Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

SPENCER

I sat on the couch with my feet propped up on the coffee table. In one hand was the remote and in the other was a hoagie. There was a football game on the TV, but I wasn't really paying attention. My phone kept drawing my eyes. I was waiting for a text from Marlow.

She was supposed to be sending me a picture of the new dishes she bought after Dakota threw his temper tantrum. I wasn't necessarily interested in what her new dishes looked like, but if she wanted to share it with me, I was all ears. I liked that she wanted to share it with me. That was what friends did.

When the phone chirped and then chirped again and again, I smiled. It was the pictures I was waiting for.

There were three in total. The first was a close-up of a dainty china plate with a baby blue rim and gold floral patterns along the edge. The second was an image of wine glasses and tumblers, all shiny under the flash. The last was a wide shot of her dinner table laid out with her new collection. I didn't know shit about dishes, but she was clearly happy with her purchases, and that meant I liked them just fine.

I quickly typed out a response, praising her for her excellent taste. She replied with a picture of a shot glass with the Statue of Liberty on it.

I laughed. "Too easy."

She had been disappointed to see a lot of her glasses broken, but she was determined to replace them with new memories attached.

I offered to replace them with ones I found on eBay, but she wouldn't have any part of it. She insisted it was cheating and had no value. I had to agree. Putting the phone down, I tried to watch the game, but it felt like one long string of commercials. I wasn't really seeing it.

Not long after, my phone rang. I glanced down, hoping it would be Marlow, only to see Graham's name on the screen. I stared at the phone, debating whether or not I wanted to answer it. Things were still a little off between me and the guys. I didn't know where we stood.

"Hello?" I answered with some reservation.

"We're going to get a beer later," he said. "Same place as usual. See you around five?"

That was an unexpected invitation. Was it going to be another intervention? Their idea of tough love was a little tougher than I was up for.

"Who?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" he shot back with a laugh. "All of us. Don't be a dick. Just be there. It's been too long since we got a beer and ate garbage food."

No shit and whose fault was that?

"I'll see you then," I said and ended the call.

That was strange. They were always busy on the weekends with their new families. We used to go out every weekend. We would party on Saturday and watch whatever game was on TV while drinking beer and eating hot wings on Sunday. It had been a while since we did that. Everyone was busy—except me. That was part of my issue. We'd been like brothers for years. Our lives were all intertwined. We worked together, hung out together, and did everything together. And then one by one they found the loves of their lives and I was forgotten.

But I couldn't be bitter. I was happy for them. It was just a bummer I wouldn't have that life. It just wasn't for me.

When it was time, I found myself heading to the usual bar. I was grateful they invited me at all, given the tension between all of us over the last couple of months. I needed to talk to them, clear the air, and explain myself. The guilt of my recent behavior had been eating at me, and I couldn't put it off any longer.

When I arrived, they were already at our usual spot, a corner booth with a view of the TVs and enough space for all of us to spread out. Derrick, Jax, Graham, Max, and Sebastian greeted me with head nods and raised glasses.

"Look who decided to show up," Derrick said, raising his beer in a mock toast. "The prodigal son returns."

I chuckled, sliding into the booth. "Yeah, yeah."

"Let's get the man a beer," Jax said. "You need to catch up."

The waitress came over and took my order before disappearing into the crowd. She returned quickly, knowing she was going to get one hell of a tip. I took a long sip of the cold beer, feeling the foam tickle my upper lip. It was good to be back with the guys, even if there was an unspoken tension lingering in the air.

"Thanks for calling me," I said. "I'm guessing you guys thought twice about it."

" I sure as hell did," Sebastian said with a grin.

That was fair. I deserved it.

"I know I've been a bit of an ass lately," I said. "That's actually why I wanted to get together a couple of weeks ago. We need to talk."

Jax leaned back, crossing his arms. "This should be good."

I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. I wasn't going to grovel. That just wasn't in my nature, but I did owe them an explanation and an apology.

"I'll just come right out and say it," I said. "I've been jealous and confused, and I let it get the better of me. I don't know if I resent you guys for what you have or if I want it for myself. All I know is that… well, I know nothing."

That made them chuckle. Graham patted me on the shoulder. "We appreciate you taking accountability, man. It's not easy."

"Yeah, and it's not like we haven't noticed something's been up," Max added. "So what's changed?"

I hesitated, feeling a bit exposed. "Marlow."

Derrick slapped his palm on the table. "Ha! I knew it. What's the story?"

I took another sip of my beer, feeling the weight of their gazes on me. It was strange to reveal such personal details to them, but I knew they deserved to know the truth.

"Marlow, she's different," I began slowly, trying to find the right words. "She doesn't fit into any mold. She's not like the women we used to chase at bars or swipe right on dating apps. She challenges me, makes me question everything I thought I wanted."

