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Rosie takes a deep breath and looks directly at Tyler, “I may be sweet, but my methods of revenge are unrivaled.” All the Nallen boys bust out laughing as Tyler says, “I look forward to it.”
Kelsea holds up her hand up, three fingers in the air as a countdown. Together, the three of us shout as Kelsea folds one finger down at a time. “One…two…three!” Then we all place the shot glass to our lips, throwing our heads back. When the liquid hits the inside of my mouth, there is an instant burn at the back of my throat, and the sensation of gagging threatens to rear its ugly head, but I successfully hold it down. Rosie and Kelsea seem to win the battle with their gag reflex, too, because they both have grimaces on their faces, but they’re still standing tall.
We all three look over at Tyler, and he looks smug.
“And to think, I was just starting to think that you’re my favorite brother. I was so wrong,” I declare, laughter in my voice. Tyler puts a hand over his heart and staggers backward. Shaking my head, I burst out, “You really are just too charming for your own good. This seems to be a Nallen brotherly trait.”
“You know it,” they all four say in unison. When I glance in Parker’s direction, he stares directly at me.
Suddenly, there is a cup of water in my face. “Here, drink this,” Rosie announces at my side. Ah, water. I definitely need it. And just like the water, a cocktail suddenly appears in my face. This time it’s from Kelsea. She is grinning from ear to ear. “That crap needed a follow-up, and we need to get bubbly tonight,” she tells Rosie and me as she waits for both of us to take our drinks from her.
“What the hell do you mean bybubbly, Kels?” Jasper questions his sister, passing around drinks to Parker, Tyler, and Drew.
“Drunk,” she states. “We’re getting drunk tonight and letting loose.”
Tyler fist bumps his sister, “Hell yeah, we are!”
“Hell yeah, we are!” Rosie echoes, much to the shock of everyone around her, especially me. I stare at her in wide-eyed amazement as she downs her drink, setting it on a small table beside the dance floor then dragging Drew into the center with her. Parker’s deep laugh sounds from next to me. It hugs me with its genuine warmth, and we grin at one another.
Before I know it, Kelsea is grabbing my hand, pulling me with her in the same direction as Rosie and Drew. I do what any good maid of honor would do; I down my drink, too. I almost instantly understand what Kelsea meant bybubblybecause as soon as the alcohol hits my stomach, my brain feels all fizzy. When I look back, Parker is still smiling at all of us, and soon the last three Nallens follow the rest of the group to the dance floor.
As the beat of the music booms around us, we all jump around, swaying our hips and arms with the rhythm.
Song after song plays, and we keep up with the change flawlessly. My body is covered in a sheen of sweat from all the heat generated by the bodies on the dance floor in such close quarters. Kelsea booty bumps me a little too hard, and I lose my balance, stumbling a bit. Two strong arms wrap around me and spin me to face their owner, all to the beat of the music. I’m startled initially then I realize those arms belong to Parker.
I don’t know if it’s the look on his face or the alcohol fueling my desire, but I place my arms around his shoulders, stepping even closer to him. Surprise lights up his face then there’s a bit of resolve. I know we’re playing with fire, but the feel of his body against mine feels so damn good. We move together, our eyes locked with such intensity I feel a bit breathless.
We‘re quickly knocked back to reality when Tyler gathers us both in his arms for a quick squeeze and release. We both laugh and continue dancing without breaking our connection. It’s as if we finally gave our bodies permission to be free. Free to touch. Free to no longer be a secret.
As the music changes, our hips seem to naturally change to match the rhythm. Looking into his eyes, I feel like we are the only two people on this dance floor. The music slows enough, and Parker pulls me a little closer. “Abbey, I think I want to try this thing between us after the wedding,” Parker whispers, just loud enough for me to hear him. That familiar feeling of doubt threatens to ruin this moment, but I stuff it down.
“I think I do too, but we need—” I begin, but he cuts me off.
“That’s all I need to hear right now. We will talk soon. Not right now, but soon,” he tells me. I nod in agreement, and this seems to satisfy Parker because he doesn’t push the topic anymore instead he pulls me a little closer.
Abruptly, there are two extra arms in this dance. “Hey! I’m so glad you guys talked us into having bachelor and bachelorette parties!” Rosie appears between us. Her smile spreads wide across her face. Behind her, I can see Drew giving Parker a look, and when my eyes shift back to Parker, he nods. Parker loosens his hold on me, and Rosie edges her way between us a bit more. What was that about?
“Abbey! Did you hear me? I called it bachelor and bachelorette parties!” Rosie shouts. I have no other choice than to pay attention to Rosie, which is probably for the best anyway.
Laughing, I respond, “Yes, I heard you, and look, you didn’t even get hives!”
Kelsea shows up, more shots in her hands for Rosie and me. “Ladies, more liquid fun!” Rosie and I take the glasses from her, and we all three toss them back at the same time. Drew takes Rosie and Kelsea’s glasses while Parker takes mine.
Drew leans over and kisses Rosie on the cheek. I really do love his tenderness with her. “Parks and I are gonna get some water. We will bring some back for you, too.”
Rosie beams up at him. “Thanks, babe!” Then she grabs mine and Kelsea’s hands, twirling us around. We all laugh and keep dancing. While I’m enjoying myself, I’m still thinking about Parker and the interaction I witnessed between him and Drew.
The girls and I continue to shake our bodies, whooping when a song we love starts to play. As I jump up and down, my eyes roam the bar area, hoping to find Parker and Drew. I finally see them standing close in conversation. They both look serious but not angry. That’s good.
“Hey, baby,” I feel a hot breath whisper across my skin. I would recognize his voice anywhere. I quickly turn and see Serb. I haven’t seen him in weeks, and while I don’t necessarily miss our arrangement, I still miss our friendship. It’s one thing Seb has always been to me—a good friend. “Sebastian!” I exclaim as I wrap my arms around him in a hug. He laughs, enveloping in the hug tightly. We both pull back and continue dancing.
“So, I see you’ve still got that thing with the brother going on, huh?” he asks, waggling his eyebrows at me. “Shhhhh,” I shush him. Quickly I look around for Rosie and Kelsea to see if they heard him, but they’re too engrossed in each other’s dance moves to be paying attention. He holds his hand up defensively, laughing. “I don’t know what you mean,” I say with a laugh, finally acknowledging his comment.
“Oh, come on, Abs. Are we still doing this?” I eye him and he immediately runs his fingers over his mouth and turns his hand as if he’s zipping his lips and locking them. Another great thing about Seb, he knows when to keep his mouth shut.
We continue dancing and laughing. He even takes my hand and twirls me around. It’s missing the electricity and sparks that I feel when I’m with Parker. Dancing with Sebastian isn’t any different than dancing with Rosie. It’s nice to have this comfort level with him because I know I’m safe. He can’t hurt me.
Eighteen
