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It was the eve of the wedding and Brendan had driven up to the lake house ahead of everyone to supervise. Bo came with him. Dillon and Kyan would join them later on tonight after he kissed his fiancée goodbye for the last time. She’d be his wife tomorrow. Linnea was superstitious, apparently, and took that whole bad-luck-to-see-the-bride shit seriously. She was going to have a girls’ night with Chloe. The next time Kyan saw her she’d be walking toward him on the arm of her brother.
He never would have imagined that a year ago.
But then a lot can change in a year.
In a single moment.
A fraction of a second…
Brendan forcefully shook his head to snap himself out of the morose trajectory of his thoughts. He closed his eyes and let the mild October breeze wash over him. His nostrils flared as he inhaled and willed himself to think of something else. Anything but that. And he thought of her.
Of sunshine, white chocolate, and jasmine. Hair that slipped through his fingers like the finest silk. Lips that tasted of sweet spun sugar and melted on his tongue. Those aquamarine eyes that captured his own from the very moment he looked into them.
Katelyn.
She cried.
The last time he saw her beautiful face, tears dripped down her cheeks. She cried because of him. Because he was an asshole. Because he made her feel like shit when that was the last thing he wanted to do. Brendan had kept himself away from her since that afternoon in the alley. He’d walk right past Beanie’s without stopping to get coffee on his way to the club. He told himself she needed her space. Time to think.
Who the fuck was he kidding? He’s the one who needed it.
Because as much as hated himself for it, she was right. Except Brendan knew how he felt about her, and it wasn’t his feelings he was unsure of. It was hers. She was only eighteen—and who the fuck really knows what they want out of life at eighteen? He was no Prince Charming. He was fucked up. He liked some fucked-up shit. She’d probably think so anyway. And sometimes he went to a place so dark, a place where even her light wouldn’t be able to reach him. So he had to be sure that wanting her was right. That loving her was right.
Brendan had to be sure that she was sure. Because once his dick was inside her there’d be no going back. Not ever. For either one of them.
He’d never dared to dream of a happily ever after. Never thought he was meant to have one.
But Kyan found one with Linnea.
Jesse and Taylor got theirs with Chloe.
He was sure Dillon would get his one day.
So maybe, just maybe, he could too.
Footfalls crossed the deck behind him. Bo plopped his elbows on the railing and held out a beer. Brendan took it. “Thanks, man.”
“I guess the girls don’t want us to go hungry because they made us a shit ton of food for tonight and breakfast in the morning.” He chuckled. “I unpacked it and put it in the fridge. There’s even little notecards taped to all the containers with instructions.”
Brendan smirked. “That would be Chloe.”
“Darling, Red,” Bo sighed. He turned toward Brendan and casually leaned his hip up against the railing. “I think I could be happy with a girl like her, ya know?”
Brendan cocked an eyebrow. “Not a guy like Kodiak?”
“Nah, it’s not like that. Me and Kodiak are friends, B—like brothers.” He shrugged. “Yeah, I know we’ve done shit together, but he’s not even really bi and if I had to choose one over the other? A sweet young pussy wins. Every. Damn. Time.” A grin spread across his face.
Brendan tipped the bottle back and let the cold lager bathe his throat. “How young?”
“What do ya mean?”
“The pussy,” he clarified. “How young?”
Bo pursed his lips in thought and shrugged. “As long as she ain’t jailbait, I don’t fucking care. I’m still like a goofy kid myself half the time, so I can’t picture myself with some chick who’s like thirty, can you?”
“You’re thirty-two, Robert.”
“So?” Bo rubbed his finger back and forth across his chin. “It’s just a number, B. It’s what’s in here…” He pointed to his head. “…and here.” Then he placed his hand on his chest. “That’s what matters. And don’t call me Robert. My dad is Robert. You know I hate that, man.”
