Chapter 30
THIRTY
I could not believe they did this.
The emcee grinned at me as I approached the stage, his eyes twinkling with mischief that matched the expressions on my so-called friends’ faces.
“What am I singing?” I asked through gritted teeth, already dreading the answer.
The emcee leaned in and whispered, “Your boys picked ‘Sparks Fly’ by Taylor Swift. Said it was perfect for your situation.”
My eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope.” He handed me the microphone. “Good luck, buddy.”
I turned to glare at Drew and Liam, who both shot me enthusiastic thumbs-up, their shit-eating grins wide enough to split their faces. Even Gordy was smiling, and that guy was normally as stoic as they came.
Traitor.
But it was Abby’s expression that caught and held my attention. She looked mortified on my behalf, her cheeks flushed pink, but there was something else there too—curiosity, maybe even anticipation. Our eyes locked for a brief moment before the opening notes of the song started to play.
Well, I was already up here. I could either half-ass it and be embarrassed, or I could own it and maybe use this ridiculous situation to my advantage.
I took a deep breath and made my decision.
If I was going to sing a Taylor Swift song in front of a bar full of people, I was going to sing it to Abby. Because honestly, she was the only girl I could ever imagine singing a romance song to.
The lyrics appeared on the screen, and I started singing. I wasn’t great—I definitely wasn’t going to win any singing competitions—but I wasn’t terrible either. And what I lacked in vocal talent, I made up for in enthusiasm.
As I sang about dangerous smiles and getting swept away, I kept my eyes on Abby.
The crowd seemed to realize who I was singing to pretty quickly, and a path cleared between us, giving me a direct line of sight to her.
Her hands were covering her mouth, her eyes wide, but there were crinkles beside her eyes and it was clear she was smiling.
I moved through the crowd as I sang, making my way back toward our table. Drew and Liam were practically falling over themselves laughing, but I ignored them.
This was for Abby.
By the time I reached the chorus again, I was standing right in front of her. I extended my hand out to her and waited with bated breath.
For a moment, I thought she might refuse, but then she took my hand and stood up to join me.
I sang directly to her now, not caring how cheesy it was or who was watching. As far as I was concerned, there was no one else in the room but us.
Her face was flushed, but she was smiling as she looked up into my eyes, and it was easily the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.
My heart took flight in my chest because a part of me had been certain I’d never see her smile at me like that again.
The fact that she was gave me a stupid amount of hope.
When the song ended, the bar erupted in cheers and whistles. I handed the microphone back to the emcee, who clapped me on the shoulder.
“That was something else, man,” he said, laughing.
“Yeah, well, don’t expect an encore,” I replied, but I was smiling too.
I led Abby back to our table, where our friends were waiting with varying expressions of amusement and approval.
“I can’t believe you actually did that,” Abby said, her voice somewhere between impressed and mortified.
“Neither can I,” I admitted. “But if they thought they were embarrassing me, they failed. I regret nothing.”
Drew slow-clapped. “I have to say, Kane, I didn’t think you had it in you. That was…spectacular.”
“Truly a masterpiece,” Liam agreed, wiping away a fake tear. “I’m moved.”
“You’re both dead men,” I informed them cheerfully. “You just don’t know it yet. Get used to sleeping with one eye open.”
Gordy raised his beer in a toast. “Worth it.”
“Et tu, Gordy?” I shook my head in mock betrayal.
Abby laughed, the sound light and genuine, and suddenly the embarrassment seemed like a small price to pay to hear that sound.
We settled back into our seats, and the conversation flowed easily. Abby seemed more relaxed now, leaning slightly into my side when she laughed at something Drew said. Every now and then, someone from another table would walk by and compliment my “performance,” which would set everyone off again.
After about an hour, Sam checked her phone and frowned. “Oh, shoot. I forgot I have to head over to my sorority house to help with our social event we’re hosting tomorrow.”
Abby’s shoulders fell a little. “It’s almost eleven. You have to go help now?”
“Yep,” Sam said, with a look that was far too innocent to be genuine. “The social committee just texted me.”
“Oh,” Abby said, looking uncertain. “Um…I guess I can wait in the car. Do you think it’ll take long?”
I saw my opportunity and took it. “I can give you a ride home. It’s no problem.”
Now I was glad I’d only had the one beer when we first got here.
Abby looked between Sam and me, clearly catching on to what was happening. “Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out.”
