Page 10 of Merry Me
It wasn’t his worst joke.
Ugh. There was that pang again. I really needed to find a way to carve a hole in my chest and take out my heart because this amount of feeling was unacceptable.
The fun of the night continued until Casey leaned over and whispered, “Okay, spill. What’s up with you lately? And this time I’m requiring you answer the question.”
I froze, my glass hovering midair. “What do you mean?”
Casey rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You’ve been moping for days. Is it the whole holiday thing? Your sister’s wedding? Or is it something else…perhaps someone else, if we’re being technical?”
“It’s not…” I trailed off, glancing around to make sure the others were still wrapped up in their conversation about why Tennessee was going to win the national championship again this year. “It’s just that my sister’s fiancé…His best man might be someone I know.”
Her brows furrowed. “Someone you know?”
I took a long sip before answering. “My ex.”
Casey’s confusion deepened, and she leaned forward. “Okay. And? You’re not the type to spiral over a guy. Did he cheat on you or something?”
“No.” I laughed bitterly. “He never would have. At least not back then…”
She blinked at me, her beautiful brain obviously still confused. “Okay?”
I threw back a peppermint schnapps-flavored shot that was basically Christmas in a cup. This was the part of Christmas I liked.
“Because my ex is Easton Maddox,” I blurted out once I’d gotten a little more of that liquid courage.
Casey blinked. Tilted her head.
“Wait…like…the barista from that coffee shop on Fifth?” she asked, brows furrowed in concentration.
I stared at her. “No. I’m pretty sure that guy’s name is just Maddox. And also, he spells latte with ay,so I’m insulted you think I would date him.”
Then her eyes went wide.Toowide.
“Okay, wait. No. There’s no way. But I’m just going to ask just in case… Do you meanmovie starEaston Maddox?”
There it was. Her jaw dropped like someone had unhinged it. She looked like a cartoon character mid-fall. I cocked my head, vaguely impressed that eyes could even get that big.
She pointed at me with her drink, already sloshing. “Easton Maddox? As inEaston Maddox, the hottest young star in Hollywood right now?ThatEaston?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Casey. I meant the Easton Maddox who sells Bibles out of the back of a van in Missouri.”
She ignored me completely, spiraling into open-mouthed disbelief.
I sank lower in my seat, miserable. “Yes, that Easton.”
Casey let out a screech that turned a few heads. “Natalie! What the hell? You datedEaston Maddoxand never told me? Are you kidding me right now?”
“Would you keep your voice down?” I hissed, glaring at her.
Parker was watching us like a hawk now, looking unamused that another man’s name had come out of her mouth.
“Go back to your conversation, QB,” I growled.
He smirked and kissed Casey’s shoulder possessively, as if to remind everyone in the bar that she was taken and he was still the hottest guy here.
Second-hottest if Easton had been here, obviously.
Ugh.
