“He does have lovely taste in women, but that’s about all he has going for him,” Ariana clarifies.
Arden smiles, rolling her eyes at the compliment.
Penny sets the cinnamon buns out on the table with the rest of the food. Sensing the story has ended, Lowesy gets up to make a fresh drink, and needing to be anywhere but here for a moment—I follow.
He’s filling our glasses with ice when I catch a glimpse of his wedding ring under the cabinet lighting. Gold. Simple. Totallyfucking married. I shake my head at how weird this still feels. A couple of years ago, I would have sworn the two of us would have been bachelors forever. I never thought I’d see the day either of us settled down.
He catches me looking, a happy little smile pulling on his lips. Dimples and all.
He nudges my arm. “Shut up.”
“You’re a husband.”
The smile grows. “I am.”
“You have a wife,” I point out, pouring some whiskey into my glass.
“Don’t,” he groans. “I’ll get hard.”
I bark out a laugh, shoving him gently. I’d prefer not to give my buddy a boner in his kitchen, so I move onto more pressing matters. “How are things with EJ?”
His smile dims, eyes remaining glued on his glass as he fills it with soda. “I don’t know.”
“They didn’t sort it before you guys left?”
Lowesy shakes his head, dropping the can to the counter. He leans back, resting his shoulder against the fridge. “Wyatt wouldn’t speak to him. I tried, but there wasn’t a shot at changing his mind. He almost lost it onmefor getting involved. I… I don’t know. Lucky’s slowly trying, but…I don’t know.”
He doesn’t knowwhat?If it’ll ever get better? If they’ve talked at all?
“Have you talked to Saltzy?”
Lowesy dips his chin, hazel eyes sad. “He hates this as much as the rest of us do. He’s begged Wyatt to have a conversation with him, but Wy is absolutely refusing. Nagging him about it will only make him dig his heels in and resist harder.”
“EJ didn’t mean it.”
“I know.” Lowesy sighs, dragging a hand over his face. “But if any of my friends hurt Lucky, I’d have a hard time getting over it, never mind a punch in the face. His anger isn’t unwarranted.”
“Yeah,” I grumble. “That’s fair.”
“Don’t press him about it, okay?” he says, smacking me on the shoulder. I shoot him a look, because when the fuck would I ever actually get involved in a mess that isn’t mine? “I know, I know, I just figured I’d say it. Just in case. This is a mess built on top of years of history. They have to sort it out themselves.”
That isn’t reassuring. I don’t like the way my mind drifts when he says that. Years of history, years of friendship, obliterated with one, stupid decision. What about multiple stupid decisions? What about three decisions back to back?
Out on the balcony, Forker is now telling some story that has Wyatt in stitches. I listen, sipping on my drink, feeling her looking at me the entire damn time. Her eyes are like flames, burning a path on my skin, holding the fire there until I react. It’s impossible to ignore.
She’s toying with me—begging me to look at her. I shouldn’t, but I do.
She smirks over the rim of her martini, her brow angling upward.
I shoot her a look, a clear warning, because that’s the scene we have to set here. She is still a woman hellbent on pursuing me, and I’m still a man that respects her brother enough to shoot her down. We cannot possibly give any indication that those roles have changed. Me playing along has the opposite effect than it should. It makes her face brighten so vibrantly that it illuminates this entire balcony like a spotlight on our crimes. If anyone looked close enough, they’d see my palm prints all over her skin and the path my lips took over her body.
Back to our regular, scheduled programming, though. Her favourite place to be.
I slide my eyes back to Fork, but meet the stare of someone else instead. Right next to him. Brown and inquisitive eyes watch me like they just caught me and Ariana exchanging spit instead of eye contact. I pause, not tearing my eyes away because that’d be admitting guilt. Arden brings her red wine to her lips, that stare lingering a second longer, before she turns her attention back to her boyfriend.
My armpits are sweating. My balls, too. I don’t scare easily, but Arden Doll is starting to become my greatest fear.
She can’t know. If she does, it destroys everything.
