Mari's birthday night had been loud, bright, and full of laughter and booze.
Mari could still hear the echo of Jax's laughter in her head, the way he had tried to balance two glasses of wine in one hand and nearly spilled them all over the rug while putting up a show for her. She remembered how both brothers had pulled her up to dance in the middle of the living room, spinning her until her head whirled and her cheeks hurt from smiling. She remembered the sweet burn of the liquor sliding down her throat, the heat in her belly, the way she had thrown her head back and shouted along to Chad's guitar when he played happy tunes.
"Birthday queen!" Chad had called her more than once, lifting his glass every time like it was a toast.
And Jax had kept close, always steadying her when she swayed too much, laughing when she tugged him down to steal kisses, feeding her little bites of cake with his fingers. She had felt alive, untamed, and completely his.
