“You’d think for the way she’s always whining,” Johnathan shot back, completely missing the insult.
“Well, why didn’t you bring her with you? I’m sure a night out would be fun,” Rae suggested with a smile that looked more like a grimace.
Johnathan tossed his head back and laughed. “Yeah, right. She kills my buzz every fucking time.” He drained his beer in two swallows. “So, Rae. How did you meet my baby brother?”
“College,” I answered.
“Yeah, she looks like one of those fancy types. No wonder you married her. You always did think you were better than this town.”
“Sometimes people want different things,” Rae defended. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Not that Johnathan cared because a tall, skinny blonde with boobs testing the limits of the buttons of her shirt and enough makeup hiding her age walked past and sat at the other end of the bar, pulling his attention with her. “Yeah, I get that. I do love a good variety,” he agreed distractedly. “Hey, it was good meeting you, Rachel.”
“Rae,” she corrected.
“Cool.” He smacked my back. “Good seeing you, bro. I’d love to chat, but I’ve got some…variety to check on,” he explained, laughing at his own joke.
“What about your wife?” Rae asked with disgust.
Johnathan barely spared her a glance, rolling his eyes. “We’re probably going to get divorced. Gotta look to the future now.”
“Just like Dad,” I muttered.
This time, Johnathan did stop to scowl at me. “You know, I’d ask how much longer you’re in town, see if you wanted to meet up for lunch, but I’m not up for your judgmental bullshit.”
With one last slap to the back, harder than the first, he went to the blonde.
“He seems…nice,” Rae said, struggling to deliver the fake compliment.
I gave her a let’s be real stare. “He’s a dick.”
“And a cheater too.” She winced, looking down the bar at him schmoozing the woman. “Totally gross.”
I squeezed my pulsing temples before dragging my palm down my face. “Sorry, he kind of killed the vibe.”
Rae offered a sad smile. “Do you just want to head home?”
My body ached at the loss of what our night should’ve been, but I couldn’t be at the bar anymore with my brother just down the way, replicating the history I hated. “Yeah,” I sighed. “Do you mind?”
She linked her arm with mine, smiling up with bright eyes. “I’ll follow you anywhere, Austin Caldwell.”
I almost made her pinky swear to mean it forever like we were kids. I was desperate for it to be true, and it was in those moments when she said things like that, my brain interrupted with the questions I forced back to keep from facing.
Would you follow me into a future together?
Somehow, I managed to shove it down and walked us out.
We made it to the car, and I was digging through my pocket for the keys when two small hands gripped my biceps and spun me. I was so shocked, I went willingly, stumbling back when she stepped into my space.
“Rae—”
I choked when she pressed her hips to mine and slid her hand up my body to pinch my nipple. “Just for clarification, no one kills my vibe. Ever.” Her eyes darkened and grew heavy as her other hand started at the inside of my thigh, slowly sliding up to where I grew harder by the second.
Before she could reach me, I took control and whirled us around, pinning her to the car. She gasped, and I latched on to her open mouth, pushing my tongue inside to tangle with hers. In the flash of a second, the weight pressing in on my chest from the embarrassment of my brother vanished. She took it away—making life better, just like she always did.
“Fuck, Rae. “I—” I cut the words off just in time, quickly swapping them out. “I need inside you.”
Because I knew if the words I really wanted to say came tumbling free, I’d make a liar out of her. There was no way I could admit how much I loved her and not ruin the vibe.
Maybe someday, but not now. And as images of that day formed in my mind, I quickly unlocked the car and pulled us into the backseat. All thoughts of my past fled, only leaving room to lose myself in the present and imagine ways to create the perfect future—with her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Austin
The next day we said goodbye to my grandparents. When they asked Rae to come back soon, she sounded so convincing, I almost believed her.
I wanted to so much that I spent the entirety of the car ride back to the city running through ways to make it happen. Our weekend was over—our deals done. We didn’t have a reason to pretend to be married anymore, and I was terrified we’d snap right back to where we were when we woke up in Vegas. Me wanting to be married to the woman of my dreams, and Rae looking for the nearest exit as she called her lawyers to set up the quickest divorce.