Then He Happened (The Spearman Family #2)

by Claudia Y. Burgoa

“Who are you?” “Oh, shit, sorry,” he says, sobering up. “Jason, cousin of the idiot groom. And you are?” “Eileen, sister of the idiot bride.” “Nice to meet a future in-law,” he jokes.

It’s fascinating watching him switch from giant goof to serious businessman once Charlie and Marek get settled. As he goes over the job he’s helping Marek get, I study his profile. Masculine nose, sensual mouth, strong, chiseled jaw with a pair of high cheekbones framing those warm brown eyes that keep staring at me when he thinks nobody is watching.

“So, what’s wrong with Vegas again?” I suggest, half joking. Eileen shrugs. “Nothing. It’s a great town. Lots of movies take place there. I don’t know why people hate on it so much.” “But for a shotgun wedding or maybe eloping?” I clarify. “My assistant can make the reservations. I’ll get a plane. We’ll be there before six. There are plenty of venues. We could probably pick one on the spot.” She laughs. Like seriously laughs for about a minute like I just said the funniest, most amazing joke in the history of jokes. When she finally sobers up, she asks with that curious voice, “Did you run that idea by Charlie already?” I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. “No.” “Well if you do,” she says excited, and that excites me too. Finally, I found the solution to end this madness. “I want to be right there. I’ll have my camera ready.” Is she mocking me? I shoot her an unimpressed frown. “I’m not joking.” “Me neither.” She shakes her head, laughing once again. “She’ll try to kill you right on the spot. That’s worth taping.” “Oh, come on. It’s a great idea,” I insist. “You’re talking about my sister,” she says, waving the wedding journal in my face. “She thinks the only wedding worth having is a wedding that’s as glamorous as a royal affair.” “We could make Vegas glamorous,” I grumble. “Mom wouldn’t like it either,” she continues, setting the faults of my awesome idea. “What about the guests? Would you fly all of them, pay for the accommodations and their expenses?” Well, I can’...

“Okay, but will her royal obnoxiousness, Princess Charlie, agree to that?” Eileen snorts. “As long as it looks amazing on her Instagram account, I’m sure she’ll agree to that.”

“When I find a guy worth shit,” Eileen says. “I don’t want to be worried about a wedding or where we’re going to live.” The air is thin here. It goes well with the crisp afternoon air. Eileen is cool but calloused when it comes to love. I wonder if it's a family trait and she's just a gold digger. So, I prod a little. “What if he can only afford a studio, doesn’t have a car, and can’t afford to pay for the wedding of your dreams?” “Maybe that’s why 50 percent of marriages end up in divorce,” she answers. “People get married all the time for all the wrong reasons. You do it because you’ve come to realize that someone cares enough to see your bullshit and love you anyway. If you’re too concerned about her looks, her job, where she lives... you're wasting your time.” She sighs. “I don’t think that many weddings are about love. They're a convoluted status symbol. If you want it so badly, just elope.” My eyebrows shoot up. Well fuck, I wasn't expecting that. “What if you can afford the wedding of your dreams?” She gives me an impish smile. “Then, I’ll think about inviting a few people and do something small. Ten, fifteen people from each side of the family. You seem like the kind of guy that would let her do everything, and pay for it. You like to please people.” Now she’s analyzing me. Sweetheart, you don’t know me at all. “And why the fuck would I do that?” I ask defensively. That last statement doesn’t sit well. We don’t know each other, and she just assumes—not that she’s w...

“Could you?” she whispers with a chuckle. “Doesn’t it make you want to fall stupidly in love?” The sky goes on forever. Just like her laugh. My breath catches. I almost forgot what it’s like being up here, waiting for something that’ll never come to pass. I swallow thickly, terrified of how she made my heart beat faster. “Yeah.”

“Doing what you love doesn’t always pay well,” he says thoughtfully. “Preaching to the choir, pal,” I say.

“How is your family that shitty?” “You get used to it,” she says.

“This bride was bridezilla before she was even a person. Now she’s bridezilla ultra-pregnancy edition, and all we’re trying to do here is get a wedding dress. It’s her sister, her mother, and me. They can’t say no to her, and she hates me because I love saying no.” “And?” she prompts. I grimace. “And I’ll love you forever?” “Ship’s sailed on that.” “I’ll…” What else could she want from me? “Give you the keys to the place in Miami for two weeks?” “Wow, the house in Miami for the entire month of March next year?” she tweaks my offer. “Along with vacation pay during that month.” “You got it,” I agree immediately. There’s a long pause. I check the phone to make sure she’s still on the line. “Sounds like a pickle, Mr. Spearman,” she says dryly. I groan. “That’s what I’ve been trying to say. So, would you please, please, please get down to this boutique and talk her crazy language.” Jossie hums for a moment. “Alright. Let me make some calls, and I’ll be right there.” “Perfe—and you hung up on me again,” I say.

