Mr. Big Jerk: A Forbidden Second Chance Romance (Kinda Cocky Series Book 3), стр. 14
I flipped through my suits. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“I’m not sure where Roxy stormed off to, but the rest of us are in this back private room eating cake and the food we ordered. Just come find us when you get here.”
Or find Roxy. “Got it.”
“See you soon, Clint.”
“Yep.”
I shook my head as I tossed my cell phone onto the bed. If they wanted me to come out that badly, I would. But, I wouldn't stay if it was only going to make Roxy’s night worse. I wanted to know more about the fight, though. I wanted to know if she stood up for herself because I knew what was bothering her. Roxy had always been easy to read. And with training in the Navy regarding non-verbal body language, it only made her easier to figure out on a daily basis.
I knew things about Roxy she probably didn’t know I knew.
So, maybe I could play that to my advantage tonight.
7
Roxy
I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Roxy?”
I sighed. “What, Kelly?”
“Can we talk?”
I shrugged. “Sure, why not. It’s only my birthday.”
Karina sat down beside me. “Me, too. I want to talk.”
I nodded. “At least I have you guys here now.”
I gazed up at the dark night sky as I stood on the small back patio of the casino. There was no one sitting out here except for a very drunk man that needed to be taken home, and I wanted the space. I wanted silence because I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted to stay for the rest of my party.
“So, I’ve been thinking,” Karina said.
I nodded. “Usually, a good thing.”
Kelly scoffed. “Roxy, come on.”
I looked over at my sister. “I’m not making this easy on either of you guys. Because you haven't made it easy on me.”
Karina took my hand. “We know.”
I looked over at her. “Do you?”
Kelly rubbed my back. “Well, we know now.”
I sighed. “Fair enough.”
Karina scooted closer to me. “It wasn’t fair of Kelly and me to take all of those trips and do all of those things behind your back. We should’ve invited you, even if we knew the answer would be ‘no.’”
I looked over at her. “What if I would’ve said ‘yes’?”
She smiled. “Then, we would’ve loved having you there.”
I shrugged. “Why not invite me in the first place?”
Kelly wrapped her arm around me. “Because sometimes--and don’t take this the wrong way--it’s just nice to spend time with someone else who’s also with someone longterm. You know, so we can bitch and moan and complain without you reminding us constantly how lucky we are.”
I snickered. “Well, you two are lucky. And you should stop bitching and moaning about stupid shit.”
Karina kissed my temple. “That’s exactly the reason why we didn’t invite you.”
I stood up. “I’m heading inside.”
Kelly shot up. “You’re not listening to us.”
I pointed at her. “And you’re not listening to me.”
Karina wiggled in between us. “Yes, we are. We are listening. You feel left out because we’re your two best friends who, all of a sudden, are doing more things together without inviting you. And now, we’re out here celebrating your birthday even though we’ve spent more time with our guys than with you.”
I blinked. “Okay, maybe you’re finally listening.”
Karina took my hands in hers. “Now, listen to us, okay?”
Kelly nodded. “Please?”
I sighed. “Fine. Whatever.”
Karina drew in a deep breath. “Kelly and I are in dedicated relationships. Hell, I’m a mother now, Roxy. And I know things happened fast. I know we didn’t get a lot of time just the three of us when I first moved here. But, there are some things about our lives you don’t understand anymore. And that’s not a bad thing! It just is what it is. So, when I fight with Zane or when Kelly fights with Brenden, it’s easier for us to call up one another and go out on a whim because we get where the other is coming from. That’s all.”
I looked over at my sister. “That’s all?”
Kelly nodded. “We promise you, that’s all that’s happening.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay. I can accept that.”
Karina smiled. “So, you forgive us?”
I held up my finger. “I said I can accept it. No one said anything about forgiveness yet.”
Kelly giggled before she hugged me tightly. “I love you, too, Roxy.”
I hugged her. “Come on, let’s get back inside. I need another drink after this.”
We quickly fell back into the same routines, though. Kelly gravitated back to Brenden, and Karina found her way back to Zane. I sat at the head of the table, alone, while the rest of them sat on either side of me, talking and laughing and eating. I stared at the wall while the girls giggled over a joke Zane told. I ignored Brenden while he told his mindless stories about stupid shit we knew wasn’t true.
Well, that didn’t last long.
“Roxy?” Kelly asked.
I looked over at her. “Hmmm?”
“Did you hear me?”
I blinked. “Hear what?”
“I asked if you were all right.”
I furrowed my brow. “I’m fine. Why?”
Karina piped up. “You just look a bit bored.”
My eyes widened. “Bored? Hell, no. I’m just in a weird place right now, that’s all. I’ll get over it.”
Zane focused on me. “Anything we can do to help?”
Brenden stood up. “You want another drink or something?”
I waved my hand at them. “It’s fine, sit down and enjoy yourselves. I’m fine, I promise.”
Zane sat back down. “So, how are things going at Clint’s company?”
Brenden interjected. “He means, how do you like your job?”
I nodded. “It’s a nice job. I’ve gotten the hang of things, and it pays me enough to cover my bills.”
Karina smiled. “That sounds fantastic.”
Kelly giggled. “I knew you’d enjoy that job. And you were so weird about taking it before.”
Brenden paused. “Really? Why? I thought she was perfectly suited for the job.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want you guys to kiss my ass, you know. All I want is for things to go back to the way they were.”
Silence fell over the table as