Almost Easy

Confessing to the Rev

Brian's POV

After catching a cab to Shadow Creek and checking with the staff, I managed to track the boys down at the golf course.

I knew it would be a matter of hours before that dumbass paparazzi dude was going publish his pictures and the best way to head it off was to come clean. I had been confident in doing it before that damn photographer took our picture and now, I was more pissed at the damn invasion of privacy. And I was even more pissed at Zoey.

As I made my way on the golf cart, I tried to figure out what happened. One minute Zoey and I were on the same page and then we were fighting. It was confusing. She should have wanted to punch that photographer in the face, but she didn't. It was like she didn't have a normal female reaction bone in her body.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Jimmy called reaching for his nine-iron as I pulled the cart to a halt.

"Hangover," I used the one word explanation.

Jimmy shook his head side to side "That what we're calling your women now?"

I looked at him surprised "I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about, James."

He took a practice swing. "Johnny said you never made it to your room."

I gave him a frown "What the hell? Is Johnny the room police?"

"Yeah, "Jimmy laughed "The red head?"

"Not exactly?" I replied running my hand through my hair.

He gave me an expectant stare as he took another practice swing. "Not exactly?"

I shrugged as I reached into the beer cooler in the back of the cart. I tossed him one.

"Aww brother, tell me you didn't..not Zoey bear," he said as he caught the beer.

"I didn't," I repeated back to him as I opened my can.

He smiled relieved "Thank God man. You would have been a dead man walking."

I agreed as I took a sip of my beer "Where are the rest of the guys?"

"Johnny, decided to hit the head. Matt and Zacky were two holes behind us. We should have waited for them but Johnny thought he could hold it if we hurried but he couldn't. So I'm waiting here for them all."

We were silent for a bit. I was thinking of a way to come clean and he was giving me the space I needed to do that. Jimmy knew me better than anyone.

"So I did," I stated.

Jimmy's shoulders slumped and he gave me a "what the fuck" look. "You did what?"

I nodded to myself as encouragement "I married her."

"YOU DID WHAT?" he thundered, his eyes wide with shock and awe. "I thought you were just gonna say you slept with her again."

"I did that too, after I married her," I repeated as I rubbed my hand across my neck uncomfortably. "We got hammered, we got married, we had sex, we had breakfast and then we had our picture taken by the paps that chase her around...In that order. At least I made an honest woman out of her first, right? That's gotta count for something with Zacky."

I could have confessed the part about being drugged but no one would probably believe it.

He shook his head in disbelief "What the hell man? Why would you do something so stupid? What's Michelle gonna think?"

I didn't want to think about what Michelle was going to think, at least not at the moment "I don't know. I guess it didn't seem stupid at the time. Everything gets all fucked up when Zoey is around," I blurted.

He sighed "That's what happens when you like someone. You do like her, right?"

"Yeah, yeah I do," I admitted

"Enough to be married to her?" he asked and I lifted my eyebrow in response.

"Enough to lose Michelle over? Enough to have to answer to Zacky?" he rattled off.

I ran my hand through my hair and looked down at my ragged jean cutoffs. Compared to Jimmy's surprising khaki shorts and navy pocket tee, I looked like a mess. "I don't know, maybe...man, I guess. That's why I'm talking to you. I need to get some reason into me. Zoey kind of makes that part of my brain scramble and malfunction."

"How long has that been happening?" he asked curiously "I mean I never knew you had it bad for her. How the hell did you manage to hide that shit?"

"The same way you hid your feelings for Alanna Colby after you met Leana."

"Cold showers and whiskey?" he cracked and we both laughed. A little bit of a tension breaker.

"She just got divorced and now the press knows she's married again. I care enough about her that I can't...."I trailed off.

He nodded for the first time understanding "You can't let her take that heat. What does Zoey think of that?"

"She's not exactly speaking to me at the moment," I admitted "I almost decked the photographer and crushed his camera."

"And last night, you could have gotten arrested. Man you do have it bad. Can't believe I never noticed," he laughed.

"Exactly," I confirmed as I noticed Zacky driving like a maniac toward us with Matt laughing at Johnny who was chasing the cart.

"You telling Zacky now?" he asked giving me a sideways glance as we watched our friends approach..

"Fuck no, not till I absolutely have to. Figure we have another 12 hours before it gets out."

He agreed, clapping me on the back. "Then let's get some fun in before the shit hits the fan."