Chapter twenty
Aiden and I spot our friends huddled in the lobby. As soon as Sydney sees us coming, she breaks out into “Jail House Rock” by Elvis Presley.
I sigh and roll my eyes. Why do I feel like I’m in a constant musical around these people?
“Not funny,” I say.
She stops singing and wrinkles her nose. “It kind of is.” She shrugs and laughs.
“Well, I’m glad I had crazy Barb to keep me company.” I wonder if she’s still there? I tell the group about Barb and the stories that I’m positive she made up.
“Guess who left together last night,” Bryn says. I look at her and then the rest of the group. I’m a little afraid to answer that. I recount the hookups between the eight of them. I know Jaxon and Katie are out. Sydney and Damon are out. I stare at Ryker, Max, Harper, and Bryn, debating who it might have been. “No! Not any of us,” she states. Ryker clears his throat and Harper blushes, hitting him on the chest. “I mean…” She stops and flusters. “I mean Drake and Coryn.”
“That’s not all that happened last night,” Syd says in her singsong voice. I raise a curious brow.
“I’m starving, let’s eat first,” Katie quickly says. I, again, look around the group and wonder what they aren’t telling us.
“Katie? What are you hiding?” Aiden says from behind me. I turn and look at him, his eyes narrowing at her.
“Um…well…I…we…” she stutters and looks to Jaxon for help. The carefree smile on his face doesn’t reflect the same trepidation Katie has on hers. He looks down at her and winks. I feel Aiden tense behind me.
Jaxon stands taller and confidently says, “We got married last night.”
My eyes widen in surprise, and I do a double-take. Did I just hear that right?
“What the hell did you just say?” Aiden grinds out. Oh, shit. I spin and put my hand on Aiden’s puffed out chest. He looks down at me, his face tight with anger, whips around, and stomps away.
I hear Katie sigh. “That went well.” I turn back toward them and my lips curl into a smile.
“Oh, my gosh! I want to hear all about it, but I need to…” I point behind me and she nods. I squeal and give her a quick hug. “Congratulations! I think. Is it for real? How drunk were you?” I have so many more questions.
“Go calm my brother down. We’ll tell you all about it at lunch,” she says. Her voice is giddy, so I know she’s happy about it. Jaxon wraps his arms around her and kisses her.
I head in the direction Aiden walked and look around. I see him pacing down a hallway, muttering things I can only imagine. I lean against the wall and give him a couple minutes to wrap his head around this before I say anything.
“I know that was a knee-jerk reaction.” He doesn’t stop pacing, so I continue. “Seems you’ve had a lot of those lately.” He stops, whips around, and pins me with his angry eyes.
“Addison, she’s my sister.” He says it like it allows him to be an asshole.
“And? Jaxon is one of your best friends, and I thought you had accepted them being together.” He grunts and runs his hand haphazardly through his hair, making it stand on its ends. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” I say, walking toward him.
“I’m angry they did it, here in fucking Vegas, probably drunk as hell.” I nod in agreement. I have no doubt they were drunk. “I’m hurt because we weren’t there. She’s my little sister. I should be there when she gets married.” He looks away from me as my eyes soften. When he turns back, he pulls me into his embrace and rests his forehead against mine. “I’m also jealous that they’re married,” he says, his voice just loud enough for me to hear.
I look up into his eyes. “You’re such a man,” I say. He shrugs his shoulders and grins. “Can you at least admit that you’re happy for Katie and Jaxon?”
“I am. But I’m still hurt they didn’t wait for us to be there.” He places a soft kiss on my forehead.
“I’m sure with that crew, there was a lot of drinking and not a lot of thinking last night. I mean, I doubt they got a marriage license, so it’s probably not even legal.”
“Addison, you underestimate Jaxon. He’s a high-profile attorney. I’m sure he found a way.”
I link my fingers through his and squeeze. “Can we go back? I’m kinda of starving.” He nods as he tugs me in their direction.
The guys decide we need to eat at a buffet, so I slide my tray down each side, looking at the different food. None of it is appetizing. Maybe I should start with a salad. My stomach rumbles in defiance. I need a fat, juicy hamburger. I look around to see if there is anything remotely close.
“I know you’re not picky,” Aiden says, walking up to my side, looking down at my tray that only has some fruit on it.
