Page 3 of Hale Yes
Dick move? I don’t really give a fuck right now. All I wanted was one night with my brother, his last night as a single man,and Kayla couldn’t even give me that without calling or texting every few minutes. And it was stupid shit too.
Mr. Snuffles has sneezed twice. Do you think I should take him to the cat emergency room?
I’m thinking about wearing the yellow dress to the wedding tomorrow instead of the blue one.
Can you get me a bottle of Hale’s new perfume? I want to try it.
I have a mosquito bite on my ankle.
Yeah. Not exactly life-altering conversations that couldn’t wait until fucking tomorrow.
Turning off my ringer and pocketing my phone, I return to the bachelor party to find a busty blonde hanging all over Dutton. Her voice is a high-pitched coo.
“Like, a man in a cowboy hat is totally the hottest thing, like, everrrrr. It like, totally makes me hot.”
God kill me. Like, totally.
I turn to the bar and order a Suffering Bastard—because why the hell not at this point?—leaving a generous tip when the bartender slides the chilled glass toward me. I take a sip, appreciating the slight bitterness combined with the warm bourbon followed by the spicy kick of ginger beer.
When I join our group, I notice Phoenix’s frat boy friends heading down the stairs with a group of women, and I look questioningly at Dutton.
“Strike out with blondie?”
He laughs raucously. “Hell, son. You know better than that. I promised her I’d dance with her as soon as the deejay plays a country song.”
Phoenix tips his beer bottle at our cousin. “I swear, dude, you pull more tail than a toddler at a petting zoo.”
“You didn’t do so bad yourself before you got snagged.”
My twin grins like a damn idiot. “I’ve changed my ways, cuz. I’m about to be a married man.” He points at the nonexistent ring on his left hand.
Dutton’s eyes flit between me and Remington. “And which of you will be next?”
“Not me,” we say in unison, like we’re back in grade school and trying to get out of a chore our mom asked one of us to do.
Phoenix bumps me with his shoulder. “What about you and Kayla, brother? You thinking about wedded bliss?”
I shake my head. “No, not even close. I nominate Remi.”
Remington lifts his middle finger from his glass of scotch to let me know what he thinks about that idea. “I’m focused on my career. Maybe I’ll think about marriage later, but it’s too much fun playing the field right now.” His forehead scrunches. “They all want to get too serious too quickly, and I’m not ready for that.”
Dutton rolls his eyes. “Because you’re going out with women who know you’re a rich bastard. They all want to be Mrs. Remington Hale.”
Phoenix nods appraisingly. “That’s true. You pretty much date only within our societal circle, and they all know the kind of money our family has.” Then he adds wryly, “You’re certainly not getting laid due to your personality.”
“Fuck off,” our older brother grumbles, proving Phoenix’s point. “I can be charming.” Remi tends to be on the broody side, and his scowl belies his last statement.
My twin’s eyes sparkle, and I can tell he’s up to something. That feeling is confirmed when he leans closer with a wicked grin on his face. “Remi, I bet you can’t hook up with a regular girl, someone who’s completely unaware of your net worth.” He leans back with a look of satisfaction on his face, laced with a side of challenge.
Remi, never one to back down from a brotherly bet, lifts his chin. “I most certainly could.”
Dutton and I watch the interaction with interest, both of us knowing Phoenix has Remi exactly where he wants him. “Prove it.”
Remi swirls his tongue around his inner cheek and glares. “Fine. What did you have in mind?”
Phoenix doesn’t crow, but he might as well because his smirk is one of pure satisfaction. “You take a girl from this bar home tonight.”
“No problem,” Remi returns, looking just as smug as my twin. “Hold my scotch.”
