The drinks go down smooth, a lot smoother than I thought they would. Then again, when the only woman you’ve potentially ever loved starts avoiding you like the plague, it’s bound to happen. That coupled with the fact that she left me alone for the second time after a night of hot-as-hell sex, and I should be drinking something a lot stronger than the beer in my hand.
“How does it feel to be a dad?” Remy asks, his question to Reed somehow making its way through my subconscious, and I realize I’m not at home drinking my sorrows and instead out with my brothers for Reed’s bachelor party.
You see, it’s not that I forgot but that I’m so wound up, like a rubber band ready to snap at any second, and all because of some adorable-as-fuck blonde that has my head spinning, my heart pounding, and my dick in a constant state of readiness. She’s left me alone in bed twice now, and if I wasn’t so sure she liked me, my ego would be wounded.
“It’s different. It’s like my entire existence made sense the moment I saw Maverick’s face.”
I’m so shocked, my mouth drops open at his response. “Whoa, man, that’s deep.” And for once, I agree with Remy. That’s deep as hell. Reed takes a swig from his beer and rubs at his jaw as if he’s lost in thought.
“Kids change you, and I really do mean that. They make you love deeper and harder. They show you the meaning of life. Maverick isn’t that old, but I count every day knowing he’ll never be the same age he was today again.”
I squeeze the beer bottle in my hands, those words resonating through me. And for once I’m not afraid to admit that I’m jealous of Reed. He has it all: the girl, the business, and now the perfect family.
“I’d like kids, sooner rather than later,” Remy announces, and I blink once again, feeling like I don’t even know the two men I spent the majority of my life with.
I can feel eyes on me and notice both Remy and Reed staring at me. “What?” I blurt out, probably a little more menacing than necessary, but like I said…I’m wound up.
Reed rolls his eyes. “What about you? Do you want kids?”
I shrug, never having really given much thought to the possibility. Now that I am, I know I do. “Yeah, of course, I want kids. The question you should be asking is, does the person who I want to possibly have kids with want to have kids with me?” I feel bad the moment the words come out of my mouth. I’m a grumpy asshole.
Neither say anything, and I feel the need to apologize. “I’m sorry, okay? I’ve had a shit week, and I’m pretty sure Ava is avoiding me again…” I trail off, not wanting to dive any deeper into my shit-hole love life. My brothers look up at me, and before I can stop, I’m spilling everything to them.
“She left me. Can you believe that? I asked her to come over after I left the hospital. I just…I needed to be with someone, you know?” Looking up, I expect them to be grinning or ready to give me shit about being pussy-whipped, or maybe just being a pussy in general, but they’re both somber as they look back at me. “Anyway,” I continue, relaxing a little now that I know they are really listening, “we had sex, but she was right there with me, all three times. I know she wanted it as much as I did, but then when I woke up the next morning, she was gone again. I don’t get it. I don’t get her.”
Remy runs a hand over his lips, to hide a smile I’m sure, but there’s no trace of humor in his voice, so maybe I’m wrong. “Has she said anything?”
“Nothing. I’ve tried to corner her in my office this week to force her to talk to me, but unless it’s work related, she’s locked up tight.” Even saying it out loud doesn’t make it make sense. I still don’t understand what her deal is, and it’s frustrating as hell.
This time, it’s Reed who responds. “Are you sure she wants the same thing you do? Maybe she ran away because a relationship isn’t what she’s after.”
“That could be true,” Remy agrees. “Is it possible she’s after something else? Like, maybe she wants money or she’s trying to secure a job, and she thinks if she sleeps with you that will do it? I wonder if it’s just that she felt bad after for using you, and she ran.”
I want to tell him he’s wrong, but what she said when she came over runs through my head, leaving me wondering. She was worried I was about to fire her. Did she fuck me so I wouldn’t? Now that the thought is in my head, I can’t get away from it, and my brothers must notice the way I tense because Reed changes the subject.
“Okay, since we’re talking kids, and obviously relationships, or lack of thereof for some of us,” he looks pointedly at Remy, causing me to laugh, “I think we should discuss the letters.”
Remy and I look at each other, unsure of where this is going. “Letters?” I question, placing my empty beer bottle on the bar, feeling like I may need something a little stronger for this discussion.
“Yes, letters. The ones Dad left behind for us to read.” Reed runs a hand through his hair as if he’s stressed, and I’d hate to think the man is discussing business while we’re supposed to be helping him celebrate his upcoming marriage to Fallon. Honestly, I’m shocked he didn’t take her straight from the hospital to the nearest courthouse and make her his wife then.
“I’ve got a bunch of shit I’m supposed to read through, but I haven’t had the time to yet. You know, since my boss is a real asshole,” Remy says sarcastically.
I nod in agreement, bumping his fist with mine before saying, “Same.”
“Well, you both need to read them. Dad had some shit going on that none of us knew about, and while I didn’t want to really bring the matter up now, I figured since I have you both here, why the hell not?”
Remy and I look at each other in confusion, but he’s the first to ask the question weighing on both our minds. “What are you talking about, Reed? What shit?”
Reed rubs at the back of his neck, and I can see the tension around his eyes when he looks up at both of us. “It’s just…there was a lot we didn’t know about Dad. Things he didn’t see fit to tell us when he was alive. It’s too much for me to explain... I mean, that’s why he wrote the damn letters.” He laughs, but it’s not the kind that accompanies something funny. No, it’s an exhausted, completely unamused kind of laughter.
The sound of a cell phone ringing pulls us all out of the conversation, and I pause, grabbing my cell from my pocket only to be left disappointed when Reed steps away with his phone to his ear.
“Hey, baby.” The way his voice softens tells me it’s Fallon. Remy looks over at me and rolls his eyes. We both know he’s wrapped around her tiny little finger. Turning away, he puts one finger in the ear he’s not holding his phone up against and lowers his voice so we can’t hear whatever it is he’s saying to her.
I want to tell him to get off the phone and celebrate some more with us, but instead I signal the bartender for another drink, deciding at the very least to drink my sorrows as much as I can for the evening.
After a few minutes, he lowers the phone and turns back to face us with a smirk on his face. “My fiancée misses me. I love you guys, but I’m sorry, I love her more.”
Remy’s eyes roll, but he gets up to follow Reed after they both put some money down on the bar to cover the tab. I almost stay to drown my sorrows some more, but a text from Reed right after he leaves has me slamming money down and rushing out the door after them.
Reed: Oh, by the way, Ava’s at the party. Just thought you might want to know.