Three years ago, Butch and I were having drinks on the deck while the girls dyed each other’s hair over margaritas. The pull he felt toward Bridget was palpable, and I couldn’t figure out why he fought it. Especially when her pull was equally strong.
“It’s complicated,” Butch said, wiping the beer foam from his mouth.
“I see the way you look at her,” I reminded him. “You’re in love with her.”
“So is every other guy that looks at her.”
“You’re not every other guy.”
“Man,” he sighed heavily. “Not every woman is like Pharis, okay?”
“What does that mean?”
“You walked up to her and nailed it down,” he said, twisting the cap of his next beer. “Bridget is shy, Eddie. She ain’t gonna be nailed down so easy.”
“She isn’t shy around you,” I pointed out.
“No,” he agreed. “She ain’t. But she should be.”
Butch was on edge.
Not that I blamed the guy, considering his date was clearly nuts.
But it took a lot to upset him and she had succeeded. Normally, he only got worked up when he found out Bridget was dating. So, the fact that this broad set him off did not mean good things. For her.
“I’m gonna go check on Emily,” he said and stood up.
“Pharis won’t kill her,” I joked, but then Aaron coughed, “But Bridget might.”
As a trio, we headed back to the bathrooms to find all the women squared off with Pharis in Emily’s face.
Catching the tail end of the argument, Butch asked, “What’s going on, Emily?” The look on the chick’s face was cunning.
“Your friends,” she spat. “Were just threatening me to stay away from you.”
Catching Pharis’s smirk, I knew full well Emily was lying. Judging by the look on my friend’s face, he knew it too, and he didn’t like being lied to.
“Bullshit,” Butch bellowed. “These girls only want me happy.”
“I make you happy!” she yelled, stomping her foot. “Me! Not her!”
“Not who?” Butch asked, confusion pulling his eyebrow together.
“It’s me or her,” she said petulantly.
“Wrong move, sweetheart,” Aaron whistled out.
While I’m certain all of us knew who the her was, it was Bridget who’d had enough.
“Butch, she came into the ladies’ room for no other reason than to taunt Pharis into staying away from you. This is ridiculous and juvenile. And while it’s clear you have absolutely shit taste in women, case in point, this bitch. I don’t need to stand here and be covered in it.”
“I’m sorry.” Butch laughed and faced Emily. “You told one of my best friends to stay away from me? You told my best friend’s woman to stay away from me?”
“But she—”
“Did you?” he roared, startling all of us.
Her silence was her confession. So I pulled Butch back muttering, “Not here, man.”
“You know what?” Butch grunted. “There's a reason I never brought you around. Your fucking games, the fucking drama. I thought when you came back sniffing around that you'd changed. Grown the fuck up. But you're still causing drama, still making me question why I ever got involved with you. I'm not that guy, never will be. I don't need your kind of crazy. I’m fucking done with you.”
At the finality in his voice, Emily paled, Pharis winced, Connie smirked, and Bridget closed her eyes.
Quick to recover, Emily flew forward and latched onto Butch. “You’re mine.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Bridget sighed in annoyance. “He belongs to me, always has. Now step the fuck off.”
“Bridget is the ‘her’?” Aaron asked me.
“Who else would it be?”
“About fucking time,” he said, giving me a fist bump.
Completely oblivious to the woman hanging from his neck, Butch asked Bridget, “I’m yours?”
“Really?” she answered back, her voice filled with sass. “Are you going to stand there and play dumb now?”
“Maybe I just want to hear you say it again?”
“Maybe you should take the trash out and we can talk about it privately.”
Never in all the years I’ve known Bridget have I ever seen her so bold. And in truth? It was fucking awesome. Clearly, Butch thought so too because he couldn’t get Emily off his ass fast enough.
“Allow me,” Pharis said, prying her away with Connie, Aaron, and I stepping forward.
As we escorted a crying Emily out of the bar, we all turned just in time to see Bridget launch herself into Butch’s waiting arms.
Fuck yeah, I loved it when love worked out.