Page 43 of Catching Coy
“I’ll put in a special request.”
Roxy nudged her husband. “Besides, Bellamy’s devoted to you. I wouldn’t be married to you if she weren’t.”
Bellamy rolled her eyes and attempted a laugh. “I’ll take credit for convincing you not to be stubborn.”
“It’s okay.” Coy slipped an arm around Bellamy’s waist. The lightheartedness of the moment had made him forget where things stood and made it easier to act like he was supposed to. The weight in his stomach grew when she stiffened at his touch. “She’s already confessed to harboring a deep and abiding crush on Tag—in middle school,” he finished.
“So, dinner?” Mrs. Hansen said brightly.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Roxy waved her hands around. “You two.” She pointed at Coy and Bellamy. “Out to the porch. Talk. Now.” When neither of them moved, she grabbed their elbows and started dragging.
“Roxy,” Bellamy hissed.
“You turned traitor on me with Tag,” Roxy said. “Payback.”
“You already got that when you texted Zane to tell Coy to call me,” Bellamy shot back.
Roxy snapped her gaze in Coy’s direction, even as she continued to drag them away. “Tell her I didn’t text Zane.”
He raised his eyebrows. “She didn’t text.” Bellamy snorted in disbelief.
They had reached the door that led out onto the porch. Bellamy glared at Roxy but marched outside. Coy followed. Roxy pulled the door shut behind them and he turned to see her guarding it. He didn’t doubt they only had a few minutes before Agnes marshalled her forces and had them running around the house. But Bellamy moved toward the railing, her back toward him, staring out at the lawn in silence.
“I’m sorry I asked you to do this.” He said the only thing he could think of. What did Roxy expect them to do? Bellamy had said she was done; Coy didn’t know what to trust anymore. The show had robbed him of that, even if Gunner thought he could follow his instincts.
“The video was edited.” Her voice was so quiet he almost didn’t catch it.
He stepped forward. “Yeah, but—”
“They asked me why I hadn’t just snuck around with you. Why bother with the show at all? And you heard my answers. Part of it, anyway. Pieces of it, really.” She gave a long sigh and turned to him.
The weight that had been sitting on his chest shifted, away from the sorrow that he’d been wrong about Bellamy’s feelings for him to regret that he’d actually been wrong, just not in the way he thought.
“Why didn’t you say something on the phone? That’s why I risked calling you.” He stepped toward her, hoping she didn’t run away, like she probably wanted to. Like he probably deserved. Zane had tried to warn him.
“I couldn’t even remember which interview you were talking about. Good gravy, Coy, we recorded a million.” She rubbed her hands down her cheeks.
“That kiss with Charlotte was the most awkward thing I’ve ever done,” he said in a rush. He hadn’t really explained about that either. “Charlotte and I both have already agreed that we’re much better as friends. She laughed, Bells. She laughed when she kissed me.”
“I stopped being mad about that the minute you told me why it happened.” She pinned him with a glare that said he was not forgiven for distrusting her. And then a moment later it softened. “But this show didn’t really give us the opportunity to get anything explained well, did it? Is it all just a story?” she asked, stepping toward him.
He reached for her hands, and she let him take them. “Not the important parts,” he said softly. “I promise. And I’m so very sorry.”
She tilted her head. “How long before the cameras catch up?”
“If Agnes feels bad enough, maybe a few more minutes.” He wrapped his arms around her waist. When he lowered his lips to hers, pressing a hand to her back to hold her close, she met him eagerly. She gripped the front of his shirt, letting a certain amount of desperation leak into the way she kissed him back.
“Charlotte laughed?” Bellamy murmured.
Coy wasn’t quite ready to stop kissing yet, but he smiled. “Giggled, really,” he said, not moving away from her lips.
“She’s crazy.”
When the screen door opened and Agnes said, “We do have to film dinner at some point,” Coy still didn’t stop kissing Bellamy. “I’ll send out a camera,” Agnes threatened.
Coy pulled an arm away from Bellamy long enough to give Agnes a thumbs up. The screen door slammed and Agnes huffed.
“She did complain about not having enough footage of us kissing,” Bellamy said.
