Page 273 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 5
I shook my head. I hadn’t kissed Penny. Yeah, I’d wanted to. But I didn’t. He’d kissed Brooklyn 16 years ago though. I wasn’t the dick here. He was.
“We were just kids,” James said. “And I’ve apologized a dozen times.”
“Maybe try apologizing a dozen more.”
“I’m sorry I kissed Brooklyn 16 years ago out of revenge. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He said it a few more times and I laughed.
“You can stop. I get it. You’re sorry.” Honestly, I believed him. I was sorry for a lot of things too.
“I am.” He rested his elbows on the bar, not showing any intention of going back to our table. “And I do see it. Thesimilarities between Penny and Brooklyn. I get it. But Penny isn’t Brooklyn.”
I knew that. I looked down at my glass.
“Are you going to tell her about Brooklyn?” he asked.
“No.”
“Okay.” He finally took a sip from his glass.
I looked up at him. “You really haven’t already told Penny about Brooklyn?”
He shook his head. “It’s hard for me to talk about Brooklyn too. And I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t bring her up.”
“Then why do you keep bringing her up to me?”
“Because you’re the only one back in high school that seemed to realize that I had a problem. I think I’m the only one that sees that you have one now.”
I wanted him to be saying I was an alcoholic. But we both knew what he was implying. Because I felt it. I was stuck. I couldn’t move forward because I was haunted by the past. And even worse, I had no intention of fixing any of it. Every day felt like I was drowning.
“Looks like Tanner is here,” James said.
Tanner had just walked in. Despite what Rob said, Tanner wasn’t wearing a man bun or goblin elf shoes. But he did havesome blonde chick on his arm. What was he doing? I’d told him this was a boys’ night.
Matchmaker - Chapter 8
Saturday
I hurried back to our table before Rob could say anything rude to Tanner. “Hey,” I said, slapping Tanner on the back. “Glad you could come.”
Rob didn’t say anything snarky, but he squinted his eyes at Tanner. I ignored him.
“Me too,” Tanner said. “Have you met Abigail?” He touched the blonde’s lower back, gesturing her forward. Almost like he was giving her to me as an offering. Which was weird, because she was clearly his date.
“No,” I said. “But it’s nice to meet you.” I put out my hand to be polite. Not that it was necessary. Tanner went through women even faster than I did. I’d never see this girl again.
Instead of shaking my hand she laughed and gave me a hug. “Nice to finally meet you,” she purred in my ear. “Tanner told me you were handsome, but his words didn’t do you justice.”
I did not hug her back. Why the hell was Tanner telling his date that I was handsome?
Tanner gave me a thumbs up when Abigail didn’t move from my arms.
Holy hell.He wasn’t seriously trying to set me up with this chick? During boys’ night. I’d told him I didn’t want to actually meet anyone. Several times.
“What do you say we get out of here?” She booped me on the nose like I was five years old.
Nope.I pulled myself out of her embrace. “Sorry, I’ve had a long day,” I said. “I was just hoping to hang out with my friends.”
She literally pouted.