The guys exchanged looks. Graham leaned forward, his expression serious. "Sounds like the way each of us has felt with our women."

I filled them in on everything that had happened with Dakota this past weekend, how my instincts took over, and how I realized all I wanted was to make sure Marlow was safe, happy, and loved by someone who deserved her love in return.

All of the guys nodded, apparently understanding.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "So, what's the plan now? Are you going to pursue her?"

I took a moment to think about it, swirling the remaining beer in my glass. "I don't know yet. I have a lot to figure out."

Graham chuckled. "Yeah, you do."

"She invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at her parents' house," I told them.

That earned a round of teasing.

"First it's Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then Valentine's," Derrick said, grinning. "And after that? It's forever."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but smile. "Come on, guys. It's not like that."

"Isn't it?" Jax leaned forward, his expression serious. "You can deny all you want, but we see it."

"Yeah, you fight like lovers," Graham said.

"And you protect her like she's your girl," Derrick added.

"She challenges you to be better," Max chimed in.

"And she's smarter than you," Sebastian said, making everyone laugh. "All the key ingredients for a soulmate."

"Fuck off," I teased. "But you're probably right."

"I know I'm right," Sebastian replied.

"So the situation with her ex," Graham said, shifting the tone of the conversation. "You said her brother let him in."

"Yeah." I nodded. "They go way back. Rhett's a good guy, but he is nonconfrontational. He doesn't like to be mean or rude. He was trying to be nice to Dakota. He's na?ve. Dakota used him to get to Marlow and he let it happen."

The waitress delivered a fresh round of beers. I took another drink, thinking about Dakota and what he had done. It made my blood boil just thinking about it.

"Did you knock out the brother?" Derrick asked.

"No, but I considered it." I shook my head. "It was a chaotic situation."

"Isn't that going to be awkward?" Max asked.

I frowned. "What?"

"Going to Thanksgiving dinner with him sitting at the table," Jax answered. "Did Marlow make up with her brother?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I think you're right. It might be awkward."

"Do her parents know?" Graham asked.

"I have no idea," I answered. "I've been there for Marlow, but I'm letting her handle the family side of things."

"You care about her," Jax said, his tone more serious now.

"Yeah, I do," I admitted. "More than I realized."

Jax nodded. "Hell yeah, man. Good for you."

"So what's the plan?" Graham asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know yet. I'm just trying to take it one step at a time. First, Thanksgiving. After that, who knows?"

"Just make sure you don't screw it up," Max said with a grin. "She's too good for that."

"I know," I said. "And I won't. Not this time."

The guys nodded in understanding. "I don't think any of us can claim we handled our relationships perfectly," Sebastian said. "We all nearly screwed things up. More than once."

"Good point." Max nodded. "It's easy to forget now, but we all had bumpy roads to our happy endings."

"Marlow seems like someone you would want to fight for," Graham said quietly. "Someone worth putting aside the usual fears and giving a chance."

"She is, but I still have some concern about whether I'm worthy of her giving me a chance," I said. "I'm not like you guys. I don't know what a relationship looks like. I don't do the committed thing."

They all exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.

"No shit," Derrick said.

"Hello?" Sebastian laughed. "I think out of all of us, I was the biggest commitment-phobe. It's a learn as you go kind of thing. None of us did it right. Thankfully, we all had good women to show us the error of our ways."

"And Marlow is that woman for you," Jax said.

"She's confident and sassy," Graham chimed in. "She's not going to be afraid to keep your ass in line. Which is exactly what you need."

"I guess I could use a little ass-kicking to keep me in check." I chuckled, feeling a warmth spread through me at the thought of Marlow's fiery spirit. "But seriously, she's something special. I've never met anyone like her."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Then I'd say you better make a move before someone else snatches her up."

"Thanksgiving is coming up fast," Derrick pointed out, breaking through my thoughts. "If you've got beef with the brother, you should probably work it out before you show up at the dinner table."

"We mostly settled it," I told them. "I'm still pissed at him, but we worked it out. But if he says anything or tries to convince her to give that asshole another chance, I will break his other leg."

They laughed, but I was half serious. I hoped he knew better because if Klaus knew what happened, Rhett was going to be answering to a scarier guy than me.

We stayed at the bar for a while longer, drinking beer and eating junk food that would clog our arteries one day. It was a nice change from the tension and frustration that had been dominating my life lately. By the time we called it a night, I felt good. Really good. It had been a rough time, but I had clear eyes.

"See you guys at work," I said. "Unless you're all bailing."

"I'll be there Monday, but then I'm taking the rest of the week off," Sebastian said.

I nodded, understanding they had families to spend the holiday with. I took a cab home and crawled into bed. For the first time in a while, I was looking forward to tomorrow.