-1Chapter 37...

Raquel dropped her purse onto her couch and plopped down next to it.

"You want something to drink?" Jeff asked, walking into the kitchen. He had driven her back to the hotel while Matt went to pick up some food.

"Just some water," she requested, looking around for the TV remote.

"Where's Troy?" he asked, walking into the room with a beer in one hand and his water in the other.

"Out of town," she answered. "Since when do I have beer?"

"I bought some last time I was here," he answered. "You didn't notice it?"

"No," she laughed, shaking her head. "I didn't realize you'd moved in."

"This has been kind of a second home lately," he smirked, sitting next to her.

"Yeah you're sort of wearing out you're welcome," she frowned. "You should probably stop coming around so much."

"And what would you do if I stop coming around?" he asked.

"Do you want me to say I'd be lost without you?" she smirked.

He smiled at her, "I already know that. You don't need to say it."

She didn't want to tell him but the more time she spent around him, the more she thought that was true. Jeff had become such a big part of her life and she didn't know what she'd do if he wasn't anymore. He was really important to her.

"I thought you country folk were supposed to be humble," she teased.

"We are," he put an arm around her. "We're also very aware of our place in the world."

"You mean like being at Nascar races?"

"You think you're funny, huh?" he asked.

"Everyone thinks I'm funny," she shrugged, putting her water bottle on the coffee table.

"You know what I think is funny?" he asked turning toward her.

She raised an eyebrow at him and before she could get away, his hands were on her sides, mercilessly tickling her.

Raquel squirmed and giggled, trying desperately to get away from him.

"Stop," she gasped between breaths.

"I'm sorry, I cant hear ya, my ears are all messed up from the gunshots when we shoot cans in the backyard," he said, emphasizing his accent.

"Stop," she laughed, scooting away. He leaned over her and one of his hands slipped under her shirt. He halted his attack and their eyes met.

Raquel could tell he thought he'd done something wrong. He moved his hand away from her skin and Raquel immediately missed it's warmth.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling her shirt back down. "I didn't mean to-"

Raquel leaned up, capturing his lips with hers. He tensed and Raquel immediately regretted what she'd done. She pulled away, "I-I..umm.."

Jeff looked down at Raquel, completely confused. She'd kissed him and then pulled away in what felt like half a second.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking sheepish. She scooted out from under him, pressing her back against the arm of the couch. "I just thought that you wanted…"

"Raquel I just..I don't want to hurt you," he said. "I mean after what happened…"

She looked away, obviously embarrassed and Jeff felt like an ass.

"I understand," she said. "You've seen me at my worst. I don't know why you would want me after that."

"Raquel that's not it," Jeff insisted. He did want her. He hadn't wanted to admit it to himself or anyone else but every part of him wanted her. It had been that way for a while. "You are beautiful and sexy and…amazing."

He moved over, sitting beside her.

"Then what is it?" she asked, finally looking at him.

He looked into her eyes and at that moment, he couldn't remember what the problem was. Raquel was an incredible woman and she wanted him. That was all he could think about. He leaned over, kissing her softly. Her lips felt so good against his, he wasn't sure if he could ever stop kissing her. His hand came to rest at the back of her neck and he pulled her closer, their tongues tangling. A moan escaped her and she grabbed the front of his t-shirt, pulling him toward her.

"Raquel…" he breathed against her lips. "I.."

The door opened and Jeff pulled away, standing up quickly.

"Who's ready for Chinese food?" Matt's voice boomed through the apartment.

And that was it. Jeff remembered the reason why he tensed when Raquel kissed him. Matt.

"Well, at least Raquel and Jeff are the only ones who know," Brianna sighed as they walked into his apartment. He dropped his keys on the table by the door and put his arms around her.

"I'm gonna tell you something and you have to promise you wont get mad at me," he kissed her shoulder.

"What?" she turned to face him.

"They aren't the only ones who know," he admitted.

"What?" she stared. "Who else knows?"

John sighed, leaning against the wall, "Randy."

"Randy?!" she stared. "Seriously?"

"He figured it out," John shrugged. "I didn't tell him anything."

"That explains why he had such an attitude with me today," she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What'd he do?" John asked, walking into the living room.

"Doesn't matter," Brianna shrugged. "It's not like Randy hating me is new."

"He doesn't hate you," John said. "He just…"

"Hates me?" she smirked.

"He's my best friend," John shrugged, taking her hand and pulling her onto the couch with him. "He doesn't like the situation we're in. Doesn't mean he doesn't like you."

"If you say so," she shrugged.

"Can you blame him for being concerned?" he asked.

Brianna frowned, looking over at him, "What kind of question is that?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It's just a question."

"Can I blame a person who doesn't even know me for not liking me?" she made a face. "Yeah, that's a great question."

