and eyes the menu. “Anyway. Aubrey’s been working hard at the wedding, so please help make sure nothing bad happens today, okay? She’s stressed about making it all perfect.”
I salute. “You got it, boss.”
Asher nods. “No problem.”
I get my coffee, we order, then spend the meal bullshitting about everything and anything to help keep Smith from flipping his shit—how the Tigers fare for this upcoming baseball season based on the games to date, how Asher’s semester is going, and Smith’s concern about closing the bar this weekend for the wedding—to which Asher and I both tell him to shut up.
Aubrey still has some work to do on him, I can see. But I have noticed he’s relaxed over the last few months, not the control freak he was before. He’s even entrusted me to do more tasks around the bar.
I toss down money to pay for the bill, and we stand. I stare at my oldest brother, who’s about to give up bachelorhood in just a few hours. My chest tightens, and I fight back the response. Just because he’s married doesn’t mean everything is going to change that drastically, I tell myself. But I know that’s not true.
Everything is going to be different.
We’ve always been a tight unit, despite our fights over the years, especially as he took over the parenting role when our dad passed and we were essentially orphaned. And now Aubrey is the most important person in his life, and I can’t help but feel…weird.
“Okay, see you at three,” I tell him in an overly jovial tone, giving him a hug and clapping him on the back. “It’s all going to go fine. Pull your head out of your ass and stop stressing.”
“You have the rings, right?” he asks me.
I nod and pat my wallet in my back pocket, where I stowed them yesterday after he gave them to me for safekeeping. “Tucked away safely, bro. Chill out and go have a drink or something.”
I tell my brothers bye and saunter out of the restaurant, tossing our waitress a little wink and enjoying how her cheeks flush in response.
I know I’m a flirt. I love women—I love smelling them, tasting them, touching them, and I can’t get enough of it. And why should I? I’m only twenty-three, I’m single, and I’m part owner of Outlaws. Life is pretty damn good, right?
Too good to want things to change when they’re finally going the way they’re supposed to.
In the lobby, I grab my wallet and flip it open, just to confirm the rings are still there. My chest gives a hard kick as I only see a few bills, nothing more.
I know I distinctly tucked them in here, where they’d be safe. I reach into my back pockets and then my front pockets just in case, but they’re empty. Fuck. Fuck.
No, everything is fine. I probably just lost them in the room. After all, I did pull out a condom last night from my wallet, so maybe the rings fell out.
My anxiety loses its edge, and I head to my room. I’m sure they’re on the floor or something.
I search the floor.
I search the bed, taking off the sheets and shaking them loose.
I search the bathroom. My bags. My pants from yesterday. Even the bedside table. Nothing.
God, I’m in deep, deep shit. I sit on the edge of the bed and groan, cupping my head in my hands. What the fuck am I going to do now? I’m still slightly hung over, and doing this much thinking sucks.
Okay, I can figure this out.
I hear voices walking by my door and suddenly remember Brooklyn rapping on my door last night. If anyone can help me figure out what to do, it’ll be her.
She has that ‘get shit done’ vibe that’s good in a pinch. And god knows I’m in a pinch now…
Did she go to do the spa day with everyone else? If so, I’m fucked.
Maybe I’ll luck out and she’ll be in her room.
I walk there and knock on the door. After a moment, it opens, and Brooklyn’s standing there in a dark blue springy dress with her hair pulled away from her face. Her makeup is light, but her eyes shine and her lips are slick and pink and I feel this sudden urge to kiss her mouth.
She frowns at me. “What are you doing here?”
Oh. Right. Rings. I tear my attention away from her mouth and back up to her eyes. Give her a half smile.