Free Whiskey Kisses by Addison Moore Page A

right?” She gives a quick wink over to him.
    “You’re both funny.” Holt shakes his head at his brother as if he were ready to gift him a new orifice.
    “Who says he’s second?” I tease.
    Holt locks his gaze over mine with a sly smile building on his face. For a second it’s just the two of us in the room, stealing a private moment.
    Laney and Ryder breeze over. Her hair is up with a waterfall of curls rippling to the side. She’s wearing a strapless mint green gown that finishes off that princess effect.
    “Laney!” I give her a quick hug. “You look stunning.” I pull back and take her in as tears blur my vision. Laney is beautiful and whole—normal in every way. I thank God every day she escaped our childhood untainted by the bullshit that went on behind the scenes. I did exactly what my father asked and made sure Laney was safe. I would have killed to protect her—almost did. Sometimes I wish I would have, although the fear of a prison sentence kept me from committing a felony. Ironic since here I am with my invisible bars, caging me in wherever I go.
    Laney steps in and slings a perfumed arm over my shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”
    “I’m fine.” I look to Ryder. “I hope you know what a lucky guy you are. Don’t even think of hurting my baby sister, or I’ll have to hunt you down.”
    A light laugh rolls through our circle, but I meant every word.
    “Let’s do this.” Bryson nods over at Ryder. They each take a hold of their respective girlfriends and navigate their way to the makeshift stage. Ryder picks up the mike, and a shrill of feedback whistles through the bar.
    “Hello.” He blows into it, and the room pops with the noise. “First, I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight to celebrate this truly joyous occasion. I can’t think of anything more important to me than joining with Laney in holy matrimony. The big day is just a few short weeks away, and I don’t think we’ll stop celebrating until we’re old and gray.” The crowd breaks out in a collective sigh. “There’s another reason we called you here. Bryson and Baya, our good friends, have made a decision about their own big day. I’ll hand the mike over to Bryson so he can let you in on that.”
    Holt looks to me a moment.
    “You know anything about this?” I whisper.
    “Not a clue. But I wondered what my parents were doing here. And I think I’m about to find out.”
    “Thank you, Ryder.” Bryson takes a deep breath. “Baya has been a saving grace to me from the moment I met her. It wasn’t long after that I figured out I couldn’t live without her. As most of you know, we’ve been engaged now since February.”
    Baya leans into the mike. “Valentine’s Day.”
    Another collective aww circles the room.
    “And”—he picks up Baya’s hand—“we’ve decided to tie the knot this summer as well.”
    Laney and Baya jump with excitement as if their heels were on springs. Here it comes.
    “We’ve agreed that we’re going to go ahead with a double wedding.”
    The room breaks out in cheers. An entire mob of people crash around them, and the music starts up overhead.
    “Wow.” I turn to Holt—“that’s pretty wild. Your brother and my sister, same bat time, same bat channel.”
    “Who would have thought?” He forces a smile to come and go, but Holt looks sucker-punched far more than he does happy.
    “Don’t you like Baya?”
    “Yes. Baya is perfect for my brother. Trust me, he test drove enough girls to confirm this theory.” Holt’s features darken as he gives a wistful smile. “It’s just, he’s cruising through life—I’m proud of him.”
    “And you’re not cruising.” I say it almost as an apology. “I get it.”
    “Looks like we’re doing this baby steps thing together.”
    “Sounds good to me.”
    A slow song starts in, and an entire mob of couples drift toward the dance floor.
    “You want to hit it?” Holt nods toward the lethargic moving crowd, and my