Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
I put on my game face and made the rounds, shaking hands, shooting the shit, and doing a shot of whiskey with them. But when I ordered a Corona and a margarita, Carter rolled his eyes.
“She’s your ex for a reason, man. Focus on all the women here who don’t have baggage.”
I shot him a glare. It wasn’t worth arguing about, but he didn’t know shit about me or what I wanted.
“See you guys,” I said, grabbing the drinks and waving at them.
As I approached the group of women Lauren was with, Irina gave me a coy smile. Fucking viper, that one. I ignored her.
When I passed Lauren the drink, she said, “Oh, thank you,” and immediately took a sip.
“Guys, this is Archer,” she said, going around the circle of women and telling me all their names.
Everyone was quiet after that. It was obvious I’d broken the only rule this gathering had—chicks only.
“I’m gonna go grab some food,” I said, gesturing toward the massive table of appetizers set up under an outdoor gazebo.
“I’ll come with you,” Lauren said, standing up. “I’m starving.”
We loaded up little plates with shrimp skewers, grilled pineapple, cheese, meats, and tiny sandwiches. Once we were seated at a table, I cut through the superficial fog that had descended on us.
“We need to talk about what I told you the other day at the hospital.”
Lauren sighed softly. “What more is there to say?”
“How do you feel about it?”
She put a tiny piece of pineapple in her mouth, considering my question as she chewed.
“I felt a lot when you told me. Surprised, sad, and honestly hurt.”
“Hurt?”
Meeting my gaze, she nodded. “I thought we were more to each other than that. You made an assumption that I was with whatever guy you saw me with instead of asking me.”
I scoffed. “What nineteen-year-old guy wants to approach his ex and risk getting shot down on the most epic scale ever? You looked happy. Like you’d moved on.”
“I moved on because I had to. But I was far from over you. If I’d had known…”
“You would’ve had to leave your school.” I shifted, uncomfortable as I recalled all the things I told myself as I got wasted in that Iowa City bar. “I didn’t want being with me to cost you anything.”
“They have colleges in Minnesota, Archer.”
The dam of emotions inside me broke. “I was scared, okay? I was scared you’d say no. I decided when I saw you in that moment, smiling at another man, that it was better to have never asked than to have asked and gotten rejected. I felt like it was too late. Like I’d already lost you.”
Her tone was soft when she responded. “I can understand that. And I’m not mad at you or anything. It took me some time to process it, but I’m okay now. I still want us to be friends.”
Nadia showed up with a microphone then, officially kicking off the evening with a toast. Then she requested that all the men gather in one place and the women in another. Each group was taught a native Fijian dance, and by the time we performed them for each other, almost everyone had thrown back enough drinks to fuck up the dance, but not care.
I couldn’t look away from Lauren as she swayed her hips, smiling seductively at no one in particular. When she missed a dance step, she’d laugh, the sexy, sweet sound making me ache for her.
That one split-second decision I’d made to not propose to Lauren had cost me dearly. If I had manned up, as my grandpa would have, and risked rejection by going after what I truly wanted, my whole life would have taken a different course. Lauren and I might have kids by now. We’d be vacationing in a place like this instead of being on a reality show about exes.
We ate, but I focused more on the open bar than the food. I lost count of how many beers I’d had, and I did a few more shots with the guys. When Lauren approached me, I sat up straighter, trying to look less wasted than I was.
“Hey, I’m heading up to my room,” she said. “Just wanted to say good night.”
I pushed my beer aside. “I’ll walk you up.”
“You don’t have to leave just because I am.”
I shook my head. “I don’t mind.”
When I stood, I wobbled slightly.
“Maybe I need to walk you up,” Lauren said lightly, grinning.
“I’m okay,” I mumbled.
Once I started walking, I was, anyway. It had been a long time since I’d had so much to drink. Normally I was the composed team captain, the face of my team. I led by example, and that included taking care of myself.
“I’m exhausted,” Lauren said as we rode the elevator to the second floor. “But that was fun.”