“I don’t think anyone would be upset if they did that,” Lance adds.
“Which means they’ll stay and try to make everyone else as miserable as they are,” Ford states.
This is going to be a long night.
Chapter 27
Kenzie
It irritates me how many people flocked to Gina and Lance’s party but claimed they were busy when I invited them to mine first.
“Let the games begin!” Holly announces, and I fight the urge to smack her. “We have an even number of people, so let’s pair off. Not all games will require teams, but this will just make it run smoother.”
I take Asher’s hand, feeling his cold, clammy palm against mine, and glance at Harper through my mascara-coated lashes, bracing for her to shoot daggers at me or maybe wear that kicked puppy dog expression with those big blue eyes of hers. Instead, she tosses her honey-blonde waves back and laughs with Gina before she entwines her slender arm with Ford’s muscular one. It’s pathetic that she’s chasing after Asher’s best friend like some desperate groupie.
I turn to Asher, my cheeks flushing hot with rage, ready to scream until my throat burns. He’s glaring at Ford and Harper, his jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle twitching beneath his skin, and I know his whispered confession from the other night was genuine—he’s still in love with Harper Wallace.
“Is it true?” Gina asks, her crimson lips curving into a smirk. “Did you quit as Asher’s best man?”
Ford chuckles. “Something like that.”
How can he be so disloyal? Asher is his best friend, and he walked away for what? Harper? She’s not that special.
The games begin, and honestly, they’re dull. Some kind of trivia game. Who cares about trivia? This is a bachelor party; it should be wild. And where are the strippers?
I notice Gina sipping water instead of her usual vodka concoction. She’s getting married in a few weeks, so I’m fairly certain this confirms it: Gina’s pregnant. “Not partaking in the festivities, Gina?” I call out.
“What are you talking about, Kenzie? No one here but you and Asher speaks idiot, so you’re going to have to help us out,” Gina retorts. That woman used to see me as a sister until Harper got in her ear. She hates anyone who likes me more than her and sabotages all my relationships.
“You’re usually a vodka girl, but that’s water. Is there more to your rush to get married than just being in love?” Leaning forward, Harper flashes a sweet smile that infuriates me. “Gina doesn’t want to risk looking puffy for her wedding.”
Gina nods. “I know you don’t care because everyone’s only attending your wedding to see if Asher actually goes through with it or leaves you at the altar, but I want to look good for my husband.”
Suddenly, the front door bursts open with a bang that makes me flinch, and a gust of frigid December air slices through the room, raising goosebumps along my bare arms. I turn to seeTracy and Alex stumbling in. Each of them cradles an absurd number of liquor bottles—expensive tequila, vodka, and whiskey—the glass clinking together as they struggle to maintain their grip.
I stand there, gaping at them, my mouth hanging open stupidly. “I thought you had plans this weekend.” My voice comes out higher than I intended.
“We did,” Tracy replies with a dismissive flip of her glossy dark hair, not even bothering to look at me as she deposits her bottles on the marble countertop.
Alex, still wearing her ridiculous cashmere scarf around her neck, points a manicured finger directly at my face, her eyes narrowing. “What’s she doing here?”
Harper shakes her head. “They crashed and think this is for them, too.”
That’s it. My vision blurs at the edges, hot rage prickling under my skin like a thousand tiny needles. I whirl around so fast my hair whips across my face as I lock eyes with her, my lips peeling back from my teeth in what I know is an ugly, feral glare. “I should have been invited as a courtesy, considering your family is trying to take what’s mine!”
Gina stands and meets my gaze, unflinching. “What’s yours? Honey, all you’ve ever done is try to take anything and everything Harper ever had. You succeeded with something we all think she should’ve tossed out years ago, and you’re still not happy.”
“That says more about you than anyone else,” Holly interjects. “You’re not happy unless you’re miserable.”
To make matters worse, Asher just sits there silently, staring at Harper. “You’re not going to defend me?”
“Just sit down, Kenzie,” he says, tugging at my hand. “It’s not worth starting a fight.”
Not worth starting a fight?
“Let’s play a game,” Harper interrupts, guiding Gina to sit beside her again.
I realize I’m not exactly making a good impression, so I take a seat as well and lock my gaze on Harper. “Let’s play truth or dare. Bring it back old school.”
