Perfectly Pink - An It's Always Been You Romance (Complete)

Chapter 6

Simon played with the empty glass in front of him, trying to decide if a third scotch was a bad idea or not.

He'd crashed hard after Mary all but ghosted him. The sight of happy couples everywhere bristled against his lone wolf status. Paired two by two, swaying to the music of the live band his brother had hired.

The party was practically split into two camps. The smaller group was a collection of Finn's friends, military personnel decked out in their crisp uniforms, metals gleaming on their jackets instead of boutonnieres. The soldiers had made it quite clear they were not a fan of their comrades' older brother.  Overshadowing them were Mary's kind of people – rich and famous tuxedo and taffeta fashionistas. There had been actual paparazzi on the way here yesterday, trying to catch a snap of a Harrington. Emily was close with the whole family, particularly Sam and Ali Harrington.

The worst part was Finn seemed perfectly at home with this high-profile couple. The ease of their relationship was obvious. Sam and Finn laughed and joked together the way Simon wanted to with his younger sibling.  When they were growing up the brothers would have made fun of people like the Harrington's. These richy riches were what was wrong with this country. Now Finn was turning into one of them.

Not feeling wanted, it was a toss-up between getting drunk enough to forget what happened in the library with Mary or retiring to his room to wallow in the memory.

He'd just about made up his mind when a gentle hand tapped his shoulder. "Can I get a dance with my brother?"

Simon regarded the beautiful bride. Although a member of the posh club, Emily had never treated him any differently. She was kind and generous. And despite the fact he had hurt her, she still wanted to be near him. How could he ever deny Emily any request?

Taking his calloused hand in her delicate one, Emily led him on to the dance floor. The lead singer crooned about giving his heart it completely as the music swelled. 

"in-law," Simon corrected.

The woman in white tilted her head at him, grey eyes sparkling in the soft light.

"Brother-in-law," he clarified.

"No, Simon. You're family now."

He shook his head. He didn't deserve her kindness.

"Emily, I'm so sorry. For my part...," No - if he was going to apologize again, he was going to own up to his mistakes. "For what I did. I thought ...I was wrong."

Emily squeezed his shoulder. "We'll have none of that. It's my wedding day Simon. A new beginning. Let's ...not focus on the past. The here and now, the family we're creating - that's what we need to concentrate on. Together."

A lump in his throat prevented him from speaking. Blinking quickly at the excess liquid forming in his eyes, Simon nodded in agreement. He'd spend a lifetime making up for how he hurt this woman. And his brother.

"Good," she smiled. "Because I need your help."

"Anything," he managed to croak.

"Finn needs to be surrounded by people who love him."

Simon searched the room for his brother, finding him in conversation with their older sister. As children, they had all been so close. How had they so easily grown apart over the years? He turned back to the woman in his arms. "He has you, Emily. It's all he's ever wanted."

"And you know I love him more than life. But I'm not enough."

Simon begged to differ. His brother had been a walking ghost for the last eight years. When he did get to see him in between his overseas missions for the military, Finn was sullen and distant. Since reuniting with Emily, it was like his brother woke up, came back to life.