Chapter 9 Jackson
The suite is painfully quiet after Cassidy leaves.
I’m usually fine with silence, but this is the type of quiet that makes me uneasy. There are too many words left unspoken. Too many bottled up feelings waiting to explode.
Maybe we should’ve talked more about what happened and what to do next, but Cassidy was insistent on leaving. We’ll just have to keep our mouths shut and hope that Ryan doesn’t somehow find out that Cassidy was with us last night. Or the night before.
After the guys and I shower and get dressed, we head to the elevator and take it all the way down to the first floor, not saying a word. Saying anything about what happened outside of our suite feels too risky.
Like the damn walls are listening.
Tyler rubs the back of his neck, looking more uneasy than usual. If anyone can shake off their nerves, it’s usually him.
Marcus doesn’t even look like he’s mentally present in this moment. He’s stuck in his own head.
The elevator dings before the doors slide open.
“Relax, you two,” I mutter before leading them out into the hallway that connects the lobby and the lounge.
“Think she’ll talk to us again?” Tyler asks as we cross through the lounge to get to the back door that leads out to the pool.
“I doubt she’ll just ignore us,” Marcus replies. “We have to talk about what happened, right?”
I pause at the door and turn to them. “If she doesn’t want to, we’re not going to.”
Marcus frowns, but he nods.
Tyler sighs. “I wish last night didn’t end. It was way more fun than this.”
Last night can’t happen again. I agree with Cassidy, even if part of me doesn’t want to. I owe it to Ryan to keep my promise from here on out.
Together, the three of us step out of the building and walk around the large, curved pool, passing by tables under large umbrellas where people are eating breakfast from one of the resort’s luxury restaurants.
“Hey!” Ryan calls out to us from a round table where he, Derek, and two other friends are already seated.
I nod to him and take a seat across from him and Derek, my jaw immediately clenching at the sight of the best man. I already wasn’t a fan of him because he’s overly cocky, but I especially don’t care for him now that I know how much he hurt Cassidy.
“Morning,” Derek says to us, black shades resting on the bridge of his nose. He wears a bright orange Hawaiian shirt that’s as loud and obnoxious as he is.
I grunt in response, busying myself with staring at the menu.
“When did you guys get back to the hotel?” Tyler asks, doing what he does best and alleviating the tension.
“Probably around midnight,” Ryan replies, sweeping his hand over his light brown hair as he relaxes back in his chair.
“Where did you three run off to?” Derek questions us.
I briefly glance at Marcus and Tyler, all of us waiting for the other to speak up first.
Luckily, the waitress comes by to take drink orders, so none of us have to say anything for a minute.
“Did you sneak off with some of the bridesmaids?” Derek asks once the waitress walks off, his eyebrow lifting.
Why can’t he mind his own business?
“No, we headed back to our suite before we caught a hangover like the groom,” I tell him pointedly, my eyes piercing his.
“I think the wedding should be a dry event,” Tyler says with a playful glint in his eyes.
Laughter surrounds the table, and I force a half-smile on my face.
“Well, look at what we have here.”
I look over my shoulder to see Sarah and her bridesmaids walking toward us. I scan their group for Cassidy, but she’s nowhere to be seen.
Shit. Did we spook her so bad that she won’t even show her face?
“Hey, beautiful,” Ryan greets his fiancé with a starry look on his face.
Sarah smiles and bounds over to him to kiss him. “Looks like both our planners had the same idea for this morning.”
“Join us,” Ryan says, motioning to the seat next to him. “We can push that table over there closer to us.”
I stand with the other guys to drag a nearby table over, both of our groups mixing together to sit and talk as the waitress comes by with our drinks.
“I’m here!”
I turn again, my body freezing at the sight of Cassidy hurrying our way.
The moment her eyes land on me, her steps slow. For a second, I expect her to turn on her heel and run away, but she continues toward us.
Looking as beautiful as ever.
“Hey, sit over here!” Ryan calls out to her, motioning to the chair between Derek and Tyler.
Cassidy glances over at Derek for a millisecond before her eyes dart away. “I…um…”
“Move over,” I tell Tyler before standing up. “You can sit between me and Tyler.”
Tyler shifts to the next seat before giving Cassidy an inviting look. “We won’t bite.”
I nearly punch Tyler in the arm for that comment, but I focus on getting Cassidy comfortable enough to sit down. She looks like a deer in headlights right now, and I don’t want her brother to get suspicious.
