Page 44 of Keep Me Never
Brady clears his throat, raising a brow at his women.
“Big Guy.” She blinks at him. “Look at him.”
Brady narrows his eyes, then spins to see the pair over his shoulder. His head tugs back this way quickly, and now he and Cameron are both glaring at me. “Dude, you lost your damn mind?”
“See?!” she hisses. “You don’t send the diamond off to a dark corner with the duke. Don’t you know what happens?!”
My frown must deepen because she throws her hands up.
“Ugh! Forget it. It’s like you’ve never watched Netflix or something,” she grumbles, then jumps up and stalks that way, but he’s gone before she gets there, and even though I’m feeling the same frustration, I laugh a little when her shoulders fall.
“She was about to scare the hell out of that dude.” Brady laughs, pushing to his feet. “Come on, boys. Our chariot awaits.”
I nod, following them to the door, surprised when Noah hangs back, walking side by side with me.
He’s quiet at first, but I can see his eyes move my way a few times in my peripheral vision before he speaks.
“I’ve been watching the games,” he tells me. “You’re making waves out there.”
I give him a tight smile, wishing he wouldn’t compliment me. “I’m just trying to stay relevant.”
“You’re more than relevant, Chase. Even my teammates are talking about you.”
A spark of hope heats my chest, but I push it back. Hope is dangerous.
“Did you tell them I’m really just a dickhead with good hands?”
A surprised chuckle bursts from him, and Ari glances back, a small smile playing at her lips. “Nah.” He laughs again. “No. I told them you’re family.”
My feet stop moving, and Noah pauses with me.
We stare at each other a moment, and I shake my head, my mouth opening to say something, but he just clamps his hand on my shoulder.
“Come on. They’re loading up already.”
All I can do is nod, following and folding into the SUV in silence.
Fortunately, the girls instantly start talking about the show, so I’m not expected to say anything. Unfortunately, that means I have too much time to get lost in my head.
First, Noah’s words play on a loop, and with each repeat of the wordfamily, the rope tightens around me. Then, it shifts to Paige, to her in my arms up on that stage.
I wanted to kiss her.
I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so bad in my life, and I think I was about to. It would have been the perfect moment in the perfect place.
A kiss she would remember, even if one day she forgets all about me. But the universe shit on me yet again when Prince Charming fell out of the fucking sky, a not-so-subtle reminder that my life is black and white.
There is no room for the color, for those soft, feel-good moments that offer just a moment of reprieve from the rest, where what could be the simple task of breathing is just that: simple. Easy.
Someone kicks my foot, and I open my eyes, realizing we’re pulling up to the airstrip.
I can’t meet Brady’s eyes but push out of the car the moment I can and go right for the set of stairs leading to the plane. I’m halfway up before the others are even fully out of the car, and when a soft hand finds mine on the railing, I look down.
Paige’s smile is unsure as she looks up at me. “Did I… Are you upset?”
I stare down at her, my hand moving on its own, knuckles grazing her cheek. “No. I’m not upset. I’m thankful I got to come tonight.” And I am. I needed to see all this.
To feel this.
