on me, twirling her glass between her fingers. “What’s your story? How’d you get off scot free?”
Shrugging, I sip my own wine. It’s good. Sweet. A rosé, which I know has a bad reputation of being a basic bitch wine, but call me basic, I guess, because I like it. And so do Lauren and Gabby, apparently. Not that I need any more alcohol, but we’re bonding or something and it seems rude to turn it down.
“I didn’t, really. When Colt called his parents, she told him not to bother bringing me around. I think she’s convinced we won’t last.”
Gabby and Lauren exchange an indecipherable look. “Wellll,” Lauren says slowly, “you did kind of come out of left field.”
“Colt didn’t let on that he was seeing anyone before that first picture of the two of you appeared everywhere. I know he said it was a secret, but …”
I can’t hold her gaze, knowing I have to lie. It’s easier to lie to people I don’t know. People I don’t care about. But looking these women in the eye—my sisters-in-law—and telling them the fabricated story of how Colt and I got together is … not something I want to do. “But what?” I prompt, lobbing the ball back to Gabby.
She shrugs. “I guess I just didn’t realize Colt was that good at keeping secrets. I figured I’d notice something, you know? At least that he was hiding something, even if I couldn’t pry the details out of him.” She shakes her head, her gaze abstract. “But either he had zero tells, or I was just too wrapped up in myself to notice.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Gabby,” Lauren says softly. “You’ve also been on tour for most of the last few years. That’s exhausting. Why would you be examining Colt to see if he’s hiding anything? Besides, most of the time on tour, he’s stomping around and yelling at everyone. If he was being his normal self—and I know that the movies all act like grumpy people drastically change when they’re in love, but we all know movies aren’t exactly blueprints for real relationships—what’s to notice?”
I keep my mouth shut as Gabby contemplates Lauren’s point. At length, Gabby nods. “True, true. Plus, if they were just starting to talk and see each other, it’s not like he was necessarily in love at that point anyway.” She turns her starry-eyed gaze on me, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “That didn’t seem to happen until after he announced he was quitting.” She sips her wine, her eyes never leaving me. “He seems happy, though. Happier than I’ve ever seen him.” She nudges Lauren. “Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe love does make grumpy people act different. But even if they were in love while he was on tour with us, they were separated and keeping things secret. Of course he’d still be grumpy then.”
Lauren nods. “Good point.” And they seem to have settled whatever didn’t quite sit right without any input from me. Cool.
I sip my wine. Gabby rests her chin on her hand and sighs, a dreamy look on her face. “It is romantic, though. A secret relationship. Him quitting his job to be with you. A secret wedding on the beach.”
Lauren’s brows are wrinkled, though. “Why was that?” This question is actually directed at me. “The secret wedding. I mean, I know Brendan and I eloped in Vegas, so I’m not exactly one to criticize, but we got drunk and did it on the spur of the moment. A tiny beach wedding like that takes at least a little bit of advance planning. I mean, you had a dress. There were tiki torches. It was an event, even if it was a small one. Why not invite family, at least?”
I gulp the wine in my mouth, swallow wrong, and start choking, spitting wine all over the granite breakfast bar. Gabby and Lauren leap out of their seats, Gabby coming around to slap me on the back, Lauren grabbing a wad of paper towels to clean up the mess I’ve just made.
Gasping and spluttering, eyes streaming, I shake my head, trying to wave them off. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” I protest, while Gabby continues rubbing my back and Lauren offers me a dry paper towel to blot the wine on my shirt and jeans. “Sorry. Went down the wrong pipe.”
Just then Colt comes back in from wherever he’d disappeared to with his brothers, his forehead furrowed. “Alexis? What’s wrong?” He looks at Gabby