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“I won’t leave you though. But things are going to change.”
He pulled me to a sitting position, pulling my shirt over my shoulders and helping me into it. He wrapped me in a blanket and pulled me against his chest. “Where are you going?”
I shrugged. “Up?”
“Elaborate.”
“Things are looking up. I’m going up.” I reached for the champagne bottle and topped off our glasses. I tried to ignore the bit of sand that found its way into my mouth. “Probation is up in a few months, I’ll move in with Rosalie. And I got a book deal…”
“You what?”
I shifted in his lap, turning to face him. I held up my solo cup. “Cheers to the newest author represented by Four Tree Press! If I accept their offer, that is.”
“What is this? How does it work?” he asked, a giant smile on his face. He had no idea how the book world worked but he was excited for me.
I bubbled with nervous energy. “Well, enough of my short stories got around and this publisher wants to represent me. A short story collection featuring a few of my best works and a few original stories. They are even giving me an advance. But I was hoping you’d maybe look over the contract, please? See if I missed anything?”
“Hell yes, baby!”
I beamed and jumped when the first firework went off. “Surprise,” I whispered.
“Fireworks?”
I shrugged. “The casinos always have fireworks for the new year. They’re so pretty, and it’s so clear, you can see them reflecting off the water.”
He wouldn’t pull his eyes away from me. “What?” I asked, sipping the rest of the champagne.
“I can’t decide what’s more captivating, the fireworks or your face watching the fireworks.”
I could feel the blush rising up my chest.
“Trask.”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m not good with spontaneous words. It took me a while to get the courage to tell you about the book deal. So please know I am being genuine and have thought about it a lot when I say that I love you.”
26
TRASK
“Did they give you an extra shot in that chai or are you squirming over something else?”
Eliza bit her lip and stared at me. “I’m not squirming.”
“Yes, you are.” She hadn’t been still all day. Months had passed, and it had felt like a fucking dream. She spent almost every weekend at my place, which worked out well since Roman had all but moved in with his girl. We’d worked silently on homework or her book and fuck each other senselessly all night.
“I’m just nervous about tonight.”
“Ah, the dreaded presentation.”
“Why did I sign up for this?” she groaned, typing away at her computer.
“I don’t know,” I laughed. “I didn’t think it was a great idea when you signed the contract.” I’d looked over the book contract like she’d asked, even got the lawyer father of mine to glance at it. He was surprised that “book people would be this precise” but it was all legitimate, though there was a stipulation that Eliza would need to do a few presentations at local bookstores and small events.
Eliza massaged her temples. “I knew I should have negotiated that out, but the pay is nice, I wanted to get some extra cash for our road trip.”
My gut twisted. “Are you still up for that?” I asked, working to keep my voice neutral.