“I want a thick hamburger,” I whine. My eyes widen when I look at his tray. He has two plates full of…everything. Just the thought of all that food makes my stomach twist. I hate buffets.
“They have a menu. I’ll just order you one.” My lips curl into a smile. Perfect. We walk back to our table and place our trays down.
“I know you’re not on a diet,” Max says from across the table, motioning to my fruit. What is with everyone being worried about what I’m eating?
“No, I just want—”
“A juicy hamburger,” Syd finishes my sentence. Exactly. The day after a drunken night, the best thing in the world is to eat a hamburger. At least, I think so.
Aiden flags down a waitress and orders. “Make that two,” Max says, smirking. I look over at his food piled high and shake my head. These guys are going to get their money’s worth. “What? It does sound good.” He rubs his hands together and picks up a rib, taking a hefty bite. Judging by his tray, it seems everything looks good to Max.
“Let’s hear about last night,” I say, poking Katie next to me. “It’s not legit, is it?”
“Too Legit To Quit” from MC Hammer comes out of Damon’s mouth and Syd adds the “heeyy heyyyya” part. My head tilts to the side as I stare at the two across the table.
“I can’t take you guys anywhere. Y’all are nuts,” I say, chuckling. It’s not until Aiden starts beat-boxing next to me that Damon starts rapping the lyrics. Max starts playing the drums with his silverware on the table. I think they’ve all lost their freaking minds. I shrink down in my chair and glance around the restaurant. All eyes are on us. Please, make it stop soon.
Katie leans over and whispers into my ear, “Now you see what I’ve had to put up with for years. Welcome to the family,” she giggles. I should be used to it by now because of Syd. But this is a whole new level. We’ve got a band now.
When they finish, I clap and tell Aiden, “I’m so glad Audacious Babes are getting back together.” Aiden shakes his head and chuckles.
“Who the hell is Audacious Babes?” Max asks, putting down his silverware drumsticks.
I do my best confused expression that I can muster. “I thought that was the name of y’all’s band when you were kids?”
“You told her about that?” Max says, belting out a laugh. Aiden leans over and wraps his arm around my chair, kissing me on my temple.
“I did,” he answers. “But I did not tell her our name was Audacious Babes. That’s her own spin on that story.”
I shrug. “It’s better than Paperback Boys,” I say dryly.
Ryker and Jaxon burst out laughing. “Paperback Boys? Why haven’t we ever heard this story,” Ryker taunts. Max throws a roll at him and hits him in the head.
“That was a long time ago,” he answers and looks at Aiden with a lopsided grin. Max knows the pain Aiden went through from the death of his mom. Pain that left an unspoken promise to never talk about the past. Aside from the teasing, Max seems genuinely happy that Aiden told me.
The pieces of our lives that we hid from the world because of the deaths of our mothers have slowly surfaced. I lean my head on Aiden’s arm and reflect how far we’ve come. Our instant attraction that turned into a deeper love than I ever could have imagined has shaken my whole world and that world is being rebuilt with Aiden as my foundation.
“I love you,” Aiden whispers. The rasp of his voice pulls at my insides. I glance up at him and softly smile. He can sing every love song or dance with me every night but nothing will elicit the same heartfelt response than hearing those three simple words.
A plate is placed in front of me, pulling me from my deep thoughts. I politely thank the waitress as I stare at the delicious hamburger. My mouth waters and my stomach grumbles in anticipation.
As I bring the hamburger to my lips and take too big of a bite, the waitress says, “What male revue do you guys work at?” I try to laugh but my mouth is too full so I end up choking it down. The other girls break out in giggles at the absurd remark. Tears run down my face as I reach for my water. Aiden helps by patting my back.
“What?” Damon says, sitting up taller in his chair.
“What show are you guys from,” she says in a hushed tone. I look around the table and I can see where she might think that. All the guys at the table are very built and are wearing T-shirts that show off their muscular arms. They’re hot and they seem to be okay with entertaining people.
“We’re FBI,” Damon states matter-of-factly, holding his arms out.
“Oh! I bet that is a hot skit. So, all of you come out on the stage in uniform?” She starts fanning herself with the menu she has in her hand. My hand is on Aiden’s leg, and I squeeze it while I try and stifle my laugh. The waitress is young, maybe twenty at the most, and she is dead serious.
