Page 37 of Wish You Were Mine

My heart flipped over. I stared at him, unsure how to feel. On the one hand, I’d been waiting forever for him to tell me I was pretty and ask for a kiss, but on the other, he was clearly drunk, and that cheapened the moment.

Anger flashed through me, hot and sharp, that he’d ruin such a special memory, but it quickly dissipated. He was in no shape to be held accountable for anything.

“Kiss?” he repeated.

“No.” I guided him back into a horizontal position and adjusted the pillow to make sure he could breathe properly. “I want you, but only when you’re fully conscious.”

“I know wha’ I…” He drifted off into sleep.

Worry knotted my insides. I stood and hurried outside, back across the deck and the yard until I reached Max, who was sitting with Liam.

“Asher is passed out in your old bedroom. I think he’s just drunk, but would you check him for me?”

“Sure. No problem.” He pushed off from the chair and followed me inside. Liam came too, but fortunately, our parents didn’t notice us or else the entire Braddock family would be hovering over Asher the next time he woke.

In the bedroom, Max turned the overhead light on and knelt beside the bed. He roused Asher and tried to ask a few basic questions with little success. He peeled Asher’s eyelids back and checked his eyes, then sniffed and scanned our surroundings.

“Has he been sick?” he asked.

“Not that I’m aware of. It’s possible he was sick in the bathroom earlier but there’s no sign of vomit in there.”

“Liam?” he asked.

“He wasn’t sick outside either,” Liam confirmed.

Max sat back on his heels. “I don’t think there’s any reason to worry. Most likely he just had a few too many. As long as he doesn’t get feverish or choke on his vomit, he should be fine.”

“I’ll sit with him,” I said.

Both of my brothers turned toward me.

“It’s your birthday,” Liam said. “Surely you’d rather be outside with your friends. I can stay here.”

“No.” My heart thumped erratically. I didn’t want to leave Asher. Not until I knew he was okay. “I’ll stay.”

18

ASHER

My head throbbed. I tried to move, and my mind screamed internally. Fuck, it felt like my brain had been wrung out and left to dry. What had happened?

I tried to open my eyes but realized I was face down. Excruciatingly slowly, I rolled onto my side. Somehow, despite my closed eyes, the world seemed to spin. I clutched my stomach and rode out a wave of nausea.

My lips were glued together, and when I forced them apart, my tongue was thick and fuzzy, sticking to the insides of my cheek each time I moved.

I opened my eyes and blinked in the dim light. I was in a bedroom, but not one I recognized. Had I gone home with someone?

I reached behind myself, but the bed was empty. Thank God. The last thing I needed was to have to deal with a woman I didn’t remember. I strained my ears in case she was in another room, but the house remained silent.

I sat up, groaning when my head protested. I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my temples until the pounding receded. When I opened my eyes again, my jaw dropped. So much for being alone. A woman lay on a foam mattress on the floor beside the bed. Her hair was over her face, a blanket pulled up around her shoulders, and she was completely out of it.

Cautiously, I leaned closer. Relief lightened my heart as I realized she was wearing pajamas. And was that…?

“Summer?” I rasped, my voice barely audible.

Summer bolted upright, blinking sleepily. “I’m awake, I’m awake. What’s going on?” Her gaze landed on me and her eyes widened. “You’re up. How do you feel?”

“My head hurts like hell.” The words husked out of me from my painfully dry throat.

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