the best night of their lives together. Alex wanted more from her, but she wasn’t sure she could let go of the past. A past none of their friends knew about.

  Could Alex convince her to move on and start a future, together with him?

  To my sisters – you are the reason I never needed to join a sorority because seriously, who actually has five sisters, right? Christine, Nicki, Katie, Lizdog, and Meggers, I am so lucky to have you ladies as not only sisters, but best friends. Thank you for putting up with me as a kid and supporting me now as an adult. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, you have all been there for me. I am forever grateful. I love you sisters!

  #sisterpicforlife #halfadozen #lovemysisters

  Prologue

  ALEX GRABBED HIS tie and yanked on it for some relief, needing to give himself some room to breathe. Most people would love being at a wedding, but he was suffocating. Weddings had that effect on him and this one didn’t even start for another hour. Alex decided a long time ago he wasn’t one to settle down and get married, so attending a wedding made him uneasy.

  Regardless of his comfort level, he plastered a smile on his face for this particular union. Lucy Copeland, his baby sister, was getting married. Not that she was a baby anymore since she was thirty-one, but to him, she would always his kid sister.

  Weddings weren’t at the top of his list of things he enjoyed attending, but he would do anything his sister. Which apparently included sweating his ass off waiting for the ceremony to start.

  Desperate to relax, Alex took a swig of his beer and returned to the conversation surrounding him about the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the beginning of preseason for football, and he was grateful the hotel in Hawaii was airing the games.

  That’s right. His baby sister chose a destination beach wedding. It wasn’t one night he had to get through, but a whole four-day excursion.He already had a speech prepared for when the questions came of why he wasn’t married. The incessant questioning to who was walking down the aisle next didn’t only happen to women at weddings. His family has been waiting for him to fine ‘the one’ for as long as he could remember. He doubted little Grandma wanted to hear the truth, outside of sex, most woman bored him and his job was too demanding to settle down.

  “It’s hard to focus on football with so many hot chicks at this resort,” Dominic, another groomsman in the wedding, carelessly said as he eyed the women walking around the hotel bar. “This is ideal for me. Sex and no possibility I will run into them again once we get back home. I don’t know why I never thought of this before.”

  “You never saw Wedding Crashers?” Alex joked. “I was too busy ogling Rachel McAdams, man. Today though, this is a win for me.”

  While Alex was opposed to marriage, Dominic took it to another level. He was the poster boy for one-night stands and zero commitment. Alex was surprised his friend hasn’t broken out in hives yet for being at wedding.

  Jack lightly smacked his friend in the back of the head. “I’m about to get married. Any chance you can focus on something other than your dick? You should be thanking me I was able to get you and Connor off of work to come to the wedding during soccer season. Taking time off is next to impossible in the summer.”

  Alex chuckled.

  Jack Anderson was his soon-to-be brother-in-law, and his nononsense attitude was the perfect match for his sarcastic sister. Jack didn’t take shit from anyone, let alone his friends from work. Lucy and Jack made each other happy, whether sitting on the couch together working—they both were workaholics—or escaping for a long weekend where they could wind down. They balanced one another. If anyone would make marriage work, it was them.

  What actually surprised Alex was both Dominic and Jack were entertaining the idea of having a conversation about football instead of soccer. Jack and his two friends worked for the Warriors, a professional soccer club in West Chester, that was trending toward a move to Major League Soccer. Ever since he started hanging out with them, soccer was constantly in discussion. Which didn’t bother Alex. To him, it was a change of pace from his work as a photographer.

  “You want to talk about something else?” Dominic goaded Jack, not commenting on the vacation time from work. Knowing Dominic, he would’ve found a way to be there, regardless of Jack’s help. “I saw Lucy and, damn, she looks good. I guess I could buy into the whole marriage bullshit if I knew I could sleep a beautiful woman like her every day.”

  Alex turned to look at Jack. “Should I beat the shit out of him or do you want to do it?”

  Jack tossed an eyeroll to Dominic. “And risk Lucy getting pissed because I strangled a groomsman, I’d rather not.”

  Dominic waggled his eyebrows. “But imagine the makeup sex.”

  “How hard is it to remember she’s my sister?” Alex groaned.

  Jack shot Dominic a look. “And that she’s about to be my wife.”

  Dominic shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry, man, all I meant was she’s beautiful. Connor and I made a bet you’ll cry when you see her.”

  “Where is Connor?” Jack asked.

  “Probably doing a cost analysis on the wedding. You know what a weirdo he is when it comes to numbers.” Dominic poked fun at the absent Connor. “Yesterday, I heard him mumbling about all-inclusive versus group packages. If there is a possibility he can find a way to get you some money back, he will. Look what he did for the last player we signed.”

