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I stared between my brothers, who were both giving me the side eye while I decided how much to admit to them. As if Ryan knew the only way to get me to open up was to ply me with alcohol, he set two shots of tequila in front of me, then one each in front of himself and Frank.
“Why do I get two?” I asked, already knowing damn well the answer to that question.
“Because you clearly need it,” Frank said, then tipped his in a toast to me before knocking it back.
“And we know how much you run your mouth after you’ve had some liquid courage, brother,” Ryan said with a laugh. “So drink up.” He nudged mine closer to me and waited for me to shoot them.
The first went down with a wince, burning my throat before coating my insides with warmth that made me feel like a rookie. I took a few steadying breaths before downing the second without another thought.
When I slammed the empty on the bar and announced, “I’m getting married,” they both started choking. Simultaneously, as if their lungs were connected.
“Married?” Frank asked, his voice shooting an octave higher.
“To who?” Ryan leaned forward, his brows pinched together.
“Carla.” God, her name was as bitter on my tongue as Ryan’s watermelon drink.
I stared past my brothers, fixing my gaze on the liquor bottles that lined the wall. I was afraid to see the level of disappointment in their eyes.
“Carla? The chick whose dad owns the TV stations?” Ryan said, putting it all together quicker than I’d expected. I’d only barely told them I was dating her.
“The one you started dating just to get Dad off your back?” Frank added.
I nodded, tapping the empty shot glass against the top of the bar. Ryan returned with the bottle and filled all three of our empty glasses.
“You can’t do this,” Frank said as he tipped back another shot.
“Yeah, this is crazy. Why the hell would you marry this girl?” Ryan frowned and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick out in every direction.
I downed another shot before reaching for the bottle and doling out the shots myself, filling them to the brim until some of the liquid spilled over.
“I don’t have a choice,” I confessed, realizing that I needed someone in my life to know the truth. The whole truth.
“What does that even mean?” Frank bit out. “How do you not have a choice?”
“I thought you loved Jess?” Ryan said.
I bristled. “I do love Jess.”
Ryan scowled at me. “You have a funny way of showing it.”
Agitated, I threw my hands out wide. “Why the fuck do I keep coming here when all you two do is give me shit instead of help me?”
Ryan laughed. He fucking laughed. “You come here because you know what you’re telling us is completely crazy, and we’re the only ones who will call you out on it.”
“I don’t need to be called out on it.”
“Then what do you need, brother, a swift kick in the ass? Because this is insane. It’s fucking nuts,” Frank practically growled. “Look, I saw you with Jess. I’d never seen you so happy or proud to be with a girl before.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’d never seen me with a girl, period.”
“True, but I’ve seen plenty of pictures. You didn’t look half as happy in any of those as you did the night you brought Jess in here. Plus, you don’t see your face when you talk about that girl.”
“This isn’t about my feelings for Jess, okay?”
“Then what the hell is it about?” Ryan asked.
Before I could answer, Frank quickly added, “Because things aren’t adding up.”
