Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
I might date @PRyanPOfficial if I could get into the #beckettmiller VIP section tonight at #redemption
—@CuTEandRich3
If it gave me half a chance to join you, I might let you, @CuTEandRich3 Did you hear about who is in there.
—@PRyanPOffical
Yes, Ryan. Thus, why I’m desperate.
—@CuTEandRich3
Two Years Ago
Hanging out in a VIP lounge at a nightclub with my best friend, her husband Mitch, her parents, and their friends, I tease, “I’ll say one thing about your life.”
“What’s that?”
“It certainly doesn’t lack for eye candy.”
Austyn bursts into gales of laughter. “You can thank my dad for that.”
I cut my eyes over to Austyn’s father and let loose a heartfelt sigh over his own gorgeousness. “Yes. It’s going to bother me terribly to have to go converse with your father.”
Austyn’s about to open her mouth to slap me down when her eyes widen dramatically. Then she shouts, “Uncle Jess!” before taking off at a run.
I twirl around on four-inch heels just in time to catch sight of Jesse Kensington. He lifts his niece and swings her around before shouting above the din, “Happy birthday, kiddo!”
A quick glance to my left shows Austyn’s mother is just as shocked. She leaves her husband’s side to dash over to her brother and greet him warmly. Meanwhile, I’m scanning the entrance frantically to see if someone else is behind him. I mean, he would have told me, wouldn’t he?
I give it a few minutes before I send a text.
Fallon:
Mama Paige. Uncle Jess. What? No Uncle E?
Ethan:
Not tonight.
Fallon:
No?
Ethan:
I won’t be there. I already have plans.
Fallon:
Sorry to bother you.
Ethan:
You’re never a bother, Fal.
Fallon:
Except when you’re out on a date?
Ethan:
Fal . . . no.
Fallon:
Pretty bad timing on my part, Ethan. Sorry for the intrusion.
I slip my phone back into my clutch and lift my cosmopolitan to my lips, contemplating my text to Ethan. It’s not jealousy , I assure myself. It’s about being here for Austyn’s birthday.
Still, as much as I would love to have seen Ethan and my enduring hots for him, I decided to take Ethan at his word and not pine away for him during my college years. My lips curve as I recall the scorching hot sex I had with my TA last semester after I agreed to model nude for one of his art studies classes. I wonder if the art department is aware the abstract they so revere is not tantamount to Saint Augustine but more an “oh my god, more” religious experience.
Still, it wasn’t Ethan. I’m aware all I’m doing is scratching an itch, not searching for a soulmate. My heart’s aware I’ve already found him and ultimately what I want is for him to be happy.
Screw that. I want him with me.
Despite the deep-seated jealousy I refuse to acknowledge, no one with Ethan Kensington’s looks should be without sex— good sex , I amend. I lift my glass in a silent toast he gets some. Since I first met him, I’d have to be blind not to notice how fucking gorgeous the man is. Who cares that he’s twenty years older than me? Hot is hot, and the man has the face of a rugged Hollywood star combined with the body of a rodeo god. Truth is, Jesus wept when he made Ethan because he knew he wouldn’t be on the earth long enough to bang him.
I giggle at my train of thought, drawing the attention of several of the people milling about to celebrate my girl’s birthday, including—holy bat shit—country music star Brendan Blake. Turning away from the revelry, I saunter over to the bar where a behemoth of a man named Louie is manning the station for the night.
Winking at me as I approach, he immediately begins pulling the ingredients together for my next cosmopolitan as soon as my glass hits the leather counter. As I wait for my drink, I wonder what Ethan might think of this crowd. Music legends, lawyers, doctors, and, well, me. Another bubble of laughter escapes.
If he’s not pissed at me for cock blocking him, I’ll text him later in the week and tell him the details.
Louie sets my drink in front of me before his eyes dart over my head. An arm slides around my shoulders, and I twist to meet Jess’s familiar green eyes. His gaze drops to the drink in front of me before he shakes his head. “Where did the nice, small-town girl I know go?”
