HavingGinny naked in my arms has to be one of the best ways to wake up. If my alarm wasn’t going off, it would be even better.
“I hate you right now,” Ginny grumbles.
It’s early. Annoyingly early. But I can’t seem to care. I kiss the back of Ginny’s head before sliding out of bed to shower. It takes a herculean effort to put my clothes on instead of getting back into bed with my gorgeous girl. Last night wasincredible, and I wish I could take today off to stay in bed all day with her.
Instead, I brush the hair off her forehead to press a kiss there. Her bright blue eyes flutter open. “Want me to bring dinner over later?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay. Go back to sleep, baby. Text me later.”
She murmurs something unintelligible in response. I’m grinning as I head downstairs to make a cup of coffee, and the smile stays on my face while I drive over to Teddy’s house. My mood is more than just because I got laid. It’s getting to spend the entire night with my best friend and finally giving in to the feelings we’ve both had for each other. It’s like my entire future is laid out in front of me, and I can finally be excited about it.
I’m not an idiot. Ginny and I have things we’ll have to work through. Her career and touring, just to name a few, but I have no doubt that we’ll be able to figure it out as long as we’re together.
My good mood lasts until I pull into Teddy’s driveway. Our crew is always on time, so the place is packed already. I find a parking spot and am grabbing my tools from my trunk when Teddy comes over with Levi next to him.
Teddy’s smirking at me, his eyebrow raised as if he knows exactly what I was up to last night. “Have a good night?”
I frown. Was he reading my mind? “Uh, yeah. I hung out with Ginny.”
“Oh, we know.” He snorts.
“The whole world knows.” Levi’s expression isn’t as teasing as Teddy’s.
“What do you mean?”
Teddy pulls out his phone and shows me an article. The first image is of Ginny and me in our booth. My hand is on the side of her neck while we kiss. It’s captionedHeartbreak nomore! Virginia Miller has been spotted getting down and dirty with a local!
I don’t need to read the article to know what it says. I should’ve known we wouldn’t be able to get away with going out. I’d hoped that since people were giving us space, nobody would blast it all over the internet. Guess I was wrong.
I sigh. “Fuck.”
“You better get used to it. This is going to be your life now ’cause there’s no going back.” Teddy gives me a significant look, and I can’t even be mad about the warning. He’s looking out for Ginny the same way I would. The thing is, I am in it for the long haul. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to keep Ginny by my side.
I pull out my phone and send her a text, letting her know that she needs to reach out to her social media people. I also make sure she knows I’m here to talk if she wants to, but that I couldn’t care less if I’m in the gossip columns.
“So this is official? You two are together?” Uncle Levi asks.
“We are. I’m sorry we couldn’t be the ones to tell you first.”
He shrugs. “It’s not like we aren’t used to seeing our girl online all the time. You know we’re all rooting for you, right?”
I give him a grateful smile. “Yeah, but it’s nice to have it confirmed.”
Uncle Levi claps me on the shoulder. “Okay, let’s get to work. We’ve got a house to finish.”
Chapter 26
Ginny
“Tell us everything,” Gia demands as she shoves me onto the couch. The whole family has gathered at Lottie’s parents’ house for one of our regular barbecues, and most everyone is outside enjoying the sunshine. Lottie and Gia, however, have shoved me into the basement and are demanding answers about my date with Carson.
“What do you want to know?”
“Only everything.” The silentduhis written on Gia’s face.
“Well…he originally planned to take me out to a fancy restaurant, but at the last minute, he changed the plans and took me to the same bar we went to years ago for those dance lessons.”