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“I… um… haven’t seen the birthday girl yet to wish her a happy birthday. If you’ll all excuse us,” Lottie says before rushing away, with Cooper quickly following behind.
“I thought you said he was only her boyfriend,” Jack states the obvious.
“Before this party, I thought so, too. Guess he must have popped the question sometime in between,” I explain, still tryingto come to terms with the idea that Lottie—my Lottie—is getting married to that dipshit.
All of him screams out sleazy.
What the hell does she see in him?
“Fuck that douchebag,” Caleb states, taking a sip of his scotch. “If there isn’t a ring on her finger, then she’s still fair game.”
“Lottie is not a game, asshole.”
“Tell that douche canoe that,” Caleb defends. “I know you’re not too perceptive, but what kind of asshole proposes to his ten-year girlfriend with no ring? A guy who likes to play mind games, that’s who.” Caleb wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me in close. “No ring, no fiancé. Get in there before the jackass takes your girl. Just saying.”
Caleb then slams his glass on the bar counter and struts over to some woman who has been eye-fucking him for most of the night.
“I hate to admit it, but my brother is right. I didn’t see an engagement ring on her finger, did you, love?”
“Nope,” Erin agrees. “And speaking from experience, when a girl gets engaged, that’s the first thing she shows everyone. Charlotte looked completely taken off guard when he announced their engagement.”
“Agreed.” Jack nods. “Not wanting to sound crass like my baby brother, he’s onto something when he says she’s fair game. Make sure you play for keeps, ‘cause that girl is a winner,” Jack says, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her to the makeshift dance floor in the corner of the room.
I stand alone at the bar counter, unable to pry my eyes away from Lottie.
Her asshole of a boyfriend talks animatedly to everyone in the bar, making himself right at home. Unlike me, it doesn’tlook like he has a hard time striking up a conversation with total strangers.
I guess he has that over me.
That’s not all he has that you want, now, is it?
I must be a fucking masochist because, for the life of me, I can’t pry my eyes away from them.
Especially when I see Lottie with a fake smile stitched to her face.
Almost as if she’d rather be anywhere but here.
When I see her lean in to say something to him and then head towards the ladies’ room, I see my chance of talking to Lottie alone.
A smart man would stay clear of an engaged woman, but I never claimed to be smart.
I push through the crowd until I’m at the back of the bar, down a long, dimly lit hallway that leads to the bathrooms. I then find Lottie leaning up against the wall, waiting for her turn.
She must sense me because her gaze lifts off the floor, turning her attention to me.
The sad hue of her eyes pierce through my heart, and I have this uncontrollable urge to kiss her right here and now and beg her not to marry that jackass.
“Hi,” she says sweetly, turning to her side to face me.
“Hi, yourself,” I retort, mimicking her stance and leaning my shoulder on the wall.
“Great party, isn’t it?” she asks sheepishly.
“It’s been eventful for sure. For one, I wasn’t expecting to learn about your engagement tonight. Kind of took me by surprise.”
“Oh, that,” she mutters. “Cooper and I aren’t engaged.”
“You’re not?” I ask, unable to hide the relief in my voice.