“Right. Thanks,” Cassidy says before sitting down between us, her hands breezing over her dress where it covers her thighs. She glances between Tyler and me. “Good morning.”
I would laugh if it didn't draw more attention to us. She’s way too wound up to come off as casual.
“Morning,” Tyler says before catching the attention of the waitress. “Want a mimosa? I know you girls like mimosas.”
I smirk and shake my head, but I don’t say anything. I can trust Tyler to take over.
“That sounds nice,” Cassidy replies before taking a breath and straightening up as the waitress comes by. “Peach, please.”
“Twinsies,” Sarah says, flashing her best friend a smile. “Last night was so fun! You’ve planned the perfect weekend.”
“Should I even ask what kind of trouble you’ve been getting yourselves into?” Ryan teases her, his arm stretching out across the back of Sarah’s chair.
“You’ll see the photos on Instagram eventually,” Sarah quips before pecking him on the cheek.
“I take it Cassidy is a great maid of honor,” Ryan says, giving his sister a proud look.
“I think I’ve done alright,” Cassidy replies with a shrug.
She has always downplayed her own skills and accomplishments. I don’t know why.
“She has done amazing,” Sarah corrects her. “I’ve had so much fun. I can’t wait to get to Mexico!”
We got in so much trouble in only the span of a weekend here in Las Vegas. We really need to be on our best behavior in Mexico.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Ryan says, rubbing Sarah’s upper arm.
“You can get the tan you desperately need,” Cassidy tells her brother, sparking laughter from me and the others.
“He has always looked ghostly,” Tyler teases. “I’m glad you decided against a white tux for the wedding. That would’ve washed you out terribly.”
Ryan scoffs. “It would’ve been fine. It’s hard to beat a classic black tux.”
Tyler nods. “Exactly.”
If anyone is going to know anything about clothes, it’s the one out of our group who dresses the best.
I shift my attention to Derek, my jaw immediately clenching when I notice his eyes on her.
He looks like he’s deep in thought, which I don’t like. What if he’s scheming? He leans forward a little and opens his mouth to speak, but I’m faster.
“What is everyone ordering?” I ask before he can say a word to Cassidy.
People start telling me their orders, but the words pass right over my head. I’m too focused on Cassidy.
That’s probably more of an issue than I think it is.
“The weather has been perfect this weekend,” Marcus comments, keeping the conversation flowing.
“Yeah, what are you girls doing today?” Derek asks Cassidy, giving her what I assume is supposed to be a charming smile.
What the hell is he up to? Didn’t he dump her?
I start to sit forward to say something, but Cassidy’s hand grazes my knee under the table, making me pause.
“We’re going shopping,” Cassidy replies. “I just finished up a big project for work, so I’ve got some spending cash.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Sarah cheers, reaching across the table to squeeze Cassidy’s hands. “I’m getting that purse I’ve been raving about for weeks.”
A faint smirk crosses my face as I catch Cassidy’s subtle dig. She’s finding her footing again. We haven’t rattled her too much.
Derek’s grin turns stiff as the girls chat over him, and I pass Tyler and Marcus a satisfied look. I don’t want Derek to torment Cassidy any more than his presence already will during the wedding festivities.
Without even thinking, I place my hand on Cassidy’s thigh under the table.
Instead of smiling at me, Cassidy stiffens and pushes my hand away, her eyes widening. “What are you doing?”
Her panicked whisper hits me like a punch. She’s right. What the hell am I doing?
Ryan is sitting only a few feet away, and her ex-boyfriend is even closer and has a big mouth.
“Sorry,” I murmur under my breath, my eyes lowering to the table.
“I need to use the restroom,” Cassidy says, abruptly standing. “I’ll be right back.”
I frown to myself as she walks off, uneasiness stirring in my stomach. I thought pretending last night didn’t happen would be easier than this. I thought I’d be able to handle this with no issue. No slip ups. No confusion.
But I was wrong.
Marcus flashes me a confused look, and I can see the question in his eyes.
What happened?
I subtly shake my head before glancing away, only to get the same look from Tyler. If they don’t stop showing their emotions on their faces so much, Ryan is going to notice, and we’re really going to be in some hot water.
If things are tense right now, I can’t imagine how bad things are going to be when we’re all stuck together in Mexico for a week.