Page 89 of Of Pranks and Passion

“Oh! Easton!” Brienna practically squealed, bouncing a little when Easton came to join us. His eyes were on me, and I could see the muscle ticking in his jaw. I didn't want him to lose his temper and forget how he was supposed to be acting, so I forced my head up and gave him a pained smile.

“Hi.”

Brienna didn’t give him time to respond to me before latching onto his arm and batting her eyelashes at him. “Will you introduce me to people? I’m a little shy.”

Angel snorted outright at that one. He’d only ever met Brienna at her party, but he knew plenty from the stories I told him about her. There wasn’t a shy bone in her body. Which wasproven just by the dress she wore, which was so tight, you could easily tell she wasn’t wearing a bra, and there were cut outs on the sides and back showing as much skin as possible without being completely indecent. No shy person would be caught wearing that.

Brienna must’ve thought the sound came from me, because she shot me a scathing look that flipped into a smug smirk as she rubbed herself up against Easton’s arm. Nope. I wasn’t going to stand around and watch that. I jerked away from the group and nodded at Angel.

“A walk sounds good. I could use some fresh air.”

I felt Easton’s eyes on me as we walked away. I wished him better luck than I had, because if this was how the next few days would go, I didn’t have much faith that the plan would work. I’d start crying before we got to that point and humiliate myself.

EASTON

Watching Gary walk away, seeing the hurt in his eyes, made me see red, and I was so close to breaking character, it wasn’t even funny. A server passed by, and I grabbed his arm, drawing him back to growl out a request for a whiskey neat. I’d need the alcohol to get through tonight.

“Easton, son. Have you met Gary’s parents yet?” my old man asked. When I turned to face him, his expression was blank, but I could see the twitch in his eye. He was irritated. Good. I warned him that Gary’s parents were dicks. He should see it for himself.

“I have. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, it’s good to see you.”

I dislodged myself from the sister so I could shake their hands. She tried to latch back on once I was through, but I side-stepped her and came to my old man’s side instead. He leaned in closer so we wouldn’t be overheard, even though Gary’s parents were straining to listen in.

“Is there something I’m missing? They’re being cruel.”

“I told you I didn’t want them here. Now you know why,” I growled low.

He sighed, resigned. “Well, we’ll play nice for now. We won’t have to see them after the wedding. Can I trust you to behave?”

I flashed him an irritated look. “You gonna protect me from her?” I gestured subtly to the sister, who was pouting beside her mother.

“If you need a rescue, give me a signal. I’ll send you on an errand,” he offered. I appreciated that and relaxed a little, nodding. With a plan in place, my old man straightened and offered Gary’s family a smile, speaking louder. “I apologize. There’s always work to be done. So, are you excited for the wedding?”

“Of course,” Mrs. Nelson said with a bland smile. “Brienna has been helping with the planning, and she’s told us so much about what to expect. I’m honestly surprised Gary has had so little to say about it.”

Victoria flashed us a confused look, so while my old man whispered to her what was happening, I explained to the Nelsons, “Gary’s been busy with school. We hired a wedding planner so he wouldn’t have to put off his education.”

“That’s right,” my old man agreed. “Easton told me he finished the semester with a stellar GPA. You must be so proud.”

“Really?” Mrs. Nelson asked, her expression borderline annoyed. “That’s surprising. He was such a poor student in high school. I hope he’s not doing anything illegal to get those grades.”

Both my parents looked like she’d slapped them in the face with that comment. Mrs. Nelson backpedaled, forcing out alaugh. “But yes, we are very proud of him. Brienna graduated at the top of her class. Hopefully Gary can follow in her footsteps.”

Gary said his family favored his sister, that she was the golden child who could do no wrong. He didn’t mention how much they hated him. It wasn’t enough to push him aside. They wanted to drag him through the mud. And I wanted to punch someone.

Jayden appeared at my side with a drink in his hand. I turned my back on the group, snatching it and tossing it back in one swallow. His eyebrows shot up, but the waiter luckily chose that moment to show up with my requested drink, so I swapped out the glasses and tipped that one back as well.

“Dude, are you okay?” Jayden murmured.

“Shh. Just listen,” I growled.

“Honestly, it’s a little disappointing that Brienna didn’t meet Easton sooner. They’ve got so much in common. And she could give him children in the future. It’d be a much better match.”

I bared my teeth and nearly turned around to snap at them, but Jayden stopped me, putting a hand on the back of my neck and leading me a few feet away.

“Jesus, Easton. No killing people at a charity gala. Take a deep breath. I’ll redirect the conversation.” He huffed a laugh and continued, “I get the feeling if I don’t, Dad will start hitting people before you do.”

When I glanced over my shoulder, my old man’s face was flushed red with anger, and he looked like he was speaking around gritted teeth. I stepped closer and caught the tail end of what he was saying.

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