Then Sienna caught his eye and real happiness flickered across her face. His breath caught in his throat.
She was annoying and immature and obsessed with fame, but she’d gotten under his skin in a way no one ever had before.
Fox held back a groan.Only seven more days, he told himself as the guys made their way to a table heaped with supplies.
“Where do we even start with this?” Wade picked up a green tablecloth and held it away from his body with two fingers like it was full of spiders.
Harry let out a long sigh. “Does it even matter? Eli made sure the girls would win, why even bother?”
Fox’s fist clenched at his side. He was just as annoyed about how pointless this all was, but he was here to help, even if it meant doing dumb stuff.
“Let’s start by seeing what we have,” said Eli, ever the optimist.
They sorted through the pile of decorations, all of which looked like it had been bought at least a decade ago. They had fresh flowers, which were pretty nice, but none of them had any clue what to do with them. The girls seemed much happier with their selection, and the sound of their giggling floated over to the guys’ side of the room.
Fox kept glancing over at them, then back to his watch. How long could this go on?
“This must be pretty frustrating,” Jason appeared next to the camera, looking way too happy at their confusion over the decorations. “The girls are set up nicely to win.”
“Yeah thanks to Eli,” said Harry, practically pouting. “Can’t believe we’re losing to the chicks.”
“Dude, shut up,” said Fox, before he could think better of it.
He was so tired of Harry’s moaning and complaining. The guy wanted to win, but not to help Eli and Audrey. He just hated losing. And while Fox was pretty sure Eli’s enthusiasm and Wade’s goofiness were being played up for the cameras, Harry was a jerk, whether the cameras were around or not.
“Alright, alright, sounds like some tension on the team. That won’t help things,” Jason said. He waved a hand at another camera so there were now two focused on the guys.
“Of course there’s tension, we want to win,” said Wade, with a wink at the approaching camera.
“Sounds like it’s mostly coming from Harry,” said Jason. “Or maybe directed toward him?”
The four of them went stony silent, and Fox fought to keep his breathing even. They were always being watched so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that theWedding Gamescrew had picked up on the fact Eli, Wade, and Fox weren’t too happy with the fourth member of their team.
But Fox was exceptionally annoyed tonight and wasn’t about to admit that on camera.
“He’s been a great addition to our group,” said Eli, breaking the silence and putting an arm around Harry’s shoulder. “Plus, if Reagan likes him, we like him.”
Harry laughed, a tinny fake sound that grated on Fox’s last nerve. “Well, Reagan thinks sliced bread is great, so the bar’s set pretty low.”
Jason chuckled, but none of the other guys did. Fox was getting seriously worried he’d do something stupid if he stuck around much longer. But he couldn’t let the slight on Reagan stand.
“You should be thanking your lucky stars she sticks by you,” said Fox. He narrowed his eyes at Harry, who glared back.
Jason whirled to face him. “Is that jealousy I hear? You’ve been friends with Audrey and Reagan since college, right? So maybe you’re a little put out that Harry bagged her first?”
“She’s not something to be won,” Fox said through gritted teeth. “She’s a person with feelings.”
“And what do you know about her feelings?” Harry was suddenly right in front of Fox, pushing his chest into him.
“I know you treat her like she doesn’t have any. It’s wrong.”
Harry shoved a finger into Fox’s chest. “It’s none of your business how I treat her.”
The edges of Fox’s vision were going red, and his hands had somehow balled into fists during this short exchange. He knew it was all for the show, that Jason and Bruce were finding drama wherever they could. The worst part was, Harry totally deserved to be punched in the face, and Fox wouldloveto be the one to do it.
But that’s not who he was anymore. He wouldn’t let some stupid reality show take away all the progress he’d made in the past ten years. He wasn’t a dumb kid who used his fist to show whatever he was feeling.
So, he walked out. Without a word to anyone. He just turned away from Harry’s angry face and went straight through the door into the hallway.
