Page 80 of Total Ship Show

“Yeah,” I mumble. “Everything’s fine.”

Adam bumps me with his elbow. “Where’s Adrienne?”

My head snaps up. “Huh?”

“Your girl. Adrienne?” he repeats.

“Her name isn’t—”

“Like hell it isn’t, Aris,” Aiden chuckles. “We’ve known for days. Get over yourself man.”

They’ve known for days?

They know her name is Adrienne?

Did I slip up somewhere?

Fuck. I can’t keep anything straight anymore.

“How do you—”

“You really had us going for a while, man.” Aiden nods. “But then you went and lost that scavenger hunt, and your names went up on the leader board that was right there for the whole ship to see. And plus, we ran into some of Adrienne’s friends at the club that night. Don’t worry though, we kept your secret from her friends just in case.”

“Yeah, and don’t forget…” Adam starts but Aiden nudges him before he says anymore.

I tilt my head. “Don’t forget what?”

My brothers share a look that has me seeing red. “What the fuck did you do?”

Aiden raises his hands. “Now don’t get your panties in a twist, Aris. We just…ran into Adrienne last night. Chatted with her a bit.”

“You did what? Where? Where is she now? What is she doing? Did she tell you? What the fuck is going on?”

Aiden’s brow lifts. “You mean she’s not with you?”

I throw up my arms. “Does it look like she’s with me, asshat? What the fuck did you do? What did you tell her?”

“Relax, alright? We told her we knew her name wasn’t Tayla and she finally just came clean. Told us everything. Said you were super nice to her and all that shit.”

All I see is red. I step closer to Aiden, our faces mere millimeters apart.

“You had to have said something else to her, Aiden. Spit it out right fucking now or I swear to God I’ll—”

“We just told her the truth, bro.”

“What does that even mean?”

“We told her to be careful because you’ve done shit like this before. You know…the fake girlfriend thing.”

“Oh, my God! That was like fifteen years ago, Aiden!” I shout. “I can’t believe you told her something from that long ago like it even fucking matters now.”

He stands his ground with me even though I want to yank his nutsack out and throw it overboard. “Tell me how this is any different from fifteen years ago, Aris? Tell me right now and I’ll help you find her. Otherwise, step back and fuck off.”

“It’s different this time because I love her, Aiden, alright?” I run my hands through my hair, feeling a full-on panic coming. “I’m in love with her.”

“You’ve known her a whole week,” Adam reminds me.

I turn my body and point a finger into his face. “And you married your wife after knocking her up at a fucking college party so don’t pretend to tell me your relationship was built on anything other than young adult lust and a couple of Zimas from the get-go.”

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