Tucker
“Who the fuck is that?”
I startle at the low sound of my brother’s voice beside me.
The crowd has been going crazy for Carson, so much so that I didn’t even notice Rhett standing beside me but one step back, just out of peripheral view.
The look on his face is almost cartoon-like.
His gaze is locked on the curvy brunette standing on stage, practically looking at her with heart eyes—awestruck.
I know she’s kind of a celebrity and all, but it’s not a star-struck look he’s got going—it’s more like a love at first sight look, which is far more terrifying.
I’ve never seen my brother look at someone like this, ever.
“Your future wife, by the looks of it.”
Dec takes the words right out of my mouth, almost making me choke on a mouthful of whiskey. I hadn’t realized he’d noticed Rhett, and by the way his jaw practically unhinges, Rhett hadn’t noticed, either.
“Oh he’s got jokes,” he finally replies, deadpan. Turning back to me, he asks quietly, “Seriously, who is that?” His eyes flicker back to the stage.
“That’s our headliner—Carson Avery. Gracie’s best friend, and the hottest new name in country music.”
Rhett doesn’t respond. He just focuses his attention solely on the stage.
Dec wanders round to my other side, smirking. “Fuckin’ hell, Tuck. Is this how Rhett looks when he’s in love?”
“If it is, I wouldn’t know. As far as I know, the grumpy bastard’s never been in love.”
We both look back at my brother and stifle laughter.
“He hasn’t moved a damn muscle,” Dec whisper-shouts loud enough for me to hear through the music, but quiet enough that Rhett doesn’t hear.
Although I doubt he’d hear much right now, unless the woman on stage was saying it.
“Hell, I don’t even think he’s blinked.”
I slap a hand on my brother’s shoulder, pulling him from his fixation. “Let’s get you a drink, hey?” Rhett merely nods.
Dec and I duck through the crowd and back to the bar, neither of us able to stop looking back at my brother.
“The funniest thing about this is that the guy’s fallen in love with someone who doesn’t even know he exists,” Dec says with a laugh as we reach the bar.
Despite the crowd, it doesn’t take long for Sully, the bartender and one of Hudson’s best friends, to get to us. “Three whiskeys. Thanks, Sully.”
“You’ve got it, Tuck,” he replies with a glance at his watch.
“Almost home time?”
“Knock off time, yeah. But the night is young, Tuckster, and so am I.” His devilish grin is wide, reminding me of Hudson when he’s about to get up to no good. I roll my eyes at his choice of nickname, another reminder of Hudson.
“You two really are two peas in a fucking pod.”
“We like to think of ourselves as brothers separated at birth—"
“Because no mother should be burdened by two perfect sons,” Hudson, appearing beside me, finishes Sully’s sentence.
“Now the fucking party is here!” Sully hoots, and the two of them do their weird ass handshake across the bar. They’ve been doing it for years, but it still baffles me every time.
Hudson turns to me with his dimply grin. “Tuckster,” he says, then to Dec, “Deccy.”
Dec rolls his eyes and claps a hand on Hudson’s shoulder. “That fucking nickname has to go.”
“On the contrary, Deccy, I reckon it’s the best one you’ve got. More people should use it.”
“We really shouldn’t have let you fall off so many bulls at such a young age,” Rhett says as he rejoins us back at the bar, the stars in his eyes still glittering from looking at Carson for so long. “Your frontal lobe might’ve fully developed then.”
Four laughs cut through the sound of the music, leaving Hudson staring daggers at the rest of us. “What the fuck, Sully? You’re supposed to be on my side at least.”
“I’m laughing with you, I swear.”
“I ain’t laughing,” he deadpans. I try so hard to hold in my laugh, but the serious look on Hudson’s face is fucking priceless.
It bubbles to the surface and I try to cover it with a cough, but Hudson narrows his eyes at me, clearly not buying it.
Just as I think I’ve got it under control, he all but snarls at me, and I completely lose it, doubling over with a wheeze.
“You guys suck, you know that?” he says with a huff. “You’ll regret this. I’ll see you out there, Sully.” And with that, he turns on his heel and stalks into the crowd.
“I better go make sure his feelings ain’t hurt,” Sully says with a clap on my shoulder before following Hudson and disappearing into the throng of people.
“Y’all are one hell of a crowd, thanks for having me!” Carson takes a bow and practically skips off the stage to a raucous of cheers and applause, then straight into the arms of the girls.
As the lights turn to party mode and the house music kicks back on, the dance floor becomes impossibly busier.
