Page 8 of Reid
Of course Monroe looked familiar, because she was Mila’s twin.And though they were technically identical, they didn’t have a bizarre need to look exactly alike.Mila kept her hair dyed black, while Monroe’s was a more natural brown.They had completely unique styles in clothes and makeup.There was also a weight difference between the two, with Monroe being at least twenty pounds lighter than her sister.They were both freaking beautiful in their own, individual ways.
Mila and River had brought a pretty blonde with them.I immediately recognized the woman as the waitress from Aggie’s who had given me the free Diet Coke earlier in the day.I’d needed a shot of my drug of choice before my interview, and her wishing me luck had felt like it had fed positive energy into the universe to help me get the job.
And, of course, they had all witnessed what had just transpired with the bloodhound.Sammy, Delaney, and Monroe were holding their sides from how hard they were laughing, while Lexa squeezed the bridge of her nose, shaking her head and fighting her own laughter.Even the men in the booth nearby were all howling with their own amusement, a few of them slapping the table hard enough to make their beer bottles rattle.
But it was Evie my gaze was drawn to.Her confused but wounded eyes shifted from me to the man behind me and lingered there.Abi touched her arm comfortingly, whispering something to my sister that she either didn’t hear or was too distraught to respond to.Seeing the distress on her face, I was tempted to turn back and douse the dog with the pitcher of margaritas.
This was not how I’d hoped the night would go.We were there to celebrate her first day of college.Evie had taken online classes and was a senior, but today had been her first-ever in-person class.She hadn’t even gotten to attend kindergarten because William had homeschooled her, the control freak.
Hate him.Hate him.Fucking hate him.
Reaching her, I placed the plastic container and my now-empty glass on one of the tables.“Evie?—”
“Peaches, it was an honest mistake.”
His deep voice held an edge to it.Frustration mixed with a little panic.I turned slowly to look at the bloodhound, my fingers twitching to grab the nearest glass and drench him again.I had a brief moment of considering the ramifications if the contents happened to be alcohol-based and I accidentally set him on fire.
It was only an impulsive thought.Not one I would ever act on.
At least not when there were so many witnesses or the risk that my twin could be injured in the process.
He was focused solely on Evie, his eyes wild.Desperate.
That gave me a moment of pause.Taking a breath, I considered what had just happened.Itwasan honest mistake.He didn’t know we were twins, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have understood our dynamic until he saw us together.No one ever did unless they witnessed it for themselves.
Plus, other than sniffing me, he hadn’t done anything wrong.He hadn’t even touched me.
Whereas I’d thrown my drink in his face.
Wait, wasn’t that considered assault?
Ah, fuck.I’d just assaulted someone in front of an entire bar full of people.And not just any someone, an Angel’s Halo member.While my bosses watched.
Shit.
That was a stupid move, and I couldn’t even blame it on being intoxicated since I hadn’t had a single drop to drink.
“I swear, I thought she was you.But then I couldn’t smell you, and I instantly realized something was off.Tell me you believe me.Please, peaches.”
Suddenly, no one was laughing.It was so quiet, all I could hear was music and the labored breathing coming from the bloodhound beside me.The entire bar seemed to be holding its breath, fascination and suspense building around us.Watching, waiting for the drama to unfold like this was the best reality TV show they had ever seen in their lives.
“Did you know he could say the word please?”Sammy asked quietly to the table at large, breaking a little of the growing tension around us.
“I didn’t think it was in his vocabulary,” Lexa muttered back.“This is weird.Someone touch him to see if he’s real.”
River picked up a straw from someone’s drink and poked him with it.He batted it away without taking his eyes off Evie.“Quit your shit, Riv,” he growled, knowing who it was without so much as a flick of his lashes because he was one hundred percent focused on my twin.
Evie flinched at the sharpness of his tone, and he groaned like he was in physical pain.Knocking a chair out of his way, he crouched down in front of her.“Don’t do that.Don’t be scared.I’m sorry, peaches.”
“Holy shit.Did he just say sorry?”someone grumbled from behind us.It sounded like that Matt guy.“Rory is never going to believe any of this.She’s gonna think I made it all up.”
“Who is Rory?”Evie asked, her nose wrinkling up.
Bloodhound shrugged.“My mom.”
“Oh,” she whispered, biting her bottom lip.I fought a sigh, knowing she was trying her best not to smile.
Apparently, my twin had a crush.
