From Best Friend to Bride Read Free

If he was looking at her in a way that stirred him, how would other men be looking at her today? They were attending a church service, for crying out loud, and he was standing here fighting off an ever-growing attraction to his best friend. There was so much wrong with this situation he didn’t even know where to start.
    “I’m ready.” He moved into the foyer, careful not to touch her as he passed, and retrieved his keys from the side table.
    After he’d locked up behind them, Cameron followed her down the stone path toward her black SUV parked in his drive. They’d barely gotten their seat belts fastened before her cell chimed. Casting a quick glance down to where it rested on the console, Cameron spotted Evan’s name on the screen. More anxiety filled his stomach, but he kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time to expose him. He’d actually made a point to not come between Megan and her brother. Their issues went way beyond those of regular siblings. He might not be able to tell Megan what had happened last night, but Cameron would throw himself in front of her to protect her from anyone...including Evan. Family loyalty meant everything to him; unfortunately, her brother was only loyal to himself.
    Megan’s bright green eyes darted up to his as she sighed. “I’m sorry.”
    Wasn’t that the story of her life? Always apologizing for her brother, always coming to his defense? Megan was never fully able to live her own life the way she wanted because she’d had to play mom, dad, sister and therapist to the ungrateful punk for years.
    She snatched her cell on the second ring. “Hello.”
    Cameron couldn’t make out what Evan was saying, only the rumble of a male voice filtered through the SUV. Not that Cameron needed to know what Evan was saying. The man only called his sister to ask for money, use her car or some other random favor.
    Megan’s head fell against the back of her seat as she gripped the phone with one hand and her steering wheel with the other. “I can’t, Evan—I’m busy right now.”
    Cameron resisted the urge to pull the phone from her hand and tell Evan to grow a set and quit using his sister as plan A. The man, and he used the term loosely, had never held a job that Cameron was aware of...or at least not a legal one. Evan had been a troublemaker in school, getting kicked out of two before he even started junior high. Megan’s parents had moved the family to the next town as a result of Evan’s troubles, causing Cameron and Megan to lose touch for a year. Thankfully Megan had transferred back and their relationship had picked up right where they’d left off—with them goofing off and her hanging at his house with him and his brothers.
    Unfortunately, switching schools had only made Evan angrier, resulting in his behavior growing more reckless. Now, as an adult, he had made no strides to clean himself up. Actually, after what Cameron had witnessed last night, he knew Evan was even worse than he’d thought. The man was straight up running drugs. And there was no way in hell Megan knew the trouble her brother was in.
    No wonder Megan adored Cameron’s family so much. They were all she had in the form of a loving, solid foundation.
    “I’m sorry, Evan,” she went on, her tone exhausted. “That’s not something I can do right now. If you can wait until this afternoon, then I can help. Otherwise, I don’t know what to tell you.”
    The more Megan argued, defending herself, the more Cameron felt his blood pressure soar. He was thankful that even though he and his brothers had been hellions in school, they’d never crossed the line into illegal activity. They’d been standard cocky teens. There just happened to be three of them with that arrogant attitude, and when one had done something, the others had jumped on board.
    “No, Evan, I—”
    Cameron refused to let this go on another second. He pried the phone from her hand and ended the call without a word. Megan jerked toward him,