Page 95 of A Fool's Game

Avery snorts in surprise. “Alright.”

Another pregnant pause while I wait for the next question.

“Do you two…” Avery starts to ask and then stops himself. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

He turns then, looking at me for the first time in a while. I drag my gaze from the dance floor to meet his eyes. The kind, understanding, empathetic eyes of the only person I’ve ever been completely honest with. The person who knows me in ways my father never will. “I’m glad you’re happy. You look happy.”

I nod. I could let it go, but the truth burns inside me. “We haven’t. He and I.” I gulp as the truth tries to fight its way back down my throat. “But…”

Avery claps a hand on my shoulder and grips me there, leveling his gaze with mine once more. “It’s all good, man. You’ll figure this out. You make great decisions for yourself. Always have.”

I have to look away as I process his words. The ones I’ve been telling myself but hadn’t, until this moment, realized I needed confirmation for.I’m about to say something stupid and sappy, but we get interrupted.

Fran crashes into Avery, arms around his neck, nearly throwing him off balance as he catches her, laughing. The smell of sweat and alcohol surrounds us like a mist.

“We’re going to get another shot,” she announces, too loud even for the noisy bar.

I look around for Gemma and find her a few feet away, still dancing to the Sean Paul song booming from the speakers.

“I think you’ve had exactly the right number of shots already. Maybe we should get you home.”

Fran pulls away, arms crossed as she scowls drunkenly at him. “But we just started dancing.”

Avery pulls her back in. “Love, you’ve been dancing for an hour, and you’re drunk as hell.” He glances around, remembering suddenly that there were two of them. “How’s your dance partner doing? Matching you shot for shot?”

Fran laughs and reaches back for Gemma, pulling her into Avery’s embrace with her. “She knows how to party. Unlike you three lumps of mud.”

Taylor’s busting up on the other side of the drunken huddle, and I can’t help but crack a smile myself. I lock eyes with Gem and she’s glowing with happiness and, yes, alcohol.

“There’s no way this one’s getting on a scooter, Ains. I’ll take them both in the cart and get Gemma up to your room safely,” Avery says, both women still leaning much of their weight on his body.

I nod gratefully at him. “Sounds good, man.”

Avery starts toward the exit, one stumbling woman under each arm.

Taylor starts after them, but I catch his arm. “He’s going to take her home. She can’t ride on the scooter.”

He shrugs me off and straightens his shirt. “Yeah, well, I’mgoing to follow.”

“Do you want to finish your drink first?”

“No, actually. I want to never let Gemma out of my sight.”

I shake my head and sigh. “It’s okay. Avery’s like my father. She’ll be fine.”

He stalks toward me, unexpected and fast. I stand up straighter to keep his head from colliding with mine.

“Your father who’s currently fucking your twenty-year-old ex-girlfriend?”

I clench my teeth and prepare to retort. To defend the man and the whole situation.But I'm too exhausted.And, for fuck’s sake, he’s right.

I nod. “Okay, let me just settle up at the bar.”

We arrive back at the resort just as Avery’s helping Gemma out of the backseat.

“Thanks, man,” Taylor says, scooping her up, scooter forgotten in the circular drive of the hotel. “We’ve got her.”

“See you soon,” Avery says, pulling me into a short, tight embrace.

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