“You think this is funny?” Aiden says, poking me in the waist. I double over and laugh, thinking about Aiden being on stage dancing like the guys the other night. Don’t get me wrong, it’d be hot, but I just can’t see him wanting to do that.
“At least I wouldn’t have to stuff my thong,” Damon busts out proudly.
“Oh, baby,” Syd snickers. “I’ve seen you dance. You need to keep your day job.”
This is too much. I can’t stop laughing. The waitress looks around the table. Her lips twist. I think she’s starting to question if they really are part of any show. But then again, if I were her, I wouldn’t believe they were FBI either.
Damon jumps up and straddles Syd. She squeals, sitting all the way back in her chair. He wraps her hands around his ass as he grinds his hips on her lap. This is happening. In a restaurant. People are going to think we’re crazy. The waitress watches while the table roars with laughter. When he’s done, he flashes a confident smile as if he thinks he’s proven Sydney wrong. Her face is red from laughing so hard.
“So…you’re not dancers?” the waitress comments after he sits down. Aiden slaps his hand down on the table and throws his head back, laughing. Damon laughs but flips off Aiden.
“No. I’m Ryker Dallas,” Ryker says, standing up and taking off his hat. The waitress’s eyes widen. Her face flushes from embarrassment. “I am definitely not a stripper.”
“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry.” Her voice raises a couple octaves and her face flushes. Ryker politely smiles and puts his hat back on.
“It’s okay…” he glances at her name tag, “…Lindsay.” His southern drawl is sexy as he says her name. An awkward giggle escapes her lips, and she looks down briefly before looking back up. I chuckle, thinking back to when I first met Ryker. I know exactly how she feels right now.
“So…um…if you…um…need anything…” her words come out jumbled, “…just let me know.” She spins on her heels and walks away quickly. I watch her walk to the waitress stand, lean against the counter, pull a phone out of her pocket, and type so fast it’s like her life depends on it. So much for being incognito. Way to go, Ryker.
“Are y’all done singing and dancing now?” I look at the guys, my eyebrow arched. “I’d really like to hear about the wedding I missed last night.” I take a quick bite of my hamburger before turning to Katie.
“There’s really not a lot to tell. We got married,” Jaxon says, shrugging. I lean over Katie and hit him in the chest.
“Don’t ever retell your wedding story like that.” I glare at him. He puts his hands up in the air as Katie glares at him, too.
“Baby, I didn’t mean to make it insignificant,” he says, backpedaling. “It was truly the best night of my life.” Katie’s glare softens and her lips curl into a sweet smile. He grabs her hand and pulls it to his mouth, kissing it.
“Do y’all remember any of it?” I ask, interrupting the love fest going on. I get a chuckle from the table.
Katie’s head bobs a little. “Most of it.”
“Okay, so tell me!”
“After Aiden and Drake left to go get you, we all went to a bar. Lots of drinks later, we thought it would be a good idea to go break you out of jail.” She smirks as I shake my head, wondering who thought that was a good idea.
“Just for the record, I never thought that was a good idea,” Max chimes in.
“Whatever, Rambo, you said you were going to take a bazooka and blow up the place,” Ryker jokes.
Max shrugs and grins. “I don’t remember that.” Way to plead the fifth, Max.
To keep the conversion moving, I say, “Okay, then what? Obviously you didn’t break me out of jail.” I motion with my hands to continue.
“When we got to the jail, Drake was coming out and told us everything, so we started to leave and I saw a sign that said: Marriage License, open until midnight.” Katie bites her bottom lip and grins. Sydney jumps in during her pause.
“It was so romantic,” she says, holding a hand to her heart.
“Aww. Did Jaxon ask you to marry him right there?”
Jaxon chuckles and shakes his head, looking at Katie. She blushes and looks away from his shit-eating grin. “No, I asked him,” she says, biting the inside of her cheek.
Aiden had stayed quiet until now. “What the fuck, Jax? You married my sister and couldn’t even do it right?”
“Hold up,” he says, putting his finger in the air. “How many times have I asked you to marry me?” He sits up in his chair and angles his body toward Katie. All eyes are on Katie.
“Three times,” she says.
“Exactly. You can bet your ass that when she asked me to marry her, I took her up on that offer.”
