Page 145 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
“I don’t wanna look pretty,” Gracie said. “I wanna look like a badass. Cause I am.”
“Yeah? What’s so badass about you?”
She stopped dancing and put her hands on her hips. “I can ride a dirt bike like nobody’s business, that’s what.”
“You’re not that good,” Levi said, inserting himself into the conversation. He was wearing his bowtie like a headband, and his dirt-streaked button-down had a rip in it. He looked like he’d just stumbled out of a bar and gotten into a street fight. The kid was only seven. “But you sure do love to brag about it,” he scoffed.
“Shut up!” Gracie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Iamgood. Uncle Jesse said so.”
“He was just tryin’ to make you feel good on account of you being a crybaby girl.” Levi bit into a chocolate-covered strawberry the size of my fist. Juice dribbled down his chin.
Gracie glared at her brother. “You take that back.”
“Nope. Just statin’ the facts. Speakin’ my truth like Uncle Brody always says I should.”
“You’re just a big fat liar. Ugh. You make me so mad, I could just….” Her hands clenched into fists, and yep, she punched him.
He retaliated by smashing the rest of his chocolate-covered strawberry on her dress and rubbing it in. “You’re just lucky Dad says I’m not allowed to hit a girl ‘cause I’d deck ya.” He rubbed his fists against his eye sockets. “Boohoo, little crybaby girl.”
I probably should have acted like an adult and told them that fighting never solved anything, but I wasn’t a hypocrite, so I let Jude’s kids duke it out and headed to the bar on the other side of the dance floor. I needed a drink like I needed the oxygen I breathed.
Why? Because of Evie. The woman drove me to drink.
“How’s it going, Uncle Ridge?” This from Noah, who was sidled up to the bar, swirling the drink in his hand like it was a fine whiskey. Unlike his little brother, Noah’s bow tie was looped around his neck, and he was still wearing his suit jacket.
“It’s all good. What’s your poison?”
“Jack and Coke.” He flashed me a white smile.
“Good try.” I ordered a beer and a shot of Cuervo for myself and another Coke for Noah.
“Maybe you should just tell her how you feel.”
“Who?” I handed him his drink, downed my shot, and asked for another. I’d have my fun now because once training started, I was giving up alcohol until the season ended.
“The girl you keep staring at. Your old girlfriend.”
“I’ve barely noticed her.”
Noah snorted. “Sure, you haven’t.”
He was twelve years old and had all the answers. Must be nice.
“Interesting,” Noah said. He was facing the dance floor. I had my back turned to it. “Every time you look away, she’s looking at you.”
I pushed my hand through my hair and sighed. “Yeah, we’ve been playing this game for a long time. Guess we’re both pretty good at it.”
“Why don’t you just tell her you love her?”
“It’s not that easy.” Nothing about Evie and me had ever been easy.
I watched her talking and laughing with Quinn’s brothers at a table by the dance floor. When her eyes met mine, I lifted my beer in a toast and took a long pull. Then I watched her leave her seat and skirt the dance floor, heading directly toward me in a long silky dress that showed a glimpse of bare thigh when she walked.
Sexy. Smoldering. Raven-black hair, legs for miles, and those green eyes that could sear a hole right through my damn chest.
She moved like a lioness hunting its prey. Graceful. Predatory. Dangerous.
She’d gotten her claws in me a long time ago, and I’d spent the past four and a half years trying to shake them free. But no matter how much time and distance separated us, I doubted that it would ever happen.
