Page 120 of Square Deal

It was the truth. I could have literally been anywhere else in the world, but I was here.

Honestly, I would have preferred to throw Hannah in the back of a car, drive to the airstrip, and whisk her away somewhere that didn’t have neon beer signs on the fritz, blinking a desperate SOS, and restrooms that had attendants—not a damp roll of paper towels shoved on top of the broken dispenser. The tin bucket of peanuts on our table looked like it had never actually been washed. The light switch being held up by duct tape was a nice touch.

I took another look at Luca. He looked comfortable here. These were his people.

I used to be his people. The two of us would tear up the city—ladies draped on our arms, and paparazzi waiting at every corner.

The only headlines I had garnered in the last month were wondering if I was hiding out in rehab.

Nope. Just in a monogamous, committed relationship in the middle of fucking nowhere like some kind of geriatric pansy.

My answer seemed to appease him. “Good to see you settling down. Enjoying life in the slow lane,” he said, tipping his glass toward me.

The itch to hit up an exclusive club full of exotic dancers was back, and Chase knew he had put the idea in my head. I wanted to punch that smirk clean off his face.

I strangled the glass in front of me. The water wasn’t clear. Honestly, it looked more like cloudy rum than tap water. I was going to walk away from this place with a tapeworm. Or some kind of backwoods river disease. I couldn’t decide which was worse.

Erica walked over and stretched her arms out with gimme fingers. Steve handed the sleeping baby over and watched with hearts in his eyes as Erica cooed.

“I think I’m ready to call it a night,” she said softly, trying not to wake the baby. I didn’t know why she thought whispering was necessary. The little grub worm was sleeping like a rock through some twangy redneck crooner on the jukebox. It was so loud the walls were shaking.

Steve paid the kid behind the bar and waved goodbye to the rest of the girls. Chase was next. He corralled Melissa and Kristin into his truck while Bridget waited outside for her boyfriend.

Hannah Jane and Maddie were halfway through a very competitive game of pool. We could hear the two of them shit-talking all the way across the bar.

Luca stretched out in the cracked booth seat across from me. Suspicion was written all over his face.

“Why does it seem like you’re the one not on board with me being with Hannah?”

Luca shrugged. “Because I know you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He grinned behind his grimy glass of water. “I love you, man, but I know your vices. I’ve seen what you’re like when you get stressed. I mean—I’ll give credit where it’s due—you’ve stuck around longer than I expected. I’m just waiting for you to get bored and move on.”

Now it was Luca I wanted to punch in the face. “Did you ever stop and think that maybe she and I are good for each other?”

“She’s good for you,” he amended. “I’m not so sure it goes the other way around.”

“I love her.”

He narrowed his eyes in on me like he was trying to figure out what angle I was playing.

There was no angle. I just fucking loved her. Was that so hard to believe?

“Fuck you,” I sneered. “What happened to bros before hoes?”

Luca laughed. “If I’m picking between you and Maddie, the answer’s Maddie all damn day.”

“Gee, thanks,” I grunted.

“And if you’re stuck between me and Hannah Jane, I’d throat punch you if you didn’t choose her.”

I let that stew in my brain as I craned my head around the top of the booth to check on Hannah and Maddie. Those two were inseparable. Yin and yang.

“This is her home,” Luca said. “You either get on board with that and get comfortable here or let her go.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. It was rare that Luca pissed me off, but he was edging dangerously close to my last nerve. “I can’t just up and settle down like you did. Even if I wanted to.”

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