A Drop of Pretty Poison: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance (Pretty Poison Trilogy Book 2)

My mom has always been the one person to consistently have my back. It never mattered if I was in the right or the wrong. She would make me own up for my mistakes, but she would do it in a way where I knew she was just looking out for me. I’ve never been afraid to tell her anything.

Until now.

It’s not like she won’t be supportive. I know she will. But I think a part of me is afraid to tell her that I’m getting my happy-ever-after, when she was cheated out of her own.

Laiken sits beside me at my mom’s kitchen table, her left hand tucked into the sleeve of her hoodie to hide the ring. I suggested she could just take it off and keep it in her pocket for now, but she refused. Said that if that ring ever leaves her finger, it won’t be on her own free will.

“H,” my mom says. “You’ve got to say something. You’re starting to worry me here.”

I can see the way Laiken smirks out of the corner of my eye and I take a deep breath. “I know. Nothing’s wrong. Just give me a second.”

And then, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, Lai reaches over and laces her fingers with mine. We’ve never shown affection in front of either of our parents, but this is different. This is her knowing that I need her.

A silent message to tell me that she’s right here, and she’s not going anywhere. Even if today goes to complete shit.

Her hand squeezes mine three times, and I reply with four back.

“Mom,” I say calmly. “I love Laiken.”

“Okay…this isn’t something I haven’t already known,” she replies.

“I know, but I need you to understand just how much I love her. How strong it is and how I would do absolutely anything to be with her.”

“H,” Mom says through a chuckle. “She’s the only girl you’ve ever brought home. I may not have ever asked you about this stuff, but don’t think for a second that I don’t know you. I could see it in the way you looked at her the first morning I saw you two together. She’s your one.”

This. This right here is one of the things I appreciate most about my mother. I look over at Laiken to find a light blush on her cheeks. And when her eyes meet mine, we both smile.

“Don’t worry. It’s mutual,” Mom tells me.

“I know it is,” I reply. “Because I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.”

My mom’s eyes widen. “Okay, I didn’t see that coming.”

“It’s fast. I know.”

“It’s NASCAR,” she corrects.

I nod. “But Mom, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life. She’s everything to me, and I know what you’re thinking. That there’s no rush. And that if we’re meant to spend the rest of our lives together, we’re already doing it. But every time I think about her, the word girlfriend never seems to fit. She’s so much more than that. So, I don’t want to wait just because society set some kind of standard timeline on this shit. I want to make her mine, legally and as officially as possible.”

My mom sighs, a soft smile on her face as she turns to Laiken. “And what about you? I’m sure your parents are going to have their reservations about this.”

“Let them,” she answers simply, then her gaze locks with mine. “We’ll deal with it the same way we’ll deal with everything else—together.”

I’ve never kissed a girl in front of my mom. I’ve never had someone worthy of being kissed in front of my mom. But with Laiken, she’s worth the whole damn world, and nothing can stop me from pressing my lips to hers.

My mom sniffles, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Dammit, sorry. It’s just really nice to see you so happy.”

“I am happy. I get to spend the rest of my life with someone who makes me the best version of myself.”

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you,” she says. “Congratulations to you both. The only advice I can give you is to remember this feeling. Hold onto it and never let it go.”

I pull Laiken in and kiss the top of her head. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

The front door opens behind me, and my sister stops when she sees us all sitting at the table.

“Oh God,” Dev groans. “Who died now?”

My mom chuckles and up-nods at me to tell her. I turn around to see the reaction on her face. She’s holding a McDonald’s cup in one hand and her wallet in the other, and she stares back at me curiously.

“What?”

“How would you like to have a sister-in-law?”

Everything immediately falls out of her hands, the cup spilling on the floor, as she throws her hands over her mouth. Tears fill her eyes, and she glances between Laiken and me, nodding excitedly.

That’s when the whole mood changes. The weight lifts off my chest, and I watch as my mom and sister hug Laiken, demanding to see the ring. I even manage to get a nod of approval from Devin—though I’m pretty sure she’s taking partial credit for Laiken and me.

Brat.

By the time we head out the door, I feel a million times better.

“See?” I ask Laiken. “That wasn’t so bad.”

She chuckles. “Are you kidding? That was just a practice run.”

I climb into my truck as she gets in the passenger side. Looking over at me, she knows where we’re headed next. And maybe I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, thinking that everyone will be happy for us.

