And there it was.
I kept my eyes on the road as Nix’s eyes burned into the side of my cheek. “Yes. I heard. Have you seen him yet?”
His reply surprised me. “Yeah, about ten minutes ago. Turned up at the station. He did offer me a lift, but I wasn’t feeling his mode of transport.”
“What, the bus?” I snarked.
“Bitchy,” Nix countered.
“Sorry,” I added, knowing my comment was ridiculous as Reed had recently been filmed climbing out of several fancy cars. He’d probably never taken the bus in his lifetime, even before he was famous: a flashback of making out in his Jeep when we were teenagers jumped into my thoughts.
“I doubt his management would allow him anywhere near public transport. Too risky.” My brother declared, breaking through those heated memories.
“Indeed.” I knew exactly how wealthy Reed was after my Google fest. He was hounded way too much to travel like a regular person.
“So, how are you taking the news that he’s back?” Nix added, shoving his phone back into his jeans.
“Fine,” I said with a sniff, taking the corner too tight and curbing the fuck out of my back tire. The sound of the alloy scraping across the concrete made me feel good. Fucking up something Jasper had given me was sure to piss him off. My life’s mission over the last few months. I say the last few months, as that is when Jasper started to put pressure on about setting the date.
“Bullshit,” Nix remarked with a huff. “Look, I have no intention of talking about boys with you, but?.”
“Then don’t,” I rasped, cutting him off.
“But, if you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
“There really is nothing to talk about, Nix. So, Reed and I had a thing when we were kids. Sure, it was fun while it lasted, but we’re adults now. I’m marrying Jasper, and Reed, well, Reed certainly hasn’t gone without, if the pictures of him with adifferent slut every other week are to be believed.” I attempted to keep the bitterness out of my tone and clearly failed as I caught Phoenix’s huge, meaty grin.
“From my regular catch-ups with him, your observations are more than correct.”
“Good for him, I couldn’t care less.”
“If you say so.”
“You’re such a butthead, Phoenix,” I rasped, rolling my eyes and turning on the radio.
“Guilty as charged,” he volleyed back with a smirk.
As I stopped at the traffic lights, Nix’s cell started vibrating. “It’s Reed,” he explained after he’d tugged out his phone. Knots appeared in my stomach, and I pursed my lips, determined not to give away how that made me feel.
“Do you mind?” my brother added, pointing to the screen with an arched eyebrow.
I grimaced, waving my hand dismissively. “Be my guest.”
“Hey, man. You back at the hotel?”
Trying to look like you weren’t listening when you were, was harder than I thought it would be. A car horn screeched rudely from behind me as the lights turned green and I had yet to move. Phoenix flipped the guy off over his shoulder and nodded for me to drive on. Clearing my throat, I rammed my foot on the accelerator, and the vehicle shot forward. “You could always stay at the house?” Nix grunted as he held his cell closer to his ear and braced his other hand against the dash.
Please don’t stay at the house.That would make Ma Sawyer’s place out of bounds for the foreseeable future. Ma was the Sawyer brothers’ foster mother.
“The Paps? Yeah, probably not a great idea then.” Relief bloomed in my belly. Reed had clearly decided against stopping at his old house in case the media circus followed him there. From what I knew about Ma, she wouldn’t enjoy that type of invasion of her privacy.
“Yeah, OK. I get it. I’m just on my way back now. The Touchdown Tavern, at eight. Cool, see you there.”
As Phoenix hung up the phone, I couldn’t help but ask. “So, you guys are meeting up tonight?”
“That’s the plan. Why? Do you want to come?”
Every nerve ending screamed inside me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Besides, Jasper’s at the house. He wants to book the honeymoon tonight.” The thought of a honeymoon with my soon-to-be husband made my stomach churn.
