I stiffen. Don’t let her comment bother you. She doesn’t mean anything by it.
“I think Simone’s already engaged to Reece,” Larkyn says, trying to cover for me, but she’s only going to make it worse.
Simone and I stopped ‘dating’ last month. The fact that she’s already engaged makes me look worse, not better.
“When did you and Simone break up?” Oaklee asks.
I give Larkyn an annoyed glare before turning sweetly to Oaklee. “We were never really together.”
She smirks. “So, you just fucked?”
“If that’s what you want to call it, yes. We fucked. We weren’t ever in an emotionally committed relationship. We were always free to see other people.” In fact, we only fucked once. That’s my rule. One night of fun and then move on. It just took me a while to get to the one night with Simone. She kept holding out hope that if we dated a while first, by the time we had our one night together, I would want more.
“You’re such a slut, Sebastian. You’re thirty now. When are you going to stop sleeping with other people’s wives?”
My lips fall. “Simone wasn’t married. She wasn’t engaged. She—“
“She was clearly dating this man if she’s already engaged while you two were fucking. You could have ruined something special. Maybe Simone thought she had a chance to change you, to get you to propose.”
I run my hand through my hair and then sip on my bubbly water. For the first time all night, I wish it was spiked with something so I could deal with these women.
Simone knew what she was getting when it came to me—amazing sex. That’s it. That’s all I ever offered her.
“Actually, I think Simone rekindled an old relationship right after she and Sebastian stopped…well, whatever they were doing. They realized they weren’t getting any younger, and wanted to get married right away,” Larkyn says, once again trying to save me, and once again, putting her foot in her mouth.
“Exactly, at our age, you should want to get married and get settled down. That’s the mature, proper thing to do,” Oaklee says smugly before looking dreamily over at her almost-husband who had his hands down a lady’s thong.
“Charming,” I say under my breath.
“What did you say?” Oaklee asks, turning back to me.
“You heard me. Not everyone is cut out for marriage. I just happen to think that it’s mature to realize you shouldn’t get married before you pop the question.”
Oaklee pouts, full lip out, and I swear there are tears behind her eyes.
Shit.
I was too harsh. I shouldn’t have said that to a woman who is clearly having doubts about getting married tomorrow. I know my best friend. He’s a good guy, just an idiot when it comes to reading other people.
I lean over and pull her into a hug before I whisper into her ear, “Boden’s a good guy. You two are great together. You found one of the good ones; I’m just not like Boden. I’d make a terrible husband.”
I hear her sniffle into my shoulder. Fuck, is she really crying?
I try to glance down without pulling her away and exposing her tears, but I can’t. All I hear are her gentle sobs.
Larkyn and Kade stand up and walk over to us. “The sitter called. We have to go,” Larkyn says.
“Oaklee, did you hear that?” I ask.
More soft sobbing.
“Um…okay. I’ll get a ride back to the hotel soon. And um…Oaklee, we’ll see you tomorrow,” I say.
Kade just shakes his head at me, and I can read his silent words. You’re the asshole who made the bride cry the night before her wedding. You figure out how to get out of this mess.
Larkyn squeezes my shoulder as if to say good luck. Get her a drink, Larkyn mouths at me.
I raise my eyebrows. Really? This woman doesn’t need more alcohol. She needs a bed and to sleep it off.