6. Brooke
6
***Brooke***
I laughed and wiped my eyes as tears leaked down my cheeks. “She wouldn’t let me stay! She was in the middle of sex with some guy named Jimmy and I didn’t get the vibe she was stopping because of me.”
“Jimmy?” Noah let out a bark of laughter. “The only Jimmy I know is Jimmy Day.”
Horror nearly gagged me. I sat up straight and shook my head hard enough to make my hair fly around my face. “I only saw his ass and his very, very hairy thighs. Maybe some age spots. It couldn’t be Principal Day. Not even my mother would do that to me.”
“You saw Principal Day’s bare ass.” Logan snorted. “Serves you right. Everyone knows you can’t surprise Crazy Daisy.”
I took another shot and raised my eyebrows when it didn’t make me cringe. “I think I’m good and drunk.”
“That means it’s time for the invasive questions.” Noah sank into the couch next to me and smiled. His dimples were out in spectacular fashion. “Why’d you say yes to Finn Love?”
I groaned and flopped back on the couch. “I don’t know. It would’ve been awkward to say no.”
“You’re kidding.” Colt let out a bark of laughter. “No fucking way did you almost get married because saying no would’ve been awkward.”
I winced. “People were watching. And I left in the middle of getting my degree in art to chase him to Atlanta. I felt like I was fully in at that point. Because surely I wasn’t stupid enough to give up my dreams to chase a guy I didn’t even like all that much.”
Whistling, Logan sat on my other side and patted my head. “You really should see about getting your taste in men fixed.”
“Shit. Remember when she thought she was in love with Larry Banks?” Colt shook his head and took a swig straight from the bottle. “That guy nearly got you arrested on drug charges.”
“Oh, god. Yeah, he did. He told me the cops wouldn’t charge me because I was young and pretty. Even though I knew what he was saying was bullshit, I just smiled and went along with it.”
“And when you dated Kevin Norman? He was dating half of the high school but you swore up and down he was the love of your life.” Noah let out a quiet laugh. “And then you thought you were meant to be with that twenty-year-old you saw at the gas station begging for money for beer?”
I held up my hands. “Stop! I get it. I have terrible taste in men. The worst. I should never be able to pick a guy again.”
“I just don’t know how you get it wrong every time. There has to be something misfiring in your brain.” Colt sat across from me on the coffee table. “Have you considered a transplant?”
I stretched my leg out and lightly kicked his knee. “I get it. I’m an idiot with god awful taste. I’d just like to point out that I picked you three one night. What does that say about you?”
“Oh, we’re going to talk about that?” Logan grinned and fully turned to me. “This will be fun.”
I put my hands over my face. “Nope. Pretend I didn’t bring it up.”
Noah pulled my hands from my face and held them against my thigh. “Oh, no. You brought it up. For the record, we were the only good choice you ever made when it comes to men.”
A wave of heat hit me. “I kept my virginity until that night, so maybe I’m smarter than we’re all assuming.”
The memory seemed to pass over us and leave a tension that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I chewed on my lip and looked down at where Noah was still holding my hands. The heat from his hand seeped into my thigh and I felt an answering tingle between my legs.
I wondered if they were thinking about the same things as I was. The tree house we’d done it in had been a little too small and we were crammed in so tight that when Colt had taken my virginity Noah and Logan were both right there with me, kissing me and holding me. I’d never felt anything like it before or after. What probably should’ve been a night of debauchery ended up being the most loved and safe I’d ever felt in my life. That had been terrifying at eighteen and it was still terrifying nearly a decade later.
Logan cleared his throat when the silent tension stretched on for too long. “Maybe you should let someone else choose men for you.”
I snorted and just like that, the moment passed. Grinning, I pulled my hands from Noah’s and took another shot. “Who? Who’s going to choose a man for me?”
“Okay, maybe choosing a man for you would be weird but we should coach you on how to pick a good man.” He grinned back at me. “After all, two out of three of us are coaches now. Coaches of champion teams, by the way.”
“You think you’re going to coach me on how to choose a good man? Got a lot of experience in picking good men, Logan?” I laughed when he bumped me with his shoulder. “Congrats on playing ball good.”
“You’re a brat. Playing ball good? Really?” Noah looked over my head at Logan. “She clearly needs help.”
“I do not.” When they all stared back at me, I sighed. “Okay, I need help.”
“Okay.” Logan rubbed his hands together, looking a little too eager.
I sat up straighter and looked at the three of them. “No. I wasn’t being serious. You three aren’t going to coach me on how to choose a man. That’s weird. It’s weird, right?”
Colt leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, putting his face closer to mine. “If not us, then who?”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Anyone! Aunt Karlene! My mom! Literally anyone but the three of you.”
“Okay, I’m starting to be offended.” Standing up so he could pace, Noah put his hands on his hips and stared down at me. “We know you. It’s been a long time, but we know the basics. We’re decent men so we know what other decent men act like. We’re the perfect people to search out a man for you.”
I snorted. “Except for the fact that I’m pretty sure Colt hates me and you and Logan have every right to, as well. How do I know you won’t try to set me up with a serial killer? Just take me right out.”
Colt rolled his eyes. “Good to know you’re still dramatic as fuck.”
I threw my hands up. “Fine. Coach me. Teach me how to find a decent man. And remember, I’m only agreeing to this because I’m drunk and today was my wedding day.”
“Does that make sense?” Logan rubbed his jaw. “Pretty sure it doesn’t.”
“Just coach me, dammit.”
“Not here. We need to go to the bar.” He stood up and then looked at my outfit. “Okay, that’s not going to work.”
I nodded my head at Colt. “He’s insulting your clothes.”
“He’s insulting the way you look in my clothes.”
I felt my lip threaten to stick out in a pout but caught it and reminded myself that it didn’t matter if Colt didn’t think I looked good in his clothes. I was just trying to make things less painful when we inevitably ran into each other around town. That’s the only reason I’d shown up at their doorstep. “I guess we’re not going to the bar, then, because that dress is the only item of clothing I have with me.”
Noah raised his brows. “We’re going.”