“I’ve met Lewis. He’s great,” Taylor chimes in.
“Is he the guy Seb thought was giving you his number, but he was actually showing you pictures of his newborn?” Paisley asks.
Taylor giggles. “Yep, that’s the one.”
“In my defense, you looked hot that night,” Seb says with a smirk. “I genuinely thought he was hitting on you.”
Taylor sticks her tongue out at him. “I was only talking to him because that cheerleader was draped all over you.”
Seb wraps an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “You know I wasn’t interested in her. Wyatt was the one trying to set me up.”
“Hey, don’t pin that on me,” Wyatt says, holding up his hands. “I had no idea you were sneaking around with Taylor. I just thought you were looking to get laid.”
“I wasn’t,” Seb confirms.
“Enough about Wyatt and his fan club,” I say loud enough for everyone to hear. “I need a drink.”
“Me too!” Paisley chimes in enthusiastically.
“I’ll get them,” Ben says, pressing a soft kiss to my lips before standing.
“I’ll go with you,” Seb offers, following him toward the bar.
As they disappear into the crowd, Paisley leans over and kisses Nash on the cheek.
“What was that for?” he asks, smiling.
“For accepting Ben and Ash,” she says simply.
Nash picks up his beer, draining the bottle before turning to me. “Ben did all the work,” he admits. “He cares about you, Ash.”
Warmth spreads through me. “I care about him too,” I say softly.
Paisley grins. “You once told me that the right guy wouldn’t be intimidated by you or your brothers. That he’d fight for her.” She glances at Nash. “You were right.”
I raise a brow. “When did he say that?”
“The first time he took me to your parents’ house,” she explains. “We were in the treehouse in the backyard. He told me the last time he’d been up there was when you took your prom date up.”
I laugh. “God, you were such an ass to Jay that night! You took him out in your patrol car. He didn’t talk to me for weeks.”
Nash shrugs. “He was only after one thing. He was a jerk.”
“He was just a kid.”
“So were you,” Nash counters.
“Fair point.”
“Anyway,” Paisley cuts in. “I told him he couldn’t arrest every guy you dated; not that he agreed with me.” She rolls her eyes, making us laugh. “That’s when he said the right guy would fight for you. And he did.”
“Ben showed up here looking for me. He mentioned how upset you were after the other night.” He looks at me apologetically. “I’m sorry for being such a jerk. I never meant to hurt you. I just want what’s best for you, Ash.”
I sigh, my voice soft. “I’ve always known that, Nash. But Ben reallyisa good guy.”
“I know,” he says, reaching past Paisley to squeeze my hand. “Look, do I wish he was younger? Yeah. Do I wish he wasn’t married?”
I start to protest, but Nash stops me with a gentle shake of his head.
