westcasescenario: Why?
therealpaigewalker: Noah. Yes or no?
westcasescenario: I don’t know, PW. The seating charts have already been filled in. Tickets are sold out. Not sure if I can make that happen.
As soon as I sent the message, I wished I could take it back. Why was I trying to be funny with her? Of course I’d take her to the ball. I mean, I needed to figure out how to get her a ticket because they really were sold out, but I’d make it work. Adapt and overcome. But there was just something about the way my heart beat faster with the directness of her “yes or no” demand that made me want to mess with her.
therealpaigewalker: It’s okay. I understand.
Alarm bells went off in my head. Oops. Time to circle back.
westcasescenario: Tell me why you want to come.
There was a long pause. She’d read the message, but the signal that she was typing hadn’t immediately shown up as it had with the other messages. I bit my lip, annoyed with myself. I should have just said yes when she first asked.
therealpaigewalker: Let’s talk about it over dinner. How’s 6?
I balked. Dinner?
westcasescenario: In LA? Tonight?
I checked my watch. There was no way I’d be able to make it to LA by six. Especially if I wanted to go home and shower and change. If I was going to see Paige for the first time in eight years, I definitely wanted to freshen up.
therealpaigewalker: No, no. I’ll come to you.
“What are you still doing here?” a voice asked from behind me.
I jumped, turning to find Hawk approaching the bench with O’Malley and his eight-year-old son, Finn, in tow. “Hey, did you guys find a ring?”
O’Malley nodded and held up a small bag. “We did.”
“That was fast,” I observed, not that I had any experience picking out engagement rings.
Finn beamed. “It was easy. Rachel’s gonna love it. We know her, right, Dad?”
“Right, bud,” O’Malley replied.
“That’s great, little man.” I stood and gave the kid a high five, genuinely happy for him. He’d lost his mom when he was five, so his dad proposing to his beloved PE teacher meant he’d have a two-parent family again. The excitement oozed out of him, and understandably so.
“I thought you were going home,” Hawk said, gesturing toward the parking lot.
“I was,” I said, holding up my phone, “but then I got a weird message that I had to deal with.”
“What kind of message?” O’Malley asked.
I hesitated. Paige’s rejection of last year’s ball invitation was a very public crash and burn for me. Everyone I worked with had made bets in a big pool over whether or not she’d say yes and some of them were pretty lame about it after she ignored me. Not my real friends, though. They were all cool about it. Well, other than the occasional joke, which I could handle—and likely deserved.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, Paige messaged me.”
Hawk quirked a brow at O’Malley, then pointed to the poster behind me. “That Paige? Paige Walker?”
Finn’s eyes darted to the poster and back to me. “Grandma loves that show. You know that lady?”
O’Malley said, “So does Rachel,” at the same time that Hawk said, “So does Ellie.”
“Yep,” I confirmed.
“West, are you feeling okay, man?” O’Malley asked. “You’re not losing your marbles on us, are you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Very funny.”
“She really messaged you?” Hawk asked. “What did she say?”
“She asked if I could take her to the ball this year.” I held my breath as I waited for their reactions.
Hawk’s eyes bulged. “What did you say?”
“I made a joke about how tickets are already sold out,” I said.
O’Malley shook his head. “Didn’t see that coming.”
It probably sounded strange to them. They had no idea of the history I had with Paige. They didn’t know we’d gone to high school together. They didn’t know I’d spent my entire sophomore year firmly in the friend zone because I’d been too scared to talk to her. They didn’t know I’d finally made a move the summer before our junior year, setting us on a course for two amazing years as our high school’s most-envied couple. The baseball star with his choice of colleges and the drama queen with her movie star dreams. Folks needed sunglasses when they looked at us, our future was so bright. Until we graduated, and then it wasn’t.
But I wasn’t ready to tell them about any of that. If I did, it would probably mean talking about other things that I worked very hard to keep buried.
“She can have my ticket,” Finn offered, blinking up at me.
My brows shot to my hairline. “What?”
He put his hand next to his mouth as if that would keep his dad from hearing him. “I don’t really want to go this year.”
O’Malley’s brows snapped together. “Finn, you’re bailing on me? You always go to the ball with me.”