"Don't get like that," he took her hand. "I was just..never mind."

"No, what?" she asked.

"Randy was calling me an idiot this morning," he said. "And I didn't have much of an argument. Have you thought about when you're finally gonna tell Nick?"

She looked down and he sighed, "I'll take that as a no."

"John I-"

"You know what..I don't even wanna talk about it," he put his hands up. "I'm gonna go to bed."

2 Weeks later…

John groaned, a grating noise pulling him out of his comfortable slumber. He couldn't figure out what the hell the noise was but if it didn't stop soon, he was going to find whatever it was and smash it. He and Brianna hadn't fallen asleep until somewhere around 3 in the morning.

The noise started again and John opened his eyes. His gaze caught Brianna's shoulder and he momentarily forgot why he was so annoyed. He kissed the soft skin, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against her. If someone had told him a year ago that he'd be waking up next to Brianna Kavner, he would have told them they were completely insane but there she was, beautiful as ever. Her hair was spread over the pillow, the soft curves of her body covered by nothing but a sheet. They'd woken up together every day for the last week. Nick was working night shifts so at least for a few days, he could pretend that she was his.

He only wished her damn phone would stop buzzing on the night stand.

"Baby," he nudged her. "Baby, wake up."

"No," she groaned, pushing him away.

"Come on," he reached over her, picking up the phone. His eyes were still a little blurry but after blinking a few times, he could see the caller's name. Maya.

"Babe, it's Maya…pick up."

Brianna woke up quickly, taking the phone from him and answering the call, "Hey munchkin….No I'm awake sweetie, what's up?"

John kissed the side of her head and got up, walking into the bathroom to take a shower. He made it quick, finishing up after about 10 minutes. When he walked back into the bedroom, Brianna was in her underwear pulling her jeans on.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Maya begged her grandmother to bring her home a day early," Brianna answered, picking her shirt up from the floor. "They're on their way now. And she reminded me that we promised to take her out the day she comes back."

"Give me five minutes, I'll get dressed," he walked over to one of his drawers, pulling out a pair of jeans.

"You don't have to come," she pulled on her shirt.

"She wants me to, doesn't she?" he asked.

"Well yeah but..how are we supposed to explain showing up together?" she asked.

"Your car is here, so is mine," he shrugged. "You leave first. I'll show up a few minutes later, we say you called me on your way."

"Okay," she said, grabbing her phone and keys. Her purse was by the front door. She kissed him quickly, "I'll see you there."

She rushed out of the bedroom and John looked out the window, taking a deep breath. He really wasn't sure how much longer he could do this.

"He kissed you?!" Brianna exclaimed, so excited she dropped her keys on the ground next to her car.

"He kissed me, I kissed him, I don't know, I just know there was kissing," Raquel sighed.

"Good kissing?" Brianna smirked.

"Very good kissing," Raquel answered. "But that's beside the point."

"So what happened after he kissed you?" Brianna asked, getting into the car and starting it.

"We were on the couch and he was on top of me and then Matt walked in," Raquel explained.

"Ouch," Brianna winced. "What did Matt say?"

"Nothing," Raquel answered. "Jeff jumped off of me like I was on fire. Matt had no idea what happened."

"Well that's good," Brianna said. Matt clearly had a crush on Raquel and that could have been beyond awkward.

"Why is that good?" Raquel asked.

Brianna shook her head. Her sister was one of the smartest, most perceptive people she knew. It was amazing to her that she hadn't realized that Matt liked her, "Nevermind. So..what now?"

"I don't know," Raquel sighed. "I mean when we kissed it was..it was great but then..the way he moved away. I don't get it."

"Sweetie, don't read too much into that," Brianna insisted. "You'll drive yourself crazy. Trust me, he was probably just caught off guard by someone coming in."

"But then the rest of the night he stayed on the other end of the couch. He spent the night in Troy's room again."

"So he's nervous," Brianna shrugged. "There's been a lot of drama the last few weeks. Believe me, Jeff cares about you. A lot. And I know you care about him."

Raquel sighed and Brianna knew her sister was struggling with her feelings, "I do..I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do about it."

"I'm not gonna tell you what to do," Brianna said. "I'm hardly one to be doling out relationship advice…just do whatever feels right. You're the smartest person I know. You'll figure it out."

Raquel took another deep breath, "I hope so."

"Dude, are you even listening to me?" Matt asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He had been talking to Jeff for a good five minutes and he was pretty sure his brother hadn't heard a word. He had his arms crossed as well and he was looking out the window.

"Jeff!" Matt kicked the bottom of his brother's chair.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jeff put his hand on the wall to keep himself from falling over. "God damn it."

"Sorry, I was trying to get your attention," Matt shrugged.