Jossie offers Eileen her hand to shake. “Josslyn Udayar. I own Jason’s life.” Eileen frowns giving me a questioning look. I answer with a shrug. Jossie doesn’t own me, but I’m not sure what I’d do without her in my life. “That means, I know where he is at all times,” Jossie explains. “Which includes when he’s not only completely out of his depth, but also when he’s wasting my good wedding contacts that I have to salvage.” “Eileen McBean,” Eileen offers with that soft genuine smile of hers. “I barely own my own life and apparently own my sister’s.” Eileen looks over her shoulder and whispers, “Please save us from the hell storm inside. She wants impossible things and won’t listen to reason, ever.”

“Let me take care of you for a change,” he offers and extends his hand. “For once, let someone else worry about the weight of the world. Take a leap of faith and begin by believing that you can change the way you live your life.” But then what’s there when my family can’t depend on me?

“Love isn’t about the big, swooping gestures,” Jason says. “It’s about waking up just a little bit earlier to get coffee while they watch the news together. It’s about trading off on the chores and responsibilities they hate and rewarding each other with smiles. It’s about the conversations, compromises, and adventures that make their lives worth living. Love is about finding someone who wants to go on that crazy journey of life together so you can support each other every step of the way. And once you’ve found who you want to go on that journey with, it seems wrong to waste another moment apart.” My jaw drops. Who is this man and what happened to Jason Spearman?

“So, you just had a romantic speech prepared,” I say. “I carry hand sanitizer wipes; you carry your own lectures for all occasions.” He shrugs and mutters, “They were part of my wedding vows.”

I prepared for everything, except this. She’s not coming. I never knew hurt until my heart broke into a million pieces. My insides were being excavated, prowled, and removed from within as the minutes passed. Mom whispers a few words. Dad seconds them with some others.

Jason, You’re a great guy. I snort at how she started the fucking letter. Really? You’re a great guy? She’s studying fucking law. I expected something fancier and more legitimate from her. I’m just a fucking good guy. The most stupid asshole in the history of human kind. Please forgive me. I’m not very good at this sort of thing. But please know that right now, my heart is breaking for us. We were good together. I remember that we were happy, but I’m a firm believer that happiness can only hold you together for so long. As the days passed, our time together became stifling. My plans of going to New York were stopped by your eagerness to do it just right. This isn’t about you, Jason. It’s about me and what I want for my future. I can’t do this. I can’t be your wife. There’s so much more for me than staying with you for the rest of my life. I know what you want, a house like your parents’ with just as many children, but what about me? I’ve worked hard to have a career. This is my time. I have to grow and reach for my dreams. Every person has their own destiny, and mine isn’t here. Not with you. Not with a husband, a minivan, and a bunch of children. I hope one day you understand me. Thanks for your years of kindness and support. All my love, Greta

“You realize she’s taller than you, right? And don’t brides like, wear high heels?” “Can I reference your tragic backstory?” “As long as you admit it’s tragic,” I concede. “It’s extremely tragic,” she says indulgently. I’m satisfied with that. “Proceed.”

“Have you ever been apologized to or thanked by a dude? Or, you know, ever been apologized to or thanked in general, ever?” Her family doesn’t seem like the type to do either one period.

“You deserve to be happy too, you know,” she says softly. Which— “I know,” I say. “Do you?” “I am,” I counteract. “Are you?” She says it so patiently and with this fucking kindness—what is her deal? Eileen’s out here plucking at my heartstrings, trying to get me to care about, what, exactly? My self-fulfillment? My happiness? Who gave her any right to barge into my life like that? “Why do you even care?” I say quietly. The conversation fucking dies right then and there. Eventually she shrugs and we move on with our lives, but I still don’t get it. Why does she have to be so considerate and caring? Why does everything she does have to be delightfully odd? Why does she have to be so fucking smart and funny and perfect— It hits me like a ton of bricks. Fuck. She’s perfect. Eileen McBean is my fucking dream girl. I guess I don’t have a wedding fetish.

