“You’re just pissed that you’ve got no rhythm.” Anthony is smirking, but beneath that, I recognize his tell. He’s nervous about this conversation.
He should be.
“Fuck you, Anthony. You know I hate to fucking dance.”
“Because you can’t do it.” Another brother, three years younger than me, Adrian, snickers, then sucks down the last half of his beer. “But I’ve got to agree with Alec, that was brutal, little bro.”
Brutal is the understatement of the century. I’m not done. “I took precious leave for this shit.” I throw back the rest of my drink. With the glass in hand, I point at him. “And you didn’t have the courtesy of telling me what today was about. All you said was rehearsal.” I assumed it was a wedding rehearsal. Sure, the wedding is a week from today, but how the fuck would I know about this shit?
“You should be thanking me. You get to dance with Chrissie.” Anthony thinks he’s given me a gift?
“I’ve had my fill of the Chrissies of the world.”
“Hey now,” Adrian, the peacekeeper in our brotherhood, chimes in. “Chrissie’s hot, man.”
Oh, I see. He’s got a thing for her. “If you like her,youshould dance with her.” I know he’s dancing with one of Vicky’s other friends, I don’t remember her name, but she looks to be less pit viper than Chrissie.
“Nobody is switching partners. Vicky will have my head.”
“You mean, she’ll nevergiveyou head again,” snickers Angelo.
The last thing I want to picture is my baby brother and his woman…. “Jesus, Angelo. I can’t unsee that shit.” I groan.
My three little brothers break out into loud, raucous laughter. I wish I could laugh, but I haven’t been in a laughing mood lately. Because I don’t want to ruin the mood, I raise my glass instead and announce, “Next round is on me.”
“Hell yeah.” Angelo high-fives each of us one at a time. “I love it when DaddyWarbucks comes back to town.”
He’s called me variations of that name ever since I joined the army when I was eighteen. Of all my brothers, I think Angelo was the most impacted by me up and enlisting right after I graduated high school. He and I were tight at that time, probably because we’re the closest in age to one another. We’re not as close anymore since I’ve been gone just over ten years. I’m used to him making negative references to my military life, even if it isn’t true. I’m not rich. I do okay because I’ve been smart with my money. Not only that, I’m proud of my service. I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am––an MP in the army. The thing is, I’m getting burned out.
Hell, I don’t want to get into that right now. I’ve got to stop feeling fucking sorry for myself. The truth is, I needed this leave. Badly. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than at my baby brother’s wedding. I mean that. My brothers mean everything to me.
I raise my arm at the pretty bartender. When she spots me, I twirl my hand around in the universal sign for “another round.” She nods and grins.
She’s got a nice smile. And a spectacular ass.
No, I’m not going down that road. Bad shit happens, like expectations of a long-term relationship bullshit, whenever I get involved with someone, even if it’s only for a night or two.
My focus needs to remain on my brother and his bride. I’ve met Victoria before. Twice, actually. And each time, I get the feeling he’s making a mistake. Maybe it’s just my role as big brother, but my gut tells me Victoria is the wrong way to go. But I’m gonna keep that shit to myself. I don’t want to alienate him. Even making us learn a fucking dance isn’t going to sway my feelings for my little brother. I’ll be here for him, no matter what. Even if his marriage crashes and burns, I’ll be here.
At the bar, Anthony slaps my back as we wait for our refills. “Seriously, bro, you could have been stuck with Mattie.” The trio snickers.
“What’s wrong with her?” I thought she was cute. Petite for sure. The top of her head only came up to the start of my pecs.
“Yeah, you dodged a bullet.” Adrian nods. “She’s weird.”
“Weird?” She was upbeat, sure, but weird? I didn’t think so.
“Aw, come on, guys.” Angelo smirks. “Sure, she’s short, chubby, and….” He sips his fresh beer.
Chubby? Did they see her ass? It was perfection. They’re starting to piss me off about that woman. “And?” I’m waiting for the conclusion of that statement.
Angelo cracks up. “That’s it. She’s short, chubby, and as weird as fuck.”
I feel a bit protective of the woman I stood next to and then danced with briefly. “She’s not so bad.” Not bad at all. As a matter of fact, I thought she was kind of adorable with her curly hair, the spray of freckles on her cheeks and nose, and I believe she had a dimple on one of her cheeks. Not to mention, her hair smelled fucking amazing. I caught a whiff of that while we danced. It smelled sweet like strawberries.
“You wouldn’t say that if you heard the shit Victoria has said about her.” Anthony pulls out a stool and sits.
“Like what?” He’s crazy if the thinks I’d take the word of that bridezilla over my own instincts about a person, in this case, Matilda.
