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He gestures to the guy beside him, lean and chiseled with dark, glistening skin.

“Ah, the quarterback.” Devon looks him over, a spark of interest lighting his eyes. “You wouldn’t happen to like men, would you?”

Matty coughs while Tyson, the quarterback, visibly cringes. “Fuck, no,” he says, then adds, “no offense, Davis.”

“Offense taken,” Huck mutters.

Devon sighs dramatically, draping an arm over my shoulder. “At least I have Xed to keep me warm at night.”

Matty’s eyes widen, but he gives nothing away other than a tightening of his smile. Stepping away, he nods at me as he passes, close enough to touch but too far to reach. “Hi, Xed. Good to see you. I’ll let the front desk know we’re adding two more people.”

Then he’s walking away, a hop in his step like seeing me hasn’t fazed him in the slightest. Like I’m nothing. Like we never shared over a decade of stolen kisses and so much more.

Reaching under the sleeves of my leather jacket, I itch at my scars, craving something stronger than the weed I just smoked.

“What the fuck was that?” Taylor asks, his blue-green eyes blazing as he flings his inked arms in the air.

“What the fuck was what?”

“Matthew,” he states, “brushing you off like that. Asshole didn’t even hug you or anything.”

And, of course, he noticed because Taylor’s a nosy bitch.

“Not everyone hugs.” I shrug out from under Dev’s arm, moving to stand with the girls while Taylor squints after me.

He’s been trying to pry all year, constantly digging into how I’m feeling, and I’m ready to kick his ass. Not that I really would—he’s had enough of that shit from his dad growing up—but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to.

“This place is, like, really nice,” Arya coos, twisting a bleach-blonde strand around her finger.

Val rolls her eyes. “It’s not what I wanted for my party. I specifically told Matthew I wanted to stay at a resort, and he picked this place instead. It’s kind of a dump.”

My mouth drops open, and I gape at her. “Valerie, this is a resort. It’s the motherfucking Bellagio—high-profile stars stay here. Are you serious right now?”

She tucks her short, dark waves behind her ear and ignores me, turning back to the group of women she brought with her to complain.

Salem shoots me an irritated glance before leaning close to whisper in my ear, “This is going to be a long week.”

She’s right.

I wish I could be anywhere but here.

Chapter five

“Do we have to stay here?”

Gritting my teeth, I look down at the mother of my child and force a smile onto my face, doing my best to keep my eyes off where Xed stands at a nearby slot machine with Devon practically glued to his back. The sight makes me want to hurl.

Fuck, he looks so…different. No longer the Xed I know, and not just because of the new piercings on his brow and nose. How can thirteen months change someone so much?

“What don’t you like about it?” I ask dryly. “This place checked all your boxes. Spa, pool, private nightclub, shopping. I don’t understand.”

She’s complained about every suggestion I’ve made so far, so I shouldn’t really be surprised. Every plan I’ve had for this sham of a wedding has apparently been “cheap” and “tacky.”

Maybe because I don’t fucking want it.

Valerie crosses her arms, fluttering her fake lashes as her friends exchange looks, clearly enjoying the show. “We’re going to stay at the Wyn. You’ve got shit taste in hotels.”

With a sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose, cheeks heating in embarrassment. Nothing I do is ever right. “I already paid for these rooms, Valerie. It’s too late to cancel.”