FULL NOVELXO Chapter 29
A rousing cheer goes up as the Wildcats hockey team saunters through the door and into Slap Shotz. Hands reach out, stroking over their arms as people attempt to claim their attention.
Their adoration doesn’t bother me.
I’ve grown used to it over the years.
The strange part is that I’m not the one they’re clamoring for.
It’s Colby.
And his teammates.
My fingers are safely ensconced in Colby’s larger hand as we make our way through the bar. It’s been that way since he walked out of the locker room after the game and cut a direct path to me where I was waiting with Juliette, Carina, Viola, Stella, and Fallyn. Even Ava showed up to help cheer on the Wildcats.
This relationship is moving faster than the speed of light.
It’s both scary and exhilarating at the same time.
Part of me wonders if I’m ready for it.
Then again, I’m not sure how much of a choice I have in the matter.
I keep telling myself that we can take our time and figure it all out.
But Colby needs to hear the truth. I can’t keep hiding it from him. That knowledge sits at the bottom of my gut like a heavy stone. One that continues to grow with the passing of each day.
We settle at a couple of tables that have been shoved together in the back. When I drop down next to Colby, he pulls the chair closer until I’m practically seated on his lap.
Since Fallyn isn’t working tonight, Erin, the other waitress, takes our order.
Colby turns toward me and whispers, “Guess it’s all out in the open now, huh?”
I glance at him and find our mouths scant inches apart. My breath hitches with the need to close the distance between us and taste him. “Seems that way.”
It hadn’t occurred to me when I showed up at the game earlier this evening that everyone would assume there was something going on between us. People wear his name and number all the time and it doesn’t mean a thing. As soon as I took off my jacket and the girls saw it, I was bombarded with questions until I came clean and told them everything.
All right…maybe not everything.
Colby searches my eyes. “And you’re good with it?”
I allow the question to circle through my brain for a few seconds before nodding. “Yeah, I am.”
A slow smile spreads across his lips. “Good. So am I.”
He bridges the gap between us until his lips can sweep over mine. “I can’t wait to get you home tonight. Are you going to let me fuck you in that jersey and nothing else?”
The idea sends a thrill shooting through me. “Maybe.”
Heat blooms in my cheeks. It would be impossible not to think about all the ways he lays his hands on me and just how much I love it.
He nips at my lower lip before growling, “I think we can do better than that, don’t you?”
It’s only when my uncle climbs onto the makeshift stage on the other side of the bar that we turn our attention toward him.
“Our boys brought home another win tonight!” he booms into the microphone.
A deafening cheer goes up that nearly shakes the walls.
Sully raises his hands to be heard over the roar of the crowd. “And you know what that means!”
“Karaoke,” everyone in the joint screams in response.
A smile lights up his face as he nods. “You got it!”
His gaze coasts over the bar before connecting with mine. If he’s surprised to see me with Colby, his expression never falters. I probably should have mentioned it to him and Aunt Mary. They’ve been so good to me since I moved here. Kind of like de facto parents. It’s obvious that he loves both the Western Wildcats hockey program and the players. That being said, I’m not sure how he’ll feel about his niece not only dating a player but being married to one.
It only drives home the knowledge that I’ve been lying to the people in my life.
I glance at the man next to me.
Especially him.
A couple of Colby’s teammates lumber onto the stage and sing ‘You Got It’ by New Kids on the Block. It’s an oldie but a goodie. Ford jumps up and belts out Justin Timberlake’s ‘I’m Bringing Sexy Back.’ Carina just shakes her head, but it’s obvious that she’s loving every minute of it since he’s pretty much serenading her. Ryder drags Juliette up there and together they belt out Evanescence’s ‘Bring Me to Life.’ They’re surprisingly good. It’s obvious from the way they stare at each other that they’re in love.
It’s next-level swoony.
Colby nods toward the stage. “Maybe you should get up there and sing. You’ve got an amazing voice. More people should hear it.”
That’s all it takes for my mouth to dry, making it impossible to swallow. “No thanks. It’s just a hobby. Something I like to fool around with.”
He raises a brow. “I don’t know many people who can write music and play the guitar. You must have been in choir or taken vocal lessons when you were younger.”
I don’t want to lie…
But I’m reluctant to share the truth.
“In middle school, I took choir and then yeah, I had some vocal training.”
“I’d love to hear the song you’ve been working on while you play the guitar. When we get home, will you do that for me, sweet girl?”
I chew my lower lip as the prospect circles around in my brain.
Would he recognize my voice if I did?
It’s a scary proposition.
“I’ll think about it.”
He presses closer until his lips can drift over mine. “Want to get out of here?”
Actually, I do.
I don’t care if we’ve been here for less than an hour.
As I nod, a trio of girls take over the stage. They’re giggly and obviously drunk. They crowd together, hovering over the computer before choosing a song.
Colby strokes his fingers along my palm. I hadn’t realized until now that he was holding my hand. Even more surprising is how much I enjoy it.
Want more of it.
Want more of him.
Somehow, when I wasn’t looking, he forced himself into my life, and now I can’t imagine living without him.
How ironic is it that our relationship feels more real than anything else when all I’ve done is hide the truth and lie?
I blink back to the moment when the girls take their places center stage and wait for the music to start. As soon as I hear the first few chords, my belly crashes to my toes and bile rises in my throat.
Shake Me Like That.
My hit single.
The one that had millions of views in less than twenty-four hours. It’s what catapulted me from teen living in obscurity to household name in less than a month.
If I had to pick one defining moment when the course of my life altered drastically, it would be that song.
It’ll always be synonymous with my rise to fame.
Before I realize what’s happening, the entire bar is belting it out with the girls who are prancing around and putting on a show.
Colby smirks as he watches them.
It’s a shock to realize that he’s mouthing the lyrics as well.
The pounding against my ribcage turns painful. Any second, my heart will explode from my chest.
Once the last notes fade, the girls take a bow, and the crowd whistles and claps their approval.
“Now that I have a little more time, I’ve been binging the show, trying to catch up. Is Bebe still MIA? I haven’t heard anything new lately,” Carina says.
“Yeah, I think so. So weird,” Stella adds before taking a sip of her beer.
“I’m dying to know if she’ll accept Axel’s proposal,” Viola says, which is a surprise. I didn’t think she was interested.
There must be a confused expression marring my face because she shrugs as color pinkens her cheeks. “I checked it out after you guys were talking about it the other week and fell down the rabbit hole. What about you, Britt? Are you a Bebe fan?”
How am I supposed to answer that?
I pull the collar of Colby’s jersey away from my neck. It’s as if the material is choking me.
“I’ve, ah, seen the show a time or two.”
That’s not a lie.
While the rest of my family enjoys watching themselves on screen, I don’t. I obsess about all the little things that bug me about my appearance.
“I wonder if she’s in rehab. Didn’t her mother say in a recent interview that she’s at a retreat for rest and relaxation? I’m pretty sure that’s Hollywood speak for when someone’s detoxing,” Fallyn adds.
The beer I just consumed threatens to make an encore appearance.
I swipe my sweaty palms against the thighs of my jeans. It takes effort to fight down the icy shards of panic that are multiplying in the pit of my belly as I attempt to keep my voice level.
Instead of getting drawn into the convo, I turn to Colby. “Are you ready to go?”
He nods before rising to his feet and pulling me up with him.
“What I’m ready for is to have you all to myself,” he whispers before pressing his lips against my cheek.
If he notices that I’m trembling from head to toe, he doesn’t mention it.