It's Definitely Not You - Abby Brooks Page 0,83
far as I can tell, he’s been there for you just as much as you’ve been there for him.” Kennedy grinned. “I mean, you stole me right out of his arms and he didn’t even flinch. He was the only guy for me for years.”
“And now?”
“Don’t even pretend to ask that question. You know how I feel about you.”
Talking about my past had left me raw. Empty. But lighter, too. “I know I like the way you look at me.”
She grinned. “And why is that.”
“Because it says you love me.”
With a saucy smile, Kennedy put down her bottle, then stood and lowered herself into my lap. “What else does it say?”
I studied her face as the flames flickered and snapped beside us. “I don’t know. Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” she said as she rolled her hips into mine, “but I’m not talking about food.”
My dick flexed against her center and I grinned. “Yeah. Neither was I.”
Later that week, Kennedy, Maxine, Delores, and I donned floral shirts and flipflops, and piled into my brand-new truck.
“It’s about time you ditched the rust bucket,” Delores said from the back.
“Hey. That rust bucket served me well, so I appreciate you speaking kindly of her please and thank you. But, it was time to put my past behind me. Time for fresh starts. Time to start thinking of the future.” I waved my hand in front of me, as if following a rainbow to its pot of gold.
Kennedy rolled her eyes. “It’s time to get a move on or you’ll be late to your own not-so-surprise party.”
The drive disappeared in a flurry of laughter, conversation, and Collin West songs belted at the top of voices. At a stop light, a man stared, laughing as the women around me bopped and sang. I smiled, shrugged as if to say, “What can you do?” then the light turned green and we drove away.
The parking lot at The Pact was overflowing. The entirety of Lucas’ family waited inside, along with Harlow, Collin, and his old bodyguards—the Brutes in Suits. Although tonight, they were the Brutes in Floral Shirts, just like the rest of us. Strings of lights swooped from the ceiling, with giant flower leis cranking the tacky factor to eleven. Fruity drinks with paper umbrellas lifted into the air as I walked in.
“Surprise!” The cheer was chased by laughter as the crowd enveloped me with hugs and congratulations.
Collin thumped me on the back. “Happy birthday, brother. You know I love you, right?”
The question caught me off guard. It wasn’t something he and I said all that often. “You’re just saying that because it’s my birthday and you feel bad that you made me think you’d stolen my girlfriend.”
“Whatever, funny guy. Just don’t want you to forget it.”
He shook his head as Harlow wrapped me in a warm hug. “And I love you, too,” she whispered, before stepping back, slipping a lei around my neck, then shooting me the bird.
Lucas came into view, his gaze incredulous as it raked over my outfit. “I just can’t believe how quickly you’re growing up. First, you leave the nest. Now, you’re expressing yourself with color.” The fucker pretended to be choked with emotion as he gestured toward my shirt. “I’m just so proud.”
I grinned. “You only wish you were as cool as me.”
“All joking aside. I need you to know I’m really glad we’re friends. I count you as an honorary brother.”
“What? Don’t you have enough of those already?”
He shrugged. “You can never have a big enough family when it’s filled with people like this.” He dropped a hand on my shoulder and peered around the bar. “Now where’s my wife? We have fruity drinks with umbrellas to deal with, and Cat gets saucy when she’s tipsy.”
There was cake and ice cream. Presents and balloons. Singing, dancing, laughing, and drinking. Watching Kennedy joke with the guests, knowing she’d done all this to make up for what I missed when I was a kid…
I loved her more with each passing hour. Catching me staring, she finished off a conversation with Lucas and his brothers, then wiggle-stepped her way across the bar, dancing in time to an old Liam McGuire album Collin picked out.
“Hey, good looking,” she purred, leaning against the wall next to me. “Can’t help but notice you’ve been staring. It’s only fair I warn you that my boyfriend is very protective. He catches you gawking and something crazy might happen.”
“He sounds like a pretty stellar guy.”
“He has his quirks, but