“I’m trying, Reese, I really am, but after both of us testing fine, we should be pregnant. Why can’t I get pregnant?” The tears break free, I knew they would come, but I didn’t think it’d be this early in the night.
Shuffling out of the booth, I slide in next to her and pull her in for a sideways hug. I let her get it all out, I don’t say anything because I know nothing I say right now will ease her pain.
“You really are the bestest friend in the whole entire world, you know that, don’t you, Reese?”
“Well since I have the bestest friend in the whole entire world, I don’t know how I can hold that title.”
“It’s one we share equally.” She looks up at me and sniffles, “I really am lucky to have you.”
“And when you get pregnant, Baby Richards is going to have the most kick-ass parents and aunty.”
She smiles at me, a genuine one, and I know she’ll be just fine. She pulls me in for another hug. Wrapping my arms around her, I squeeze her back, and I feel her breath hitch. She pulls back from me wide-eyed, “You may not feel so kick-ass when you see who’s at the bar with Rusty.”
Looking over my shoulder, I see none other than Jesse Thornton with Rusty and the two of them are heading our way. Fuck me sideways, he looks hot as hell tonight, but any hotness evaporates when he opens his big, fat, stupid mouth.
10
Jesse
“Drew. Short Stack,” I say in greeting. “Drew you look lovely tonight and Reese you look—” My eyes rake over her body; I’m at a loss for words at how gorgeous she looks. But clearly, I’ve already said something wrong because Reese is currently shooting daggers at me.
“I’m what?” she snaps. “Grotesque? Fugly?” She stares intently at me and if looks could kill, I’d be six feet under right about now.
“No,” I scoff in reply, shaking my head side to side. “I have no words. Reese, you…you look beautiful tonight.”
Her mouth opens and closes. Her eyes are wide open in shock, she’s at a loss for words. “Well, thank you,” she snaps, “You look pretty spiffy tonight too.”
Spiffy, I think to myself, I’ve never been called spiffy before but I’ll take it.
While Reese and I have our Mexican standoff, Rusty stands awkwardly next to me. He clears his throat, and Reese looks to him and slides out, letting Rusty sit next to this wife. She shuffles into the booth across from them. The three of them look up at me, standing here like a fool. Sitting down next to Reese, I can feel her presence beside me. Even though I’m balancing on the edge of the booth seat, trying to stay away from her. With each drink we consume, I find myself sliding closer and closer to her. I’m being pulled toward her by an invisible force.
After a few more rounds, I notice our bodies are pressed tightly together. She hasn’t pulled away and I like feeling her against me. Every time she moves, I smell the coconut of her shampoo and my eyes drift down the top of her dress—hey, I’m a man—and Short Stack has the nicest fucking tits around. Both Drew and Rusty catch me, multiple times, but each time they raise their eyebrows suggestively.
Leaning back, I watch Reese animatedly recount a story about one of the kids in her class who, for show-and-tell, tells a story about LEGO pieces and his cousin’s butt and pooping bricks. We all laugh when she’s finished and I notice that it’s her leaning into me this time.
It’s like all of a sudden, we are drawn to one another, like moths to a flame…and that’s the perfect analogy for us. We burn hot around each other, but it’s not in a sexy fun way, it’s in a fiery inferno kind of way, ready to engulf us at any moment. It could be the beers and the shots talking, but I don’t care if I get burned.
After Reese’s story, Rusty drags Drew to the dance floor, leaving us alone. It’s silent between us, except for our loud heavy breathing. It’s awkward and stilted. “Can you let me out, please?”
“Huh?” I ask, her words not registering as I’m too busy admiring her beauty.
“Can you move, please? I need the bathroom.”
“Ohh, right. Yeah. Sure.” I’m babbling but Reese doesn’t seem to notice.
Shuffling out of the booth, I watch her as she heads toward the restrooms. A few moments later, she returns and before she sits down, she reaches over to grab the food menu from the caddy. She gives me a glorious view down the top of her dress. My eyes drift down her sexy body and my gaze lingers. She stands back up and reads the menu. “I’m going to order something to eat.” She peruses the menu. “You want anything? I’m thinking loaded cheese fries.”
Standing up, I hear her say cheese fries and I grunt. I’m not in a fries mood, I’d prefer wings and the wings here are great, especially with beer so it’s win/win. “Really? All that grease and fat, why—” But I don’t get the finish my sentence. She spins around, her face red with anger. She flicks her hand out and it collides with my balls. For a little thing, she sure has a wicked right hook.
Doubling over, I hold my balls. Lifting my gaze to her, I growl, “What the fuck is wrong with you? You just decked me in the balls!”
11
Reese
My eyes widen when I realize that due to my height, I just hit Jesse in the balls and not his stomach. He’s doubled over and groaning in agony. I know what it’s like when you smash your vag bone, I presume it’s much like getting hit in the balls. I’m about to apologize, when he yells at me.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You just decked me in the balls!”
“It was an accident!” I shout back.
“Accidentally on purpose,” he sneers and mumbles something else under his breath, but I can’t quite hear it. From the look on his face right now, I know it was something snarky about me. That’s the final straw and I explode, “You’re a fucking dick, Jesse Thornton.”
“And you, Short Stack, are a stuck-up sexy bitch.”
“Did you just call me a bitch?” Resting my hands on my hips, I glare up at Jesse.
“If the shoe fits.”
“Gah, you are so frustrating.”
“Says the frustrating one, Short Stack,” he snaps back at me.
“Stop fucking calling me, Short Stack!” I screech.
“These two just need to fuck already,” my soon-to-be ex-best friend mumbles to her husband from behind me.
Jesse and I snap our gazes over to Drew and Rusty. “Don’t make me kill you too,” I snap at her. “Planning one murder is enough,” I murmur to myself, but it clearly was louder than I anticipated.
“Case in point, you’re a bitch. It’s a shame your sexy exterior surrounds such a horrible person.”
“Says the horrible person. You’ve been nothing but a jackass to me since forever.”
“How so?” he says, curiously looking at me. The intensity of his gaze causing my body to shiver, a vast difference to how I feel about him mentally.
“Where do I begin?”
“The beginning is always a good start,” he sneers.