Finn shrugged. “Yeah, but you used to just take Mom. Now you have Rachel. You don’t need me.”
I looked away from the kid, not liking the emotions swirling inside me. Meeting Hawk’s eyes, I could tell he was feeling the same way, only worse, because he’d also lost his mom when he was a kid. In a hurry to think about something else before thoughts of my own childhood crept in, I checked my phone to see if I had another message from Paige.
“Shoot,” I said, swiping the screen to unlock it, “I didn’t reply to her last message.”
“What was it?” Hawk asked.
“I asked her why she wanted me to take her to the ball,” I explained, ignoring their confused looks. At some point, I’d need to tell them that Paige wasn’t just a celebrity crush to me. “And then she invited me to dinner so we could talk about it. She said she’d come to San Diego. And then you guys walked up, and I didn’t reply.”
“You have to go,” Hawk practically shouted as he pushed my shoulder. “Dude, this is like a dream come true for you.”
“I know, I planned on it,” I said.
“Are you going to give her my ball ticket?” Finn asked.
I looked at O’Malley. “Is it cool if I buy it off you?”
“Yeah, of course.” O’Malley opened his wallet and pulled out the ticket, handing it over.
“Thanks, man,” I said.
“Grandma’s going to be so excited when I tell her you’re taking that doctor lady to the ball,” Finn said.
I put the ticket in my own wallet. “Well, first I’m going to go to dinner with her and figure out why she suddenly wants to. She didn’t even reply when I asked her to go last year.”
Hawk and O’Malley shared a glance, then Hawk turned to me. “Who cares? A famous celebrity just hit you up to go to the ball. Just go.”
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I looked down to see a message from Paige.
therealpaigewalker: Can you meet me at 6 at the Hotel del Coronado? I just booked a cottage there for the weekend.
“She wants to meet at The Del,” I told my friends.
Hawk reached out and shook me by the shoulders. “What are you still doing here, West? Go get your girl.”
3
Paige
“He’s here,” Molly said, joining me on the deck of our private beachfront cottage at the Hotel Del. “They said he brought a motorcycle to the valet.”
I smirked, turning my back on the ocean. “No he didn’t.”
“He did.”
Shaking my head, I stepped back and placed my hands on the rail behind me to steady myself. Noah West on a motorcycle? How much had he changed in the eight years since I’d seen him? The Noah I’d known wasn’t the motorcycle type. He’d been a clean-cut, all-American baseball player. Motorcycles evoked images of dark sunglasses and leather jackets. Is that what becoming a Marine had done to my Noah? I shook my head. I hadn’t thought of him as “my Noah” in forever. How had that thought slipped so easily into my mind?
Molly looked up from her phone where she was receiving updates from my security team. “They’re almost here.”
I smoothed my hands down the front of my floral sundress. “How do I look?”
“Gorgeous, as usual,” Molly replied.
“Should I wait out here or meet him in the living room?”
“Wait here. I’ll get the door and have him wait in the living room just to give you an extra minute to calm down.”
“Do I not look calm?”
Molly pursed her lips. “Not really, no. You look like you’re freaking out.”
I blew out a breath and twisted my fingers around in jerky movements. “I am freaking out.”
I heard the knock at the door all the way from the other side of the cottage. My eyes zipped to Molly’s, and she gave me an encouraging smile. I was so grateful to have her in my corner. I took a deep breath and gave her a nod as she wordlessly slipped away to answer the door.
Slowly, I returned my focus to the ocean, hoping that the steady rhythm would calm me down. When Molly reappeared on the deck and made a small noise to get my attention, I jumped.
“You don’t look calmer.”
I growled. “I’m fine.”
“Clearly.”
“Shh.” I swallowed. “How does he look? Is he wearing a leather jacket?”
She snorted. “No. It’s more of a bomber jacket. But not like Top Gun. More low-key. He’s really freaking cute, Paige. Like, really cute.”
Not surprised by this info at all, I craned my neck to sneak a peek around her. “Does he seem excited to see me?”
“Paige,” she whisper-shouted my name, “just go in there. You’ve got this.”
“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll be in my room if you need me.” She gave me one last supportive smile and walked across the deck to the sliding glass door that led to her chosen room of the three-bedroom cottage.
