CHAPTER FOUR
CARLY

I  hold up my champagne glass to get the bartender’s attention. I don’t usually drink, but that man is enough to drive anyone to the bottle.

“Hey,” Ainsley’s voice comes from just behind me, “are you okay?” she asks taking the stool right beside me.

“Yeah.” I shrug it off. “Just another day, right?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”

I hold one hand up to stop her. “You do not have anything to apologize for. This is just who he is. I can’t change it. No one can.”

“Do you want something to take your mind off of it?”

“Yes.” I take a sip of my champagne. I’ll take anything at this point if it gets my mind off Adair Miller. “What is it?”

Her cheeks turn the same color of red as her hair.

“You’re holding out on me,” I say, settling in on my stool to face her. “Tell me.”

She grits her teeth and looks up at me through narrowed eyes. “I think I’m starting to like Nash.”

“Oh!” I squeal and throw my arms out wide. “Yes!” I wrap her in a huge hug. “You deserve someone better than my brother,” I groan. “He’s not anywhere near good enough for you.”

Her smile widens as she lets her gaze shift to where Nash is talking to Devon. I spin around on my stool to get a better view. “They seem way too serious for a wedding. What do you think they’re talking about?” I ask her.

“I don’t know, but I bet it has something to do with him,” she says, nodding toward wear my mess of a brother, Stone Thompson, is crossing the dance floor headed straight for us.

“You can go if you want to,” I offer. She’s been through more with him than anyone not related by blood should be forced to endure. “I can handle him.”

“I’m not going anywhere. If you’re here, I’m here.” She locks her arm in mine and refuses to budge. I love her, but I really wish she would save herself from whatever trash he’s about to unleash. I glance over and catch Nash and Devon both watching him as he takes the last two steps to stand right in front of us.

He reaches out and pulls Ainsley’s hand up to his mouth. She jerks it back just in time leaving him kissing nothing but the air. “Ladies,” he says slowly shifting his eyes from her to me. “Carly, I’m hurt.”

“By what?”

The smell of cheap cologne does very little to cover the lingering odor of alcohol on his breath. “You flew halfway around the world and didn’t even call your only brother?”

“Sure didn’t,” I say through gritted teeth. “If this wasn’t Griffin and London’s wedding, I’d toss you out on your sorry butt just like they did last summer.”

That stung. I can see it in his eyes. He tries to hide it, but the flash of rage betrays him. He glances at the new groom just long enough that I caught it. “You should probably go, before they all give you an encore.”

“Nah,” he forces his way up to the bar, standing between me and Ainsley. “I think I’ll stay for a while. It seems like a good party.”

Great. “Why are you here, Stone?” I ask, knowing full well he’s not here for the wedding champagne.

“The Machine brought me back.”

“What?” How could they do that? I catch Ainsley’s look out of the corner of my eye. She’s thinking the same thing I am. “Why would they do that? You cost them millions.”

He shrugs and downs my entire glass of champagne in one gulp. “Because they know where the good money is and it’s obviously not with Amaryllis, or their pathetic excuse for a studio.”

They’re going to try and ruin Amaryllis.

Ainsley jumps up off her stool, probably on her way to get Devon, but Stone grabs her by the arm and pulls her back. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” he asks running his finger along her jaw. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“Not even a little,” she hisses.

His jaw clenches as his hand wraps tighter around her arm. I pull on his arm trying to get him to let her go without causing a huge scene and disrupting the reception. He doesn’t turn loose and just laughs as he flicks me off of him still holding her in place. I stumble backwards into a rock-hard chest.

“All right, I think we’ve had enough fun for one night,” Devon says as he grabs Stone by the shoulder and ushers him back away from us and the bar. Nash uses one hand to pull Stone’s hand away from where he left bright red marks on Ainsley’s wrist. He guides her back to the stool behind him as he steps between us and where Devon is having a standoff with my idiot brother.

I hate him so much right now. “Are you okay?” I ask her as she’s rubbing the marks on her arm.

“I’m fine.” She shakes her head. “I just wish he would disappear; you know?”

I definitely know.

“Need any help?” Ridge, The Machine’s Production Manager, asks Nash as he stands beside him as another buffer keeping Stone from getting through. “Looks like it’s about time to take out the trash again, yeah?”

Nash just grunts and keeps his eyes locked on Stone, waiting for a signal from Devon to jump in.

“All right.” Stone holds up both hands and backs up one slow wobbly step at a time. “I know when I’m not wanted. Your party sucks anyway.”

“Cool,” Devon scoffs as he pushes him towards the first set of doors leading out to the garden. “We’ll have to survive without your presence. Have a good life, Stone.” He opens the heavy wooden doors and waits as Stone stumbles through them. I hold my breath waiting for them to close blocking my view of him and whatever chaos he’s about to unleash in his own life. I had to write him off a long time ago. It shouldn’t hurt as much as it still does.

Ridge holds one hand out to me. “Need a distraction?” His mouth curves up in a charming smile.

After the emotional rollercoaster of Adair and then Stone… “Yes, I think I do.” I take his hand and let him lead me onto the dance floor. As he pulls me in closer to him, I see Nash leading Ainsley to the floor too. I give her a little wink to let her know I see them. She deserves to find a lifetime of happiness after everything Stone’s put her through over the years.