"Has anybody ever told you that you act like an attention starved little girl sometimes?" Jeff asked, opening his water bottle.

Matt frowned. Jeff had been snapping at him all day and he was beginning to lose his patience.

"Alright, what's your problem?" Matt asked. "You've been on the rag all day and it's getting annoying."

"You're gross," Jeff made a face. "and I don't have a problem. You're the one trying to kick me out of my damn chair."

"Because you're in another world, not listening to me," Matt shrugged. "You deserved it."

"Okay Matt," Jeff took off his sunglasses and tossed them onto the table. "You have my undivided attention. What the hell is so important?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about something," Matt sighed.

Jeff felt a little guilty for snapping at his brother. Matt was right, he hadn't been listening to him at all. He couldn't stop thinking about Raquel long enough to listen to anyone. He just kept replaying their kiss in his mind. It wasn't like it was the first time they'd kissed. They'd done much more than that. It was just…something was different. It felt like the first time because this time they knew each other. They weren't two random people that met at a party anymore. Things between them were..for lack of a better word…deeper. That kiss felt better than any one he'd ever had. He realized he'd stopped paying attention to Matt again and he shook his head, leaning forward on his elbows, "Sorry man..what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well…it's about Raquel," Matt looked sheepish.

"What about her?" Jeff tried not to frown.

"I…well, I don't really know how to say this," Matt looked out the window and then back at him. "I'm in love with her."

Jeff stared, not able to form words. He knew Matt liked her. A lot. But he had no idea that Matt's feelings were this strong.

"Are you gonna say anything?" Matt asked.

"I don't really know what to say," Jeff shrugged. "That's uh…that's interesting."

"Interesting?" Matt frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I just didn't know you were that serious about her," Jeff shrugged. "You never said anything about it before."

"I figured you knew," Matt shrugged. "I didn't think I had to say anything."

"Well..what are you planning on doing about it?" Jeff asked, not sure what he wanted Matt to say. He felt terrible not telling Matt what happened but he just couldn't. Not after what Matt just revealed.

"I don't know," Matt shrugged. "I probably don't have a chance. "

Jeff didn't say anything.

"You're supposed to tell me I have a chance, stupid," Matt joked. "What kind of brother are you?"

Jeff ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply, "That's a good question."

"His car wasn't outside so I guess he's not here," Brianna shrugged as they walked toward her door.

"Well if he's not here," he put his arms around her while she looked through her purse for her keys. "And we have a few minutes before Maya gets here.."

He kissed the back of her neck and she unlocked the door, turning around and grabbing his shirt, pulling him in with her.

John smiled "I am gonna-"

"Baby, is that you?"

Brianna jumped away from John, her green eyes wide, "Nick, what are you doing here?"

He walked into the foyer, drying his hands with a dish towel, "Where were you baby?"

He stopped when he saw John, "What's he doing here?"

John rolled his eyes, trying not to count the reasons he couldn't stand Nick.

"Maya called, she's gonna be here in a little while," Brianna explained. She asked me to call John. We promised we'd take her out as soon as she gets back."

Nick looked back and forth between the two of them and then smiled, taking Brianna's hand and pulling her against him. He took her chin in his hand and kissed her.

John's first instinct was to beat the hell out of him but he held back, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

Brianna pulled away from her fiancée, casting an quick glance back at John. He looked away. He felt sick to his stomach after seeing Nick kiss her.

"Why didn't Maya call me?" Nick asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged.

They heard a key in the door and then Gia came in, smiling from ear to ear, "Look who I found out in the hallway."

Maya came bounding in, curls flying all over the place. John relaxed a little when he saw her. She ran straight for Brianna, almost knocking her over.

Brianna picked her up, spinning her around and then squeezing her tightly, "Oh my gosh, I have missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Maya gushed. "I don't wanna go to grandma's anymore."

"We'll see what we can do about that," Brianna smiled.

"Hey John," Gia smiled at him.

He gave her a quick hug, mussing her hair, "Hey Gi…how are things with the boyfriend? Do I need to kick his ass?"

"Things with Brian are great," Gia smiled. "No ass kicking. But thank you for that offer."

"It'll stand forever," he assured her.

"John!" Maya beamed as Brianna put her down. "You came!"

"I never break a promise to a pretty girl," he smiled, picking her up. "And you are my favorite girl. How can I miss a chance to hang out with you?"

"You cant," she smiled, hugging his neck.

"Gia, you wanna come with us?" John asked, pretending Nick wasn't even in the room. He couldn't help but smile at Maya running to him first.

"Can I bring Brian?" she asked.

John rolled his eyes and Brianna laughed, "Of course you can bring him."

"Anybody gonna invite me?" Nick asked, walking over to John and Maya.

"Hi daddy," she waved, not making any move to get down.

