Page 44 of After You Returned

Rhett crosses his arms over his chest. “You don’t? You’ve already figured out a way to win Hazel back?”

No. But I know better than to follow any advice they give me. Their advice will be designed to humiliate me. Not help me. It’s the same thing I’d do if I was in their position.

“I have an idea,” Jaxon says.

“I told you. I don’t need your ideas.”

He ignores me and continues. “It sounds as if you’re using Hazel.”

I growl. “I’m not using her.”

He holds up a hand. “I didn’t say you were. I said it sounds asif you are.”

“What’s your point?”

“You should tell her no sex.”

“Hypocrite,” Rhett coughs.

“I admit I had sex with Blossom when our marriage was fake. But we’re not discussing me. We’re discussing Miles.”

“Why are we discussing my love life anyway?” I ask the room.

Kai chuckles. “I think you mean your life of celibacy.”

Zane laughs before high-fiving him.

I glare at them. “Are we going to play poker or stand around and gossip like old women all night?”

“Old men enjoy gossiping as well,” Rhett says.

“Whatever. Are we playing poker or not?”

Eli slaps my back. “I’m happy to take your money any day.”

“I’m not the brother who always loses at poker.” I point to Zane.

“I lost on purpose but not anymore.” He rubs his hands together. “Now Daddy needs a new rocking chair.”

Eli leads us down the hallway to the game room. If the size of the house didn’t give away how much money my big brother has, this room would. It’s decorated like a magazine spread with leather couches for watching football games, a gleaming wooden bar stocked with every liquor you can imagine, and a television larger than anything I’ve ever seen in a private house before.

We make our way to the poker table in the middle of the room next to the pool table and take our seats. Everyone setstheir lucky charm down on the table in front of them. A lucky charm is another one of the ‘requirements’ for poker night.

“When are the rest of you going to get normal lucky charms?”

“What do you mean?” Kai asks. “Mr. Crisp is a perfectly normal lucky charm.”

“Except he’s a pickle in a jar you’re convinced can talk to you.”

He rolls his eyes. “He doesn’t talk to me. He gives me vibes I interpret.”

Eli walks to the bar to get everyone's drinks. Rhett sets his good luck charm – one bowling shoe, since he lost the other one – down before picking up the deck of cards and inspecting it.

“Whatcha doing?” Kai asks in a voice he thinks sounds innocent. It doesn’t. Not since every brother in this room knows he’s the farthest thing from innocent.

Rhett glares at him. “Making sure this deck isn’t oozing with maple syrup or honey or whatever sticky material you prefer.”

“It’s a new deck.”