Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Gage merely grinned.
Darius was visibly amused and confused. “I have no idea.”
“On three, everyone!” Abel yelled. “One, two, three!”
Abel, Gage, Gideon, and Gabriel called out, “Vicey versey!”
“It was a thing between Mom and me!” Gray defended. “We said it as a joke!”
Christ. This was obviously just warm-up, too.
“That’s minus one for Darius,” Ryan pointed out. “The goal is to collect points, not lose them. In case that wasn’t clear, brother.”
Darius scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger.
“Real mature,” Ryan said. “Real fuckin’ mature. I’m tellin’ Ma.”
Gray coughed around a mouthful of pizza.
Gage nudged his shoulder to Gabriel. “That’s you and Gid in twenty-five years.”
Gray laughed in total agreement.
Gabriel scoffed. “More like thirty-five.”
“Hey.” That came from Darius. “Gabriel, you might be my brother-in-law soon, but that doesn’t mean I won’t dump you in the ocean.”
“Thank you for the commentary, but I’m moving on now,” Abel interrupted impatiently. “Christ, it’s like a kindergarten around here. Gray’s turn! When Darius found out that Avery was dating his little sister, how did he react, Gray?”
That was a good question! Because Gray knew the answer, and he chewed and swallowed quickly so he could get his first point. “He said there had to be something in the water—because nobody could seemingly find a partner their own age. He’s called both Avery and Ryan cradle robbers.”
“I knew that one was coming back to bite me in the ass.” Darius scrubbed a hand over his face and not-so-graciously accepted the laughs on his behalf.
“That turned out great,” Niko noted. “Say, Gray, how many decades younger are you?”
“All right, all right,” Darius bitched. “Moving on!”
There was something magical about these tables, because as soon as Gray finished a drink, a new one appeared. Plus, all the empty pizza boxes had been replaced by chips, nuts, and cheese puffs. They were fucking delicious!
Music was great too. Bless Case’s ’90s train, but Abel was rocking everyone tonight with mainstream pop and rock—dance-friendly, easy to sing along with.
He loosened his tie and took a swig of his fantastic, ice-cold gin and tonic as Ryan read the next question.
“Last round before we move on to something a little bit different,” he announced. At some point, Ryan had removed his tie altogether. It was stuffed down one of his pockets now. “Darius, when Gray and Abel were in high school—like yesterday—they felt bored one night and got drunk on rum they’d stolen from Lincoln.”
Gray winced and cursed.
“How fucking dare you steal from that man.” Case had a smidgen of attitude there.
“What did they do once they were three sheets to the wind?” Ryan asked.
God, this was embarrassing.
Darius chuckled and scratched his bicep. “They crashed a talent show at school and went up on stage to perform ‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’ from The Lion King soundtrack—which, for the record, Gray’s recently taught Justin to sing.”
Gray hid his face in his hands as everyone cracked up.
“Wait for it!” Ryan said. “There’s more to the story, isn’t there?”
“No, there isn’t!” Gray insisted.
Darius looked quizzical at first, before the memory hit him. “Hell, I almost forgot that part,” he laughed. “Right, so it was Gabriel and Gideon’s talent show at the school, and Chloe was in the crowd. And so were Adeline and Lincoln.”
Yeah, people found that hilarious.
“I’m so glad I have girls.” Avery shook his head in amusement. Maybe in relief too.
“Please. My sister’s a menace,” Abel scoffed.
“So’s mine,” Blake drawled with a fond grin. “She sure as heck wasn’t no angel in school either.”
Darius and Ethan exchanged a smirk and said, “Willow.”
“Christ yeah,” Ryan agreed. “The baby girl would orchestrate revenge ops when she wasn’t satisfied with the grade a teacher gave her.” He shook his head and grinned, dropping his gaze to the tablet. “Anyway. Gray, last question’s for you. What’s the one phrase that will go on repeat the moment Darius is wasted?”
Ethan, Lias, Avery, the Vegas boys, and Casey laughed so hard.
It was funny, but to Gray, it was hella cute too. Darius was a cute dunk.
“That’s when my man gets handsy, grabs your shoulder, levels you with a look and all, and goes, ‘Hear me out,’” Gray replied.
“Ha! That’s Reese too,” Shay guffawed.
“It’s when we have our most genius ideas,” Reese defended.
“Seriously,” Darius said.
“And as the night progresses, it becomes a single word,” Case added. “In the end, it’s just hemmeout. C’mere, Casey, hemmeout.”
“Hemmeout, Casey, shut the fuck up.” Darius threw a bottle cap Case’s way, and it landed in his drink.
“Why you gotta be such a hater!” Case hollered. “Boone, punch him.”
Boone was busy mixing drinks and talking to Gideon and River.
“And on that note,” Avery cut in, “we can announce that Gray has thirteen points, and Darius has nine.”
Woo-hoo.
Gray fist-pumped Niko and Gabriel.
“But we’re not done yet!” Abel hastened to add. “Remember we said everyone helped out with questions? Some inspired what we asked in the first round, and the rest come now. These are straight-up curiosities from our guests here tonight, and Avery, Ryan, and I will judge each response and decide how many points you’ll get for it.”