Jackson
THINGS WERE GOING GREAT.
Millie’s sisters seemed to like me, Ty and Rebecca were chatting each other up, and Rob’s wife even gave in and let him eat the corned beef. We were all enjoying the drinks, atmosphere, and each other’s company.
Then Jericho Smythe walked in.
I didn’t notice at first. I was enjoying the feel of Millie pressed up against my side, her hand in mine as we laughed over Dru and Tasha’s worst clients ever stories. I saw Ty shout a greeting and stand up out of the corner of my eye, but it wasn’t until the three sisters stiffened and stopped talking that I looked up to see what was happening.
Jericho, normally self-assured and affable, was standing next to our table with his hands in his pockets and eyes wide as he took in our group.
“Glad you could make it,” Ty was saying. “I know Sundays can be busy for you.”
Jericho didn’t hear him though, his eyes were frozen on Tasha, while she sat aghast, staring back at him.
Dru was rising, and from what little I knew about her, I figured she was about to tear my friend apart, and by the look on his face, I wasn’t sure if he’d let her, or strike back. Wanting to keep the peace was part of my nature, and I really didn’t want what had been a great night out to end with bloodshed or tears.
“Let’s go grab you a drink,” I said too loudly as I practically leapt out of my seat and grabbed Jericho by the bicep. “Another round?” I shouted over my shoulder, not bothering to wait for an answer.
I saw Dru and Millie gather around Tasha, while the rest of the table looked from them to Jericho and me in utter confusion.
“Are you okay?” I asked first. He was my friend, after all, and I didn’t know what happened between him and Tasha, but it was obviously something painful for both of them.
Jericho looked to me, running his fingers through his hair as he leaned against the bar.
“Maker’s neat,” he told the bartender, then sighed and said, “Not really. I’ve done my best to avoid her . . . It was a shock, walking in and seeing her there.”
“I’m sorry, man.”
“Ty invited me, said you guys were getting together for a night out. I figured it’d be like the others, I didn’t know . . .”
It wasn’t unusual for Jericho to meet up with Ty, Rob, and me on one of our nights at the pub. This was the first time we invited anyone other than the group of us, so I could see why Jericho was blindsided. And, since the plan had only changed this week to include the women, Ty had probably invited him beforehand. Heck, he wouldn’t have thought anything of Jericho being included with the women, since Jericho had never mentioned Tasha or any kind of past relationships to us before.
“Sorry, Ty didn’t tell me, or I would have given you a head’s up.”
And I would have, to both Jericho and Millie.
“I don’t know what to do,” Jericho began as he took a healthy swig of whiskey. “If I leave, I look like a pussy, but . . . I don’t know if I can be at the same table as her.”
My eyebrows rose at that. Whatever had gone down between them must have been pretty bad, if they couldn’t even stand to be in the same room.
I looked over my shoulder to see Millie hugging her sisters before they grabbed their things, said goodbye to my friends, then left the bar. Thankfully, Millie sat back down and smiled at something Jan was saying.
“Looks like you don’t have to worry about it, Tasha and Dru left.”
Jericho swung his head around, as if searching the bar to make sure they weren’t hiding somewhere, then muttered, “Fuck.”
We went back to the table, with Jericho taking the seat that Dru had abandoned and me sliding next to Millie.
“I hope it’s okay that I stayed,” Millie whispered, her hand warming my forearm. “I told them you’d give me a ride home.”
“Of course it is,” I replied with a smile, dipping my head to run my nose slowly against the length of hers, before dropping a quick kiss on her lips. “I’m glad you stayed.”
“They’ve been like this all night,” I heard Rob joke.
I lifted my hand and gave him the finger, then tucked Millie as close to me as I could and looked at my friends’ smiling faces. Well, everyone except Jericho, that is; he still looked like he’d been hit in the gut with a crowbar.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you guys were going to be here. Your sisters didn’t have to leave, I would have,” Jericho told Millie.
“No, it’s my fault,” Ty put in, his face showing his regret. “I didn’t know there was a history. It never occurred to me to tell you guys that Jericho was coming, or him that you were . . .”
“It’s okay,” Millie said softly, her face kind as she addressed not just Ty, but Jericho. “Tasha will be fine, she was just surprised. You guys should probably stop avoiding each other and hash things out, especially since not only do we own businesses across the street from each other, but now, we share friends.”
Her hand found my thigh again as she spoke, and while her words warmed my heart, that hand was bringing something else to life.
“I know,” Jericho said, his eyes dropping to the amber liquid in his glass.
“Great,” Millie replied, then I almost jumped out of my seat again when her hand began to move upwards at a slow, torturous pace.
When she hit the top of my thigh and began to move closer to where my cock was getting harder by the second, I tried to school my features and keep my tone light as I said, “Whelp, it’s been fun, but it looks like I need to get Millie home.”