“No.”
“You definitely forgot.”
“I did not forget. I deprioritized.”
“That is the same thing,” Cole says.
I’m about to tell him to go to hell when the door to the brewery swings open behind us.A small group of guys comes in loud,too loud, the specific kind of drunk where theythinkthey're not coming across badly.
I don’t pay much attention at first. Pearson gets enough weekend traffic that a group of half-lit men isn’t exactly remarkable.But one of them saysCarly, and I turn.
Aaron.
He looks exactly like he did at the restaurant over a month ago, but more intoxicated now. He's worse, now, his ego inflated around other men, his laughter obnoxious.
He spots me at the bar and his whole face changes with ugly recognition, recoiling.
But then he smiles.Not a friendly smile, though. It's adrunk asshole smile.
Great.
He heads over before I can decide how much patience I’m willing to fake.
“Sparkks,” he says, stopping just close enough to be irritating. “Funny seeing you here.”
I don’t bother looking at him. “Is it?”
He glances at Cole, at Maddox, then back at me. “Thought maybe you’d be at home with my ex-girlfriend.”
Cole goes very still behind the bar. “Oh?”
Maddox’s beer lowers from his mouth.
I set my glass down carefully. “Is this necessary?”
Aaron laughs like I said something charming. “Come on, man. You can drop the act.”
My patience gets shorter.“What act?”
He spreads his hands. “You and Carly. I don’t buy it, coming to my wedding together. I know her. She's not really on your level. She was barely on mine.”
That last part pisses me off immediately.The smugness, the ownership baked into it, like he still gets to claim expertise on her and whatlevelshe is.
I turn toward him, towering over the fucking idiot, and Aaron's drunken confidence falters when he realizes just how much bigger I am.
Good.
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” I say. My voice stays even, which somehow seems to make him less comfortable. “And Carly and I will very much be at your wedding.”
He blinks, then laughs again, but it sounds thinner now. “Sure you will.”
“I said we would.” The stupid thing is, I mean it. I’m not leaving her to deal with this prick and his bride alone.
Aaron shifts his weight, eyes narrowing. He wants to save face in front of his friends. I can see the idea forming before he says it.
“Okay,” he says. “Then come to the bachelor party.”
Maddox mutters, “Oh, no.”
