Page 15

I want to be that guy, though. The guy who knows what to do and what to say. The guy who can hug his brother and tell him everything will be okay—and be confident enough that it will be.

But that’s not who I am. My stomach twists as I watch Mack silently give my brother the support I should be giving him, and as much as I hate it, I am thankful for it.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m fucking starving,” Andre says, cutting the tension .

“Finally,” I say, causing everyone to look at me, which makes me feel on the spot. Though it’s not their looks that I give a shit about.

I step ahead of Austen and Mack. I need food and I need alcohol, stat. I don’t bother to ask anyone where they want to go; I stop at the first place I see. They’re all mopey and tired, and it’s clear they all had a hell of a night.

The waitress brings us a pitcher of water as we peruse our Cheesecake Factory menus.

“So what’s on the agenda today, Alex?” Hudson asks, breaking the silence.

I peer over my menu at him.

“Well, seeing as you idiots look like you could use a respite, and it is our last day…” I put my menu down as another waiter brings us bread and butter.

“I was thinking maybe we could do some retail therapy this afternoon, then wrap up our night over at VooDoo. They’ve got a bar on the rooftop, and I heard it’s to die for. ”

“A bar on a rooftop sounds dangerous,” Hudson says.

Trey laughs.

“Isn’t that the club the stripper dudes hang out at?” Andre asks.

Everyone turns their attention to him.

“What? My sister’s obsessed with that Magic Mike shit. It’s like… common knowledge. ”

“I’m not going to a bar with male strippers,” Mack says gruffly.

I shouldn’t take the bait, but fuck it, I’m weak.

“Awww, what’s the matter, Mackenzie? Do the big, sexy strippers scare you?” I pout and the glare he shoots me could melt the polar ice caps.

“No,” he seethes.

Austen sighs. “I don’t care what we do,” he says, but I doubt he’s heard anything we’ve said. He’s in his own world.

Shit, it’s worse than I thought.

“Austen,” I say, but he waves me off.

“It’s our last night, right? I’m fine with whatever everyone else wants to do.”

Mack breathes out a heavy sigh.

“I’m fine with the rooftop bar,” Andre says. “Strippers don’t scare me. That just means there will be more hot girls around.”

Paul nods. “Good point.” He sips his water.

“As long as there are railings to prevent me from falling, I’m in,” Hudson says, and everyone around the table laughs.

“Well, I’m in, if Huds is in,” Trey says, reaching for the bread.

Everyone turns to Mack. He leans back in his chair, twisting his lips.

“Fine. Whatever. ”

After paying for brunch, we head for the Forum shops. Everyone wants to get souvenirs for themselves, but also their parents and siblings.

I haven’t done much shopping here, which is a shame. This place is packed with amazing stores and shops, most of them designer. My taste in fashion might be the only thing I got from my mother because we both definitely have a knack for the finer things in life.

Like Austen, I had a trust. I wasn’t supposed to get the money until I got married and moved out, but my parents knew I was a lost cause because my dad went behind my mother’s back and let me have access when I turned twenty-one.

I took the money and bought my house. It was cheap, a total fixer-upper, but it felt needed. Mom was pissed I didn’t go through her to get a place, but I didn’t care. Britt and I have spent the last two years fixing it up so I could move into it. I wanted her to come with me, but…

I shove the thoughts of my mind. I’m not going there. I can’t. This has to be the last time we break up. I can’t keep falling into these patterns, I know that. And because the universe hates me, that’s when she texts me.

You need a ride from the airport?

I stare at her text. I want to say no and tell her that I can get an Uber, but I don’t .

I want comfort. I want to be able to break down in front of someone and bitch about how men suck. No one understands that better than Britt.

Yeah, that would be great, babe.

Just tell me when and I’ll be there!

I notice the emojis attached to her message. The kissy face. The wink. The love eyes.

She always does this. Pushes me and pulls me. And I always let her, because I hate being alone. We date, we fuck. We break up, we fuck. She meets some guy who’s got his shit together. They break up. I console her. We fuck. I meet someone, we fuck, they leave.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

I look up from my phone as the guys head into the Givenchy store. I lean against the window, staring at her text, unsure how to respond. Maybe I should say nothing.

Mack leans against the window next to me, but from his size, there’s not much space between us.

I don’t say anything. I stare at my phone, trying to remember to breathe.

“This is why,” he says solidly.

I scoff, turning away from him .

“I thought we weren’t talking about this,” I say bitterly. “I mean, someone might hear you.”

Mack growls.

“We’re not. I’m just reminding you, that that —” He points in the direction of the store, at Austen.

I can see his smile from here, fake as it is.

His eyes are tired, and his shoulders slumped.

He’s here, but he’s not here. I hate seeing my brother like this.

I hate not being able to do a damn thing about it.

Mack’s words are like shards of ice, sharp and brutal.

“—is what happens when you let shit affect you.”

I watch as Austen’s friends flock to him like a magnet.

Hudson tries on a bracelet, Paul pretends to throw a football to Andre.

Trey smacks Austen on the back as they engage in some conversation.

I know they are just trying to make him feel better, build his spirits or whatever, but I can see how sick of everything Austen is because I know my brother well, even if we aren’t close.

We have the same parents. The same traumas.

He just hides it better than I do.

“What do you think happened?” I ask quietly. “Between Austen and Cameron, I mean.”

