One of my best friends in med school, Annaliese, was obsessed with eighties music. Every study date, she’d have Heart or Cher playing in the background. When she got married, she even convinced her grumpy husband, Colter, to let her walk down the aisle to a string version of “Take My Breath Away.” I never had quite the obsession she did, but if you were to ask me tonight what my favorite genre is, it would be eighties music, hands down.
“Do your brothers ever dance?” I ask Harper once she lets go of my wrist. She lifts up the wooden ledge and slips behind the bar. She’s technically working tonight, but I don’t think anyone is able to tell Harper no when she says she’s taking a dance break.
“If my brothers are ever at the bar, they are doing exactly what they are doing right now, which definitely isn’t dancing.”
I look over to the high top table where I left the boys. Grayson is still seated on the stool with his tree trunk legs spread wide to rest on the floor. He guards my clutch, which rests directly in front of him, and his gruff demeanor, in a clean T-shirt and dark blue jeans looks hilarious next to my tiny sequined purse. He’s seated next to a grouchy-as-usual Lukas, and they make small talk in between sips of beer. “Where’s Theo?”
She looks around, and a knowing smirk crosses her face when she sees him. She reaches an arm up past my shoulder, and I turn to see Theo standing at the back bar, talking to two very good-looking women. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Theo, it’s that he oozes charm. He’s attractive, as are all the Hart men, but with his brown hair turning gray early, it gives him this allure, a Clooney vibe, that I’ve learned women flock to. That, plus his charm, tattoos, and inability to never be cranky, makes him nearly invincible.
“Has he ever had a serious girlfriend?”
Harper laughs at my audacity, a deep belly laugh, and that gives me my answer.
“Do you want another wine?” she asks, and I nod.
“And another round for your brothers, too.”
She nods, first handing me three bottles of cold beer, quickly popping the caps off before turning to the fridge to pull out my bottle of white wine.
“I’ll put it on your tab,” she says with a wink, handing me a chilled full glass. We both know that she refuses to let family pay for their drinks. I don’t know if she just gives a family discount, or if she pays for them at the end of the night out of her tips. But I do know that her brothers secretly feed her tip jar when she’s not looking, which makes up for it.
I briefly interrupt Theo's giggling conversation to hand him another beer, and he slings an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. “Ladies,” he points to me with his beer, “I’d like to introduce you both to Grayson’s better half, Holly. Holly,” now pointing the beer bottle to the brunette across the table, “this is Ginger, and her friend Amy.” Both women give a bright smile, and I offer one back, still feeling a blush burn my cheeks at the thought of being Grayson’s other half.
“It’s nice to meet the both of you.” I pick up the remaining drinks and usher with my head to the other side of the bar. “Have a good night, I’m going to sneak these over to the boys before the band starts again.”
Before I can maneuver my fingers around the neck of the beer bottles, Theo picks them up. He slides an armaround my back to turn me away from the table. “I’m going to make sure Holly gets there safely, you two have a wonderful night.”
His steps quicken once we turn, and I stumble a little, glancing over my shoulder to see two very disappointed women watching us leave.
“What’s that about, Theo? It looked like the three of you might have had a lot of fun tonight.”
He smirks at that, cocking a brow in my direction. “I would’ve loved to seal the deal with both of them, but Amy asked me my star sign, and Ginger quizzed me on how many kids I’d like someday, and if there’s two things I stay far away from, it’s women who believe in astrology and kids.”
I set one bottle of beer in front of Grayson, briefly interrupting his conversation with Lukas. He glances at the bottle, and then to me with a warm smile on his face.
“So, you don’t see yourself settling down with a sweet girl and a bunch of kiddos some day?” I ask Theo as he hands Lukas the other bottle of beer. Theo barks out a laugh, and so does Grayson.
“Theo hasn’t been around a kid since he was one himself.”
Lukas takes the beer from Theo, muttering a thanks.
“That’s the last time I liked kids too,” he tells Grayson. “That was from Holly,” he says to Lukas. “So thank her, not me.”
Lukas takes the beer, bringing it to his lips for a cool sip. His gaze is everywhere but on me, and while I would’ve been fine without an exaggerated thank you, the fact that he goes out of his way tonotthank me stings.
It’s Theo who reacts first, leaning his broad frame down to rest his elbows on the table. His head lowers until he can catch Lukas’s gaze, and he says slowly, but sternly, “Isaid, that was from Holly, so you need to thank her.”
Theo doesn’t blink or move a muscle as he waits. When Lukas finally mutters out a pained “thank you,” Theo straightens, reaching for his own beer and pointing to the television behind us.
Grayson adjusts his position on the bar stool, spreading his thick thighs and tapping one with his palm. I turn into his embrace to sit on his thigh, which has become my new favorite chair. I take a long sip of my wine before setting it on the table, gathering my hair in both hands to hold it off my neck. With one hand, I try to fan myself to cool down, wishing the bar would open a window or two to get some air flow. “You guys are really missing out by not being on the dance floor,” I tease, and Grayson's chuckles against my back. He wraps an arm around mywaist, gently tugging me back to him so he can whisper in my ear.
“You'll never catch me on the dance floor,” he says before nipping my ear gently. “But fuck, if I could spend the rest of my life sitting over here watching you move, I'd be a happy man.”
I twist over my shoulder to look at him, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Is that so?”
“Baby, there's nothing better after a long day in the field than a shower and a cold beer with my brothers. But with a beer in one hand and you in my other, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.”
I lean in for another kiss, this one lasting a little longer than the first. When I pull back, Grayson’s eyes slowly open, and I rake my nails through the side of his hair, letting my hand rest on the collar of his shirt. “You know, I don’t remember the last time I’ve ever been this happy, either.”
