Cassie
When I came out of my bathroom, Declan was asleep on our bed. Our. Our room, our bed, our son. For the millionth time since I’d given birth, I wondered what things would have been like if I’d told Declan about Wyllie. From the beginning. Would it have been birthing classes and kisses over sonogram appointments? Both of us up all night with our crying infant? Dec and I cleaning cake off our baby’s hands on his first birthday? There was no way of knowing. I probably wouldn’t have my store though. Which meant I wouldn’t have complete independence, which was something I’d come to crave. I loved knowing that I could care for my son, give him a good life, all on my own. It was part of what kept me so strong, so confident. I wouldn’t be the same woman I was now, not if Declan had been there from the start. So I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. Right?
“Hey. I can hear you thinking.”
I smiled. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Declan sat up and stretched. “It’s okay, I should get dressed too.”
“We’re meeting this guy down at Hotel ZaZa.”
Declan raised an eyebrow. “How does your mom know a bartender at Hotel ZaZa?”
I laughed. “She doesn’t. Brice set this up, apparently he knows a guy.”
“That sounds more like it.”
***
Hotel ZaZa was an upscale, extremely pricey, boutique hotel in the heart of uptown Dallas. Their bar, Dragonfly, was a hot spot on the weekends. I’d never actually stayed here, but I’d been to the bar plenty of times. Declan placed his hand on my lower back, leading me through the glass double doors into the empty bar.
“Cassie?”
I turned when I heard my name. “Evan?” Evan was the guy that Brice knew? He and I had dated on and off the summer before I’d started class at SMU. We spent most of our time at the lake, or in bed, or the back of his truck, or the bathroom of a bar, or my parents’ pool house… The guy was hot, hawt, hot. Lots of bulging muscles, twinkling eyes, and a flirty smile. Judging by the tight black t-shirt he was wearing, time had been very kind to him.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? Get over here and give me a hug, Bad Girl.”
Internally I cringed at the nickname. I may or may not have been going through a small rebellious phase when he and I were together. Call it a last-ditch effort on my part to be my own person. The next guy I dated after Evan was Steven, the fiancé from hell. “Do you work here?”
“I run this bar. When I talked to Brice he never once mentioned that I would be working with his sister.” Evan enveloped me in a hug, picking me up off my feet and spinning me around. “Are you getting married? Tell me it isn’t so.”
I could see Declan shooting daggers at Evan’s back. This was going to be fun. When he finally put me down, I took a small step back, closer to Declan. “I am getting married. This is my fiancé Declan.” I put my hand on Dec’s back and pushed him forward. “Dec, this is Evan. He and I go waaay back.”
Declan’s smile was tight-lipped and forced. “So I heard.” He leaned down next to my ear and whispered, “Bad Girl.” He stepped up to Evan and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, man. Thanks for helping us out with this whole signature cocktail thing.”
Evan’s smile was real. He was always a really happy, fun guy. Lots. Of. Fun. “Hey, no problem. Although I have to say, I’m bummed Cassie is getting married.” He laughed. Declan didn’t. “She was the one that got away.”
I should’ve had a drink before we came to the bar. “So how does this work?” I sat down at a barstool and Evan headed back behind the bar.
Declan came and joined me, placing his hand possessively on my upper thigh. The look he sent Evan was not friendly, to say the least.
Evan just kept smiling. If Declan thought he would be able to intimidate this guy, he had another thing coming. “Well, to start, what kind of liquor do you like?” Evan winked at Dec. “If I remember correctly, Cassie was always a big fan of tequila.”
Oh holy balls.
Declan sat up straighter and placed his arm along the back of my chair. “Cassie did love her tequila. But you know, ever since she had our son, she really doesn’t drink much anymore.”
Evan slapped the bar. “Cassie. You have a baby? That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you. I love kids.”
You couldn’t help but like the guy. He was just so damn upbeat all the time. “Yes, we have a little boy, he’s one and a half.” I sent Declan a withering look. “And I do still like tequila.” Hell, we had conceived Wyllie after a night of tequila. It was fitting.
Evan nodded. “Okay. Let’s see, when are you getting married?”
Dec finally smiled. Well, it wasn’t a real smile, but still, it was progress. “On Friday actually. It’s a surprise wedding ceremony.”
“Getting married on Christmas Eve? Got it. Where do y’all live? Still in Dallas?”
I shook my head. “No we live in Seaside, Florida.”
Evan winked at me this time. “So you’re always running around in one of your skimpy bikinis? No wonder you ended up pregnant.”
Declan squeezed my thigh and shot me a what-the-fuck look.
Evan turned toward the back of the bar to the shelves full of liquor and started pulling things down while he talked. “So a wedding in the dead of winter, and you two live by the beach. I’m thinking a twist on a margarita, but we make it red…” Evan mixed things, shook things, and then poured with a flourish. He had a Tom-Cruise-in-the-movie-Cocktail thing going on. Watching those fantastic arms work was giving me vivid flashbacks. “Give this a try.”
The drink was a nice light red color, perfect for Christmas. I’d seen him use tequila as the liquor. I picked up my glass and took a sip. “This is perfect, Evan.” I turned to Declan. “What do you think, babe?” I took another sip.
There, that was a real smile. All I needed to do to get him to stop being an ass was call him babe? Dec took a drink and nodded. “It’s good. Light, sweet but not too sweet. I like it.”
I took another larger sip. It really was delicious.
Evan slapped the bar again. “Really? Got it on the first shot? Usually brides stay here for hours making me mix up new drinks.”
I chuckled then sipped. “They probably just enjoy watching you make them.” Evan beamed at me and Declan’s smile disappeared. Oops, maybe I should stop taking sips.
Evan winked again. “You know, now that you mention it, only a few of my brides bring their grooms along.”
I giggled. I giggled?
Declan stood and took my hand. “Well, thanks, man. It was nice meeting you, and this really is the perfect drink.”
Evan came around the bar and shook Declan’s free hand. “Hey, no problem, glad I could help.” He turned to me and hugged me tight. “And it was so good to see you, Bad Girl. You’re still as stunning as ever, Cassie. Congrats on the baby and the wedding.”
I hugged him back, and God help me, I giggled again. “Bye, Evan, thank you so much for this.”
Declan pulled me toward the exit. I sent Evan a silent “I’m sorry.” He just winked.