Page 36 of Smooth As Whiskey

I sighed, unlocked my door, and held it open for her.

***

It was two hours later after I moved Maisie to my bedroom, I found myself on a stool at the bar. My brothers were drinking their drinks for their own reasons.

But I was drinking whiskey like it was water.

I couldn’t keep hurting Sutton like I was.

She didn’t fucking deserve it.

I thought as I took another shot.

And I didn’t deserve her.

But fuck.

When the fuck would I ever find another woman like Sutton?

That would be never.

Because she was one of a kind.

Absolutely one of a fucking kind.

I closed my eyes, and then it hit me... her words... fucking everything. Seeing her in a wedding dress. My rings on her finger. Her name tangled with mine.

Why the fuck had I been pushing her away all these years?

Son of a bitch.

She was it for me.

The one.

My forever.

What I didn’t know was that I should have stopped at the third drink... I hadn’t.

And that was when my phone pinged with a text.

And when I got a look at the picture attached to the message. I. Saw. Fucking. Red.

But before I could fully process everything, I saw Maisie coming down the hall, at the same time, the front door opened, and there stood Sutton.

She looked at the bottle on the bar, then at the glasses, then looked at Maisie and sighed.

Sutton

I smiled at Maisie and said, “Come on, let’s get you home.”

“She’s not going anywhere.” I looked at Irish and watched as he narrowed his eyes.

I lifted a brow, “Why not?”

He sneered, what the fuck, “You’re not taking my daughter anywhere.”

“Your daughter?” I couldn’t hide the hurt in my tone.