"Hey munchkin," he smiled, reaching for her. John put her down and she rushed back to Brianna, "Can you help me take my bags upstairs?"

"I got these," Gia said, getting the suitcases out of the hall. She obviously wanted to get out of the awkwardness.

"Do you wanna go daddy?" Maya asked, though she didn't sound thrilled with the idea.

"I'd love to kid but I cant. I'm picking up some extra hours at work today," he explained.

"You hate working overtime," Brianna laughed.

Nick shrugged, "Cant hurt to have some extra money for the wedding."

He gave John a smile.

"That's cool of you," John smiled back. "I just figured Bri was paying for everything like she always does."

"So do you wanna change clothes munch or do you wanna just go?" Brianna quickly changed the subject.

"Let's just go."

"Hello," Raquel answered the phone cheerfully.

"Hey Rocky," Matt smiled, pacing back and forth in his hotel room. He hoped his nerves didn't come across in his voice.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Not too much," he answered. "Me and Jeff just checked into the hotel."

"You guys aren't sharing a room again are you?" she asked. "I find that creepy, you know?"

"We have our own rooms," he laughed. "What are you up to?"

"Not too much," Raquel answered. "I was actually just going through a bunch of clothes I never wear and deciding what to give away."

"Well that's generous of you," he said.

"It is," she agreed. "Some of this stuff still has tags."

"Then why are you giving it away?" he asked.

"I don't know," she laughed. "I guess I just don't like it anymore."

"Interesting, well, as much as I love talking about your closet..I had something I wanted to ask you," he sat on his couch.

"Whatever it is, you know I'll say yes," she said. "I cant say no to you."

"I hope not," he smirked. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me tomorrow."

"Sure," she answered quickly. "Is Jeff coming?"

"Uh, no," Matt answered. "I was thinking just me and you. Jeff's doing…something. I don't know."

"Oh, okay," she said. "Well sure, we can go to dinner. Pick me up at 8."

"Perfect, I will," he smiled. "I'll uh…I guess I'll see you then."

"We'll be back in a few minutes guys," Brian announced as he, Maya, and Gia walked away. They were taking Maya on a carousel.

Brianna looked over at John who was looking down at his phone. He had barely spoken to her the entire time they were shopping. He had been great with Maya and had even been somewhat nice to Brian but he was acting like she wasn't around. She walked over to his side of the table and sat next to him, putting her hand over the phone, "John."

He looked up at her expectantly but didn't say anything.

"Are you planning on talking to me today?" she asked.

"I have talked to you," he shrugged, putting his phone down on the table.

"Barely," she said. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious," she nodded. "You were fine this morning and now you don't wanna talk to me."

"You don't remember the part in the middle there where your fiancée tried to shove his tongue down your throat?" he asked.

"That's not my fault," Brianna insisted. "And I didn't kiss him back."

"Do you have any idea how that felt?" he asked. "Do you get what it's like for me to have to sit and watch him kiss you? I wanted to beat the shit out of him for touching my woman but I couldn't. Because you're not really mine. He thinks he can just touch you whenever he wants. I cant handle that."

"John I'm sorry," she tried to take his hand but he pulled his away.

"What about when I'm not there?" John asked. He had been trying to hold in his anger all day but she brought it up so he figured they might as well discuss it.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Does he kiss you?" he asked. "Does he touch you?"

He prayed her answer would be what he wanted because if she said that anything had happened between them, he would lose it.

"Why would you ask me that?" she frowned.

John shrugged.

"I've told you before, I cant remember the last time Nick and I were together that way," she answered. "John, I love you."

"I know," he nodded. "Right now that just isn't making me feel better."

Brianna was about to say something else when her phone rang. She figured John wasn't going to say much else to her so she looked down at it, seeing Jeff's name.

"I'll be back," she told John before walking away, answering the call, "What's up Hardy?"

"I need to talk to you," he sounded strange, almost defeated.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Before I tell you this, I need you to promise me you will not tell your sister anything I tell you," he said.

"Which sister?" Brianna smiled.

"Bri."

"Okay, okay, my lips are sealed," Brianna agreed. "What's going on?"

"Matt told me he's in love with Raquel," Jeff blurted.

"Whoa," Brianna stopped walking. "Wow."

"Yeah," Jeff sighed. "And the problem is…I am too."

"Well that I knew," she shrugged.

"You did?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," she said. "And you need to tell her."

"I cant," Jeff argued. "I-"

"Yes you can," she insisted. "Jeff, you have to."

"You don't understand," Jeff insisted. "You know, I shouldn't have told you about this Bri, I'm sorry. Just, please don't say anything to her."

Brianna wished she hadn't made that promise. It was done now though.

"I wont tell her," Brianna agreed. "But you should."

"I'll talk to you later," Jeff ended the call.