Page 9 of Merry Me
Every time I was around them, I felt this weird longing in my chest.
Because I wanted that.
I’d had that once.
And then I’d thrown it all away.
“Sit down,” Riley urged, and I slid into the booth next to her, accepting the red-colored concoction she immediately pushed into my hand.
“Drink,” Riley commanded with a grin. “You look like you need it.”
“Bless you, bartender goddess of my heart,” I said and downed half the glass in one go.
The burn was instant. But effective. The weight in my chest lightened by just a fraction.
By the time I finished my second drink, I was actually starting to feel better. Or at least drunk enough not to care about my problems and the slow-motion car crash that was my emotional life.
“Okay, I’ve got one,” Jace announced, lifting his beer in the air like he was about to give a toast.
“No,” Matty said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Jace asked, mimicking Matty’s voice with an unholy amount of sass.
“I’m saying we’re having a great night, let’s not ruin it.”
“I actually think Jace’s jokes would only improve the night,” Riley said, batting her eyelashes at Jace, because like Parker and Casey, she and Jace were madly in love.
Sickeningly, actually.
“You would say that,” Matty sighed. “You’re blind to actual humor because of Jace’s hair.”
I snorted at that one. Jace had dramatic, long blonde hair that he refused to cut because he believed he would lose his football superpowers—his words, not mine.
“Actually, I think it’s because of my big c—” Parker slapped a hand over Jace’s mouth.
“No talking about your cock in front of my lady,” he hissed.
Jace grinned beneath Parker’s hand. “Well, nowyou’retalking about my cock, so technically…”
“Don’t get him started on the quarter of an inch.” Ophelia sighed as she batted her eyelashes at Matty.
Another couple sickeningly in love.
Matty growled at her all cute-like.
“Don’t you mean an inch?” Jace said, wagging his eyebrows up and down as Matty groaned loudly.
“Tell your joke,” Parker growled, a small smile on his lipsbecause it was impossible not to smile in the midst of Jace’s antics.
“Why does Mrs. Claus always pray for a white Christmas?” Jace said, smugly, because he obviously thought this one was going to be a good one—even though his jokes rarely were.
“I don’t actually want to know the answer to that,” Matty drawled, his face looking pained.
“She’s married to a guy who onlycomesonce a year.”
There was an elongated pause, and Jace scoffed. “You know, awhiteChristmas, like the color of cu—” Parker slapped another hand over Jace’s mouth, and Jace rolled his eyes. “Is anything not off-limits, Parkie-Poo?” he drawled.
Riley was the first to break, giggling like a madwoman as Jace wrapped an arm around her shoulders and beamed down at her. Matty looked vaguely traumatized, but I at least laughed for a second.