  All of this was probably true, the guy did love numbers. His obsession with statistics was why he was successful at his career as Chief Financial Officer for the Warriors. Connor was often teased for his fixation with the bottom line and finances.

  The slightest mention of a new player and conversation returned to soccer. Alex listened to their projections for the season, and they both believed they would have a winning year. It was one of the stipulations to moving to the MLS, so they went nuts ex
tending contracts on star players as well as spending money on new team members. They drank beer and Alex noticed Jack kept looking at his watch, as if he couldn’t wait any longer to marry Lucy. Alex liked him and welcomed him to the family. Seeing Jack’s excitement to marry Lucy also cemented that he was the one for her. It was great, if not a little sickening at times, to see his sister head over heels in love.

  Connor strolled into the bar, relaxed and not worried he went missing for an hour. Jack was quick to ask about his whereabouts. “Where were you?”

  “With Sofia,” Connor responded simply.

  Which it wasn’t simple.

  Sofia Winton was Lucy’s best friend and nothing about her was simple. If she was included in a plan, either someone was up to no good or under arrest. Possibly both. Sofia had trouble written all over her. She had ever since Alex met her when he helped his sister move into the dorms their freshmen year.

  “What fiasco did she drag you into?” Jack handed Connor a beer. Apparently, he also knew Sofia was nothing but a problem.

  The only consolation to Alex was the lack of police storming the hotel and they hadn’t heard sirens going off. The odds were slim Sofia caused any havoc, which was rare. She was a wild child. For as long as Alex has known her, trouble followed her like a shadow. On top of it, she was the epitome of high maintenance. Ever since she was eighteen, she demanded attention everywhere she went.

  “Did she require someone to fan her off because of the heat?” Alex asked snidely.

  “Was that it? She needed a fan?” Jack seemed to relax whatever the mess was didn’t concern Lucy. “Nothing surprises me with her.”

  “Not exactly. There was an issue with the tent on the beach.” Connor held his hand up to Jack, as if this was going to stop him from reacting. “Before you go all lawyer on me; it’s fixed. No worries.”

  “What was wrong?” Jack grasped his beer tightly, annoyance exuding off of him

  Connor patted him on the back. “Trust me, calm down. Nothing is wrong. Sofia was arguing with the wedding planner about the tent not having enough restraints. Mya, the wedding planner, tried telling Sofia the tent was up to code. I ended up walking around the entire tent parameters, proving to Sofia everything was alright.”

  To Alex, her concern was warranted. Everyone wanted the day to go off without a hitch.

  “Three times,” Connor laughed. “She made me test each restraint three times. You guys should have seen her. She carried with her a portable fan so she could blow on the restraints, like it was comparable to the wind. Before I could even give her shit about it, she gave me the middle finger and told me to keep it moving.”

  Ah, there it was. Alex’s point proven. Sofia was a diva.

  Jack let out a deep breath. “The day needs to be perfect for Lucy. I want her to have everything she wants for our wedding. I bet Lucy asked her to double check.”

  “Actually, Tess told me Sofia was driving her crazy, so she sent her on a pointless task.” Connor laughed. Tess was Lucy’s other best friend.

  Sofia unhappy at a wedding made sense. If she had on a necktie like Alex, she would pull on it for some air too. That girl didn’t believe in anything about love.

  “As long as Lucy is happy, I don’t care,” Jack said with a smile.

  Dominic waved at a blonde walking through the bar and then responded to Jack, “Should we call Hallmark and let them know you want to make a card?”

  “Shut up.” Jack glared at this friend.

  “You’ve been groomzilla these past few weeks. If I can’t talk about your hot soon-to-be wife, at least let me tease you.”

  “If you consider me reminding you to book your plane tickets and to make sure you packed the tie I bought you for the ceremony then sure,” Jack responded dryly. “Those simple reminders make me a groomzilla.”

  Dominic looked bored. “Fine. Her friends are also hot. Tess has that hot school teacher look, and Sofia is a walking wet dream. And neither of you can get mad I say it. Jack, you’re about to get married, and Alex isn’t related to them. So, cheers to that.”

  Alex was ready for a subject change, like he always was when Sofia was involved. Not talking about her was an automatic response for him. Unless he was pointing out how much of a hot mess she was.

  “How about we make a toast to Jack,” he said, raising his beer. “For having the patience to marry my bratty little sister.”

  Dominic, always needing to get a dig in, added, “And to having sex on the regular, which would be the only reason to get married.”

  Jack shot him a death stare.

  Connor piped up. “To finding the one.”

  With the last, more in the spirit of marriage toast, they clanked their glasses together and took a drink.

  Alex was just about to try the elusive relaxing when Jack decided to get serious with his three groomsmen.

