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I’m not offended at all. Wyatt might be my brother, but he still looks out for us. Part of it is habit, I think. Also, I have one of those personalities where Iwouldget married. There was a time when I used one-night stands and alcohol to deal with the pressures of running a restaurant.Thatguy would have gotten drunk and married a woman he had known for a couple of hours. Now, I’m in my room on my last night in Vegas talking to my brother, who is spending a weekend night calling his younger brother.
I think we might both be losers.
“I have not and will not. I have the same aversion to marriage that you and Everly have.”
Everly is in a committed relationship, but Quinn had a heck of a time pinning her down even after she ended up pregnant. Still, hanging in my room is kind of stupid. A few beautiful women I met through the conference let me know they were single. And while I’ve stopped messing around, there’s nothing wrong with a flirtation. I just needed to be a little more selective with my choice for the night.
“But I’m going down to the casino.”
“Down?”
“Yeah, I came upstairs to change. Been in my work clothes all day.”
Yep, that’s a lie, and I know that Wyatt will see through it. He doesn’t call me out on it, though.
“No marriages. And if you get any more piercings, do them where I can’t see them.”
One nose piercing, and he thinks I’ve lost my mind. Okay, I got my nipple pierced too, but he doesn’t know that.
I roll my eyes again. “No problem. Are you picking me up tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Everly said she was a mother and didn’t have time for you.”
“She sucks.”
“Yeah. Also, I’m telling her you said that.”
Everly is scary. It couldn’t have been easy growing up sandwiched between two guys, but even Wyatt fears the middle child in the family.
“Get bent. Bye.”
I hang up before he can say anything else. After a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up and brush my teeth, I head back down to the casino. One night of fun in Vegas isn’t going to kill me.
ChapterThree
LIV
The sounds of dinging slot machines and the scent of alcohol surround me as I wonder—not for the first time— if I have made a massive mistake coming on this girls’ trip. Sure, the extra oxygen in the air makes me feel better, and the Backstreet Boys were fantastic. I had planned on coming here to have fun, and I have. But every moment has been tinged with guilt. I know it’s stupid, but for some reason, the weight of the world is still sitting on my shoulders. It’s why all my sisters think I’m a stick in the mud.
I look across the table at my sisters and feel a twinge of envy. They’re having an excellent time. I know I should be enjoying myself. The O’Bryan sisters in Vegas should be a celebration. We’ve been here a couple of days, but I never got into the groove of our long weekend getaway. My heart isn’t in it. Instead, it’s back in Texas even though my former in-laws promised me my children are having a fantastic time. They’ve sent me pictures and videos because everyone knows I have separation anxiety. This is our last night, and I feel like a failure because I haven’t even been able to capture my youthful exuberance for drinking. I did belt outI Want it That Waywithout an ounce of shame. And yes, there was some booty shaking, but the moment we stepped out of the concert tonight, my mind drifted back to my kids.
“Uh-oh, she’s thinking,” Avery says in what she calls herdoomvoice. I glance over at my youngest sister. The brattiness really comes out when she’s drinking. I love her, but she’s a pain in my ass sometimes.
“Thinking is a good thing,” Gerry says. Gerry is the smartest out of all of us. Strike that. She’s the most book smart. Avery is the smartest because she could probably talk the Pope into a weekend with strippers.
But Gerry is definitely the one with most book smarts. A doctor who lives in New York City, she rarely gets to spend time with us. This is a treat, and I’m bringing everyone down.
“I need another drink.” This comes from Cora, the oldest sibling, who says that every time her drink gets less than half full. The moment we stepped into DFW, Cora announced she was going to drink enough for six months while we were on our trip. That’s when she started drinking, at an airport bar. Granted, she’s not a sloppy drunk for the most part, and she never gets mean. She just gets happy.
“What’s on your mind, Livvy?” Avery asks. They all know.
I wish I was better at hiding my worries. My sisters always know though. “Nothing. I’m having fun.”
And I feel guilty because I’m not really having fun. This trip was for me and my fresh new start in Juniper Springs. I am inching closer to forty and being a parent really wears you down.
I glance at Cora, who is older than me. Maybe it’s only the single-parent thing.
Avery crosses her arms and squints at me like she’s trying to read my thoughts. Knowing her, she can.
