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“Lennon knows him,” Sandy announces and my sister instantly starts laughing.
“Yeah, right.” She shakes her head, thinking that Sandy is messing with her. “Wait, do you really?” she chokes out when she sees the seriousness on my face.
“I did. A long time ago anyway.”
“How? How do you know him?”
“Starr...” I start to tell her we can talk about it later when a hand wraps around my bicep and turns me to the left.
“Well, holy shit, itisyou.” Colton smiles wide when he takes in my face, the action reaching his eyes. “When Hud told me he saw you in the crowd I thought he was seeing things.”
Colton looks almost exactly as I remember. Well, a little more filled out and the man bun is nowhere in sight. His once long locks are now trimmed short and spiked a little in the front.
“Surprise.” I hold my hands out in mock excitement.
“I gotta be honest, I never thought I’d see you again.”
“I gotta be honest, neither did I.” We both smile, my cousin, sister, and her friends all watching the interaction with unmasked curiosity.
“Anyway, Hudson sent me out to get you. He’s backstage.”
“Wait, you’re here to take me backstage?” I blurt in surprise, my heart instantly kicking up speed as a nervous knot forms in the pit of my stomach.
“Yep.” He nods his confirmation.
“I can’t go back stage...” I start, but his words cut me off.
“That’s what this is for.” He slides one of the two backstage passes from his neck and drops it around mine. “Come on. We don’t have a lot of time. Hudson has an interview scheduled in like five minutes.”
“Wait, you got any more of those?” my sister calls out seconds after Colton turns.
“Next time, ladies,” he promises, his eyes tracing quickly over the five women before he maneuvers me in front of him, guiding me through the crowd toward the side of the stage, his hands on my shoulders.
He releases me when we reach a security gate where we are stopped by a large guard wearing black cargos and a tight black tee. The man scans both of our badges with a handheld device before allowing us to continue through with nothing more than a curt nod.
“So, how are you? How’s everything? How’s Emma?” Colton asks me in quick succession as he leads me through one of the tunnels I believe football players use to enter and exit the field. Not that I’d know for sure. I’m not much for watching football, having never really understood the sport.
“Good. Everything’s good. Emma’s married now,” I respond on a shaky exhale, my nerves so shot I feel like I’m seconds away from barfing all over the place.
“Married?” Colton questions, thinking over this for a moment.
“Six months ago.” I chuckle at his expression. Talking about Emma I can do. Anything to keep me from thinking about where I’m currently headed, or rather who I’m headed to. “Trust me, I was just as surprised.” I shake my head, finally finishing my thought.
“And you? Are you married?” he asks, throwing me a sideways glance.
“That would be a no.” I grimace.
“Kids?”
“Nope.”
“Well that’s a relief,” he mutters under his breath but I catch every word.
“Come again?” I press.
He throws me a knowing smile but before he can explain why the hell he said what he said, my focus goes somewhere else completely.
“Lennon Claire.” Hudson’s smooth voice washes over me and I swear every inch of my skin prickles.
