Page 23 of Big Booze Boss

"Hmm." I'm surprised. "Do you mind if I ask why not?"

"People tend to treat you differently when they know you have a lot of money."

"But Brandon wouldn't, would he?" I ask, surprised that Blaze thinks he would.

"No, but he would brag about his little brother's success, and that would mean all his friends would."

"Oh, yeah. That's true." I nod.

"After I signed with the Rockies, it seemed like every friend we had ever had growing up wanted to know if I could get them free or discounted tickets to the game, to merchandise, you name it. So it's just better to keep the sport bars quiet." He looks at me, then realizes it sounds selfish. "Not that I mind giving and helping people out, but…"

I smile. "I get it. You don't have to explain yourself to me. Money changes people's opinion of you. It's not right or wrong. It just does." I assure him, "Your secret is safe with me."

Just then, the front door of the bar opens, and an older man walks in. He takes one look at us and stops dead. Just like the first server did. Then he grins and says, "Well, it's about time."

Blaze smirks, slides off the barstool, and instead of walking to greet the man, he holds out his hand to me and says, "Breezy, I need to show you something." He waits for me to fall in behind him.

I look at the man, still staring and grinning, as I follow Blaze to the back where the first server was. It's a huge open-area restaurant filled with booths and tables. The ceiling has TVs mounted not only around the perimeter but across the ceiling. Every patron has a clear view of a game. The walls and weight-bearing beams are filled with assorted sizes of candid pictures of fans watching all sorts of sports. From baseball to hockey to even horse racing. I comment, "This is awesome, Blaze."

He stops and watches me as I look around, taking it all in. When I see what exactly he brought me back here to see, my heart skips a beat.

In the center of the wall are three large poster-size pictures of us on that unforgettable day last summer. Two I haven't seen before.

In the first one, my face is angled away so my expression isn't captured. It's a close-up of Blaze cupping my face moments before he planted that earth-shattering kiss on my lips. His expression is on full display and takes my breath away. How he feels is evident to anyone who sees it. It's clear as day and undeniable.

In the center picture, I'm staring up at him as he signs the baseball. My heart stops beating. My face wears the same expression. How I have always felt about him, but hidden from the world, was captured in that moment. There's no denying it. There's no point lying about it. It's fucking obvious.

The picture on the right is the one from the news article titled Play of The Day, where happiness beams from both of us.

The trilogy tells the tale of two people clearly in love.

I walk over without saying a word, and I stand there staring at the first two, too stunned and emotional to speak.

Blaze walks up behind me, slips his arms around my waist, and dips down to whisper in my ear. "It's fucking obvious how I feel about you."

I nod as a knot forms in my throat. "I've never seen those two pictures before," I state as I continue to stare at them. "Who took them?"

He hums, "Some fan."

"I don't know what I would have done if I had seen those pictures before yesterday."

He spins me around, cups my face, and, wearing the same expression, says, "Nothing. You would have done nothing."

I look down, knowing he's right. I wouldn't have done anything. He lives a different life. One that I'm not a part of.

He tilts my face to his and says, "Look at me, Summer."

I lift my eyes, and my heart stops beating, and the world shrinks to his face.

"I've always worn that expression when I look at you. It isn't new. In every photo of the four of us, I wear it. But your expression is the one that's different in that one right there." He turns us to look at the one in the middle. The one after the kiss. "That one shows your expression as a reflection of mine." He spins me in his arms. "Breezy, I…."

I cover his lips with my hand. "Blaze, don't say it! I can't hear it yet. Not until after the wedding. Promise me."

He stares at me, wearing the expression, then he hugs me tight. "Okay, Summertime. I promise."

Blaze

Summer's hands encircle my waist, and she rests her cheek on my chest. I stroke her hair, letting the moment sink in. Words aren't necessary. She knows without a doubt how I feel about her, and she knows I know how she feels about me.

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