“No,” I said. “I do not.”
I’d left the explanation at that, and now, as Tyler found a place to park amid the row of other vehicles on the grass, his body was more relaxed and his energy seemed to have shifted into a better place. “Ready?” he asked, and I nodded. He jumped out of the truck and came around to get the door for me, offering his arm in support as I climbed down and stood next to him. The air smelled of roasting meat and gunpowder—fireworks were illegal within Bellingham city limits, but out in the county, with so much more open space, the police were less likely to bother trying to regulate their use, a fact that the party’s host seemed to be taking clear advantage of.
Tyler locked the truck and we walked toward the house together, through the front door and then directly into the backyard, where it seemed everyone else was already gathered. Loud music blasted through outside speakers, and several small groups of men and women sat around the patio, talking and laughing, drinks in hand.
“There they are,” Tyler said, nodding his head toward a dark-haired, muscular man and a petite woman in the corner of the patio. Tyler took my hand and led me to join them. Both stood up from their seats when they saw us coming. Gia’s long black hair was pulled up into a slicked-back ponytail, exposing her narrow neck and the large silver hoops in her ears. She was a full foot shorter than her husband, but her stance was the shoulders-back, steel-rod-spine variety, giving off the impression that you wouldn’t want to mess with her.
“Ty, my man!” Mason said, reaching over to give Tyler a shoulders-only hug. “You’re late!”
“Sorry,” Tyler said when he pulled back. “My fault.”
“You feeling better?” Mason asked.
“I’m good,” Tyler said, but the muscles along his jawline tightened, making me wonder if something else was going on with him, other than the argument with his dad.
“Were you sick?” I asked, looking back and forth between the two men.
“No,” Tyler said. “Just kind of a rough night at work. The tanker accident.” He stared at Mason with unblinking eyes, and his partner gave an almost imperceptible nod.
“Oh!” I said. “I read about that on Facebook this morning. You guys were there?”
“Yeah,” Mason said, grimly. “It was pretty awful.”
“Okay, that’s enough!” Gia said, stepping in front of her husband. “No more shoptalk tonight!” She looked at Tyler, pointing a perfectly manicured red fingernail in his direction. “And you. Are you going to introduce us to your lady friend or not?”
“I’m Amber,” I said, smiling as I leaned forward and gave Gia a quick hug. “It’s so great to finally meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“It’s great to meet you, too,” she said, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, and then pulled back.
“Hey, Amber,” Mason said, giving me a hug as well.
“According to Mason, Tyler hasn’t shut up about you,” Gia said. “I figured I’d better let him know if you’re a keeper.”
I widened my eyes, feeling a little dismayed by Gia’s bold pronouncement, wondering what kind of relationship, exactly, Tyler had told them he and I had.
Tyler stepped in to rescue me. “She’s joking,” he said, giving Gia a stern look. “Right, Gia?”
“Of course, mijo,” she said. She turned to her husband. “Baby, why don’t you get us something to drink?”
“Anyone up for shots?” I suggested, and Mason did a double take as he looked at me, raising a single eyebrow.
“I like you already,” he said with a grin. “Tequila?”
“Why not?” I said, glancing at Tyler, who nodded.
“All right, then,” Mason said, then headed over to the table that was covered in various bottles of booze and mixers. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, then returned with a full bottle of Patrón in hand. “We’re among friends, right?” he asked, before popping out the cork and putting the bottle to his lips, taking only a tiny sip of the clear liquid inside. “That’s it for me,” he said, handing the bottle to his wife. “Go for it, babe. I’m driving.”
“Here’s to a night of freedom!” she said, lifting the bottle into the air before taking a bigger swig than her husband had. “And pumping and dumping!”
“Um, what?” Tyler said, screwing up his face.
Gia laughed, pointing at her chest with the bottle. “I’m breast-feeding,” she said. “I can drink, but I’ll have to pump and dump the milk so I don’t pass my debauchery on to the baby.” She handed the Patrón to me, and after I took a long shot, feeling the warm burn of alcohol slide down my esophagus into my belly, so did Tyler.
“Happy birthday, ’Murica!” Gia yelled when Tyler handed her the bottle again, causing several people to turn and to gawk at us. “What’re you lookin’ at?” she said. “Don’t you love your country? Aren’t you patriots?”
I laughed, as did the crowd around us, and then startled when a loud firework shot off, sending out a proliferation of brilliant white sparkles against the rapidly darkening sky. I took another pull from the bottle, a bigger one this time, shaking my head as the alcohol pulsed its way through my blood, making my joints feel liquid and loose. No wonder people liked to drink—all of the tension I’d felt after my phone call with Daniel had vanished, like it had never been there at all.
“I need the bathroom,” Gia said, then looked at me. “You?”
“Sure,” I said. Even though I didn’t have to go, I suspected she just wanted to get me alone so we could talk without the guys there. Gia grabbed me by the hand and led me toward the house, leaving Tyler and Mason on the patio. We stumbled our way through the kitchen and down the hall to a small powder room, where she pulled me in with her, closing the door behind us.
I leaned against the wall, averting my eyes while Gia lifted her black skirt and dropped onto the toilet. I was a lightweight—the two shots I’d taken were already making me dizzy. I also hadn’t eaten since lunch, and since I knew booze was high in calories, I decided then and there to not eat anything at the party.
After Gia finished and stood up at the sink to wash her hands, I looked over her petite physique and spoke again, my tongue already feeling thick inside my mouth. “You’d never guess you just had a baby. You look amazing.”