“It would be my pleasure,” I said, meaning every word.
Sam beamed. “Perfect! It’s settled then.” She stood up and grabbed her purse. “Tonight was fun. We should do this again sometime.”
“Definitely,” Drew agreed, a little too quickly. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he just smiled innocently.
I noticed Gordy was also glaring at him and that gave me pause. Why did Gordy care? I knew why I didn’t want Drew to make a move on her—because the last thing I needed was for one of my best friends to break Abby’s best friend’s heart—but why would he?
After Sam left, we stayed for another half hour or so before deciding to call it a night. As we walked out to the parking lot, Drew pulled me aside.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” he said smugly.
“For what, exactly? Publicly humiliating me?”
“For giving you the perfect opportunity to show her how you feel.” He grinned. “And don’t pretend you’re mad. I saw your face when she took your hand.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, well, next time maybe just give me a heads-up?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Go get her, Candy Kane.”
I rolled my eyes at the nickname but headed toward Abby, who was waiting by my truck. The guys had all conveniently decided to take an Uber so they could check out another party on campus.
“Ready?” I asked, unlocking the doors.
She nodded, sliding into the passenger seat. “That was…unexpected.”
I laughed as I started the engine. “Which part? The Taylor Swift serenade or the obvious setup by our friends?”
“Both,” she admitted with a small smile. “But it was fun. I’m glad you guys were able to come tonight.”
“Me too,” I said softly.
The ride back to her place was quiet at first, the kind of silence that hummed with unspoken things. I didn’t want to ruin it by rushing, but I also couldn’t take another night of wondering where we stood.
She’d smiled at me and leaned into me, and it had made me feel like maybe I hadn’t broken things beyond repair.
And now that we were almost to her apartment, I was worried about when I’d get to see her again.
“I’ve missed you,” she said quietly, before I could speak. When I glanced over at her, her hands were folded in her lap, but her eyes were on me. “Not just Bear. Or Foster. Both. You.”
My chest tightened. A part of me had feared she’d miss who I represented as Bear more than me. “I missed you too. Every damn day.”
I wished we were already at her apartment so I could look at her more instead of having to watch the road. But maybe it was the darkness in the cab of my truck and knowing that I couldn’t see her that allowed her to open up to me.
“I was hurt at first.” Her voice trembled, and she stared down at her hands. “It felt like you didn’t trust me. Like I’d been made a fool of.”
I started to speak, but she cut me off gently. “The more I thought about it…the more I realized you were right.”
My grip tightened on the wheel. “What do you mean?”
“If you’d told me who you were back when you first figured it out, I would’ve pushed you away,” she said quietly.
“I would’ve panicked. Convinced myself it was all some cruel joke or twisted plan.
I would’ve cut you off. I would’ve hurt us both.
Hell, I’ve kind of done that anyway.” Her voice cracked a little, and I reached for her hand without thinking.
It felt like another victory when she didn’t pull away.
“You gave me space to figure it out,” she said. “You let me get to know you—not just as Bear—but you. And now that I have…”
I pulled into a parking space in front of her building and she turned fully toward me, her hand curling around mine and her thumb brushing over my knuckles in a way that had pleasure shooting through my nerve endings.
“I want you. Both versions. All of it. The guy who makes dad jokes in Discord and the one who sings Taylor Swift in front of a bar full of people just to make me smile.”
My breath left me in a rush, like she’d reached into my chest and knocked all the air out.
“I want you too,” I said, because I had to. Because it was the truest thing I’d ever said. “More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
Her lips curved, soft and hopeful. “So, I’m not too late?”
“Hell, no.” I cupped the side of her neck. “Abby, I would’ve waited for however long it took. You are worth it.”
Her eyes shimmered. “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered, and then her gaze dropped to my lips.
That was all the permission I needed. I leaned across the console and kissed her.
It wasn’t rushed or desperate.
It was quiet, certain, filled with all the words we didn’t need to say.
Her fingers gripped the front of my shirt like she was afraid I’d disappear, and I kissed her like she was the only thing tethering me to the ground.
Fuck, it was the best kiss of my life.
Because this time I wasn’t drunk or keeping a secret. This time she knew everything and she still wanted me.
When we finally pulled apart, she was smiling and breathless. She’d never looked more beautiful.
“So we’re really doing this?” she whispered.
“Yeah.” I ran a hand down her cheek, memorizing everything about this moment. “We are.”