Mack sighs. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s bad.”

“I think they hooked up,” I say, because the signs are all there .

“No way,” Mack says with a firm shake of his head. “Austen wouldn’t do that.”

I raise a brow at him. “You sure about that?”

“I know Austen. He was confused as fuck when I told him Cameron was in love with him. Fucking oblivious.” I still hold his gaze, and he adds, “He’s getting married in five days. Austen has been faithful this whole time. Why now?”

“Don’t worry,” I say with a frown. “I’m sure Austen isn’t going to risk everything because of some hook up.” My voice is much harsher than I mean it to be. I glare at Mack, my stomach twisting in knots. “He’s smarter than that.”

Mack’s eyebrows furrow, almost as if my words actually hurt him. He makes an angry sound, cursing me as he heads into the store. I shove my phone into my pocket and go in after him. I find Austen and slide next to him.

“Hey,” I say, noticing the way he looks at his phone every ten seconds. Waiting for Cam to text him, likely.

“Hey,” he says, his voice vacant.

“Whatcha lookin at?” I ask. I should say something brotherly, comforting. Maybe even give him a hug or something, but Austen is the kind of person who likes space.

“That,” he points to a silver necklace with a single diamond on it.

“For Savannah?” I ask .

He nods. “She’d probably hate it, though. She doesn’t like plain diamonds.”

I scoff. “What woman doesn’t like diamonds?” I laugh.

“She likes LeVian diamonds.”

Of course she does. She doesn’t love the thought behind anything because she’s a selfish bitch.

But I shouldn’t say such things about my future sister-in-law, so I keep my mouth shut. Austen loves her.

Well, he thinks he does, and I guess that’s what matters. Though I’ve never really seen any evidence of that. Yeah, there was the supposed pregnancy thing, but even then he and Savannah didn’t seem all lovey dovey or anything.

Call me crazy, but if I was getting married, I’d be shouting it from the fucking rooftops. When I love something, I love it with my whole fucking heart, and I’m not quiet about the things I love.

Which is why I know things with Mack and I will never work in the real world… and it sucks.

My gaze drifts to him, standing on the opposite side of the room with Paul. They’re looking at something in a case. The saleswoman talks to them and Mack keeps shaking his head.

The lights of the store light him up, making his dark hair and broad shoulders stand out.

I force myself to look away .

“You, uh, heard from Cam? Is he feeling better?” I ask.

Austen shakes his head. “Nope.”

I should push him, but the way his body tensed when I asked, I know I’ve hit more than a nerve. That’s the moment Mack decides to come over.

“You guys ready to leave?” he asks, sounding irritated.

“Yeah,” Austen says apathetically.

Mack and Austen head out. Like little magnets, the rest of the guys start to follow Austen out.

“Aren’t you coming?” Austen calls as I head to the opposite counter.

“I’ll catch up. Going to grab something for Mom,” I lie.

Austen nods, and I watch them turn the corner.

“Can I help you with something?” the woman behind the counter asks. I nod as I look into the case. It’s men’s jewelry. Watches, bracelets, cufflinks.

“The guy that was over here, dark hair, built like a brick house, with the blue shirt,” I say. “What was he looking at?”

She chews her lip for a moment before pulling out a pair of white gold cufflinks with a diamond studded motif.

They are sharp as hell. Of course Mack has good taste. Not that you’d know that by looking at him. The fanciest shit he wears are jeans and a button up.

“Wrap em up,” I say nonchalantly .

“Are you sure you don’t want to look at anything else—”

I pull my credit card out of my wallet and I don’t even blink.

“Nope.”

Once I’ve got my package, I make my way back up to the room.

Halfway there, I get a text from Mack.

Where the fuck are you? We’re heading to VooDoo.

I smirk. I have barely been gone for thirty minutes and he’s up my ass already.

Don’t worry, sweetheart, I won’t stand you up.

Fuck you. Just get your ass down here. Austen is asking for you.

Bet he already has that text deleted… It makes me laugh.

I swipe the key and open the door. The maid hasn’t come yet and the bed is still a mess. I take out the small blue box with a ribbon as I move towards Jordan’s duffel bag.

Letting out a breath, I use one hand to push his clothes around until I find a spot at the bottom and I slip it between his sweats and underwear and then I take ten minutes to put my necklace on and run some product through my hair to fluff it up. This desert heat is brutal.

My phone dings again.

GET DOWN HERE NOW!!!

I ignore his text, smiling as I spritz myself with cologne and make sure I look good for our night out.

When I come strolling through the doors to find the guys, Mack greets me with a vicious growl and blazing eyes. He gets right up in my face like he’s going to punch me.

“Bout fucking time, asshole,” he says.

I grin, twisting my fingers in my ring before I answer him. His face is so close I could kiss him, but I won’t. Not here. But I will again, that’s for sure.

“Careful, Jordan. They’re staring,” I tell him as I gently push him away from me, shifting my attention to my brother.

“Alright, assholes, let’s get this show on the road!” I call out.

The boys all whoop and fistbump. Except for Austen, who forces a smile, and Mack who looks like he wants to push me in front of a moving vehicle.

“Uber is here!” Paul calls.

I make my way into the backseat first, and when I turn to see who’s next to me, I don’t hide my grin.

“Don’t get any fucking ideas,” Mack says under his breath as Austen piles in next.