Lai smirks at me as she buckles her seatbelt. “You have a living will, right?”

Fuck.

OKAY, SO MAYBE SHE was right. My mom was the practice run. And it went really well. But as I sit here, staring across the couch from Laiken’s parents, I feel like there isn’t enough oxygen in this room. My hands are sweating. My collar seems too tight. There’s a good possibility that I’m choking on my own saliva right now.

Everything was going well. They were happy to see us both when we got here. But the tension started to grow the second Laiken asked if we could all sit down and talk. And now, as I look over at her, she raises her brows at me.

“This was your idea, Casanova,” she teases. “I’m just here for entertainment purposes.”

Well, she has a point. She was completely on Team Vegas. She may have been onto something. A part of me wonders if it’s too late to choose differently. But I meant what I told her. I respect our mothers, and her father for that matter, way too much to marry her without them there to see it.

I breathe in deeply and let it out slowly, looking at the people who have become a second set of parents for me over the last third of my life. “Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard, I would like to marry your daughter.”

Her dad’s mouth opens and shuts multiple times as he swings between confused and outraged, while her mom puts a hand to her chest to clutch her metaphorical pearls.

“I’m going to be a grandmother?” she asks tearfully.

“No!” Laiken and I answer, urgently and in unison.

Mr. Blanchard’s face turns beet red. “You knocked up my daughter?”

“No,” Laiken stops him. “Dad. No. I’m not pregnant.”

Both her parents sigh—her father in relief and her mom out of what looks a lot like disappointment. Laiken tilts her head at her for a second before shaking it off.

“Okay,” Mr. Blanchard says. “So, what’s with the shotgun wedding?”

I sit up a little straighter. “Well, as you know, there have been some big changes in my life lately, and they revealed things to me that I didn’t even realize I wanted—the main one being your daughter, officially and permanently,” I explain. “So, with your permission, and respectfully, even without it, I plan on marrying her and making her my wife.”

“The fuck you are!” Cam’s angry voice echoes through the room.

And okay, I probably should have talked to him about this first. But I was afraid he would try to talk me out of it. Judging by his reaction right now, I think that was a pretty accurate assumption.

“Cameron!” his mom chastises. “Language!”

Cam scoffs. “No. Fuck that. It was one thing when they started dating, but I’m not going to sit around and watch him legally lock her down because he wants pussy on demand.”

“Sweet Lord,” Mrs. Blanchard says, mortified.

Meanwhile, Mr. Blanchard looks like he’s plotting my murder—and it’s going to be a violent one. “Is that true? Is that all you’re trying to get out of my little girl?”

All Laiken is lacking right now is popcorn as she rests her chin in her hands and leans toward me. “This is going well.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

“No!” I tell her dad, then turn to Cam and repeat it. “No.”

But he doesn’t want to hear it, and he storms out of the room, leaving us to clean up the mess he just made. I know that’s something I’ll need to deal with in a bit. The last thing I want is for him to be pissed at me again. Especially when we’re in the process of opening a bar together. Right now, however, I have to focus on Mr. Blanchard before he kills me and buries my body in the backyard.

“That’s not at all true. Not even remotely.”

He looks me up and down, judging me more than he ever has in the last seven years, and I don’t blame him for it. “Then what? Why do you want to marry my daughter?”

“Because I love her more than I’ve ever loved anything,” I answer immediately. “She has very quickly become the center of my entire universe. The one person I cannot live without. And if I can spend the rest of my life making her feel for me, even half of what I feel for her, that would be a life worth living.”

Laiken’s eyes meet mine, and she smiles in the way that’s reserved only for me. I take her hand in my own, kissing the back of it. If I die today at the hands of her father, it would still all be worth it.

But he seems to be calming down, so maybe I’ll survive another day. He watches the two of us skeptically and then sighs as he focuses solely on his daughter.

“And what about you?” he questions. “Is this what you want?”

She reveals her left hand, with the diamond ring sparkling on her finger. “Would I be wearing the ring if I didn’t?”

Her mom’s eyes widen as she comes closer. “Oh, sweetie. It’s gorgeous.”

She’s right. It is a very pretty ring. I knew it was the one the moment I saw it. But even so, it pales in comparison to the woman wearing it.

Laiken smiles at her father. “I love him, Dad. I know it seems fast. I get that. And it is…for you. But I’ve been in love with him since I was fifteen years old.” She glances over and nudges me with her elbow. “He just took a little while to get up to speed.”

