Page 39 of Falling for the Unexpected

“You’re not lying to me, are you?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes at me. “Stop being the overprotective big brother. It’s annoying,” she said, crossing her arms across her chest, even though she was smirking.

Okay, so she was probably telling the truth. Mostly. There was something else, I could sense it, but she was keeping it to herself and that was her right. I knew I could only push so far before Addie dug her heels in and shut me out. We were alike that way.

Hopefully, she and Ian could rekindle their friendship now that he was home permanently. I really liked the idea of all five us back together, like it was when we were growing up. I wantedallof us to hang out, not just a portion of the group.

“So, you want to come out with us tonight?” I asked her, one more time.

“Actually,” she drawled out, “I’m going out with Simone and a couple of her other friends tonight. It’s Simone’s birthday today, plus we’re celebrating her divorce.”

Addie and Simone had been spending a lot of time together, which was good for both of them. At least there was one positive that came out of the mess Brad had caused. But then my brain caught onto the other bit of information I’d hadn’t paid attention to.

“Crap, I didn’t realize it was her birthday,” I groaned, leaning back in my seat, “she was just here and I didn’t say anything.”

“I’m sure she’ll forgive you,” she said with a wink. “Anyway, I’m outta here. Have fun tonight with the boys.”

“You too,” I said, distracted once again.

*****

The guys met at my house around nine so we could pregame before we hit up the club. Not only were we all together for the first time in years, but we were all single as well. It was going to make for an interesting night out for sure.

I didn’t know what I was looking for tonight. On one hand, a simple hookup sounded like fun. On the other hand, I couldn’t stop thinking about Simone and the possibility of something more with her. Unfortunately, trust in romantic relationships didn’t come easy for me, as Addie had clearly overstated back in June. I wondered if that was because my father left one day and never looked back or because my mom continually chose drugs over her children. It was probably a combination of both. My conversation with my sister kept playing in the back of my mind. When I did think about my future—family, wife, kids—my next thought went to Simone and Stella. But taking that risk didn’t just affect me.

“Hey, assholes, drink up! I want to get to the club,” Ian yelled from the living room. He was always ready for a party. It looked like things hadn’t changed much.

We called an Uber to take us to Euphoria, one of the newer nightclubs in the downtown area. We all knew we would be drinking so none of us wanted to drive. We were dropped off in front of a three-story building with a brick façade. There weren’t any signs on the outside so the only hint that we were in the right place was the thumping bass coming from inside.

There was a small line at the entrance but it only took about fifteen minutes to get in. Once inside, the flashing lights and loud music instantly put me in the mood to dance. I looked around trying to see if anyone caught my attention.

“Hey, let’s grab some shots and then scope out the dance floor,” Trent yelled over the music.

We made our way to the bar where Erik ordered us each a shot of tequila. Shooting mine back I turned my attention back to the dance floor. After a couple quick scans, my eyes landed on a woman, and I was unable to look away from her. She was facing away from me but the sway of her hips had me hypnotized. She wore a tight, short black dress that showed a lot of leg. It was dark so I couldn’t make out all her features, but from what I could tell she had dark hair. Though I couldn’t tell how long it was because it was pulled up. She was on the small side and I was worried if I took my eyes off her I would lose her in the crowd.

I felt someone elbow me in the side. “Hey, look, Addie and Simone are here,” Trent said in my ear. He was standing next to me and I realized he was looking in the same direction I’d been staring.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. I had been so focused on Simone that I hadn’t even noticed Addie dancing next to her.

Now knowing it was Simone, I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her even if I tried. She always looked amazing, whether she dressed up or down, makeup or none at all, but right now, she was unbelievably gorgeous. I couldn’t help but smile at how carefree she looked out there dancing.

“Who are the other two girls with them?” Trent asked.

“I think one is Simone’s friend Kayla but I don’t know who the other one is,” I answered.

“Damn,” Ian said, staring. “Addie and Simone look really hot.”

Trent reached behind me and punched Ian in the arm hard enough to make him flinch.

“What the fuck, man?” he asked, rubbing his bicep.

“You kidding me?” Trent snapped, glaring. “Dude, that’s my sister-in-law and Kyle’s sister. Have some respect.”

“Seriously? I didn’t mean it like that,” he muttered, but stepped back toward the bar, shaking his head.

I stared at Trent, feeling his words and actions were rather harsh, so I tried to defend Ian. “He was just saying—”

“I know what he meant,” Trent said, still pissed. “Addie and Simone are off limits to that kind of talk.”