“I mean, look.” I grasp for some foothold. “It’s complicated. You know my mom. She’s just trying to forget about… everything. And this is complicated.”
“Did she think you were going to be single forever?” Finn asks.
“He is still single.” Connor’s such a little shit.
“You are still single, right?” Grayson’s tone is threatening.
“Of course, Dani and I aren’t…” I trail off.
Aaron’s green eyes bore into mine. He’s not buying it at all. And sure, he and Grayson have had their differences—that’s putting it lightly—but there’s no kind of brotherly bonding like curb stomping a younger sibling.
I change tactics.
“I think that she and I are reaching a bit of a truce. We might have been friends in another life.” It sounds cheesy and lame as soon as it comes out of my mouth.
“Are you,” Aaron says slowly, “on drugs?”
Yeah. Dani.
“Just worried about this couples-shower event.”
“Well, now I want to see exactly what’s going on.” Grayson frowns.
“Yeah.” Aaron’s staring at me, his green eyes a cold mirror of my own. “So do I.”
“You won’t find it at the party. Lots of upper-class Upper East Siders. Too much money and champagne. Lots of them looking for rich men for their daughters,” I tell them. “I really don’t think you need to be there. It will be a waste of your time.”
“Bro, it’s rude not to go.” Spencer tries to lighten the tension. “We were invited.”
“Well, you need to uninvite yourselves.”
“My fiancé is already very excited about attending and is going to bring her famous Florida Keys pasta salad,” Grayson says flatly.
“Ooh, it’s a potluck.” Spencer grins.
“I doubt it, but we’re bringing it anyway.” Grayson snorts.
“Daisy’s having me bring a ten thousand-dollar bottle of wine and one of the most expensive things on the registry.” Aaron smirks.
“I don’t think Dani wants you to bring gifts.”
“Well, Daisy would know what’s expected at these kinds of dinners.” Finn ignores me.
“It’s not that kind of dinner. It’s a casual thing.”
“Is it? Those invites were hand calligraphied.”
“She sent out actual invitations?” I snarl.
“I thought it was a save the date at first, and I was like, damn. Dad would be jelly. Kidnap a girl, and she actually falls in love with you,” Spencer jokes.
Aaron glares at him.
“I don’t think she’s in love with him. I think she’s mentally unwell. But not, like, in a victimized way—in, like, a personality-disorder ruin-your-life-and-cut-off-your-dick-and-eat-it kind of way,” Connor adds unhelpfully.
“You are so fucked-up.”
“We really didn’t get him out of that cellar fast enough.”
