Page 4 of Square Deal

ISAAC

Ifucking loved weddings. Booze, food, and single women who were jealous of the bride and horny as hell. It was my playground. Not to mention, Luca was like a brother to me. I was happy for him and Maddie. He was my boy, and Maddie was a hell of a lot of fun. They were a match made in heaven.

There were worse ways to spend my Saturday night. Sure, I could have been clubbing anywhere in the world, but the Taylor Creek Inn was swanky. It wasn’t as quaint as it sounded—a boutique hotel on the Carolina coast. They knew how to capitalize on their waterfront location. The business man in me never stopped assessing those things, no matter where I was.

Luca and I went way back. He had worked hard for everything he had and sacrificed a lot. Because of those sacrifices, he almost lost Maddie.

Luckily, I was there to help get those two lovebirds back together. I was basically cupid, minus the bow and arrow and diaper.

Luca called what I did to Celeste Montgomeryblackmail, butthat was such a negative way to put it. I liked to think of it as a negotiation.

…A negotiation where I had all the leverage, and she had to do as I told her.

I was simply putting my well-honed business tactics to good use.

Besides, there was no better cause than true love and strong drinks.Which reminded me—I owed the bartender another hundred for that stunt he pulled with Hell Yes Ma’am.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a brunette checking the time on her phone. She was a little young for me, but she looked legal. I’d still ask before things went too far. I had almost made it across the dance floor when a vice grip crunched down on my bicep and dragged me into a dark corner.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Hell Yes Ma’am hissed.

“Princess,” I soothed as I regrouped and slid my hand down the small of her back. She stumbled into my chest. “If you wanted a little attention, all you had to do was say so.”

Hannah Jane Hayes grabbed my wandering hand and twisted it back toward my body. She was forceful enough that I thought my wrist would snap. “If you so much as think about flirting with Kristin, I will castrate you. She isoff-limits.Are we clear?”

It was too late now anyway. Kristin was sandwiched between Maddie and Luca’s cop buddies, Steve Pelham and Chase Brannan.

“Hell yes, ma’am,” I mocked, reveling in how much she hated that.

She released my hand with a huff and I rubbed my wrist to re-establish the blood flow. Hannah Jane was a little thing but, like dynamite, she was highly temperamental and hazardous to my physical well-being.

She pointed two fingers at her own eyes before pointing them at me. “I’m watching you, Lawson.”

"I bet you are," I teased as I made my way to the bar.

Everyone’s attention turned to the dance floor where Maddie sat on a chair at the center. A song fromMagic Mikebegan to play and Luca flaunted his best stripper moves. Confident that Maddie had been dazzled, he slid down under her wedding dress to slide the garter off. A moment of aggressive gyrating passed. Finally, he emerged victorious with the white lacy thing between his teeth.

The DJ invited all the single men to gather for the garter toss.

Wedding traditions were fucking weird.

I wandered out and stood in the crowd of guys. Luca turned around and played up the crowd before shooting the garter over his shoulder like a lingerie rubber band.

And I caught it.

We cleared off the dance floor while the ladies lined up for Maddie to throw the bouquet. Luca went over and asked the bartender for a glass of water.

“You’re drinking like an old man now that you’re married,” I joked. “What time is it? Like, ten o’clock? And you’re already switching to water?”

He chuckled and took a sip. “Me and Mad are driving to Raleigh tonight. Early flight in the morning.”

“Honeymoon?”

“Europe.” He pointed out the window to the ocean right outside. “She didn’t want the tropical getaway.”

I laughed, tossing my head back. “Be straight with me. It’s about the food, isn’t it?”

Luca grinned. “I packed pants with an elastic waistband.”

---