“Thank the tequila.” Beau chuckles, tucking his hands into his jeans pocket. “I had fun too.”
The door suddenly opens, and Hunter stands in the doorway with a jealous stare. He’s still wearing the same suit as earlier, but his eyes are bloodshot, and his hair is a mess. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his elbow.Why does he have to look so hot?
“You’re here,” I say, grinning.
Hunter doesn’t say a single word, clenching his jaw with a pinched expression.
“This is Beau Romano. He is Will’s brother. So, you’re like my brother-in-law? I dunno, let’s just say brother.” I watch as neither of them says or does anything. “Beau, this is my boss, Hunter Cash.”
The tumbleweed tumbles past in an awkward state of silence. Just when I think it’s gone, a whole row of them follow. Yeah, this is painful.
“Okay, so this meeting was lovely. I’m going to bed.” It suddenly comes to my attention that Beau is seeing me enter Hunter’s room. Fuck. I turn to face Beau. “Ah, it’s not what you think.”
Beau juts his chin with a sneer, then bows his head, unable to look me in the eye. “Doesn’t matter what I think, Alexa. It’s your life. Have a nice night.”
As Beau walks away, a heaviness settles inside my chest. He’s right. It didn’t matter what anyone thought. It is my life. As long as I’m happy, that’s all that matters.
I enter the room and throw my purse onto the table as Hunter closes the door. When I turn around, I raise my hand.
“Whatever you have to say to me can wait until tomorrow,” I tell him, suddenly tired from all the drama. “I get it. You’re pissed, jealous, whatever. I’m tired, and my stupid arm is now hurting. I want to sleep.”
Hunter continues his stance, remaining silent. I fall onto the bed, hugging the pillow. Sleep—it’s such a nice feeling. I welcome it with open arms, drifting into a blissful dreamland where everything is just fine ….
The next morning, I’m inhell.
Every inch of me hurts. My head, my eyes, even my skin. As I sit up, I notice the empty bed, but the sudden movement makes me queasy.
“Shit.”
I cover my mouth, running to the bathroom just in time to throw up. My head throbs even more. The only relief is when I rest my head on the tiled wall. I continue to sit this way for maybe thirty minutes, then stumble back to bed.
There’s a message on my phone, so I open it quickly.
Hunter:The car will pick you up at 6 p.m. sharp. Be dressed. I’ll meet you there.
I choose not to respond since there’s nothing much to say. I'll be right for tonight if I spend the rest of the day hydrating.
Then, if we’re up for it, we can talk about what we’re doing.
All I know is this can’t continue.
Not when I think I’m falling in love with him.
TWENTY-SIX
The black dress I’m wearing is a last-minute favor from Ava and Eric.
Thanks to their connections, the designer dropped it off at my hotel room with matching accessories. The measurements were exact, even surprising me. If Ava and Eric are good for anything, it’s their ability to organize an outfit in a heartbeat’s notice. I’m pretty sure they have measurements for everyone in our family.
As I enter the large event room, I pull the train of my dress with me since a man accidentally stepped on it in the lobby. The black dress is half-shoulder, with a tight-laced bodice and a silk skirt with a slit up my thigh. I wear my hair out as usual but applied more makeup to my eyes. My lipstick is a shade of red, something I haven’t done before, but Ava sent me tutorials and then requested I send pics when done. I also needed to cover the cut on my lip.
Since I got the Ava and Eric seal of approval, I consider myself looking very nice tonight.
Standing here by myself is a whole other story. I text Hunter to see where he is, but he is caught up and running late.
Just fucking great.
I walk around, smiling at people, but then a man stops in front of me.