The crowd is larger than normal, even for a Friday, so it takes a second to spot Gracie again.
Her and the girls have made it back to the bar.
She gives me an almost timid smile as we lock eyes.
I’m contemplating whether to approach her when Carson calls out.
“Tucker! Hey!” She waves, and then ushers me over. “Bring the gang, too.”
“You heard the woman, let’s go.” Rhett looks at me like I’ve grown a second head, and Dec and Sonny just smirk.
“That means you, too, Rhett,” Dec says with a playful shove on Rhett’s shoulder.
He blinks, stunned, before grabbing his beer and muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like, damn fool.
I can’t tell if he’s talking about Dec, me, or himself, but I figure it’s best not to find out.
By the time the three of us make it to the bar, the girls have already been joined by Hudson and Sully.
“Oh goodie, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Hudson.” I clap my baby brother on the back. “You two up to no good?”
Hudson shrugs me off, grumbling about something I can’t quite hear. Before I can ask what’s troubling him, Carson addresses our group of eight.
“Alright, y’all, shots are on me!” This gets a whoop from the girls and Hudson, while Rhett, Dec, Sonny and I just eye each other.
It’s been a damn minute since any of us have taken a shot, but Carson insists, encouraging each of us to grab a milky brown shot off the bar top.
“Bottoms up,” she says before slinging back the suspicious looking liquid.
Whit, Kenny, and Gracie follow suit, and I have to suppress a chuckle when the latter coughs and shakes her head after downing hers.
The guys and I glance at one another before Rhett says, “Fuck it,” and throws his back. Dec and I do the same, and the sweetness shocks me into a near coughing fit.
“What the fuck was that?” I ask, still clearing my throat.
Carson cackles as she turns toward me. “That, Tucker, was a little something the folks down under refer to as a Cock Sucking Cowboy.” She glances at Rhett.
“There’s plenty more where that came from if you think you can handle it,” she says with a wink at him before turning back to the girls.
It’s not a moment too soon, because Rhett almost brings his shot right back up.
“You good?” I ask. “Because you look damn near green.”
“I—I’m good. I’m gonna get some air.” He moves swiftly toward the doors, but my attention is diverted by a bunch of familiar blonde locks on the dance floor.
She’s now dancing with the girls, a huge grin on her face.
Carefree looks good on her. Satisfied that she’s having a good time, I turn back around to the guys, but stop short.
Doing a double take, my blood boils when I clock the two guys dancing right alongside them—Hudson and Sully.
I wouldn’t typically say I’m a jealous person, but when Sully puts his hands on Gracie’s waist and leans in, whispering something in her ear that makes her laugh, I’m about as jealous as they come. I’d love to know what he ate this morning that gave him the fucking audacity to touch my girl.
Kennedy laughs at my youngest brother, who looks as though he’s trying to show off with some two-step variation he’s picked up from a viral video.
It’s too bad he’s as uncoordinated as they come in regards to dancing, otherwise he might’ve stood a chance.
I can’t imagine the former Miss USA would be impressed by sub-par dance moves from a wannabe cowboy.
I love the kid, but he just can’t dance.
My gaze returns to Gracie, and suddenly Hudson is the least of my worries.
Sully, who’s diaper I once changed when our moms needed a hand, is standing too close for fucking comfort and beaming down at her.
As though he knows I’m watching, he leans in close to her face and seemingly whispers something to her, his hand resting on her bicep.
Every inch of my body is on fire, my blood on the verge of boiling, when she looks up at him and laughs.
“That kid has some nerve.” Dec’s voice comes from behind me, followed by a low whistle.
“Damn right he does,” Rhett replies, appearing at my side. “Tuck, you gonna go get your girl or what?”
I whip my head around to find him smirking at me. There’s no point in arguing that she isn’t my girl anymore, because they’d see right through my bullshit—she never really stopped being mine.
“Damn right I am.” I watch the kid like a hawk as I approach, storming through the crowd like they don’t exist.
“Tuckster, hey! How good is it to have Grace here back home, huh?” He wraps his arm around her shoulders and smiles. “It sure is great to catch up.”
My stare hones in on where his skin touches hers, before shooting up to Sully’s smiling face. “That’s my girl you’ve got your arm around there, Michaels.”
“Oh shit, didn’t realize y’all were back together. Good for you.”
Gracie gapes at me briefly before snapping her mouth shut. She turns away, attempting to hide the growing grin. Grabbing his hand, she lifts it off her shoulder and twirls out of his reach and to my side. She doesn’t say anything, instead sliding her hand into mine.