“You’re an idiot.” I scowl at her. “Thanks, that makes me feel all fuzzy inside.” “This thing you call life is a journey,” she says. “It’s about growing and changing. You come to terms with your past, with who you were and what you are. You learn to let go and begin to love again.” And once again, Em thinks she’s the smartest person on the planet. Which… “Does your sage wisdom come with SparkNotes or do you get a kick out of being cryptic?” She smirks, crossing her arms. “A little, but what I’m saying is: what if she’s actually the person who saves you from living alone for the rest of your life?” Fuck this again. “Could we have one conversation where you don’t act like I’m some sad charity case you have to fix?” “Maybe I’m just being selfish,” she counteracts. “What if all this is just about making sure that my guy isn’t worried about his kid brother fucking around when he’s worth more than he thinks?” My jaw ticks. Her words sting. “You’re better than who you try to be,” she lets her shoulders fall dramatically. “So, what now? Will you hand me another fortune cookie to fix me?” Em sighs. “It’s up to you, Jason. You’re the only person who can make you happy.” She stares at my front door. “She could help you, though. If you let her.” I shrug, letting her walk off in frustration. I’m sure I’ll get a call from Jack later tonight about how I annoyed “the love of his life.” But I just don’t care right now. Em doesn’t get it. Then again, maybe I don’t either.

And then Jason had to open his big fucking mouth. “Your birthday’s coming up right?” That’s the straw that broke my fucking back. I’m so tired of everything—of my family shitting on me, of being overworked and underappreciated, and of nothing I do ever being good enough to make a difference. I’m so sick of living this shitty life where no one thinks of me, and I just have to take it. Even when I beg them to listen. So, I finally do something I’ve never done in my life. I run.

What’s the point of being attracted to someone who is about to fade?

What’s the use in talking about it? No one ever listens. Nor fucking cares what I think, or feel, or what happens to me. Except for Camilla. She’s the only one who would care what’s going on with me, and I can’t even reach her. No one else gives a fuck about me. Even if they did, I honestly doubt they know how to think about anyone but themselves.

He feels so safe. Like... like a home I wish I knew.

“You’re really bad at those,” he says when he finishes first. I shrug. “I could easily take a tequila shot better than you.” “Honestly, I’d rather not die that way,” he confesses. I hum, closing my eyes. “How would you die? If you could choose?” “Easy. I’d go out in front of a live audience. Sing my swan song and then croak off like an instantaneous heart attack or something,” he says. “Poetic, but morbid,” I say. “It suits you.” “You?” he asks. I shrug. “Probably something mundane like choking.” “Ouch. What? Nothing cool?” I roll my eyes. “We don’t all have to be as interesting as you.” “You’re the most interesting person on the planet,” he says. “I think you deserve to go out in style.”

“How are you so perfect?” I ask. And single, I think. A man like him should be cherished and loved by someone who can see his value. “Excuse me?” he says. “You’re the most amazing person on the face of the earth. I can’t believe you haven’t been there every day of my entire life.” “It feels like I have,” I mutter. “Like we’ve been doing this—thing—forever. You’re just so smart and funny—” “—No, fuck no, that’s you,” he insists. “And you can sing! How do you not know how fucking amazing you are?” “Takes one to know one,” I say.

“For what it’s worth,” he says suddenly. “I’m sorry I was an ass about your family. You’re the kindest person I’ve ever met.” “I’m sorry I said you were too chickenshit to be happy. You’re the most courageous person I’ve ever met,” I say earnestly, licking my lips. “And you're probably stupidly fantastic at kissing.” He leans over, his lips press firmly against mine. He catches my top lip between his teeth, teasing it.

It’s fireworks. Somersaults. It’s a summer sunset and the first snowfall. It’s the last time I went swimming as a kid. It’s climbing the highest peak. It’s coming home after a lifetime away. It’s a thousand lifetimes leading up to this one, simple resolution. It’s one soul calling out to another through an infinite abyss. It’s something like love.

“It was just a drunken hookup after all,” he says, shattering my heart carelessly. “There’s no shame in that.” I dust my chest, knowing that there’s nothing salvageable from the debris. It’s bound to happen. Naïve girl believes in a handsome, unusual, playboy asshole and he kicks you like a puppy. But I have to save face. “Of course not!” I say quickly. “Hooking up with a friend as a one-time thing? In this day and age? That’s so not a big deal.” He does that fake laugh thing he always does around Charlie when he’s ready to run for the hills. “I don’t know why I was worried,” he says. “You get me, Eileen.” Swallowing thickly, I nod. And then I realize he can’t see that, so I say, “Yeah.” After a moment he says, “You know it’s also pretty normal to hook up with a friend multiple times in this day and age.” I have no idea what’s his angle, but I’ll take the lifeline he’s giving. Anything to feel his lips on mine one more time. The last round before we leave. “You know, you’re totally right,” I say. “That’s something reasonable adults could do.” “And if there’s something we are, it’s reasonable.” I swallow again. “Well… I’m game if you are.”