“You were drunk!” Aiden snaps. “And didn’t the first three no’s tell you something?”
Jaxon’s smile turns into a frown and his expression hardens. “Aiden,” he warns with a chill in his voice.
“You two stop,” Katie says, putting a hand on Jaxon’s chest. “I didn’t say no to him all those times because I didn’t want to marry him. I did. I just wasn’t ready to uproot my life.”
I look at Aiden and his eyes soften, and he slowly nods. “You are now?”
“I am. I have been for the past six months, but he hadn’t asked me again, so I wasn’t sure if that is what he still wanted.” Her voice trails off.
“What?” Jaxon murmurs, grabbing her hands into his. “I would have asked you the second I knew you were ready.” They embrace and kiss and sighs are murmured around the table. The love between the two of them is so evident, I knew it was just a matter of time, especially after Aiden came to the realization that he couldn’t stop it.
When they pull back, Aiden says, “Welcome to the family, brother,” with resignation in his voice. He scoots his chair back, stands, and pulls Jaxon into a man hug.
“Ry Ry,” I hear a high-pitched voice say from across the restaurant. Ryker mutters a curse word and drops his head. All our heads turn in the direction the voice came from. We watch a gorgeous blonde wearing white shorts and a bright pink ruffled shirt that hangs off her shoulders walk effortlessly in five-inch wedge shoes. She waves as she walks toward our table and smiles. Aiden groans as he sits back down in his chair. I agree. I knew it was just a matter of time before crazy fans started to come out of the woodwork.
“Ry, baby! I heard you were in town. I was hoping to run into you.” Ryker stands and gives the woman a hug.
“Hey, Ray,” he replies in an annoyed voice. She beams at him, either not noticing the undertone of his voice or not caring.
“I’ve tried calling you. Why haven’t you returned my calls?” Her whiney voice makes fingernails on a chalkboard sound like music.
He glances down at Bryn and genuinely smiles. “I’ve been busy.”
She looks at Bryn. Her top lip pulls up and she huffs. It seems she is more than a crazy fan, she’s a crazy booty call. I’d rather it be a crazy fan. Bryn’s wearing denim shorts and a gray T-shirt that says Happiness is when debits equal credits. I still laugh when I read it. It’s definitely Bryn. Her hair is in a messy bun, and she doesn’t have any makeup on but she’s naturally gorgeous. She might not be as thin as Barbie, but if I were a man, I’d take Bryn and her curves over that cheap looking booty call any day.
“Really?” the crazy girl says, her voice condescending. I angle my head. Who the hell does this girl think she is?
Bryn rolls her eyes and stands up. “I’ll be back,” she says. She glances at Ryker then with a slight shake to her head, she turns and walks away. Ryker’s jaw clenches as he watches her leave. I stand up and toss my napkin on the table.
“I don’t know who you are, but you don’t get to come here and interrupt our lunch and be a bitch to my friends.” Aiden’s hand grabs hold of my back pocket. Her eyes meet mine, and I cross my arms. She narrows her eyes and moves her gaze down my body. They land on Aiden’s arm holding me back then follows the path to the man the arm belongs to. Her sour expression changes to excitement as soon as her eyes meet Aiden’s.
“Aiden!” Her eyes widen in recognition. I feel a slight sting in my stomach. My arms drop to my sides as I look from Aiden to Psycho Barbie. “It’s been a long time,” she purrs. My eyebrows shoot up, and I look at Aiden. The grip he has on my shorts tightens before he stands up. The apologetic smile he gives me doesn’t help how I’m feeling right now. A flash of heat runs through my body.
“Rach,” he says, with a nod.
“It’s Raquel now,” she replies with the wave of a hand. The more she talks, the more I dislike her. “You’re still looking good.” This girl can’t be serious. I’m standing right here.
Aiden’s hand releases my back pocket, but he wraps his arm around my waist—tight. “Rach, this is Addison, my fiancée.”
She flashes me catty smile. “Fiancée? Hmph. I figured you would have eventually ended up with that Jessica girl,” she says, lifting her brow. Her intentions hit their mark. Dead center. My body tenses, my pulse quickening. She knows it, too, so she continues and her claws come out. “That girl would have done anything for you. Even wait for you to finish having your fun.” She winks at Aiden. My stomach churns at the insinuation of that comment. The fact that she seems to know both Ryker and Aiden very well leads me to believe she’s been with both. My mind takes me back to when Aiden told me they’ve shared women at the same time.
