He hops out, ushering Faith in between himself and Sully before climbing back in himself.
The conversation is light, maintained mostly by myself and Sully as we make the twenty-minute drive to Rebels, and my eyes widen when we pull into a parking spot beside the enormous bar.
It’s both an indoor and outdoor venue, with a colossal main stage covered by a canopy lit up like a Christmas tree, complete with a full house band. Tables are dotted around the main dance floor, which takes up almost as much space as the stage, and there are two outdoor bars, one on each side of the space.
“The inside is just as big.” Lissie’s voice is quiet at my side, and I meet her doe-eyed gaze.
“Not a regular open mic night then, is it?”
A tiny half-smile plays across her mouth as she shakes her head. “Everythin’ is bigger in Texas, or didn’t you know that?”
A chuckle parts my lips as everyone moves to exit the vehicle, and I slide out behind Lissie, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before whispering for her ears only, “Time to chase those dreams.”
CHAPTER 29
EMERSON
Having deposited a beamingFaith with the bar’s owner, Riley, Ford sets about buying a round of drinks as Sully helps the rest of us find good seats right up front, just off to the right of the stage.
Several tables surrounding us feature familiar faces as the ranch crew from Whispering Willows have joined us in support of Lissie. Sully takes his time, moving between each of them, thanking them individually for coming while Lissie’s cheeks heat to a fiery red as she realizes there’s an even bigger crowd present than she initially anticipated.
“And next up, we have…”
The host of the open mic night is a pretty girl no older than Lissie. She confidently works the audience, announcing the next singer as Ford returns from the bar with a cooler filled with bottles of Lone Star beers and a margarita each for Lissie and me.
“Grab a beer, Sully. We can grab a ride home with one of the guys.”
Sully declines with a polite shake of his head. “Nah, I’ll drive. Prefer water anyway.”
“No problem.” Ford shrugs, turning to Lissie with a lopsided grin. “I’ve added your name to the list.”
He sits down beside me, and poor Lissie’s face pales at the news. I clasp her jittery hand in mine, squeezing lightly as she takes a healthy sip of her cocktail. Then I chuckle as I follow suit before Law grabs a beer, declaring, “I think I’ll put my name down, too.” Wiggling his eyebrows, he shoots me and Lissie a wink that I know is meant to distract her. “For shits and giggles.”
Ford grabs his own beer and clinks it against my cocktail glass with a smirk. “That damn guy.”
I can’t help but laugh, closing the distance between us to press a kiss to his lips, but he holds me firm, deepening the kiss until I’m breathless. Once I’m thoroughly leaning against him, absorbed in the actions of his mouth on mine, he tilts back with a self-satisfied smirk and the promise of more gleaming in his eyes.
When I move away, giving him a pouty lower lip that makes him chuckle, I notice a group at the table nearby is pointedly staring at us, and it takes me a beat to realize they must recognize me.
“Shit.”
Just because I’m not presently in the glamorous world of movie premieres and gala events doesn’t mean the open mic night attendees won’t know who I am.
Or who I’m supposedly dating.
Ford follows my line of vision, pulling me closer to kiss me chastely this time, centering me when he palms my cheeks. “I’d forgotten all about the fake-dating situation until the asshat rocked up to the ranch this morning. But rest assured, I have Hayley working on a press release as we speak. It’s why Lawson and I were delayed leaving the house tonight. We were working through the particulars with both sets of PR people.”
My shoulders sag with relief. I hate the idea of lying to my fans even more now than I did when Beck suggested the fake relationship, but knowing that Ford is already on top of making things right again is like a balm to the anxiety rippling through me.
“Thank you.”
He pecks my lips, and I grin, entirely too pleased at the way he’s showing affection so openly. “You’re welcome, baby.”
“Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”
We break apart, glancing behind us to find Sutton and Jesse North smirking broadly. Both men are dressed similarly in all-black attire, and Sutton has even donned a matching cowboy hat for the occasion. Jesse’s shoulder-length hair is messily disheveled and the man is simply oozing a self-confidence that has groups of women at nearby tables fanning themselves openly.
His shit-eating smirk tells me he damn well knows it too.
