Page 83 of It Should Have Been Me

Peter slides his arm around her shoulder and gives her a comforting kiss on the cheek. “Maybe next time, dollface.”

She rests her head against his chest. “I hope my prince charming comes to whisk me away very soon. I can’t be living with you for extended periods of time.”

“Why? You scared you might end up liking me?”

“Ugh!” She pulls a face as if just the thought repulses her. “No. That will never happen.”

What in the world is going on between these two? Their dynamic is so confusing and I’m not sure if this is just a manipulation tactic, a way to get Peter hooked because she knows he likes the chase.

The crowd cheers again as Dylan slides a pink garter off Isabella’s leg. He twirls it around his finger, trying to build the anticipation. However, his plan backfires because the garter flies off his finger, sails across the room, and lands...right on my lap.

I’m still staring at it when Tommy sits down beside me again. “See what happens when you tempt fate, Scotty?”

“Well, we all know marriage isn’t in the cards for me.” I hand it over to Lia. “I think you should have it.”

Her eyes light up. “Really?”

“Of course,” I reply with a chuckle. “I hope this gets you one step closer to your Prince Charming.”

“You’re being cynical again,” JP says from across the table. “What makes you so sure marriage isn’t in the cards for you?”

“I just know. And I’m not being cynical. It’s simply the reality of the situation.”

“Reality is but mere perception. What our eyes see and our ears hear is how our brain perceives reality. Your cynicism taints your perception, which, in turn alters your view of reality.”

I smile because I really want to strangle him. “JP, I am not drunk enough for this conversation, but you and I can have a beer together later and continue this discussion.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Tommy and Peter are good buffers for the awkwardness, and the topics remain fun and light as we eat dinner. JP asks to meet the rest of her family and Cat reluctantly agrees. They leave for a good hour or so, mingling with the other guests, only returning when Dylan announces that Peter, Tommy, and I need to meet him in the middle of the dance floor.

I stand up. “This is it, gentlemen.”

Tommy guzzles down his glass of champagne then reaches for the bottle again.

“Pour a glass for me and Peter, too,” I say. “God knows we need some alcohol for what’s coming up next.”

Peter takes a glass from Tommy before he looks over at Lia. “Please promise me that you’ll still have sex with me after this. Whenever I do activities with Dylan, my dick tends to invert, so it might take a while to find it, but as soon as we do, we’re having sex.”

Lia turns bright red and has to confirm the promise with a nod because she can’t stop giggling.

Peter takes a deep breath before reluctantly standing up. We strip off our suit jackets and loosen our ties as we walk to the center of the room.

“I can’t believe we’re actually gonna go through with this.”

I tap him on the back. “Just find a happy place. It’ll be over soon.”

Dylan’s grin is stretched from ear to ear as he leads Isabella to a chair set up in front of us. He’s such a corny bastard. We take our positions like we did in the dance studio and the room goes silent. The lights dim, with only a single spotlight shining on Dylan.

I cringe when I hear the first notes of Justin Bieber’sBaby, but Isa lets out a boisterous scream of excitement.

Oh wooooah

“Sing your little heart out for me, De Lorenzo,” she yells.

Oh wooooah

“Oh, I plan to.”

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