I chuckle, rolling my eyes fondly. Leave it to her to make me laugh in the middle of a situation as tense as this one. But that’s the thing about her. I could be in the center of my own personal nightmare, and with her by my side, there’s nothing that can bring me down. She makes me stronger. Better. Worthy of being loved the way she loves me.

“I’ll be honest,” Mr. Blanchard begins. “It’s not my favorite thing to ever happen. Nothing against you, Hayes. We love you like a son. You know that. You’re a good guy, and you’ve always been a great friend to Cam. But Laiken getting married at nineteen was never what we pictured for her.”

My heart sinks inside of my chest. I know I said I would marry her without his blessing, but honestly, I don’t know that I have it in me to betray him like that. I don’t know that I could do that to Laiken.

“With that being said,” he continues. “While I may not love the idea of you two getting married so young, I do love my daughter. Her happiness is and always has been very important to me. So, if this is genuinely what you two want to do, you have my blessing. But you need to promise me that you will always take care of her, putting her needs before your own.”

“I promise,” I say honestly. “She’s in good hands.”

“Now that I believe.”

Here I go again, feeling breathless, but this time it’s in the best way. We all stand up. Laiken goes to hug her mom, while I shake her dad’s hand. These people, who have been there for me during some of the toughest times of my life, are going to be my in-laws. Not only am I getting the best person I know as my wife, but they will legally be my family.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so blessed.

But before I can fully enjoy the moment, I have something else that needs to be dealt with first.

“Excuse me,” I tell the three of them. “I’ll be back.”

They all understand, knowing exactly where I’m going. And as Laiken sits down with her mom and explains what we were thinking for a wedding, I head through the kitchen and up the stairs. I consider just walking in, but then I remember the hockey puck that flew at my head the night I told him about Laiken and me, and I decide against it.

I knock twice, then open the door—standing back a little. When nothing gets thrown, I peek my head in and see Cam sitting on his bed. He rolls his eyes, but doesn’t tell me to get out, so I walk in and sit beside him.

“Does the offer to stab you still stand?” he grumbles. I pull the switchblade out of my pocket and hold it out for him, but he just scoffs. “Smartass.”

It’s quiet for a moment while I choose my words carefully.

“You think the worst of me when it comes to your sister,” I tell him. “And I don’t blame you for it. I’ve never given you any reason to think differently. All you’ve known when it comes to me and girls are meaningless hookups and one-night stands. But I need you to trust me when I say that this is different.”

“Oh, fuck off with that shit,” he sneers. “You two have been together for what? Like three and a half months? You barely even know her.”

I smile down at my lap. “I know she talks in her sleep if she drinks caffeine before bed. And that while she acts like a badass, and a part of her is, she’s also fragile and would throw herself on a blade to protect those she loves. I know that she doubts herself on a constant basis, even though she’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met.” As a distraction, I pick at a string on my jeans while Cam stays completely silent. “And I know her older brother is one of her favorite people in the world, and if he won’t be at our wedding, there won’t be one because he’s one of the most important people in her life…and in mine.”

He exhales, showing he’s listening, but I haven’t won him over yet.

“Answer me this,” I tell him. “When have you ever seen me even let a girl stay the night, let alone want to spend every single moment with one—awake or asleep?”

The phone he was flipping in his hand stops and he sighs. “Fucking hell. This really isn’t just a fling, is it?”

I shake my head. “I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

He snorts. “You really hate yourself that much?”

The two of us chuckle, and I feel better knowing that we’re going to be okay. He’s always been like a brother to me, and now he’s going to be my brother-in-law. When we were younger, we used to talk about how cool it would be if we were brothers. But I don’t think he ever thought that would happen by me marrying his sister.

Though it did pass through my mind, even then.

“So, what do you say?” I ask. “Will you be my best man?”

He huffs out a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “Yes, but on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Stop asking me important questions right after I stop being pissed at you.”

My head rests back against the wall. “Aw, man. I was planning on arguing with you right before I ask you to be the godfather of our future kid.”

He turns and gives me a knowing look. “As if you want me raising your kid if anything ever happens to you two.”

Fair point. “Eh, with a certain spitfire, I think you’d do just fine. And speaking of…when are you going to do something about that?”

Cam instantly looks away, letting out a heavy exhale. “I don’t know, man. That’s a five-beers- deep conversation.”

“It’s a good thing we’re opening a bar, isn’t it?”