Ash’s shoulders straightened, and her chin jutted up defiantly just as Pagan walked past the table, staring at Ash like he was about to fling her over his shoulder and carry her out of there. My sister glared back at him as if he were no better than a piece of shit on the bottom of her shoe.
I heard a chuckle and turned to see that Atlas was watching, too.
“Ro’ll sort her,” he said softly, his eyes warming on his sister.
My eyes slid back to the table. “Yeah. I see that.”
“She’s a good one.”
My heart squeezed. “I know.”
His stare cut to me. “You’re here to stay, aren’t ya?”
It wasn’t a question; it was acceptance.
With a full heart, I turned back to the table and took in everything that was Rosie Woods. “Yeah, brother. I’m not going anywhere.”
CHAPTER 21
ROSIE
Pagan’s intense stare broke with Ash’s, and he sauntered towards the corridor that housed the men’s bathrooms.
“That big, scary biker beast isnot happy,” Tristan declared. “You watch your back tonight, Aislynn, ‘cause that’s a man with a plan if I ever saw one.”
Aislynn shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Well, I’m a woman with a plan, too, and my plan is to avoid him at all costs and get through the night without slapping his face.”
My hand went to hers. “I’m sorry, honey. If I could kick his ass for you, I would, but he’d end up kicking mine, and I’m too pretty to carry off a split lip and a black eye. Now, Saskia, well, that bitch is a different story. I know I can take her, so if you want me to kick her ass, just say the word. Or better still, I’m here for you if you need a wingman to help bury the body. I’m sure Atlas knows places.”
Tristan clasped his hands to his chest. “Oh, I just love girl bonding time. It fills my heart with joy and rainbow sprinkles when we stand in each other’s corners. It’s like we’ve got our ownScoobygang, like inBuffy the Vampire Slayer.” His eyesdropped to my considerable cleavage, and he exclaimed, “Except you bitches are more like theBoobygang!”
Cara, who had turned to listen in mid-conversation, began to laugh. I joined her, giggling at Aislynn, who looked between us, clearly confused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Buffy!” Tristan yelled.
Aislynn’s face twisted. “Who?”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer!” he fired back. “And herScoobygang.”
“She’s too young, Tris,” Sophie interjected from beside Cara. “That show was way before Ash’s time.”
“I think I’ve seen reruns,” Ash stated, her eyebrows quirking. “But obviously not as many as Tristan.”
“It’s a classic,” he announced. “Angel was hot, then Spike came along with that whole bad-boy morally grey hero vibe, and I was done.” He pointed to his perfectly styled but messy bleached blond hair. “Who else do y’all think inspired my do?” He fanned his face and breathed, “Oohwee.”
Aislynn laughed, shaking her head. “If somebody had told me an hour ago that I’d be sitting here laughing aboutBuffy the Vampire Slayer, I’d have told them they needed to check into a psych ward.”
I squeezed her fingers. “Heartbreak’s awful. There’s not one of us here who doesn’t understand what you’re going through, Ash. You’ve got us; we’ll see you right.”
Her head hit my shoulder, and she whispered, “Thanks.”
“It’s gonna be okay, Ash,” I assured her. “Men like Pagan don’t forget girls like you. He may be full of bravado now, but losing you will haunt him. He’ll look back one day and see he threw away something incredible.”
Her head left my shoulder, and she turned to face me. “I feel so stupid. Everyone warned me he was bad news.” She let out a self-deprecating snort. “I thought I could fix him.”
I smoothed her hair back. “We’ve all flown too close to the sun, honey. You may have gotten burned, but it doesn’t mean you should clip your wings. When somebody you believe in betrays you, it feels like it’s the end of the world, but your story will go on without him. Just get back out there, work hard, spend time with your girls, and heal. It may hurt now, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just a blip.”
Her eyes welled up. “My brother lucked out with you.”
