Page 16 of The First Best Man

And now, he’s not letting go, surpassing the general time limit for a “friendly” hug.

And I’m not letting go, either, because being held by Tucker Gibbs feels too damn good.

Warning bells sound off inside my head along with Penny’s voice screaming, “Hands off! Hands off!” A nervous chuckle rumbles in my chest as I carefully extract myself. Offering Tucker what I hope is a nice, friendly smile, I nod as he offers to buy us a pitcher of beer while I head for our reserved table.

The more distance I put between us, the more like myself I feel, and by the time I reach the round table with a placard identifying it as reserved for the bridal party, I’m laughing at how close it is to the karaoke stage. Penny made sure the winners of the scavenger hunt would have a front row view of the losers when they pay up.

I shake my head as I slide into a chair. I have no doubt Penny assumed she and Logan would be the victors today. I was technically on my own since there was no chance Tucker––who’s never been here before––would know the answers to any of the clues. Blaine and Sam would most likely bicker all day…

Well, Blaine would bicker, and Sam would remain stoic, frustrating Logan’s sister and making her angrier and harder to work with as a team.

In actuality, the happy couple should’ve won, but I’d bet money on the fact that they gotdistractedalong the way, wasting valuable time. Ornotwasting, as the case may be.

Whatever the reason, Tucker and I won, whichmeans we get to enjoy a free dinner while the others make fools of themselves on stage.

Tucker arrives, setting the pitcher and two pint glasses down on the table as he slides into the chair next to me. I watch as he fills the two glasses, impressed by the lack of foam on top. He’s had some practice.

Tucker lifts his glass in my direction, so I mimic the action, and he says, “To our victory, and not having to sing tonight.”

I chuckle and clink my glass against his before we both take a long drink. The cold, effervescent brew bursts on my tongue, cools my throat, and warms my belly, making me relax. That hug was just a hug. No sense in reading more into it, right?

The door swings open, catching my attention, and I look over to see Sam holding it for Blaine as she strides in and looks around. Sam spots us first, and I wave. He laughs and points us out to Blaine, who snarls at the sight of us before smoothing out her expression and approaching with a flirty grin. She chooses the chair on Tucker’s other side, and something pinches in my gut.

“Boo. You beat us,” she simpers, crossing her arms like she’s pouting when, in reality, she’s simply pushing her breasts up to enhance her cleavage.

The devil picks that very moment to jump into my body and take over. It’s the only explanation I have for cocking my head, pointing at Blaine’s chest, and saying, “Be careful there, Blaine. You don’t want toaccidentallyhave a nip-slip in here. Miguel would ban you for life.”

Unfortunately––orfortunately, depending on how you look at it––Tucker happened to be mid-sip whenLucifer decided to speak through me. If this were a movie, the scene would shift to slow-motion as Tucker pulls his glass away and spews beer across the table like one of those fountains in Las Vegas.

Blaine shouts and slides her chair backward, but not before receiving a not-so-fine mist of pale ale across that ample chest she was showing off two seconds ago. Tucker’s hand slaps over his mouth a year too late, and he swallows the beer he managed to hold inside before turning to Blaine to apologize.

Problem is, he’s still laughing, so the apology sounds a little less than sincere. Huffing out an angry breath, Blaine slams to her feet and marches toward the ladies’ room. Tucker looks helplessly at Sam, who simply chuckles, then turns his gaze to me.

Shrugging, I say, “Now’s the perfect time to make your escape.”

Tucker’s eyes narrow, and I realize he thinks that was a dig at his little disappearing act last night, which it wasn’t. Not really.

Or if it was, it was totally unconscious, and that’s the story I’m sticking to.

“Kate Reid, will you marry me?” Sam asks, laughter still sparkling in his eyes.

“Not today, Sam,” I say. “Ask me again sometime.”

Did I just quote Luke Skywalker? Yes. Yes, I did.

But when I look over at Tucker to see if he caught it, I find him staring intently at Sam as my would-be fiancé mimes stabbing a dagger into his heart. I nudge Tucker with my elbow, and his expression turns blank before he looks over at me with a smile.

That was weird.

I startle as Penny seems to materialize beside me, propping her hands on her hips with a huff. “I can’t believe we came in last.”

Arms circle around her waist from behind, and Logan props his chin on her shoulder as he grins at the rest of us. “We might’ve gotten a little…distracted along the way.”

Nailed it.

Penny elbows him playfully and pulls out of his grasp, sliding into the empty chair beside Tucker. The one previously occupied by Logan’s sister. And the innocent look on her face doesn’t fool me. I know her too well. Her choice was a calculated one, an attempt to rescue Tucker from Blaine’s machinations.

“Where’s Blaine?” she asks while sliding the chair closer to the table, proving my suspicions.

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