Page 73 of Signed, I'm Yours!
Once I reach him, he pulls me into a big hug, and I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable.
He kisses my forehead and leans into my ear. I close my eyes.
“I’m here to the end,” he whispers. “We’ll find your family. Okay?”
I’m confused. What did he just say?
I crane back and look at him. The confusion must be written on my face because he raises his hand and strokes my cheek.
“No more lies, okay?” he whispers again, and I swallow a knot in my throat as I nod. “After tonight.”
I want to feel relief, but the tension in my body isn’t so quick to dissipate. Things have just gotten unpredictable. While he was stuck with me, there was a level of control. A level of protection. Now, everything’s wide open, and there’s no telling what will happen next.
A ding echoes across the room, and I pull my attention away from Jack and to everyone else, clinking their glasses as if they’re expecting a speech.
Oh, right.
“Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming.” I plaster a smile on my face and a server walks up to me with a tray full of champagne glasses. I snatch two. Jack reaches for one, but it’s the first one I down.
“Thank you all for coming tonight to…um…celebrate with us.”
I have to admit the room looks absolutely dreamy. I didn’t expect Kevin to do such a great job. I hadn’t even told him what I liked or what I wanted, and somehow, he’s given us my ideal engagement party. If only it was real.
Being so wrapped in Jack for so many days gave me a false sense of truth to the whole charade. Not that I ever forgot the thing between us wasn’t real, but it’s hard to not buy into it even just a little bit when your fake boyfriend fucks you nice and slow every day, planting kisses all over your body, some of which leave their mark.
“I know this engagement came out of nowhere for some of you—” Jack coughs, and I pause to look at his friends, most of whom don’t look too pleased right now. “But Jack and I are so grateful you could make it tonight, regardless.”
I continue to scan the rest of the room, to the other guests staring at me. I recognize Bob with the person who must be his wife, and I notice Mortie and Karen there too, among people who I assume are from SPAM also.
But then, on the other side, is a man in dark clothes and face tattoos. He’s standing next to a tall, blond man with a scar above his brow and a woman with a bob in a red gown.
I swallow my next words and try to smile instead. I don’t remember including these people in the invitees. And there’s a very good reason for it.
“Cheers, everyone!” Jack says after a moment of silence. The distraction makes it possible for me to breathe and turn to Kevin behind me.
“Why did you invite them?” I whisper, then down my other glass of champagne.
“I thought it’d be good to pad the guest list a little. Otherwise, it would look suspicious, only having Jack’s colleagues here.”
I grimace.
He does have a point, but…
“But where did you get these names?”
Kevin lights up and wets his lips a couple of times before he answers.
“I found this little black book in your office.”
Damn it. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Kevin! There is a reason why that book is black.”
“Because we’re villains?” he asks, smirking.
“No.” I slap my face. “Because I’m on their blacklist. Because they’re my enemies!”
Kevin purses his lips and looks toward the undesirables in the room before he nods.
