My brother interrupts my thoughts and dread fills me.
“Happy birthday, little brother. All the none wiser.” It sounds like he is taking pleasure in my predicament.
“Carter.” My tone is curt.
He takes a long sip from his gin and tonic and surveys the party. “Liam arrived. Back from his honeymoon. Hmm, I wonder if he will notice anything new.” He has the balls to smile contritely at me on my birthday.
I glimpse down to the ice cubes in my own drink, and I swirl the glass. “Would you like me to bring up your ex-wife? Because you’re being a little bit of an ass right now.”
Before he can reply, Liam smiles and heads my way.
“Going to say hi to Mom since Dad is away on business again. Havefun,” Carter taunts and leaves me to face my good friend.
“Hey there. How was the honeymoon?” I ask as Liam approaches.
The guy is near giddy. “Great. Nice to be in our own little world. Now it’s back to reality.”
I search over his shoulder. “Where is your wife? Already run away?”
He laughs. “Nah, she’s under the weather at home. Happy birthday! I’m so grateful that my sister did this. Don’t hate me but I wouldn’t have been able to swing this. Just too much going on.”
“Say no more. It’s cool.”
Keats joins us and clinks his glass with ours. “What did I miss? Hopefully no sordid details of honeymoon escapades.”
“Funny. You have a wedding coming up, so be nice, otherwise you are getting a dirty-as-fuck speech at dinner,” Liam warns him.
“Eek. Someone’s a little grouchy,” he replies in good humor.
I can’t seem to control how my eyes keep drifting back to Hailey who is now talking with Esme near the bar, bothlaughing. I’m still not thrilled by the barman who seems to insert himself into their conversation, though.
“You okay there, buddy? You seem a little distant considering it’s your birthday,” Keats comments and looks at me strangely. He follows the direction of where my sight leads, and his lips can’t help but twist before he takes a sip of his drink.
It’s my birthday, and my brain seems to take that as the memo that the birthday boy gets to do what he wants. And apparently, what I want rolls up inside me and straight off my tongue.
“Hailey and I are together,” I spit out.
Liam’s eyes laser in on me, as if he’s checking that he heard me correctly.
“Yikes. You just ripped that band-aid off,” Keats mutters and can’t help but take amusement.
“What did you just say?” Liam’s voice is sharp.
I sigh, about to lay out some truths onto the table. “Hailey and me. We’ve been seeing one another. I know it goes against all of the rules friends have, but it is what it is.”
He puffs his shoulders and gives me the death stare.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” he grits out, and I see the fume boiling.
I stand taller, because I’m no longer scared of his reaction. I’ve already said it.
“You heard me. I’ve been seeing your sister.”
In the corner of my eye, I see Hailey and Esme arrive, oblivious.
Esme rests her hand on Keats’s shoulder. “Catching up?”
Liam doesn’t flinch, and his gaze remains directed at me. Hailey skates her eyes between her brother and me, her smile fading.
