My brother nods. “Then don’t let her go.”
“What?” The word slips past my lips, barely audible.
Atlas slings an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t let her go. I thought Jack broke you, man.” My shoulders tense at the mention of our father, but he keeps going. “Addison breathes life into you. I haven’t seen you smile this much since—”
“We were kids,” I finish.
“Exactly,” he mumbles before giving me a hard stare. “Don’t let her go. Take it from me.” He looks across the bar at Loxley, his features softening with fondness as she dances with Alana. “If I could get those lost years back, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
I don’t want a lifetime separating Addison and me.
Seeing the regret in my brother’s eyes is something I’ll never be able to shake. Atlas can be a cold bastard when he wants, but he warms when he’s connected to Loxley. She does for him what Addison does for me. It’s striking to see it happen in real time, but it’s what I need to push myself. I’m not the best man, but for Addison Bright, I’ll be better. I’ll do whatever ittakes to win her heart the way she’s won mine.
“Now that you two are done crying on each other’s shoulders,” Connor snarks as he holds a bill up to the bartender. “Can you bring a mojito to the stunning woman in yellow for me?” He cants his head toward Alana, and the bartender smirks before getting to work. Connor’s smile fades as he turns to us. “There’s a group of guys moving in on our girls.”
Atlas and I whip around, our eyes zeroing in on the group of assholes eyeing Loxley and Addison like fresh meat. They’re your average club hoppers with daddy’s money lining their khaki pockets. A douche in a bright blue polo saunters up to Alana with a smirk before dipping down and whispering something in her ear. Her head rears as her lips pull down in displeasure.
Connor’s chair scratches across the floor as he stands with a deep scowl etched into his brow. “That’s my cue.”
“I’m going to break that fuckers hand if he touches her,” Atlas bites as he stands. Another polo-wearing jackass is closing in on Loxley, and my brother looks like he’s going to pop a blood vessel.
The bartender saves Alana, handing her the mojito as he tells the other guy to get lost with a dismissive wave. She’s stunned, her head whipping up before relief washes over her when she sees Connor standing across the bar.
“Hey, fuck head!” Atlas shouts over the music. The guy standing in front of Loxley turns, his face draining of color as he takes in the behemoth of a man towering over him. “I think these ladies told you to fuck off once. Don’t make me say it. I’ll break your teeth and watch you choke on them.”
The guy’s mouth moves, but no sound comes out before he dives into the crowd like his feet are on fire.
Loxley places her hands on her hips as she stares up at my brother with a stern expression. I can see her mouth moving as her finger wags at him, and Connor cracks up beside me.
“Oh, he’s done for,” my friend wheezes before Alana deadpans at him across the bar.
“Looks like you’re in for it too,” I laugh as his face falls.
Atlas comes back around the bar, grumbling as he plops down beside me. “She told me I’m not allowed to get up unless she asks me to.”
Connor’s phone vibrates on the counter before he scowls at the screen. “I’m in time out, too.”
My eyes connect with Addison’s as she gives a wicked smirk before sauntering onto the crowded dance floor. I’m up before I can blink.
“Enjoy solitude,” I snark.
“Fuck you,” Atlas grumbles.
“Asshole,” Connor mutters.
I round the bar, almost bumping into Thalia as some tall, lanky guy smiles down at her. “Are you single?” He asks her over the music.
“Very much,” my sister walks her fingers up his chest, and my lip curls before she grabs the collar of his shirt and drags him down to her. “Have you ever seen blood gush from a punctured artery?”
His eyes widen slightly with confusion, and a sweat breaks out on his brow. “N-no?”
My sister brandishes a pocket knife before poking it into the mystery guy’s side . “Do you want to?”
The man’s head whips up, fear crossing his eyes as he mouths ‘help me’ before Thalia drags him onto the dance floor.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rowan
