“Where’s your better half?” I glance past his shoulder, but the entry sitsempty.
“Trying to catch up to your better half.” He gives a shit-eating grin, and it dissipates just as quick. “I talked her into maintaining a friendship with Skyla. She’s still pretty pissed about Chloe. Maybe she’ll find out what the hell that’s about. Have you cracked that codeyet?”
“Nope.” I shake my head at this alternative version of myself. Coop looks like he could be my brother. “As far as I can tell, it’s not happening anytime soon either. Skyla’s pretty pissed about a lot of things—what Chloe’s put her through, apparently, isn’t on the list anymore.” I know that’s not true, but to the naked eye it feels about right. “Can I get you something? Pizza, soda? Jameson?” I tick my head over to where Drake is shaking up a cocktail like a seasonedpro.
“I’m good.” His demeanor hardens as he folds his arms across his chest. “Ezrina’s been acting strange lately. Have you noticed anything odd going on?” His eyes narrow in on mine, and I can’t tell whether or not he’s calling bullshit on the fact I know about that Laken lookalike she’s Frankensteined tolife.
“She and Nev are having a baby.” There. That alone accounts for half of Ezrina’s mood swingslately.
“I heard.” He frowns because we both know I’ve just offered up the wrong answer. Coop leans in, good and pissed. “You know. When Skyla said that you and Gage specialized in keeping secrets from her, I assured her there must have been a damn good reason each and every time.” His voice is low, but you can feel the anger shaking just beneath the surface. The corners of his eyes crease with a controlled sense of rage, the same way mine have been known to do. “Are you keeping something from me,dude?”
It’s like he’s got a sixth sense, and a part of me doesn’t understand why the hell I’m keeping anything from the guy. Coop has been a great friend. Hell, at this point, he’s family. I take a breath, ready to spill what I know, and he gives a hard shove to mychest.
“Go to hell, man.” He blows past me and hits the exit before I can stophim.
Shit. I pull out my phone, and just as I’m about to text him to get back here, in walks my tall, dark, and dangerously good-looking nephew. His hair is slicked to a shine, and he’s decked out in a suit. A thin bright blue tie pops off his dress shirt, and those sharp-looking shoes finish off the polished look on him. There is no doubt in my mind Gage Oliver is gunning to get laid. Skyla is in for it, and she hasn’t even hit the door. A knot settles in my stomach because a small selfish part of me wondered if the cold front was something that might last. And just as fast as that nosediving sense of self-pity comes, it dissipates. I want Skyla with Gage. They’ve come too far, have too many children to give upnow.
Before I can head over to him, Graham Smite comes over and offers me a congratulatory pat on the back. “Why so forlorn, youngson?”
It’s odd to hear him crown me with the youthful moniker since he looks to be in his early twenties himself. I know for a fact both he and his twin brother died from dysentery a couple of yearsapart.
“I’m fine.” I try to shake Skyla out of myhead.
“Skyla?” He gives my hand a quick squeeze before letting go. He does have Celestra lineage, so it only makes sense he got the green light into my shitty subconscious. “She is a looker. Married though from what I hear—and not toyou.”
“All of the above is correct.” I grimace over to Gage who happens to be waylaid himself a moment with Ellis andGiselle.
“But you love her.” He folds his arms over his enormous chest. Both Graham and his brother played ball for old Paragon High when the island just had the one school. “I once loved a young lady myself.” He gives a wistful shake of the head. “My brother had his sights set on the young lady aswell.”
“What became of it?” The truth is, I’m almost afraid to ask. Two brothers, one girl. The equation sounds a little too close to home for myliking.
“One of us had to cave, and I figured it should probably be me. I’m the oldest. And I love my brother. I knew she would make him very, very happy.” A forlorn look of his own infiltrates his features. “And she did for the short remainder of hislife.”
“That was very noble of you.” My heart breaks for the dude even though all parties are well past their hormonal wedded and beddedyears.
“Great love requires great sacrifice.” He pats my shoulder once again. “But she’s here tonight. And I’m not feeling so generous anymore.” He gives a sly wink. “If I’m smart, I’ll steal a kiss later this evening.” He dances off into the crowd, looking as if he’s got the world in the palm of his dead hand. And in a way, he does. All rules of engagement were released once that golden cord was severed—and as it is in eternity, it’s party time from here onout.
Gage comes up and offers me a mock sock to thegut.
“What’s up?” I slap him five and pull him in. “Rumor has it, women go crazy for a sharp dressedman.”
“I see what you did there.” He offers a quick sock to my arm before steppingback.
“And I see what you didthere.” I flick his tie into his face. “That color really sets off your eyes, sweetheart. Smoothmove.”
“It’s lambskin.” He frowns down at it. “Dad let me borrow it. He said it was all the rage back in theday.”
“Which dad?” I lift a brow. “Kidding.”
Gage lands another sock to my arm, and this one hurts, assuring me he put some effort into it thistime.
“Watch it, man. You’re packing some serious muscle.” I rub my arm down to demonstrate the fact. “Where’sSkyla?”
“She’s coming with Chloe.” His demeanor darkens on a dime. “Where the hell was Coop running off to? He blew right by me without bothering to sayhello.”
“I don’t know. I think I pissed him off. He wanted to know what was up withEzrina.”
A hand crashes over Gage’s shoulder, interrupting our conversation, and we look over to find his lookalikeWes.
