“Thank you,” I say. “And congrats on your wedding as well. Breaker showed me pictures.”
“He should have brought you,” Huxley says, eyeing his brother.
“Charise was a fine date,” Breaker says while shifting to the side.
“Lia would have been better.” Huxley steps to the side as well and gestures with his hand to walk in. “Everything is on the back patio. Enjoy.”
“Thank you,” I say as I step into his beautiful house, where the entryway has a large picture of him and Lottie on their wedding day. The sun is setting in the background. He’s holding her possessively by the jaw as he kisses her. It’s raw, beautiful . . . erotic, a picture Brian and I would never take.
A position Brian would never hold me in.
A kiss I don’t think we’d ever share.
He doesn’t have that in him, that craving, grasping for air-type nature. He doesn’t see me as his and only his. He doesn’t look at me and think . . . mine.
That’s never bothered me, but for some reason, looking at this picture of Lottie and Huxley, and the words Brian said to me last night, it’s . . . it’s bothering me now.
“You okay?” Breaker asks, coming up next to me.
“Yes,” I answer. “Beautiful photo of them.”
“It was a beautiful wedding,” he replies and then smooths his hand to my lower back, right above the curve of my ass. “Ready to get some tacos?” he whispers in my ear right before he guides me toward the back of the house, his palm nearly searing my skin through the fabric of my dress.
“Yes,” I answer as my voice gets caught in my throat.
He must not notice because he leads me out back where JP and Kelsey are filling their plates while Lottie fills up a champagne flute.
“Hey,” Breaker says with a wave of his hands, causing all three sets of eyes to land on us. “Brought Lia with me because, frankly, she invited herself.”
I pinch his side, causing him to laugh. I whisper, “Because of that, game on.” I address everyone and say, “Breaker said the Bloody Marys are mediocre.”
“Oh, you bitch,” he whispers, causing me to laugh.
“What?” JP asks. “My Bloody Marys are not mediocre.”
“You have no idea what you just did,” Breaker mutters.
“I have an inkling,” I answer as JP sets his plate down, grabs Breaker, and takes him over to the drinks, where he runs through every step of making the perfect Bloody Mary.
“Hey, Lia.” Kelsey waves and grabs a plate. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you,” I say as I take the plate from her and then look over the buffet.
What looks to be fresh tortillas are stacked under a warmer. There are scrambled eggs, a variety of cheeses, salsas, refried beans, bacon, sausage, avocado, and cilantro. Breaker was right. This looks amazing. To the right is a colossal bowl of fruit salad made up of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherries. And to the right of that . . . the croissants with a bowl of jelly.
“This looks amazing,” I say.
“Take your time,” Kelsey says. “We’ll be here for the next few hours, slowly picking away at the buffet. It’s an event. I would start with two tacos and a drink.”
Lottie slides in next to me and says, “Then go for the bowl of fruit as a palate cleanser.”
“Then a croissant, only one to start,” Kelsey adds.
“Then some water,” Lottie says. “Then another taco, then croissant, then fruit . . . then croissant.”
“Keep it slow and steady on the booze drinks.” Kelsey hands me a mimosa.
“I’m not going to remember that, so I might need you two to guide me.”
