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“What do you say?” I asked him gently after a group of people left the side of our table. I reached out for his hand as I stood up. “Should we go put on our best show? Charm the crowd, maybe dance? Give the people what they want?”
He took my hand. “Let’s do it.”
I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I absolutely fucking loved the show, by the way.”
His look could have broken my heart. For some reason, he looked like he was mourning something—like he was saying goodbye to something, in a way, without saying it out loud.
What the hell was that?
“I didn’t want it to end,” he finally said. “And I don’t want this night to end, either. Let’s make the best of it, okay?”
I sucked in a breath. “Okay. But I need to get you alone, sooner rather than later.”
I didn’t know why he was acting like this was the last night we’d spend together, even though I was ready to spend a million more like this with him.
Before I knew it, we were swept up into yet another round of photos, selfies, chitchat, and gushing fans, and all I could do was smile and nod and do my job well.
15
CHARLIE
For my brain—and for my dick—one of the most difficult things to get myself to do was actively try to avoid the one person who I wanted most.
“Charlie,” Jax said now, from the opposite side of a long booth where we’d been sitting and chatting with fans. The dark red leather of the booth glinted under the light as Jax leaned forward.
“What’s up?” I asked him, a crackle of nervous energy already building inside me.
“Can we go somewhere really quick?”
I swallowed. “Um, I promised Shawn and Nathan’s mom I’d come take a few photos with her. They’re over by the bar right now.”
“Right, right,” Jax said, scratching the back of his head. “Afterward, let’s take a second on the deck outside, okay?”
I gave him a nod, trying to seem cool and calm on the outside even though I was trying to get the hell out of there. I slid out of the long booth and glided off toward the bar.
It was eating away at me.
I need to get you alone, he’d said to me.
God damn Jax and his perfect, earnest, beautiful soul. He’d said it right as we were about to plunge deep into a sea of adoring fans—fans who’d just witnessed Jax giving me ooey-gooey lovey-dovey eyes right on screen in front of us.
I had a pretty good idea of what Jax wanted to talk to me about so badly, and I knew it was the one thing I didn’t want to hear. The thing I wanted to push away like it was the goddamn plague. Kim had relayed the information to me quickly and efficiently earlier, and I was certain she must have taken Jax aside and told him the same thing.
Jax was going to break up with me.
The moment we got a second alone to talk.
Sure, the “break up” wouldn’t be real, anyway. The relationship had been fake, so the breakup should have been a return to normalcy for us.
But I couldn’t fucking bear it. I wanted to milk every last moment of my brief fantasy world with Jax. I just wanted a little more time before I had to face reality.
Shawn and Nathan’s mom, Jolene, was holding court at the bar like she was a queen. Her hair was up in a bun, and she was wearing a sapphire-colored gown, holding a martini glass cradled in one hand. Shawn and Nathan were nearby, as well as their dad, their other brother Tristan and sister Lindsay, and plenty of other people.
“There he is,” Jolene called out as I walked over, outstretching one hand and giving me a serene smile. “You, Charlie, are a star. Come here and give me a hug.”
She pulled me into a close hug, and for a brief moment I felt better. “You’re a good hugger, Momma Jo.”
“That’s because everyone always needs a good hug,” she said. “Even if they think they don’t.”
“Mom apparently doesn’t believe those people who say they hate hugs,” Nathan said from beside her as she pulled back.
“Of course I don’t,” she said, her eyebrows shooting up. “They’re full of shit.”
Shawn, Nathan and I were all grinning like idiots. “Some people just aren’t touchy-feely.”
“Well, I’ve never met anyone like that,” Jolene said, taking a sip of her martini. “And I don’t think you boys are going to, either, because everyone is going to want to hug you when they see your show. I’m so damn proud of you guys, and if you don’t feature me on an episode of season two, I’ll resign from being your mother.”
We all laughed, and Jolene was already onto another loving rant about how the show should have been even longer. Jolene had a way of pulling people into stories and conversations, and before I knew it, at least half an hour had passed.
