His brother Tyler is there, too, with Erin, and she waves at me. I’ve met their son, the cutest little boy. The way they look at each other makes me shiver. They’re so in love, it’s mind-blowing.
Rafe comes toward us, carrying beers. He slides one in front of me, and I take it without a comment. I don’t have a fake ID, so I’ll take whatever I’m given—at least as far as drinks are concerned. Tessa’s words of warning echo in my head, but I can’t help looking around, still hoping for a certain boy to appear.
“Where’s Dylan?” Tessa asks, scanning the bar as well.
Looks like I’m not the only one disappointed tonight.
“Relax, he’s on his way.” Tyler places his cell phone on the table. “Said he had to run an errand first.”
“He’d better. It’s his birthday we’re celebrating,” Tessa mutters and takes a long swig from her beer.
Whoa. Looks like I’m the designated driver tonight. Which shouldn’t be a problem, but not seeing Zane here makes me want to get plastered and forget how much I want him. How much I like being with him.
Tessa is right to be worried about me. Even though she told me how Zane treats girls, I haven’t stopped a second to wonder whether I should keep away from him. Not sure I can.
“He’s been acting off lately,” Ash says, sipping his beer. “He said something about his dad being back home.”
“Crap. That’s never good,” Audrey says.
“Who are you talking about? I ask.
“Dylan.” Audrey frowns down at her own beer. It’s still full. “Without his mom, he has to take care of his two brothers, and his dad has mental problems, or so we think. Dylan won’t talk about it.”
“Need to talk about this with Zane,” Ash says, and I turn to look at him, to see if he’s serious.
Tyler is nodding, too.
“Zane isn’t exactly in the right state of mind right now to deal with this.” I look at Tessa for support, but she’s staring at something at the back of the bar and doesn’t seem to hear me. The guys give me skeptical looks.
“Zane’s the strongest of us,” Ash says.
“But his sister…”
“She’s been sick for a while now. What you saw, Zane getting shitfaced and vanishing from the world… It happens from time to time.”
Crap. “So he’s not worse off than usual?”
They share an uneasy look.
Rafe shrugs. “Sunday night when he wouldn’t answer the damn door or the phone… That rarely happens. But it has happened before.”
“And that episode at the park?” I ask.
“Yeah, what the fuck was that?” Ash whispers. “But even I don’t know half his triggers.”
I make a mental note to ask Ash about this later. No matter what he says, he seems to know Zane much better than Tessa.
“We should keep an eye on him anyway.” Tyler tugs Erin onto his lap and wraps his arms around her. “Just in case.”
“What do you think we’ve been doing, motherfucker?” Rafe raises his beer bottle. “Bottoms up.”
“Shush, Dylan’s here.” Tessa gets up and waves. “Here!”
Dylan stands above the crowd. Well over six foot tall, with shoulders like a lumberjack and pale short hair. Very short. As he approaches, I notice he’s lost the purple streaks and is now sporting a crew cut. The light catches on the silver hoop in his lip.
“What’s going on?” He bumps fists with the boys and bends to kiss the cheeks of the girls. When he reaches Tessa, he smiles and nods.
God, she’s so in love with him. Her eyes sparkle as she stares back at him, and her hands shake.
“Happy birthday, Dylan!” Erin and Audrey giggle as they clink their bottles and drink.
He raises his bottle in response. “Damn. I was hoping you forgot all about it.”
“As if we’d forget.” Tessa rolls her eyes. “Are you crazy?”
He’s a handsome guy, and I can see why Tessa has fallen for him. The boys tease him about his new haircut and ask about Zane. It sounds like Dylan dropped by Damage Control on his way here to convince Zane to come.
Not that I’m interested in this conversation or anything.
“Pisser said he wasn’t coming.” Dylan winks in my direction. “But when I told him Dakota would be here, he changed his mind.”
Holy shit. Tessa wasn’t kidding. I realize I’m gaping and shut my mouth.
Ash laughs and toasts me. Everyone turns to look at me, brows raised.
My ears are burning. But then where is he? Another scan of the crowd doesn’t reveal any gorgeous, tall, broad-shouldered guys with Mohawks.
“Next round’s on me,” Dylan says, then turns to talk to a blonde with a body like an hourglass, and I see the light in Tessa’s eyes dim.
Damn. For all her words of wisdom about avoiding having my heart broken by Zane, she hangs on to someone who doesn’t seem to realize how in love she is with him. And if she won’t follow her own advice, why should I?
Caution, that little voice in my head pipes up. You’ve been with a crazy guy like Zane before. You know what it did to you. You should know better by now.
I should, true, but logic is swallowed up in heart-pounding excitement when I finally spot Zane, leaning against the bar, dressed in a black muscle shirt that shows off his tattooed arms.
My mouth goes dry, and my heart accelerates when he tilts his head to the side and grins, then leans over the bar and says something.
To a brunette dressed in a tiny top that shows off her cleavage and trim waist. She laughs at his words and reaches over to stroke his cheek.
My eyes feel hot. There’s a whistling in my ears. He leans toward her, and she laughs again and shakes her head. I can’t look away. It’s like a train wreck.
Tessa had warned me. I never thought seeing him with another woman would make me feel so crappy. I want to punch that woman in the face. I want to slap him and storm away like a drama queen.
But I don’t. I feel sick to my stomach. So I just put my beer down quietly, slip out of my chair and head out.
“Dakota, wait up! Wait!” The voice isn’t Tessa’s. Maybe Audrey’s?
It doesn’t matter. I can’t stop. My combat boots thump dully on the sidewalk. Wrapping my arms around me, feeling chilled although it’s a warm night, I try to put as much distance between myself and the bar where Zane is flirting with the girl behind the bar.
Jealous? a snotty little voice in my head asks.
Shit. I walk faster, breaking into a jog, letting the rhythm of my steps settle my racing heartbeat. My left leg sends a little twinge up my spine. I ignore it.
That was stupid of me, falling for Zane. Good thing this happened before I fall harder. Before he breaks my heart. It’s only held together by a Band-Aid and a string, and if that goes…
Why did I think I was ready for this?
“Dakota!” Audrey sounds breathless. I remember she’s wearing ridiculously high heels, like Tessa, and I slow down. A few months ago she twisted her ankle running like that.
“What?”
“Jesus. Wait.” She slows to a stop and bends over, hands on her knees, wheezing. “I saw. I saw you.”
“Saw me?”