Violet swore she heard Elana sigh dreamily.
“Fair warning,” Violet said as she stood up. “I’ve had a bit to drink. There’s a better-than-good chance I’ll embarrass you.”
He chuckled. “I’ve got you.” His eyes glittered. “Always.”
God, why did he have to say stuff like that? His words warmed her from the inside out, but they also put her on alert, a not-so-subtle reminder that her family was cursed. As good as things were, she knew the other shoe would drop soon enough. It was inevitable. Nice guys never stuck around.
“Hey,” Simon whispered, tapping her chin, urging her to look up at him.
She forced a smile and leaned into him, letting him lead.
•••••
Spencer should’ve stayed home tonight. He knewit as soon as he walked out of his house.
Yet here he was, holding down a barstool at Moonshiners while everyone who wasn’t invited to the Walker/Tavoularis wedding was crammed into the space, pretending they didn’t give a shit that they weren’t invited.
To be fair, Spencer honestly didn’t care. Would he have preferred to hang out with Elana and Violet tonight rather than sit there like a pathetic loser with no one to talk to? Yeah. Definitely. However, the thought of having to smile and pretend to be thrilled for the happy couple while his brother shot death rays from across the room wasn’t exactly his cup of tea. And since Slade worked for Brantley and Reese, he’d been invited. As had Elana because she also worked there. And Violet because she was family. Spencer could’ve been a plus one, but that would’ve meant Slade’s death ray stare and soaking up all that damn happiness from the married couple.
This wasn’t so bad.
Spencer was used to sitting with the rejects because that was where his family had relegated him when they learned that he’d slept with his brother’s wife. For the past decade, he’d suffered in silence, letting them believe he could’ve done something so cruel.
Oh, if they only knew.
Wanting desperately to drown the thoughts right out of his head, Spencer ordered another vodka cranberry and got comfortable.
An hour went by.
Then two.
Spencer had enough liquor in him to cause a warmth to permeate through his bloodstream. He liked the feeling, so he fed it, careful not to lose the buzz by either letting it slip away or letting it drift into that place where he would spend the rest of the night praying to the porcelain god.
“Is it true?”
The voice came from behind him. Familiar. Cringy. Like when someone scraped their nails down a chalkboard. That kind of cringy. And there was only one person who made his ears bleed when she spoke. Jennifer Elliott. His ex-sister-in-law. The wild bitch of the West.
“Is what true?” he responded without turning around.
“He’s getting married again?”
“Again?” Spencer snorted. He hadn’t realized Brantley or Reese had been married before, but it shouldn’t surprise him. There was no sanctity left. “Figures.”
“He told me he wasn’t,” Jennifer declared.
Spencer could feel her behind him, and he fought the urge to launch off the stool. He didn’t want her anywhere near him.
Then again, he also wasn’t looking to make a scene. He didn’t want to be kicked out of Moonshiners forever—where the fuck would he go then?—but that was only part of it and not even the main reason.
No, his real motivation came from the fact Archer Halligan was sitting in the corner with a teeny tiny blonde. He was pretty sure that was Paige Avery, one of Archer’s co-workers, but he couldn’t be sure.
“I stood here in this very bar, Spencer. He swore to me he wouldn’t marry anyone else.”
What the hell is she talking about?Fortunately, he didn’t care enough to ask.
Tossing back what was left of his drink, Spencer slammed the glass down a little harder than necessary and got to his feet. “What’s my damage, Rafe?”
The bartender held up one finger.
