Callie pulled me toward the room, but every step felt like I was trudging through quicksand, my eyes locked on Wes with his arm around his girlfriend.
His girlfriend.
“Morgan!” Gabe grinned when we stepped into the room.
At the sound of my name, I saw Wes look at me, and my eyes locked on his when Gabe pulled me into a hug. There was something unreadable in his expression as he stared at me, but he dropped my gaze before I could even attempt to decipher it. I couldn’t ignore the pang of disappointment when he did, either.
I greeted Lucas next, and when I stepped back from our hug, Gabe handed me a beer before looking at Wes expectantly. He seemed to understand as he cleared his throat.
“This is Loralei. Lora, this is Morgan.” He made the introduction insouciantly, and I couldn’t tell if it was because he was trying to keep up the front of our supposed mutually strained tolerance of one another or if it was genuine indifference and he just didn’t…care.
Lora. I fought back the urge to grimace, and then I felthorrible for even having that urge. I didn’t even know this woman, and she was probably lovely. I was just being a jealous bitch, which I hated. I mentally apologized for my internal reaction.
“Hi,” I said as I forced myself to smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I was going to tell him.
“Yeah, nice to meet you,” Loralei said curtly before looking up at Wes.
Oh.Okay.
I was barely paying attention when Gabe, Callie, and Lucas started to talk to me. As I tipped my beer bottle back and took a long pull, I discreetly slid my gaze over and watched Wes turn away to talk to hisgirlfriend. I didn’t know what exactly it was—hell, I hadn’t even had an actual conversation with him—but he seemed…different. There was something almost subdued about him. It was fucking weird. And it wasn’t Wes.
When I saw Loralei lean up on her tiptoes and press a kiss to Wes’s cheek, my chest tightened. I turned toward the large table where the others were now seated before setting my beer down. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” Callie asked.
“I need somethingstronger.”
I walked away and made my way through the crowd to the bar. “There’s my girl!”
When I glanced up, there was Susan, stepping out from behind the bar with a grin. “Hey, Suzie.”
“When did you get back?” she asked as she pulled me into a hug.
“Just this afternoon,” I replied.
“Well, it’s good to have you home. I missed your sass.” She winked with a chuckle as she moved back behind the bar. “Usual rum and coke for you?”
“Yeah…but hold the coke.”
“Well, goddamn, honey. Rough day?”
“Yeah, something like that.” I leaned against the bar, dropping my head forward with a sigh.
I was still processing the fact thatWesley Callahanhad agirlfriend. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this would be just my luck. I’d been saying for a few years now that the universe had some sick sense of humor when it came to me and my love life in general, but this one really took the fucking cake.
The cosmos allowed me to fall for thelastguy on the planet Ieverthought I’d fall for. One who managed to grate on my every damn nerve, push every button I had, get under my skin, that I hated at one point, and one that hadneverwanted a serious relationship before in his life. And when I worked up the nerve to confess my feelings,that’swhen he decided he wanted to try commitment on for size…but withsomeone else?
What the actual fuck is my life?
I felt like a walking punchline for being unlucky in love. And if this wasn’t a sign that I should throw in the towel and accept my fate as a spinster, I didn’t know what was.
“Hey, you.”
I popped straight up and looked over to see Wes settle up beside me. “H-Hi…”
I stared at him, watching him knit his brows before that damn smirk curled on his lips. I let out an imperceptible whimper that was thankfully drowned out by the chatter and music.