“Marek,” Charlie says, reading the paper Eileen handed to her. “I can’t begin to tell you how much this day has made me feel. Excited, nervous, joyful, hopeful, and a little sad. Sad because every day you’re in my life is the best day of my life. I just cannot believe it took us so long to find each other. “There are so many things I want to say to you, but I’m scared that if I get them all down, we could be here a while.” The crowd laughs. “But I will say this,” Charlie says. “You are so witty, lively, and charming. You are a bright light in a very dark world that I would do anything to protect. You’re so free-spirited yet so measured. I promise to never discourage your smile or ambitions.” Marek’s the least ambitious person I know— Oh right, Eileen wrote this. I tilt my head to get a better look at her. Her eyes catch mine, almost instantly looking away as her cheeks go red. “You’re more than the tangible things, and you’re so much more than the sum of your parts. You see something in me that I can only hope I live up to. You cherish the little things in a way I’m only starting to learn. I want to spend the rest of our lives learning from each other. “I want each moment to be as breathtaking, exhilarating, and entertaining as the last. I want to see the world through your eyes because they hold the kindest mind and most profound soul I’ve ever known.” Wait a minute. Eileen said I’m the kindest person she’s ever met. Shit, she wrote about me? She wrote what she thinks a...

I nod, pointing my head to Marek. I’m trying to tell her “Listen up, this one’s dedicated to you” without using my own voice. Just the words I wrote for my cousin’s vows. “Charlie, Charlotte, Charlie Bear,” Marek says. Ad libbing, huh? I definitely didn’t tell him he could do that. It’s fine, I remind myself as long as he doesn’t fuck up my speech. “Every day that I get to wake up and see you, talk to you, and feel you is the best day of my life,” Marek says. “Every time I turn around and don’t see you, I get turned around because you’re my compass—my guiding light. You give me so much, and you ask for so little.” Eileen bites back a smile. She knows that can’t be about Charlie, good. “You see the very best in me. Sometimes that scares me because I’ve never seen someone so amazing have so much optimism for other people. I want to spend every moment we have reminding you of all the things you’ve already given to me—the laughs, the love, the support, and the happiness that comes with being by your side. “I want to be the person that reminds you to take a break, to be more loving to yourself because you’re so deserving of love. You’re so much braver, kinder, and tenacious than you give yourself credit for—I vow to spend the rest of my life reminding you of that.” Marek pauses. “I vow to make every day we get together as incredible as you. I vow to remind you whenever possible that you’re— Beautiful, intelligent, hilarious, vivacious, creative, and warm-hearted, I mou...

“Be the kind of friends who don’t want to look for another friend ever again because their current friend is more than they could’ve ever asked for?”

“I don’t want to hook up just for the weekend. I’m yours, Jason Spearman, for as long as you’ll have me.” He flashes me an ear-splitting grin. He kisses me on the head. “Good. You already stole my heart, Eileen McBean,” Jason says. “At this point, I’m not sure you’ll ever give it back, and I can’t live without it. Without you.” I laugh, leaning in for another kiss. Getting drenched in more sprinkler water feels poetic. Perfect.

“Are you sure?” Eileen says a couple of hours later as we stand awkwardly on the most cutesy cat themed welcome mat I’ve ever seen. “Sure, why not?” I ask. “Doesn’t it seem a little... soon?” I frown. “Does it feel too soon?” Eileen shrugs. “I guess not. I just—I’m not intruding, right? I don’t want to be a nuisance—” “Eileen, my light, my love, my precious shot of espresso,” I say. “If anything, I’m the nuisance. You’re more than welcome here and honestly, they’re fucking thrilled.” She takes a deep breath, nodding confidently. There’s my Eileen.

Eileen and I are made for each other. We have our disagreements—who doesn’t? But after hours of arguing, she wins and I get to have fantastic sex, so in retrospect, I win. I win because I spend my days with the love of my life. A woman who is not only wonderful but loves me the way I am. My parents keep asking me when we will get married. I don’t have an answer for them. We exchanged our vows a year ago—at Charlie’s wedding unbeknownst to our families. The paper doesn’t matter. I am already spending my life with my best friend and my forever love.