Page 33 of Finding Hayes
He’d been possessive of her back in high school. He’d tried like hell to come between our friendship, and it had pissed me the fuck off.
Clearly, that hadn’t changed.
He finished his song and had the audacity to walk toward our table. My hand moved to Savannah’s waist, and I tugged her closer, pulling the whole barstool with her. Her hand rested on top of mine, and I relaxed. She wasn’t going to bail on me. At least not tonight.
“Hey, Savvy, you’re looking fire tonight.”
Yeah, I’d like to pull out a hose and blast your ass the hell out of here.
“Thank you,” she said, stroking her hand over mine, and his eyes tracked there.
Good. Take the hint, asshole. She’s with me.
At least for the next few months.
“I wanted to see if you’d like to get dinner tomorrow night?” he asked, completely ignoring the fact that she was clearly here with me.
I leaned forward, ready to teach this guy some manners. Whether this was real or not, she was leaning against me. Our hands were intertwined. And him hitting on her right now wasa dick thing to do.
She must have noticed, because she turned slowly, her hand moving to the side of my face and catching me off guard. “Hey. Give me a minute, okay?”
I nodded, and she pushed off the stool and walked away, with dickhead Scotty on her heels. I followed them with my gaze. I didn’t trust the dude, and I sure as hell wouldn’t let him out of my sight with her. They stood a few feet away, and she was talking to him, and he didn’t look happy.
Good. He needed to back the fuck off so I could give this fake marriage a try.
“What in the holy hotness is going on here, Hayes Woodson?” Peyton asked, and everyone laughed. She was sitting on Slade’s lap, as apparently, she and Demi’s brother were a full-on couple now. Slade reached for his water and chuckled at his girlfriend.
“We’re just having fun. It’s good to see her again,” I said. And it was all true, so I didn’t have to feel bad about a damn thing. I needed everyone to believe we were falling for each other, but I had to ease them into the idea of me with a girlfriend before I could sell them on the idea of me with a wife.
“I always thought you two liked each other when we were in high school,” Demi said.
“But then you dated that bitch on wheels, Kate.” Ruby raised a knowing brow at me. “And trust me. I like a badass bitch. But that girl, she was the worst. She put on this show like she was sweet and kind, but then you’d watch her actions, and she was a mean girl to her core.”
Yeah, Kate had been a very layered person, showing me different sides of herself over the years we’d spent together. Ruby was not wrong about her.
“Well, sometimes you don’t think you deserve better than that, you know?” Saylor said, her gaze locking with mine. Mysister had a heart of gold, and she knew me well.
“How about we don’t psychoanalyze me tonight and just have a good time, yeah?” I reached for my beer and took a pull. I’d driven here, so I wouldn’t have more than one.
And then Savannah made her way back to the table, with a tray of shot glasses on it, all clear, while one had dark liquid in it.
“I wanted to celebrate being back in town, so the tequila shots are on me. And I got you a Cherry Coke shot, Demi.” She chuckled as she passed out the shot glasses. Everyone else had walked here, but I’d picked up Savvy, as the farmhouse would be a long walk, especially in these cold temperatures.
She handed me mine, her fingers grazing my hand.
“I’m your ride, remember? And I’m sure as hell not letting you get in an Uber with Scotty after you’ve had so much to drink.”
She leaned closer. “Don’t overthink it, Woody. Take the shot. We’ll walk home. You can come get your car tomorrow.”
“It’s a far walk to your place, Shortcake,” I reminded her.
“Then I guess I’m spending the night at your place.” She winked, and I reached for my glass.
“Cheers to old times and good friends!” Kingston shouted, and we all tipped our heads back before grabbing a lime.
“Damn, that first shot always hits a little different,” Romeo said, and we all laughed.
The girls went on stage together and sang a few songs, and it was entertaining as hell.
