Page 2 of Vegas with my Brother’s Best Friends

Or I thought he did.

Instead of being the bride, I’m the ex-fiancé who was dumped three months before I was supposed to marry Derek.

I’m so glad I get to see him for all the wedding festivities since he’s my brother’s best man.

Instead of walking down the aisle to him, I’ll be walking down it with him.

This feels like a sick joke.

“Are you okay?” Tessa asks as she lowers her phone.

“Yeah, great.”

My voice comes out strained, and my smile is just as brittle. I excuse myself and step out of the suite, letting the door shut behind me with a soft click.

My stomach twists and turns as I walk away, pressure weighing heavily on my chest. Derek is in another suite in this same hotel having the time of his life, and I can’t even fully enjoy my best friend and brother getting married because he shattered my heart.

There aren’t even any pieces left to put back together. They all turned to dust when he posted his new relationship status a week later.

Heat gathers in my cheeks as I take the elevator down to the lobby, frustration burning under my skin. I should’ve known things were too good to be true. He acted like he was infatuated with me until the day he told me that he didn’t want to marry me.

If he didn’t hurt me so badly, I’d be impressed by his ability to lie and act like he was in love with me.

The elevator doors slide open, and I go straight to the fancy hotel bar, preferring to drown my sorrows alone instead of ruining Sarah’s party. I’ve put on a brave face in front of her and Ryan to not make things awkward during the wedding festivities.

“Vodka cran, please,” I tell the bartender once I take a seat.

Everyone must be out partying because there’s only one other person seated at the bar, and he’s all the way down on the other end.

“You got it,” the bartender says before grabbing a glass and flipping it around in his hand.

I lower my head to stare at the sleek wood, the glow of the golden lighting shining off its surface. I’m in Las Vegas. I should be having fun and giving myself memory loss like all the others.

But not even an exciting party and a fun trip can take away this heavy, exhausting sadness that has consumed me for the past three months.

“No freaking way.”

My head snaps up at the sound of a familiar voice. Is that who I think it is?

I turn on the barstool, my eyes widening as I’m caught off guard even more by the sight of three familiar men. Not just one.

“What are you guys doing here? I figured you’d be with Ryan?” I question them, my heart rate spiking.

It has been years since I’ve seen Jackson, Tyler, and Marcus. Not only are they my brother’s high school best friends, but they’re also his groomsmen. Ten years not seeing them and now I’ll be stuck for a whole week at the wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with the same guys who used to relentlessly prank me and give me rides home from school.

Tyler slips onto the barstool to my right, his hand breezing down my upper arm. “We could ask you the same thing, maid of honor. If you’re here, who’s keeping Sarah out of trouble?”

An uncontrollable smile crosses my face, warmth fluttering in my chest as I take in the sight of him.

I’ve known these guys since I was a teenager too. A shy, heart-eyed teenager who couldn’t help but secretly crush on her older brother’s hot friends.

Somehow, they look even hotter now.

Tyler flat out looks like a heartbreaker. He’s tall with gorgeous bright blue eyes and killer dimples. His dirty blonde hair is styled to look messy, and if anyone is going to pull off that look, it’s him.

The flashy watch on his wrist and the designer clothes he’s wearing certainly help too.

And is that an eyebrow piercing?