Page 70 of Should've Been Us
“Thanks man.” Connor bumped their shoulders together in a sign ofaffection.
The two of them fell silent and he didn’t try to keep the conversation going. It wasn’t awkward. He was used to Dean’s quietmoments.
When the younger man was in a crowd, he was always the center of attention. His big smile and big voice and good looks put him there and he relished the attention. But when it was just his closest friends, the people that knew there was more to him than the charming playboy persona, Dean had a tendency to slide into his own thoughts. He was smarter and deeper than people gave him creditfor.
Connor knew that a lot of the time Derek chalked his younger brother up to a rash, adrenaline junkie kid that had chosen to run into burning buildings as a career firefighter for the thrill of it. Connor had talked to Dean enough to know that wasn’t the case at all. He’d wanted to do something that made a difference, to helppeople.
Dean had considered joining the army when he graduated high school but ultimately hadn’t wanted to worry his parents with the possibility of going to war. He’d talked to Connor about joining the Fate Sheriff’s Department and though their small town was mostly quiet and uneventful when it came to crime, Dean had blanched at the idea of carrying a firearm let alone using it. The fire department had been Connor’s idea and he was proud of the way Dean had committed to the stationfully.
Now he just needed to grow up and leave behind his womanizing ways. Connor had no doubt that Dean would make a fine husband and father. Someday. Not today. But someday soon he knew Dean was going to look at Derek and Aubrey and maybe even Connor and Lulu and want what they had found with eachother.
“Dude, what the hell are you doing over here playing wallflower?” A rough voice slurred slightly as the chair Dean’s feet were in was knocked aside so that he had to sit up and Connor glanced over to see a bleary eyed Ridley Harper stumble into theseat.
“Hey man.” Dean grinned at his cousin and Connor silentlycursed.
That was another thing Dean needed to leave behind. His friendship with his cousins was natural. They were about the same age and they’d all grown up together. But Reed and Ridley weren’t a good influence in Connor’s opinion. They were party boys and far more immature than Dean. Every time they were around it was as if Dean reverted back to his seventeen year old self. Arrogant and obnoxious and dead set on making the worst decision that he could just to impress the other two with his level ofdebauchery.
Connor frowned, “Are youdrunk?”
“Not yet.” Ridley chuckled as he pushed a shot glass Connor hadn’t noticed before towards Dean, “But I’m heading to Drunktown and I ain’t going alone. Drink up,Cuz.”
Dean shrugged and reached for the shot glass. He downed the brown liquid and winced slightly as it burned his throat. Ridley all but cheered and smacked his cousin on the back so hard that Deancoughed.
“Damn, what was that?” Dean wiped at his mouth,grimacing.
“Whiskey.”
“Cheap ass whiskey you mean.” Dean snorted, “Tasted like the bottom of ashoe.”
“Yeah? You know that from experience?” Ridley narrowed his eyes as if he needed to focus his vision, “Are you a shoelicker,Deany?”
“Fuck you.” Deanlaughed.
“Here.” Connor slid his beer towards the kid, “It’ll kick the aftertaste atleast.”
“Thanks man.” Dean tilted the beer up and all but downedit.
Ridley turned his gaze on Connor, his smile turning to a sneer, “Guess congratulations are inorder.”
“Oh yeah?” Connor raised an eyebrow, “Whatfor?”
“Youwon.”
“Won?” Connor’s other eyebrow rose as he tried to figure out what the drunk Harper was talkingabout.
“The bet, jackass.” Ridley all but sneered, “You won thebet.”
“Hey. Easy.” Dean shook his head at his cousin, “I told you to let that go. It was a stupid thing for us to bet on anyway. Dropit.”
“Nah, man, I’m cool. It’s fine. I just wish I’d known the thing was fuckingrigged.”
“Rigged?” Connor scowled as he looked between the two Harpercousins.
“It wasn’t…” Dean started but Ridley shoved off his hand when he reached for him and stoodup.
“Bullshit. It was rigged from the start.” Ridley’s voice was rising and Dean tried again to hush him to no avail, “You were already hooking up with Nikki and you…” He turned his sneer back on Connor, “You’ve been banging theBest Womansince we got here. You never should’ve been part of the bet. I knew it that first night when you picked her and then she got in our faces being abitch.”
“Don’t you dare call her that!” Connor growled and pushed to his feet so they were face toface.