Bitch, I have claws, too.
I manage to fake a smile. “I feel sorry for you.” She sighs and rolls her eyes. “I mean it must suck to find out that men only want to fuck you. And it must not even be that great since they don’t keep you.” She gasps, but the words roll off my tongue and I keep going. “I’m not a gambling person, but I would bet everything that you saw a tweet just a little while ago that Ryker was down here so you got all dolled up to come find him only to be rejected. I’m not sure what’s more humiliating, that you keep trying and he clearly doesn’t want you or that he just rejected you in front of everyone just now. It must be lonely in your world.”
Her face turns beet red. She tugs her purse strap on her shoulder and glares at me. I wait for a comeback, but instead she huffs, whips around, and stomps off. The adrenaline from my anger has me shaking. I open and close my hands and shake them out. I look down at my half-eaten hamburger and sigh.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” I say, grabbing my purse and walking away. I don’t bother waiting for anyone to speak. I just leave. Aiden grumbles something, and then I hear his heavy footsteps behind me.
“Wheels up in two hours,” Max says from behind. I throw up a peace sign, acknowledging him.
While I’m waiting for the elevator, Aiden stands behind me. He’s not touching me, but he’s close enough I can feel the tension between us. “I don’t want to know anything about her. I read between the lines, loud and clear.” He stays quiet but exhales heavily.
When we get to the room, I pace around, checking to make sure everything is packed. I already know it is, but it gives me something to do. Aiden sits on the bed with his hands together, leaning on his knees, just watching me. I glance at him a couple times and our eyes catch, but I look away quickly. I can tell he wants to explain himself, but I don’t want to hear it.
Finally, I break the awkward silence. “Aiden, I know you have a past. It’s not your fault that happened. I’m not mad at you, per se…” he lifts a brow, “…I’m more mad that you didn’t have better standards back then.”
He chuckles and nods softly. “She didn’t mean anything to me.”
I lean my hip against the desk. “I know.”
“She and Ryker have messed around since—”
I hold my hand up. “I really don’t want to know.” Because I already know how this story ends. The image of the three of them together is burned in my mind, so I don’t need confirmation. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never met Psycho Barbie.”
He flashes a lopsided grin and stands up. “She didn’t used to be so—”
“W-h-y,” I say, extending the word, “must you keep talking about her?”
He grunts and runs his hand through his hair. “I don’t know, I feel I need to defend myself.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No, you don’t. I’m sure I’ve been with guys that would make you wonder ‘what the hell was she thinking?’ too.”
A growl erupts from the back of his throat as he takes two long strides to reach me. My breath catches in surprise as he grabs me and walks me back to the bed. I can’t do anything but grab hold of his arms. When the back of my legs hit the mattress, he lays me down on the made bed. His thigh presses down in between my legs as he gets close to my face.
“You made your point,” he says, his voice curt. I stare up into his intense eyes. “I don’t need a reminder that you’ve been with other guys.” What? That wasn’t my point. I let out a bitter laugh and push him off me. His hands have a firm grip on me as he rolls to his back and I land on top of him. I sit up and try to move but his hands on my hips keep me in place.
“Aiden, you don’t get to be a jealous asshole right now. Not after what just happened. I now have a threesome with you fucking Psycho Barbie seared in my brain,” I snap. He grimaces. “I didn’t say that to get back at you, but if you want to compare notes of who’s been with other people, I think I win, hands down.”
He closes his eyes, taking in a couple deep breaths. When he opens, his emerald green eyes look defeated. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “I can’t help this intense feeling of jealousy I get when I think of you and other people.”
“You need to trust that I am yours and only yours. That won’t ever change.” I lean down and brush my lips against his. He sighs against my lips.
“I trust you, Addison. I really do.” He brings his hand around my neck, his thumb gliding over my bottom lip.
“I know. You can’t help being Tarzan.” I smirk.
He beats his chest. “Ahahahaaahaaa.” I laugh out loud. He slaps his chest and says in his deepest voice, “Me Tarzan…” and then puts his hand on my chest, “… you Jane.” I roll my eyes but grin.
“Come on, Tarzan, we have a plane to catch.”