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“Then … something happened. She did the most peculiar thing. She had her brother walk down to the ceremony and let everyone know that while the wedding was called off, the party was still on. It was like a switch had gone off in her mind. From distraught to delirious. According to Tara, why waste a seventy-thousand-dollar wedding on an asshole who didn’t even have the decency to call off their happily ever after in person?
“So … we partied. Well, most of us. The groom’s immediate family knew better than to stay. She got rip-roaring drunk, danced in her dream wedding gown, and had a blast until we dragged her drunk ass home at two in the morning. She’s been searching for that new Mr. Right ever since.”
“I have a newfound respect for your friend. Which means I’m gonna get mine to make sure he treats her well. Kent’s different. He’s shy, which is why he turned to online dating. Helps to fast-forward past the awkward pickup line in a bar.”
He lifts the bottle, asking if I’d like a refill. I tap my glass as a yes.
“You’ve been friends long?”
“I met Kent when I joined the Valor Country Police Department. He trained me. How about you and Tara?”
“We met in middle school. She heard a rumor about me and decided, instead of spreading it, she was going to ask me if it was true. It wasn’t, and that simple question was the start of a lifelong friendship.”
“What was the rumor?”
“That I wore boys’ underwear to school. It was started by Amanda Presley.”
“And how did you get back at Amanda Presley?”
I feign insult. “What makes you think we—fine, we glued three pairs of my dad’s boxers to her locker. It was harmless.”
He laughs and takes a drink. Moisture on his bottom lip glistens under the lights. I look back at the dance floor.
The music changes to a slower tune. Couples find one another in a scene reminiscent of the first time Will and I were here. My fingers swipe the tender skin of my neck, and my skin burns beneath.
“Want to dance?”
I look at him and give an abrupt, “No.”
He mouths the wordnoand nods his head with a furrowed brow. He leans forward with his elbows the table. “Then, let’s play a game.”
“Drinking games and I don’t go well together.”
“Good thing you’re with the man who has the key to the cell.” He holds his glass to his mouth as he smiles.
“Funny.”
“Not a drinking game. Just a game. An eye for an eye. I tell you one detail about my life; you give me one of yours.”
“This is fun?”
“For me, yes.” He winks with his arms folded on the table, leaning and giving me his complete attention. His mannerisms are so charming; they’re like a suction cup to my heart, pulling me across the table and into his lap—metaphorically, of course.
“Fine then. I’ll go first,” I state, to which he agrees. “What’s the situation with Allison? Is your family still not talking to you?”
A sigh falls from his lips. “It’s getting better. My mom invited me back to Sunday dinner. My family tried talking me into calling the wedding back on, but I made my decision, and they’re starting to respect that. I have five siblings, four of whom are married and gave my parents eleven grandchildren. They won’t rest until they know I’m happily married and have a kid on the way. It’s how they measure success. That’s not a bad thing, but they have to realize I might not be marriage material. For thirty years, I have done everything by the book. I’m a good son, a great brother, and the best damn uncle on the planet. And if being those three things is enough for me for now, then it has to be enough for them.”
I nod. “Your friends?”
He sways his head, like this isn’t as easy as the situation with his family. “The good ones, like Kent and Genevieve, they’re solid. Everyone else … I think when Allison meets the right man and has a family, they’ll see how it all worked out for the best. I’m just going to have to wait for time to heal this one.”
“When Tyler and I split, we each lost friends. As for time showing me everything will work out for the best, I think I’m starting to see that.”
“We just need to wait and let fate do her thing.” He clicks glasses with me, and we take a sip. “My turn.”
“Nope. You didn’t finish answering my question. Allison.”
He lowers his chin and looks up at me. “You really want to talk about this?”
