Page 3 of Vegas with my Brother’s Best Friends

“I think you broke her, Ty,” Marcus comments as he takes the bar stool to my left.

I snap out of my daze, my eyes moving to Marcus’ dark brown ones. “Trust me. There’s no keeping Sarah out of trouble tonight.”

Marcus chuckles, and his smile is just as captivating as the colorful tattoos peeking out of his fitted white t-shirt. They adorn both of his arms, and I can tell that he has large pieces on his back and chest because there are hints of ink on the back of his neck and near his collarbones.

I’m pretty sure Ryan mentioned him being a tattoo artist, which totally makes sense.

“What are you doing at a bar all by yourself, Cass?”

“I’m just…” I trail off as I glance between the three of them.

Jackson remains standing behind my barstool, his brow slightly furrowing as he peers at me with those same hazel eyes I used to daydream about in math class.

“Did something happen?” Jackson asks me, stepping closer.

He’s taller and broader than the others, which doesn’t surprise me. He’s a firefighter, so I can only imagine how much exercise he gets.

I can certainly see the result of it, though, even beneath his black bomber jacket.

“No, I’m fine,” I say, parroting the same line I’ve given everyone for the past three months.

Tyler gives me a wry grin. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’ve always been a shit liar.”

My jaw drops. “That’s a lie.”

Marcus’ hand grazes my back, making goosebumps rattle up the back of my bare arms. “He’s right. You tried to convince Ryan you snuck out of the house to take a run.”

“At eleven o’clock at night,” Tyler adds.

All I wanted to do was go hang out with my boyfriend at the time, but Ryan was more of a father to me than our own dad. He sent me right back upstairs after he caught me halfway out the front door.

“As you know, Ryan chose Derek as his best man. Derek and I broke up a few months ago, and I’m just not looking forward to seeing him at all the wedding events,” I admit, knowing they’ll hold me hostage here until I spill.

Then again, they’re certainly not bad company.

Jackson’s lip curls a little like he tasted something bad.

Marcus rubs my back, soothing the ache in my chest. “I’m sorry you have to be around him. That must be uncomfortable for you.”

Marcus was the one to console me after that high school boyfriend cheated on me with one of my friends. He’s just that kind of guy.

“Ryan should’ve taken that into account when picking his best man,” Jackson mutters.

I shake my head. This is the type of drama that I didn’t want to stir up. “It’s his and Sarah’s day. They get to choose who they want at their wedding. I’ll just have to deal with it.”

Tyler drums his fingers against the top of the bar for a few seconds before straightening up. “Well, Derek is halfway through a bottle of vodka, and we stepped away because things were getting a little too wild. Come hang out with us for a little while.”

My eyebrows dart up. “You’re not going back to the bachelor party?”

“I think we’re done playing Derek’s crazy drinking games,” Marcus replies. “We’d rather hang out with you if you’re down. It’s been so long. We need to catch up!”

The thought of hanging out with my teenage crushes alone makes me want to take a shot to calm my nerves. But we’re older now, and I can say with certainty that I have far more control over my hormones than I did as a teenager.

Plus, a little fun tonight while forgetting about Derek sounds perfect.

Jackson takes my hand, but he doesn’t pull me. He just holds me, our eyes locking.

“For old times’ sake. Or we can just throw you over our shoulder and whisk you away like we used to.”