“How you doing with that? I feel like other than band stuff, I haven’t gotten to really talk to you about everything.”
“I’m good. We’re good.” I let out a quick laugh. “I mean, walking into the living room and seeing Landry standing there was the biggest shock of my life. I was so damn overwhelmed and terrified.” I took another drink. “But then? I don’t know. Things just started to fall into place. I feel so damn guilty that she’s had a hard life, that I wasn’t there for her. But honestly, if I’d have found out about her nine years ago? I don’t know if I would have stuck around. Now, the more time I spend with her, the more I fall in love. I never thought I wanted to be a dad. But now that I am, now that she’s here, it just feels right.”
Smith wiped the corner of his eyes with his fingers. “If you tell anyone I just cried, I’ll kick your ass.” He pulled me in for a hug. “I’m proud of you, bro. Really fucking proud.” He pulled back a little but didn’t let me go. Sober Smith was kind of an emotional sap. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, where was Landry living? She has the sweetest little accent, it reminds me of—”
“Are we interrupting something? We can always come back later.”
Smith and I stepped back from each other at the sound of Bryan’s voice. I turned toward her to make a smart-ass comment, but the words died on my lips. She rendered me speechless. Her long hair was flowing down her back in soft curls, her ripped jeans were tight, her shirt fell off one shoulder, and her heels screamed fuck me. She wasn’t wearing much makeup. She never did; she didn’t need it. Her eyelashes were thick and curled and her lips were plump and glossy. Yep. It was official. I wanted to bang the hell out of my best friend. Like, up against the wall, fingers digging into her flesh, sweat dripping down our bodies. Bang her.
***
I’d planned on taking Bryan out to a nice expensive dinner. But she and Dylan had a different idea. They wanted shots, beer, and bar food. Who didn’t love a low-maintenance Southern girl? I’d hired a driver for the night, and B ordered him to take us to a dive bar. And he had. We pulled up to a rundown shack. The name across the top was so faded I couldn’t read it and there were more old rusted trucks out front than anything else. I thought the girls would balk, but instead they walked in like they owned the joint, ordered a round of tequila shots, a round of beers, and put twenty dollars in the jukebox.
The four of us were playing darts, and B was kicking my ass. “I think you’re cheating.”
She let out a chuckle. “And I think you are a sore loser.”
Smith clapped me on my back. “Always has been.”
The place was pretty much empty when we got here, but it was starting to fill up fast. We’d gotten some stares from a couple younger chicks, but no one had asked us to sign anything or pose for pictures. Yet. Bryan had been a little quiet at first, but I just kept joking around and messing with her until she lightened up. Maybe I’d been making her uncomfortable lately. I’m sure I’d been putting out weird vibes since I realized I had feelings for her. If treating her like my BFF made her feel better, then I would. Well, I would as long as I could. I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to wait to kiss her. I kept staring at her lips.
“Show me how you pick up chicks. Let me watch. I’ll be your wingman, whether you think you need one or not.” Bryan took a pull off her beer and then used it to point to a blonde on the small dance floor. “What about her? She looks easy.”
I shook my head. “Nah. Easy is no fun. Besides, I like brunettes.” The truth was I was never picky before. Blonde, brunette, redhead. All had the same thing I wanted. But Bryan was a brunette and I was very subtly trying to drop hints.
“Okay, okay. Uh…there’s one. The girl at the pool table in the short skirt.” Bryan watched as the girl bent over to line up her next shot. “I’m pretty sure she isn’t wearing underwear.”
I didn’t bother looking. No one could ever compare to Bryan. The way her eyes held so much humor, the way she smiled with her lips against her beer bottle, everything about her was what I wanted. Did she not see that? Or did she see it, and not like it? “It’s all about the chase, doll.” I polished off my beer and then tossed it into the trash. “First I make eye contact with the one I want, hold it for a little longer than I normally would, and then look away. I go about my night, dancing and drinking and laughing. But every once in a while, catch her eye again. I don’t smile, don’t let her know it’s intentional. Sooner or later, she’ll come to me.”
Bryan laughed at my words as Dylan came up and grabbed her hand, pulling her out to the dance floor. Smith walked over and handed me a fresh drink. “Could you eye fuck her any harder? Is that the way a friend behaves?”