As much as we had hurt each other in the past, I wanted to see him happy. Even if that meant he was with someone else.
“Do you want children, Liv?”
“Whoa. That escalated quickly.” I laughed, but Josh didn’t. “Yeah. I want kids.” I just wanted them to have striking green eyes and Parker’s sense of humor.
“Me too. I think I want four.”
I was thinking two, but I didn’t say that to him. I just nodded my head.
Our food arrived at the table and I was thankful for the distraction.
We chatted as we ate. The topics were much less serious, and I finally started to relax.
Josh liked to hike which was something that I thought I might enjoy.
I told him how much I loved the lake, and he told me that he preferred the beach.
My phone vibrated in my lap, and I looked down at my text.
* * *
Staci: How’s the date going?
* * *
It’s going.
* * *
Staci: Well that sounds tantalizing. We’re going out for drinks later. Bow out of the date earlier and come with!
* * *
Okay. Let me see what I can do.
* * *
Staci: 911 text me if you need help!
* * *
“Is everything okay?” Josh asked as he handed the server his card.
“Yeah. Sorry. It’s just my best friend.”
“Is this a 911 text?” He chuckled and guilt filled me.
“No. She actually wanted to know if we wanted to meet her and some of my other friends out for a drink. Would you be interested?”
“Sure.” He smiled, and I tried to make myself feel something. I knew it was insane to think the curve of someone’s lips could make you fall for them, but I had done it before. I stared at Josh’s smile, the edges of his lips perfectly symmetrical, and I longed for something a little less perfect. I craved the small dimple on Parker’s right cheek as his smile lifted higher on that side, and I felt anxious to feel his bottom lip that was just slightly fuller than the top one between my teeth.
But that smile didn’t belong to me, and I needed to do myself a favor and remember that.
P A R K E R
Present
“Where’s Livy?” Staci was talking to Mason, but my attention was focused solely on them as soon as I heard her name.
“She’s on a date.”
My heart stopped at his words.
“With who?” Staci seemed excited for her, and I wanted to ask her whose team she was on.
“Some guy she met at a coffee shop. I wasn’t too impressed with him.” Mason shrugged his shoulders.
I wanted to ask him where they went, but I didn’t need him suspicious of me. Not to mention my fiancée who was sitting by my side glued to her cell phone.
Staci pulled out her cell phone as well and started texting before a smile lit up her face.
“She’s going to come by here after.” She looked directly at me as she said the words, and I narrowed my eyes at her. She and Livy had become best friends ever since Livy started working at the shop, and I wondered how much Livy had told her.
“Are you almost ready?” Emily wrapped her arm around mine.
“We just got here like thirty minutes ago, Emily,” I whispered to her, and she just rolled her eyes before going back to her phone.
I knew that it was stupid, but I wanted to be here when Livy came. It was driving me insane to think about her on her date. Did she like him? Would it become something serious?
I downed a few beers as I watched the door waiting for her to arrive. My friends were all laughing around me, and I tried to join in, but every time the door opened I was on alert.
When she finally walked through the door, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Until I saw some douchebag walk in behind her.
He was wearing a baby blue button-down shirt and black dress pants, and as much as I hated to say it, he actually looked like he fit next to her. Staci waved her hand in their direction, and Livy’s face lit up when she saw her.
She made her way over to us, and she faltered slightly when she saw me. Apparently, Staci didn’t tell her that I would be here.
Her date pulled out her seat for her directly across from me before sitting down himself. I gave him points for being a gentleman, but that didn’t make me want to rip his head off any less.
“Hey, guys. This is Josh.”
We all said our hellos, and Brandon shook his hand. Emily had finally put her phone down, and she was looking directly at Livy. I wasn’t exactly sure what the look was about, but I could see a glimpse of the catty Emily that I didn’t like.
“Hey, Emily.” Liv smiled at her, and Emily smiled back.
I watched Josh as he put his arm over the back of Livy’s chair, but she didn’t seem to notice. I watched him watching her as she and Staci gabbed on about who only knows what. He looked like a good enough guy, but he wasn’t good enough for her.
Livy would glance my way every so often, but as soon as I caught her gaze, it’d dart away.
I left the table to order a round of shots, and Brandon followed me.
“What are you doing?” he asked as I threw a shot of whiskey down my throat.
“Getting drunk,” I said sarcastically.
He rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I mean. What are you doing with Livy?”
“Livy’s on a date.” I looked behind me to watch her date lean in close to talk to her.
“And you’re here with your fiancée yet you both continue to eye fuck each other regardless.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “No. We’re not.”
“Yes. You are. Everyone can see it except maybe you, Livy, and Emily. Even her date’s been watching her watch you. Now I’ll ask you again, what the fuck are you doing?”
I threw another shot back and stared at my best friend. “What do you expect me to do?”
“Break up with Emily for starters.”
“It’s not that easy.” I shook my head. I had been thinking about ending things with Emily ever since Livy came out from behind that curtain at the strip club, but I would crush her. “We’re not just dating, Brandon. I’m supposed to marry that girl in two weeks.” I looked over at Emily who was still sitting on her phone and ignoring all my friends that surrounded her. She looked so out of place with them, so out of place with me.