Chapter 29 #2
She rises and goes to the front. With a smile as genuine as it is easy, she talks about how they met and bonded.
We’re all drawn in. Not a person in the crowd isn’t captivated, including the players.
Jay’s leaning in, elbows on the table and brows pulled together as if you couldn’t pry him away for anything.
“And I hope we’ll have so many adventures and stories. For someone who already has those, I want to turn it over to Mari’s sister, Nova.”
My throat swells.
I rise from my seat and head to the podium.
“Sorry to put you on the spot,” she whispers. “Mari thought you wouldn’t mind.”
I stare out at the crowd and at my sister. Mari’s smiling my way, and my chest expands.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting to do this. It’s like winning an Oscar and not having planned your speech.”
There are a few chuckles.
Clay catches my eye and nods.
“Siblings are people who have to love us no matter what. There were a few times over the years I would’ve walked away if we weren’t blood.
” A few more chuckles sound through the audience.
“But Mari never did. I always wanted to be like my big sister, and now I see I can’t be like her.
But I can be there for her. I can only hope that one day we’re all as lucky as you both are. ”
Mari’s eyes are damp as she reaches for Harlan’s hand.
I raise my glass. “To love that finds us when we need it, not when we’re looking. May your hearts always surprise you in the best ways.”
Everyone repeats and clinks their glasses.
I take a sip, the bubbles dancing down my throat. I feel Clay’s eyes on me the entire time.
“That was really good,” Brooke says, hooking an arm around me when Harlan and Mari go for their first dance.
We watch them twirl slowly on the floor.
“You going to do that someday?” I ask.
“Get married? Never.”
I laugh. “What if you find the right person?”
“No such guy. It’s better to live your life on your own terms.”
I’m in line for the powder room when I read the email again.
“Thank you for everything.” My attention snaps up and I see Harlan emerge.
“My pleasure. It’s been a beautiful day.”
His brows draw together as he takes in my expression. “Everything okay?”
I nod and tell him about the email from my boss.
“That’s good,” he prompts.
“Yes. It is.”
With a perplexed smile, Harlan excuses himself.
It is good. It’s a chance to move forward without the shadow of my ex looming over me.
It’s the proof that I can handle my own life, even if my life isn’t as thrilling as my sister’s or a professional athlete’s.
After checking my makeup in the mirror, I head back out.
There’re several couples and groups already dancing, and I linger at the edge of the floor watching.
Someone taps my shoulder. I turn to find Clay staring down at me, his smoldering intensity on full display.
“Dance with me.”
I take his hand, and he leads me to the floor.
There are eyes on us. I feel them.
“I know you’re not Harlan’s biggest fan, or Mari’s,” I say. “So, thank you. For what you did for my sister.”
“I didn’t do it for her. I did it for you.”
I stare up at him, his hands warm on mine.
At the front of the room, words were easy.
Now, there’s nothing to say to capture what I’m feeling. What I want. What I hope.
“First game of the season is Tuesday,” Miles interrupts from where he’s dancing with his date. “Don’t screw up your knee.”
“I can still beat you on one leg.”
Miles laughs, and we make another few turns to the music.
Across the room, Mari and Harlan are engrossed in talking to their guests. I watch them disappear out to the garden with some friends, each with a glass of wine in hand.
I don’t know what the future holds. I thought all I wanted was to be on stable ground, to have people see me as an adult who has her life together. But right now, I’m enjoying being exactly where I am.
Now, there’s a streak of independence, of adventure, I didn’t bank on. It has something to do with the man holding me in the middle of the dance floor.
“The day I met you, I was dreading coming back for the season. I was in a dark mood, and this pixie on the plane who had no idea who I was stole my seat. The way you argued, lost, then decided we should be friends, I thought you were crazy,” Clay murmurs into my hair.
“But there was something underneath the pink hair and the tequila shots. You cared about people, and it drew me to you from the start.”
I sigh, content. “I thought you were some asshole gym owner,” I admit, and he grins. “You were too cool for me until you agreed to switch seats. You ripped my Sports Illustrated magazine like a psycho—”
“They had a feature on me. I didn’t want to ruin what we had going on.”
My lips part, and it takes a moment for me to continue. “You followed me into the bathroom because you were worried. You worried about a stranger, and it was the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
We turn in circles, Clay holding me close.
“And here I thought it was my tattoos that got you through.”
I bite my cheek. “Guys don’t normally strip for me in bathrooms. It might have helped a little.”
Beneath the humor, I see the truth.
He’s been there all along, the person who knows me, who backs me up no matter the cost. The man who made me believe life doesn’t have to go in one direction.
“What are you thinking?” he murmurs, his fingertips brushing my neck, sending tingles from my neck straight down my body.
“I’m thinking I really like that you’re here.”
His eyes hold mine, and what passes between us is more than I ever dared to hope for.
“We never finished our game from the plane,” he says.
I flash back to Two Truths and a Lie. “Only because you didn’t follow the rules and refused to take a turn.”
His thumbs stroke down my bare arms. “Fine, here goes.” He clears his throat. “One, I don’t hate Denver as much as I used to.”
My lips twitch.
“Two, my knee is less fucked than I thought.“
He trails off, and I pull back enough to look up at him.
“And?”
Clay looks past me. “Three…I’m falling for a girl. I never expected it to happen. I never looked for her. But she found me anyway. And I’m really fucking glad she did.”
My chest tightens.
“Please don’t joke about that,” I whisper.
“You think I am?”
“You’re Clayton Wade. You barely let anyone in. You don’t fall.”
He pulls me closer. “You said yourself—people change.”
My heart thuds.
I want the physical connection, but I want more than that, too.
I want him to see all of me, even the things I’m trying not to look at.
But this is the first time he’s said anything hinting at a future.
What would that even mean? He’s about to embark on his season, a demanding rush of grueling games and media appearances, not to mention his secret ambition to land himself in a job halfway across the country.
“I spent the last month putting myself back together,” I start. “Spending time with you helped, I won’t pretend it didn’t. But I don’t want to just be someone you pick up and put down when it’s convenient.”
“I know. And I’m not that guy,” Clay says, his voice low and urgent. “Let me take you home and prove it to you.”
My heart hammers against my ribs. “After Harlan and Mari leave.”
He brushes his lips along my throat, making me shiver.
“After.”