Page 7 of Embraced in Ink

Dear God, now he was thinking himself into circles, and he sounded like Bristol. He let out a breath and tried to focus on the others in the room, only he couldn’t, and his mind drifted.

At one point, when she had been with Zia, her ex-girlfriend, he had thought maybe he could get out of the promise made between the two of them. Zia and Bristol had been hot and heavy and had great chemistry. He liked Zia. She and Bristol had been serious enough that he’d thought they were on the path to marriage. Maybe he’d even been a little bit jealous. But that was only because she spent so much time with Zia and not him.

That was the cause of the jealousy.

No other reason.

Then the two had broken up, though they remained friends. And now Zia was off with a man in her life, and happy—possibly getting married.

And nowhemight be getting married.

No. He wasnotgetting married.

Bristol had forgotten.

“Why are you growling over in a corner at your best friend’s birthday party?” his mother asked as she walked towards him, his father on her arm.

“I’m not doing anything,” he said quickly, knowing that was a lie.

“I don’t know what your son is doing, Alex. But you need to make sure that he is prepared for this next phase.”

Next phase? Did his mother know? Oh, God, had he written what he and Bristol had planned down somewhere, and she had figured it out?

“Old age?” his father asked, grinning, and then winced as his mother punched him in the shoulder. “You know, you still have the same strength you did when you were in college playing softball, love of my life. Come on, Joan.” His dad reached around his mother, and when his mother’s eyes widened, and she gasped, Marcus tried not to flinch.

He did, however, roll his eyes. “If you two could stop fawning over each other and groping one another for a minute, that would be great.”

“Why are you so growly, son?” his mom asked as she moved closer. “Is there something we can do?”

Not in the slightest. Because how could he tell his mother that he might end up engaged tonight because of a promise made between two people who’d vowed to never break their word? Or the fact that he did, in fact, want Bristol. Even if he told himself that he didn’t. That he couldn’t. “I’m fine. Promise. And what do you mean, prepared?” he asked.

“I was only asking if you’re prepared now that you’re in your thirties.”

“Mom, I’ve been thirty for over a month.” His tone was dry, and when his mother raised a brow, he knew he was right on the edge of getting thattonefrom her. He’d lived on that edge his entire life, even if he was the so-calledquietone. He was used to it.

She waved him off. “True, but now that Bristol is thirty, I feel like you’re actually in your thirties. Don’t give me that look. You’re still my baby, but because you guys have always been joined at the hip, now that you’re both thirty, it counts.” She clapped as she said it, and he snorted.

“It’s good to know that Bristol needs to do something in order for it to count for me.”

“You know that’s not what I mean. I love that little girl like she’s my own daughter. It’s a shame that you two never actually got together. I would love for her to become a Stearn.”

Marcus smiled, shaking his head, even as his stomach clenched. Well, his mother might be getting her wish.

That thought sent shivers down his spine, even as it warmed him. Hell, he had no idea what to think. And that was the problem, wasn’t it?

“Hey there, what are you doing over in the corner?” his eldest sister, Vanessa, asked as she came forward. James, her husband, was right behind her, grinning.

“Yes, are we plotting?” his middle sister, Jennifer, asked, her husband Anthony, right next to her.

“Oh, plotting. Let me help.” Andie hopped from foot to foot, her husband, Chris, rolling his eyes behind her.

Every time Marcus looked at Chris, he laughed, because he really did look like one of the Chrises from theAvengers. Considering that his sister had had a crush on one of them for a decade and had basically married one? Yeah, that seemed like fate. Fate that made Marcus laugh his ass off, not like the wordfatethat kept creeping into his mind whenever he thought of Bristol.

“Why are we all over here?” he asked, trying to keep calm. The later the hour got, the less likely the whole marriage thing would come up. Other than the fact that his mother had just mentioned it. But she didn’t know about the promise. So, as long as they didn’t talk about it with Bristol near them, it didn’t really exist. And he wouldn’t have to turn her down.

Because he was going to have to turn her down, right?

He’d have to break her heart. Or maybe, break his own. Because why would she be brokenhearted? They were friends, after all. Right?