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“I think we can handle ourselves,” Everleigh says, then takes a sip of her drink.
“Alright, good.” I turn to walk away.
Gemma speaks up. “You should join us.”
I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “Join you?”
“Well yeah, unless you have other plans.” Her voice lowers.
“Yes, come sit!” Everleigh scoots over and pats the empty seat next to her.
“As it gets later, the creepier the guys get. It’ll be nice having you scare them off for us,” Katie says.
“I’d be intruding. You’re obviously having a girls' night.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Everleigh smacks the seat again, demanding me with her scowl.
“C’mon, sit.” Gemma gives me a sweet smile, and that’s when I know I’m fucked.
It’s easy to be a disappointment when I’m so far away, but when she’s staring at me with such a deep intensity, it’s hard as hell to say no.
CHAPTERSIX
GEMMA
Tyler looks at me,and my breath hitches. For a moment, I think he’s going to walk away, but then he sits down in front of me next to Everleigh. Though he continues to avoid eye contact, I’m well aware of how close he really is. I can’t help but notice how his shirt hugs him in all the right places. When he reaches for his beer, his biceps peek from under his sleeves, and I force myself to look away.
For just ten minutes, I wish we could talk about our past. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening any time soon. Considering he’s pretending I’m invisible right now, I’m not sure that’ll ever happen. Maybe he’s forgotten it all, but I haven’t. The pain he caused still runs deep, but maybe now that he’s back, I’ll finally get some closure. At least that’s what I’m hoping for, so I can move on for good.
The silence draws on, and my cheeks heat as I finish my margarita. Having him here with us is suddenly awkward, and I try to think of something to talk about, but my mind goes blank. Maybe Ishouldn’thave spoken up and invited him to join us, but once the words were out of my mouth, there was no going back.
“So...” Everleigh looks at us with a mischievous grin. “How about a round of whiskey?”
“The hard stuff, huh?” Tyler chuckles, then empties his mug in a big gulp.
“Only for my favorite people in the world,” she sing-songs. It’s gonna take the hard stuff for me to get through tonight.
Everleigh calls the waitress over and orders double shots for all of us. When they come, Everleigh holds hers up. “To my amazing brother, Tyler. For kicking ass and taking names.” She looks around the table, then we clink our glasses together, and the liquid burns going down. When the server returns to clear the table, I order another margarita with an extra shot of tequila.
I think the only way I can be this close to Tyler is if I’m inebriated. I just hope I don’t say anything stupid, like the other day in the lobby when I told him I’d waited years for him. There was no denying the embarrassment I felt after.
The more hours that pass, the drunker we get, except for Tyler. He’s switched to drinking water and doesn’t join in on our conversation but rather just listens.
Everleigh is two shots away from reliving our early twenties, and I can’t stop laughing at everything she says. Katie has the giggles too, and I don’t even remember what was so funny when we order another round.
“And look how sexy they look in these new dresses,” Everleigh beams, swiping through her photos and showing Tyler the pictures.
“I mean, look at Gemma in that summer dress. She looks like she should be on the cover ofVogue, not modeling my clothes in small-town Alabama.”
I shake my head, not wanting the attention. Though she’s made Katie and me mini celebrities with her customers.
“And Katie. Jesus, girl, you’re a MILF if I ever saw one. Still don’t know why a man hasn’t made an honest woman out of her yet.” Everleigh talks loud when she’s drunk, and right now, the whole bar can hear her.
Tyler laughs as he shushes her. “Looks like you found the perfect people to guilt into helping you.”
This makes Katie and me snort.
“First comes guilt, second comes threats. It’s easier to just give in right away,” I admit.
