Page 1 of About That Rule

CHAPTER1

“HOLY HANGOVER, BATMAN,” Samantha Nollins mumbled to her friends as she slinked into an empty chair at the table. There was so much noise in the restaurant, it made her wince with the headache she was fighting off. She pushed her sunglasses closer to her face as if they would protect her from the raging pounding in her head. Even though they were seated inside, all the light was attacking her massive hangover. Everything was way too bright, too loud, and just too much. Oddly, she wanted to smile, but had no energy. This hangover was a reminder she’d done Las Vegas proud.

Her twin brother, Noah, handed her a bottle of water and some aspirin, prepared to nurse her back to health. He had always been the more responsible one. “I told you to stop taking all those shots.”

“Very sacrilegious of you to even say those words while we are vacationing in Sin City,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper over the slot machines and music surrounding them. “It was my duty to party. I had to pick up your slack. You’re welcome.”

“We’re thirty and on family vacation.” He shot her a pointed look, not cutting her any slack, per usual. “This wasn’t some giant party from our twenties.”

Every year, her parents planned a huge vacation for them and four other families. It was a pact her mom made with her college best friends to make sure, no matter where life took them, they saw each other annually. Samantha and Noah grew up with these other families, and while they weren’t blood related, they all were thick as thieves.

Elena Bianchi, who sat next to Noah, shook her head as if she didn’t agree with Samantha. “I knew you were going to feel like crap the moment you drank straight from the champagne bottle, screaming how happy you were for Rafe and Charlotte.”

Despite feeling like shit, this did force a smile from Samantha. Rafe, Elena’s older brother, and Charlotte, who had also grown up with them because of their parents, had taken Vegas to the next level last night. They’d showed up late to dinner, then shocked the shit out of everyone. After years and years of fighting, they’d arrived with rings on their fingers.

That was right. Rings on fingers, people.

They’d done something Samantha would never, ever consider.

Ugh.

They got married.

She had nothing against matrimony for people who believed in it, but it still made her cringe. It seemed like a waste to make such a big commitment so young. Sure, they were in their thirties, but still. Marriage wasn’t in the cards for Samantha unless it was an end to a means. Like, her getting married was the only way to save earth from an alien invasion type shit.

“What are you thinking about that made you so quiet?” Gabriella, Elena and Rafe’s other sibling, asked.

“Alien invasion,” she answered with a smirk.

Noah gave her a high five. “I don’t even care what made you think of aliens, I’m just impressed.”

“Honest, I was thinking about marriage. Either way, I was buying shots and ordering champagne and partying my ass off because Rafe and Charlotte got married. Rafe pulled a damn Beyonce and put a ring on it. Do you guys get that? After all these years of us begging them to stop fighting, they got married! While it isn’t for me, we’ve been watching them play cat and mouse forever. If nothing else, I was celebrating them not arguing all the time anymore.”

Everyone seemed to agree with this sentiment. Another person joined them at the table who seemed way too not hungover for Samantha’s liking. Jason Madison, Charlotte’s older brother, stretched out his legs as he got comfortable sitting next to Samantha. “How’s everyone feeling this morning?”

“Like death,” Samantha sulked. “I hate how cheerful you sound. How are you not hungover?”

He gave a cat-like grin, like raging until four in the morning was the norm for him. “There is a method to my madness. I drink water after every drink. And before I go to bed, I down even more water and take two Advil. Probably fucks with my liver, but it works.”

“You two were wild last night,” Elena told them with a giggle. “Well, you guys and Nate. I left before you all went to the club at the Paris hotel. You were talking about how you planned to party all night. I’m pretty sure there was mention of who could take the most shots. And there was something about having a dance-off because all three of you drunk fools declared yourselves the best dancer.”

“I can’t believe you’re questioning who was the best dancer. It’s me, obviously,” Samantha said, even though she wanted to crawl under the table.

Jason shrugged like he had no care in the world. “I should have been partying like crazy. You all heard the news. My sister got married—and to Rafe, of all people. It was celebratory. Shocking, but celebratory.”

Samantha rested her head on his shoulder. “I tried to explain that, but they were too focused on my hangover.”

“They’re jealous because they all went to bed like they had work today. Which is ridiculous. We’re in Vegas for fuck’s sake. But, I have to admit, I was only at the club for, like, ten minutes. You and Nate were planning to rage until they kicked you out.” Jason stopped talking when his phone vibrated. After he read the text, he groaned.

“Who is it?” Gabriella asked, taking a bite of her omelet.

“Remind me to never give my number to a one-night stand again.”

Samantha downed her water, shocked he needed the reminder. “How did you make such a rookie mistake?”

“All the booze we inhaled last night. There are some fuzzy parts, but I didn’t stay at the club long because I left with Sarah. I think that was her name.”

“How do you not know her name?” Elena cringed with disgust. She’d been in a relationship with this guy named Sam for a while, and he was such a dud. But playing the field was nonsense to her. Samantha wished her friend would live a little and enjoy being young. She was one step about from being hitched like Charlotte and Rafe.