Page 31 of Talk About… Rivalry

Right now my chestnut hair had a healthy glow to it thanks to working out in the sun. It stood out against my dark tank top, calling attention to my green eyes even more.

“You look hot as hell, Sidney,” Grace said. She propped me up on her dresser and went to her own closet to search for something cute to wear. I wasn't even surprised when she pulled out an adorable pink skirt and a white crop top.

Her dark hair stood out against it and I didn't even have to ask to know that she'd be wearing some kind of platform heel.

She was tiny, so the extra inches helped her feel like she fit in. I, on the other hand, would kill myself in shoes like that.

“Do you want me to pick you up, or are you going to meet me there?” I asked as I sprayed on some light perfume.

One benefit to having no scent was that I could wear perfume without fear it would get altered due to my own natural scent. I could smell like whatever I wanted for the night.

“I'll meet you there. We all know I'm nowhere close to ready. I've got to curl this mess,” she said as she shook out her wild hair.

I didn't argue with her.

“That works out. I'm going to head out early. Avery wants me to make sure things are running smoothly for her.”

“Did she finally go on maternity leave?” Grace asked. The whole damn town was begging her to take it easy at this point. “I swear she's more stubborn than you are.”

“It's a Whitaker trait,” I joked. “I swear they're all stubborn workaholics.”

“That they are,” she chuckled. “Alright, see you there, love you, bye.” Her parting words were in a rushed jumble, the call ending before I could process it, in true Grace fashion.

With nothing left to do, I slipped outside to my car before my dad or uncle could stop me.

Not wanting to walk in too early and face Maverick without the crowd around us, I let the parking lot fill up before I finally climbed out of my car.

It was louder than usual tonight and I braced myself before pushing open the front door. At least I was able to walk right past the bouncer they recently hired. He knew me by now and just gave me a nod before carding the omegas trying to get through the door.

The Whitaker triplets were working their asses off filling orders and moving around each other in a perfectly practiced synchronicity. It was impressive for three huge alphas.

The bar was packed already. Every stool was taken.

An omega stumbled off after a pack right as I reached the bar. I didn’t hesitate to snatch her seat, using a napkin to wipe up the mess she left behind, spilling her drink in her rush to chase down a potential pack. .

“Hey there, little sister,” Nash greeted. “What can I get you?”

“Just a soda,” I ordered. My stomach was a bit uneasy and I didn't want to put alcohol on that.

At least not yet.

He nodded, quickly making it up for me and waving me off when I tried to pull out my card. It was a song and dance we did every single time and one that I would never give up on.

They had to know that I snuck tips in every time they weren't looking.

Nash leaned in, gesturing at the crowd. “It's crazy tonight. Avery was on to something with this.”

“Yes, she was,” I agreed, taking it all in. The music was loud, people were enjoying themselves, and drinks were flowing. Maybe this would perk Maverick up. He couldn’t argue their success with a crowd like this.

Cameron was over to the side talking to the live stream. It was funny how two out of the three triplets were against starting PackVlog, and yet they'd all three fallen into some sort of normalcy with it. They'd accepted their fate easily when they saw how well it was working.

“I clearly chose the wrong night to come in here,” a deep voice joked. I glanced next to me at the alpha sitting there. He was gorgeous. Not quite as bulky as Maverick but there was still definition to him.

The tailored suit he was wearing wasn't just a simple suit. It was cut just right and patterned, giving him a little sense of fashion versus practicality. His blond hair was gelled back and his round glasses fit his face perfectly. He was a contrast of alpha strength and charm.

Something about the round glasses, square jaw, and intense, dark gray eyes did me in.

My heart rate picked up and I found myself instinctively leaning in, barely stopping myself before I could embarrass myself.

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