  “Thank you, guys, for standing up there with me today. You are all like family to me. In less than an hour, I’ll be a married man. I never thought I would find someone like Lucy. She’s my world and I thank fuck she wants to marry me.”

  “Welcome to the family.” Alex patted him on the shoulder.

  Jack smiled from ear to ear. “Thanks, man. Lucy makes everything worth it. I can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle. For her to be my wife.”

  Alex was happy for Jack. He moved from New York to Philadelphia last year, and that was when he met Jack, Connor, and Dominic. He considered them his close friends, and they all got together as much as schedules permitted.

  Still, it didn’t matter he was drinking and having fun with people he trusted, weddings were painful to him and the speeches about everlasting love were the worst. He had to keep reminding himself this was about Lucy and his friend, not his never-ending desire to not settle down.

  “You all look like you might vomit.” Jack grinned. “But I promise, one day you’ll meet the right person and it will click.”

  “I hope that doesn’t happen to me.” Dominic was disgusted. “If there was one thing I try to avoid, it is a relationship. Wait, let me revise that: I avoid relationships and babies. That combination is what nightmares are made of.”

  “I agree,” Alex chimed in. If he wasn’t sold on dating, there was no way he was opting in for a kid.

  Not that he didn’t believe in marriage. His parents were happily married for over forty years. His brother was obsessed with his wife, and they have been married for over ten years. And now, Lucy was about to join the club of marital bliss. The problem was that he thought, many years ago, maybe he had met the right person. He met a woman who made him want more.

  It didn’t take long for that to blow up in his face.

  Conversation turned to when Jack’s best man, Cole, would arrive at the wedding. Jack laughed about his friend being five minutes away because in typical Cole fashion, he was late for everything. They even told him the wedding was an hour earlier so he would be on time.

  Weddings, Alex shuddered at the thought.

  Love was a joke. For him, it was casual all the way.

  SOFIA KNOCKED BACK a shot of tequila. Obviously. She was in Hawaii on a beach vacation surrounded by palm trees and surfboards. Tequila sounded like the appropriate drink. Alright, she wasn’t in Mexico, but she was at a bar on the beach, so that counted. While some people loved Mai Tais, for Sofia, she needed something a bit stronger. Tequila was required.

  She was not only on vacation, but she was in the Hawaiian tropics celebrating. One of her best friends just got married to a man who deserved her and now it was time to shake her tailfeather at the reception. It made her smile that her friend Lucy, was married on the beach, to the man they once referenced as a walking orgasm. Guess that was enough for Lucy to lock it up. Not that Sofia believed in commitment, but what Lucy and Jack shared did look pretty great.

  They gave her a reason to believe in love.

  Not for herself of course, she knew better, but they showed her, for some people, love did last. For some peo
ple, believing in forever made sense. Lucy and Jack shined with happiness they found in each other. Like Tess Prescott, her other best friend, who was so in love with the idea of love, she planned weddings for a living.

  Seriously.

  She was a fairytale-acholic and probably fell asleep listening to the “Wedding March.” It was enough to make Sofia gag when Tess went all starry-eyed over anything romantic. Sofia and her two best friends met in college freshman year and have been inseparable ever since. It shouldn’t surprise Sofia anymore, but somehow, Tess hadn’t been jaded yet. She dove into each date she ever went on like the man might be her soulmate.

  She wasn’t bitter none of the dates were her Prince Charming. It was all about the fantasy of finding a true love that kept Tess looking for the one.

  Sofia took another shot, not at dating, but of tequila.

  She made a promise to herself this would be the last one. Any more and she was bound to have a bad night, followed by a worse morning. Lately, hangovers were a three-day affair which was never worth it. Sure, she could be lazy on a Sunday, but to have the hangover roll into Monday and Tuesday… No bottle of wine was worth it. Besides, she was celebrating, not mourning. Jack was perfect for Lucy. Sofia even participated in the scheme to get them back together after their ridiculous breakup, so she wasn’t opposed to him joining their circle of friends. He even brought his two friends, Connor and Dominic, to the table, so no complaints there. They all got along fabulously.

  No. Jack wasn’t the problem.

  She debated taking another shot, but if she couldn’t keep a promise to herself, then who could she keep a promise to? This day was about Lucy, not Sofia trying to ignore the biggest mistake of her life. Sofia embraced her dramatics and thought her performance of being nice to everyone at the wedding deserved her an Oscar nod. In fact, she has been handling her mistake for years, it was about time she got some credit for it.

  The ceremony ended twenty minutes ago, and the newly married couple giggled and told everyone they had to take more pictures. Odd, since the photographer didn’t follow them, but no one said a word. Especially when everyone saw them head toward the honeymoon suite. Those two had no shame in their game.