My Unexpected Vow: California Billionaires Book 2 Harlow James (scary books to read txt) 📖

You guys made it.” He brings me in for a hug, his strong arms encasing me. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, so I hold on for just another moment until Hayes arrives in the vicinity.

“Yeah. Sorry we’re late. Traffic was a bitch,” Hayes interjects as Wes releases me and then I turn to glare at Hayes. He assesses the building in front of him, smiling appreciatively. “It looks fucking fantastic, man. Congrats. I bet Nolan is thrilled.”

My brother beams proudly. “He is. It was all worth it.”

“I’m so proud of you, Wes,” I choke out through the emotion building in my throat, reaching forward for another hug. When I step back, I reach up to push a strand of my bright blonde hair behind my ear, not thinking apparently because as I lower my hand, I see Shayla’s eyes fixate on my finger as the sunlight catches on the diamond ring I forgot to take off before exiting the car.

“Waverly is that—” Shayla asks just as I turn and see Hayes’s eyes bug out.

Oh, shit.

“Oh, uh—” I start, but Hayes steps up next to me, holding my wrist and wrapping an arm around my waist, and then cuts me off.

“I’ve got this,” he whispers in my ear before facing my brother and Shayla again. “Babe, I guess there’s no time like the present to tell them,” he says through a clenched smile, widening his eyes at me like we’re having a conversation only we understand. But I can see the murderous glare behind his gaze, and I’m mentally kicking myself in the head right now.

“But I thought we were going to wait?” I fire back at him through the same creepy smile he’s giving me. I take a moment to glance at my brother and Shayla, who are sharing the same concerned look on their faces.

Looks like there’s no going back now, even though this is the opposite of the plan we had in place. However, I’m beginning to realize that being around Hayes tends to make my plans burn up in flames.

“Wait for what? What’s going on, guys?” Wes grips Shayla’s waist as they anticipate the confirmation of what I can only assume they know is coming.

“Uh, Hayes and I—we—”

“We got married, man. You and I are officially brothers now.” Hayes grins as he pulls me even closer to his side.

All I can do is force out a smile that is semi-genuine because how else am I supposed to react to this development in my life?

However, as Wes and Shayla stand there, mouths open in shock, wondering how in the hell this happened, my heart slams against my sternum, and I can faintly feel Hayes’s pulse doing the same thing as his fingers grip me tightly.

“You… you what?” Wes’s eyes bounce back and forth between us as he shakes his head, narrows his eyes at Hayes and me, and then inhales deeply as if he’s restraining himself right now.

“Look, this isn’t how we wanted to tell you, okay?” Hayes replies quickly, loosening his grip and then strumming his fingers along my back, which actually helps calm me down.

What the hell is that about?

“Today isn’t about us, it’s about you and Nolan. It’s about the facility.” He releases me and then steps closer to my brother, resting his palms on Wes’s shoulders. “I promise we’ll explain everything to you, but not today, okay? That’s not why we’re here.”

The confusion in Wes’s gaze has my stomach rolling and forming knots the longer that he’s silent. This is all so wrong, but I guess this obstacle in our fake marriage is all my fault. I can’t believe I forgot to take off this stupid ring.

“There will definitely be a discussion,” Wes replies finally, stepping back from Hayes and buttoning up his jacket.

“I think we should all go inside, yeah?” Shayla interjects in a cheery voice, trying like hell to break through the shock and tension running through the four of us.

“Yes, let’s. I wanna see what you’ve been up to, buddy.” Hayes smiles and then throws his arm around Wes’s neck, walking in front of Shayla and me as I struggle to get my pulse back to normal.

Shayla grabs my hand, pulling me to a stop, and then whispers, “Hayes? You and Hayes got married?”

I close my eyes and shake my head. “Yes. And it’s a long story, one I don’t want to get into right now.”

She nods while biting her lower lip. “I get it. But I can’t help but be stunned, you get that, right?”

“Believe me, I know. But I’ll explain everything later.”

Shayla drops the topic and we hustle inside to see the work my brother has put in for our other brother, the one that the press knows nothing about. From the outside, this facility looks like a humanitarian move on my brother’s part, not an attempt for him to make amends.

The superhero theme inside turned out so well, which I know was a common agreement between Nolan and Wes. A large mural of The Avengers is the first thing you see when you enter, with each character sporting a physical disability or limitation. And each of the rooms is painted in a color scheme for an individual hero. The building will offer sports, classes, and medical services for kids with physical and mental disabilities. It’s a remarkable place, and my heart bursts with pride for my brothers.

After a long day of watching kids play on the basketball courts, sitting in classes where they learn how to fix and adjust their wheelchairs, and sitting in on an icebreaker seminar where a bunch of the kids with varying disabilities all get to know each other a little better, Hayes and I say our goodbyes and hop back in his car for the long drive home to Santa Monica.

It takes almost thirty minutes before Hayes speaks a word to me, and it’s not what I was expecting from him at all.

“It’ll be okay,” he says, momentarily reaching across