Charlie takes a sip of his beer, eyes sparkling. “I sent one text to Camryn and one to Christian with a list.”
“Ah,” I say. “So, all of them.”
“Every single one.” He grins.
I look around the bar, and it really is everyone.
Dirty Texas is here, obviously. Evan and Axel are already arguing over the pool table. Finn is talking to Hudson and Parker, his siblings, who look like they can’t decide if they’re impressed or concerned. Oscar is leaning against a post, looking calm and quietly amused.
My brothers are clustered near one of the high-top tables, Tavish, Rowan, Callum, and Arran, all in flannel and boots, are already popular with the Moonlight Falls locals. The Sons of Brooklyn guys are here, too, scattered around chatting with the California Bros., who look like they stepped out of a surf campaign and got dropped into a cowboy bar by accident.
Sienna, Vanessa, Olivia, and Isla are camped at a corner table with Stacey, who has her feet up on a second chair, very pregnant, holding court with a mocktail in one hand and a bowl of fries in the other. Camryn and Kimberly are flitting around like event planners. Yvette Sanchez is at the bar with Charlotte, showing her photos of the bridesmaids’ dresses she designed, while Jake leans in to see.
Nate Lewis is here, too, of course, lounging back in a chair next to Camryn like he owns the place, his Paradise Club energy somehow fitting perfectly in this rodeo-cowboy dive. Sebastien is talking to Jesse about the Thanksgiving menu he’s prepping, gesturing with a glass like he’s narrating his cooking show.
It’s a ridiculous mix of worlds, timelines, families, and found family. It feels … right.
“Bachelor!” Toby appears in front of me, slightly breathless, cheeks pink, hair already a little messed up. “How does it feel?”
“Loud,” I say. “And hot. And I’m pretty sure Christian is planning something terrifying.”
“Of course he is,” Toby says, like that’s obvious. “He’s been humming show tunes for two weeks.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Nothing,” he says too fast. “You look great. Love you. Bye.” He vanishes into the crowd.
“Oh no,” I murmur.
Charlie laughs beside me. “Just relax. What’s the worst that can happen?”
Every time someone says that in our world, something insane happens within five minutes. As if on cue, the lights in the Moose flicker. The music cuts out.A murmur rolls through the bar. And then Christian’s voice booms over the old sound system.
“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone who came here to sin …”
“Oh my god,” I whisper.
Christian appears on the little raised stage near the back, dressed in a black shirt, black jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat tipped just so. He’s holding a microphone like he was born with it. “Welcome,” he declares, “to the first annual Dirty Texas Midnight Moose bachelor rodeo revue.”
The bar explodes into cheers and whoops. Sienna buries her face in her hands, laughing. Vanessa lifts her phone immediately to record, eyes gleaming with pride. I turn to Charlie. He’s grinning. He knows what is about to happen. “Is this your fault?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “No, it’s all Christian. And you’re welcome,” he says.
Christian paces the stage like it’s an arena. “As you all know, our beautiful boys …” he gestures grandly at us, “are getting married this weekend, and naturally, we couldn’t let their last night of freedom pass by without some …” He pauses, smirks, “… cultural enrichment.”
Nate barks out a laugh from his table.
“So,” Christian continues, “in honor of Derrick and Charlie, and with the blessing of the Midnight Moose and the good people of Moonlight Falls, we will be putting on a little show.”
“Oh no,” I breathe again.
The music slams back on, some filthy, bass-heavy country remix, and suddenly Christian is unbuttoning his shirt with choreographed precision. The bar loses its mind. Vanessa shrieks. Toby screams so high that one of the light fixtures rattles. Christian does not half-ass anything. He’s clearly rehearsed this. He spins, hat tipped low, shirt sliding off one shoulder in a move that has half the room gasping. Evan and Axel jump onto the tiny stage beside him, followed by Finn, Oscar, Jackson, and two of his brothers, then Nate rushes past and … oh my god, Sebastien too.
“What is happening?” I choke out.
“Art,” Charlie says solemnly.
Sebastien looks like he got talked into this ten minutes ago and has immediately committed to the bit. He rips open his button-down shirt to reveal a frankly spectacular chest, and the entire bar screams.
