Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Scott straightens his spine. “Prescott Peyton. Alexandra’s with me.”
The scowl becomes a sneer. Kai looks back at me. “You. With him.” His voice drips with contemptuous disbelief.
“Don’t start,” I warn him.
But it’s too late. Scott manages to look down his nose at Kai, despite being several inches shorter. “I can’t imagine what she might see in you.”
Kai’s wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and boots. He’s got that tattoo. He looks like a biker, and for all I know he is one.
Trust Scott to judge a man’s character, and his entire life, based on his appearance. You could say Kai’s just done the same thing, but I know better.
When we were kids, Kai used to draw little cartoons of people we knew. He had an absolute genius for distilling a person’s essence into a few lines of ink on paper, especially when it came to lampooning anyone who deserved it.
The rule-bound, self-important assistant principal at our school became a rooster, strutting around, glasses askew, unaware that half his feathers were missing and he looked like a bedraggled mess. A gossipy mean girl was rendered as a snake with a popular hairdo and outfit—both ridiculous and dangerous.
I’m suddenly intensely curious to know how Kai would depict Scott.
All this flashes through my mind in the moment after Scott’s pronouncement. Kai, for his part, doesn’t bother getting mad or defending himself. He just looks my boyfriend up and down and drawls, “Wish I had my sketchpad.”
It’s so close to what I was thinking that it startles an uneasy laugh out of me. “You still draw?”
He gives me a funny look then, but all he says is, “Yeah.”
“Alexandra,” Scott says impatiently. “You’re needed inside.”
He’s not wrong. I tell Kai, “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
He nods. “Okay.” Somehow, he invests the word with all sorts of meaning: not just assent, but a promise that we will definitely be catching up, whether Scott likes it or not.
I go back into the reception hall, but my mind is no longer on the wedding. I can’t wait for all this to be over, so Kai and I can get back to our reunion. I have so many questions for him.
Where is Gage these days? Are the two of them still best friends? And Thorn, what is he up to?
Maybe we can all get together for a drink before I leave Vegas again. And this time, we could stay in touch. I could have my friends back again, even if things will never be like they were when it was the four of us against the world.
Scott hasn’t gone back to his table; he’s still standing beside me. I’m suddenly irritated by his presence, and wish he’d leave me alone with my thoughts. The realization rocks me.
You. With him.
When my mom left Las Vegas and took me with her, the foundations of my life crumbled. I struggled to build a new one, as if each painful piece of my new identity had to be carved from stone using nothing but a plastic spoon. For years, I’ve been proud of what I accomplished.
But did I lose myself somewhere along the way?
I think I know what twelve-year-old me would say to current me, if we could meet. She’d punch me in the face for forgiving my father, and then she’d make fun of my boyfriend. Lexy would not have been impressed by Scott.
Ava catches my eye. She’s watching us, her lips twitching. Did she recognize Kai? Probably. She probably sees him all the time.
The flash of jealousy shocks me.
I was not prepared for this wedding to make me question all my life choices. But it’s not the wedding that’s doing it; it’s Kai. I was fine until I saw him.
“Lexy.”
A different voice, and this time I don’t need a premonition. I know who it is before I turn. “Gage.”
LEXY
He’s different, but the same. Taller, just as massive as Kai, and beautifully proportioned. Beautiful, period. He might be the most exquisite specimen of manhood I’ve ever seen.
“It’s good to see you,” he says in a voice that’s quieter than you’d expect from someone his size My throat closes over with unshed tears.
Scott is still standing right there, about to open his mouth and demand to know who this latest interloper is. I don’t care. I go into Gage’s arms, lay my head against his chest, close my eyes, and breathe him in.
A hint of something spicy, and his own familiar scent. Until this moment, I didn’t know I remembered it.
“Alexandra.” Scott’s harsh whisper shatters the moment. I release Gage and step back.
“Scott Peyton, Gage Leota.”
Gage is in jeans and a black t-shirt, like Kai, but without the leather jacket. He has tattoos on both arms. I have a wild impulse to strip off his shirt and see where else he’s inked.
Scott takes my arm. “Alexandra, I need to speak to you. Privately.”