I back away and hold out a hand. “Have we met? I’ve never been a ‘nice’ girl.”
He jerks my hand and wraps me in an enormous hug. “It’s good to see you, Fal.”
“You too, Jess,” I tell him honestly. We chat back and forth for a few minutes before he mentions his assigned role is to get pictures for Austyn. He leans over the bar and yells, “Hey, Louie. You mind?”
“You mean since there’s a no photo rule except the one your family persistently breaks?” Louie growls.
Jess and I laugh. Wrapping an arm around my waist, Jess tugs me firmly against his body. I grin until the flash goes off, after which Jess promptly lets me go. “You have to send me a copy of that,” I tell him.
He gives me a quick one arm hug before offering his excuses. “Will do. Now, I need to go say hey to a few people.”
I wink. “We’ll catch up at later.”
Reaching for my glass still on the bar, I take a sip, letting the chilled vodka slide down the back of my throat. A few seconds later, a blond dashes up before introducing herself as Leanne Miles. After we each make our connection to Austyn known, I fascinate her when I let her know I’m about to start my fourth year of an accelerated master’s degree program to become a museum curator. “How did you fall into that?”
I admit, “I wanted to jump Riley from National Treasure .”
She hoots before lifting her finger to order a drink. “Going for the hot hacker. I like you.”
When Louie hands her a glass of wine, I tap my glass to hers. “Same goes.”
Leanne notes, “Your handbag is sending out strobe signals. Someone trying to get in touch with you?”
I frown. “That’s not a good sign.” Quickly, sliding my empty glass on the bar, I whip out my cell phone, hoping everything is okay with my mother. But it’s not her frantically trying to reach me.
It’s Ethan.
Ethan:
What the hell?
Ethan:
Why the fuck is my brother holding you?
My eyes bug out at what I’m reading. A wave of emotions washes over me, the most prominent one being confusion. How in the hell does Ethan know anything about me talking to Jess? Finally, I type back.
Fallon:
Excuse me?
Ethan:
Come on, Fal.
I then receive the picture of me and Jess that Louie had taken earlier. I take a deep breath and decide to take the high road.
Fallon:
Cool. Jess was going to send that to me later.
Ethan:
YOU TEXT WITH HIM TOO?
Fallon:
Are you kidding right now?
Ethan:
Not even close, witch.
Suddenly, anger courses through me. Ethan may be everything I want, but he’s made no proclamations of happily ever after to me even after the emotional encounter we had during Austyn’s hospital stay. We’re friends . We have a mutual love and affection for his family. My thumbs move furiously beneath Leanne’s fascinated stare.
Fallon:
Why are you turning into a green-eyed monster? Because it’s Jess?
Ethan:
I always have green eyes.
Fallon:
Stop. Just stop. Okay?
Ethan:
I’m not joking.
Fallon:
You should be.
Ethan:
This is a load of crap, Fal.
Fallon:
Excuse me?
Fallon:
You’re typing this while you’re on a damn date?
Ethan:
It’s not a date.
Ethan:
I’m working.
Fallon:
It was a platonic picture.
Ethan:
Fine.
Fallon:
That was way uncool, Ethan.
Ethan:
I’m sorry, but, Fallon, my brother?
I don’t know what makes me say it, but I do.
Fallon:
Then you should have been here to put your own damn arm around me.
Shoving my phone back in my bag, I ignore the buzzing that starts and beam at a patient Leanne, telling myself I won’t let Ethan ruin my night. “So, what do you do, Leanne?”
Her laugh is filled with amusement. “Oh, that’s a long and complicated question. I’ll sum it up by saying I tinker with computers.”
Fucking fantastic. Something to remind me of Ethan. Still, I remain tuned in as Leanne explains she’s the CEO of a company that does contract work for the US government. Still, I have to admit I’m grateful when Austyn rescues me so we can dance.
I leave my purse behind because the buzzing hasn’t stopped.
Not once.