Page 40 of How to Break My Heart 1

In the central area, the tables are occupied by families. A few kids are running around, much to my annoyance, but I ignore them and head straight to the bar.

The bartender serves me my bourbon of choice. Beside me, two women are eyeing me up and down. Great! The so-called small-town romance girls my sister informed me about. I press my lips together and take a slow breath to gather my patience.

“You’re not from around here,” the woman with the jet-black hair is quick to say when I take a seat.

I force a smile, but truthfully, I’m too drained to even think about fucking her or anyone else in this bar.

“I’m not” is all I answer.

“Fresh meat,” I hear her whisper to her friend before they giggle. “We have a competitor for the hot doctor.”

Hot doctor?Jesus Christ. The women in this town are clutching at whatever they can get their hands on. Despite wanting to take my mind off today, going home with these women seems more tiresome than exciting. I continue to sit, keeping to myself.

“Can you believe the hot doctor is here with Eva?” the other woman complains. “Her donuts aren’t even that great.”

My eyes widen at the mention of Everleigh’s nickname.Unknowingly, my hand has tightened around the glass of bourbon. I slowly raise it to my mouth, drinking the remnants in one go before slamming the glass on the bar, making the leftover ice rattle.

Then, I slowly turn and scan the room. It doesn’t take me long to find them huddled in a darker corner of the bar. Everleigh is laughing, and her doctor friend is sitting close, resting his hand on her thigh. It doesn’t help that she’s wearing a dress that appears too short from where I’m sitting.

My breathing increases like a drum banging inside the walls of my chest. Before I have a chance to calm myself the fuck down, my feet are moving toward where they sit.

Everleigh is telling some story, only to stop talking mid-sentence when her eyes lock onto mine. With her lips flattening, she pokes her tongue into her cheek and inhales a deep breath.

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise.” I attempt a forced smile, given the circumstances. “Is this your friend?”

She opens her mouth but quickly closes it. I suspect she was going to say something cutting, but then she contrives a smile, which is obviously as fake as it comes. “Aston, this is Marco. He’s a doctor.”

Thehotdoctor, according to the woman at the bar. I pause to observe him, then shake his hand politely. “Aston Beaumont.”

“Beaumont,” he repeats with a curious glance. “Your father is Harvey Beaumont?”

My lips curl, barely opening as I respond, “Yes.”

“I believe he golfs with my friend’s dad.”

I nod, keeping my eyes fixed on Everleigh. It’s evident she’s irritated by my presence, which I find amusing.

“Aston is Maddy’s older brother. We’re helping plan her wedding.” She’s quick to set the record straight.

“Of course, you mentioned the wedding earlier,” Marco says.

Earlier?

How long have they been sitting here?

Or is this a post-fuck meal?

Don’t even go there.

I attempt to clear my disruptive thoughts, but something is off, and my usual self-control is somewhat compromised.

“We have a wedding to plan, and to get the ball rolling, I suggest we meet up after you’re finished with whatever is happening here. Dinner, I presume?”

Everleigh looks completely unimpressed, her mouth slackening while her gaze turns distant. “Wait, are you kidding right now? You, the one who blew me off? You bailed on me without a word.”

“Again, I apologize for the emergency that required my attention.”

“Emergency?It was a business call, Aston. It takes two seconds to send a message to say you can’t make it,” she reminds me in a huff.