Page 76 of Moonstruck Kiss

“What’s wrong, Joey? Are you all right?” Maggie asks, putting her hand on my back.

“She needs to go to the toilet!” Voovoo answers.

I stop and place my hands on my head. “I don’t need the bathroom, Voovoo!”

“Oh. Why are you leaving, then?” he asks, stupefied.

“Joey, please stay. I have an announcement to make.” The plea came out of the speakers, but it wasn’t Evan’s voice.

Despite myself, I turn to face Brax.

Guests move out of the way so we can see each other.

As soon as our eyes meet, the room with everyone else in it seems to disappear. Even the noise recedes as I stare at Brax, magnetic forces keeping my gaze locked with his. Hope fills my chest as my heart soars from the promise I see in his eyes.

Then a sobbing fills the room. It’s coming from Elsa.

“You’re leaving already,” she cries, holding Ollie tight against her. “I don’t want you to go yet.”

The spell is broken, and my heart crashes to the floor.

No matter how Brax feels about me, he’ll still be gone by tomorrow. What could we possibly do between now and then that could change the course of our relationship? Phone calls can be soothing initially, but they won’t solve the problem of distance. We need to spend more time together to figure out if what we have is strong enough to make life-changing decisions.

I don’t have it in me to listen to his farewell speech.

Well, I don’t have to if I don’t want to.

Chapter

Fifteen

BRAX

My head swivelstowards my mother, her cries shattering the unbelievable invisible connection I shared with Joey.

“Don’t cry, Grandma,” Ollie says, grinning because I’ve told him our secret and made him pinky promise not to tell anyone until I say so.

“Are you happy to be leaving us?” Mum asks Ollie, clearly dismayed by my son’s expression.

Ollie nods and starts giggling.

The crushed look on my mother’s face is so sad that Ollie glances at me in panic. Now he looks like he’s about to cry, too.

Oh, Christ. This could turn into a bedlam.

I search for Joey again. She’s near the exit!

Hurriedly, I speak through the mic. “We’re not leaving yet. Ollie and I…”

Wait, is this thing not working? I tap the microphone and no sound comes out.

“Who turned off the mic?” I shout.

Dad points to my mother and shrugs. “Probably best to give your speech later on, son.”

“No, please turn it on, Dad.”

Joey is almost at the door.

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