With no one left to answer my stalling questions, I straightened my shoulders and headed through the door to the study that was attached to my bedroom. I took a quick glance in the mirror on my way past the opulent king bed and then finally crossed into the living room.
Noah had his back to me, giving me time to take him in. He was taller than I remembered, his legs looking long and lean in slim-fitting dark wash jeans. Molly had been right. His charcoal-colored nylon bomber jacket, with its black cuffs and waistband, wasn’t like a pilot’s but more of a chic and casual style. His dark hair was so short at the base that it was basically clean-shaven, gradually getting longer until it reached the top and folded elegantly over to one side.
He must have sensed me in the room, because he turned, fixing his bright blue eyes on mine. Instantly, I was taken back to my teenage self. Not the jaded celebrity I was now, but just a girl who was obsessed with a really stinking handsome boy.
“Hi,” I said breathlessly.
“Hi,” he replied.
He swallowed, his gaze never leaving mine. I moved forward to hug him and he held his arms open for me to step into. I’d intended to make it a casual hug, the one-armed, diagonal kind that you give any old friend you haven’t seen in ages.
But when I stepped toward him and my body made contact with his solid chest, I couldn’t help but melt against him. His arms encircled me, each strong hand pressing firmly into my back, holding me there. His scent—subtle and woodsy—entranced me. It took me back to high school in an instant. How did he still smell the same after all this time?
“Thanks for meeting me,” I said after a moment, my voice muffled by his shoulder.
He didn’t speak, just gave me a quick squeeze and released me. My chest felt colder the instant it was separated from his, and I wanted nothing more than for him to reach out and pull me back against him. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and emptiness settled within me.
“Thanks for coming all the way down here,” he said, looking around the room. “How did you get here so fast with the traffic and everything?”
I bit my lip, knowing my answer would sound a lot more pretentious to his ears than anyone I normally spoke to. “We, um, took a helicopter down.”
His brows shot up. “Did you?”
“Yep.”
“Fancy.”
I chuckled at the way he drew out the word. “So fancy.”
“So, where are we going for dinner?” he asked. “I’m afraid I might need to take out a loan to cover the meal.”
My hands flew to my cheeks as I felt the warmth of a blush seep into them. “Stop it. Actually, I was hoping we could eat here? The cottage comes with a private chef, and well …”
“It’s more private?”
“Yeah. Is that okay?”
His lips quirked. “Don’t wanna be seen with me?”
“No,” I said quickly, holding out a hand. “It’s not that, I promise. I just … don’t want to be seen at all. It’s nice when no one knows where I am.”
He considered me for a moment, and again, I felt pompous. First, I’d chartered a helicopter. Then, I’d rented a private cottage at one of San Diego’s most exclusive resorts. And now we were about to enjoy a meal prepared for us by a personal chef. Just wait until the concierge made his appearance. That was a perk of the room I was sure would get an eye roll out of Noah.
Fancy things had never impressed him. It may have been eight years since I’d seen him, but I remembered where he came from. He bit back a laugh, and I couldn’t help but get a little weak in the knees when I saw the twinkle in his eye. He wanted to tease me, I could see it, right there on the tip of his tongue. But he seemed to hold it back for some reason.
He peered around the lavishly appointed living room. I watched as his eyes traveled to the kitchen, the guest rooms, and finally gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased the beachfront location. Finally, he turned back to me and shrugged nonchalantly. “I suppose this will do.”
A quiet giggle escaped me. I cleared my throat and checked my watch. “Do you want to sit outside while we wait?”
“After you.” He held out a hand toward the doors to the deck.
The sun had begun its descent over the water, and my breath caught at the beauty of the colors in the sky. Pale blue faded into yellow, orange, and finally a bright red where the sun met the ocean.
I crossed to the railing and braced my hands against it, tilting my head back and closing my eyes. I relished in the ocean breeze on my face, the sound of the rolling waves, and the smell of salt in the air. LA was so polluted and busy that sometimes I forgot what fresh air could do for the soul.
“Has nothin’ on our Arizona sunsets, right?” Noah said from behind me.
I pictured the purple mountains and the glow of the valley from the top of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. I opened my eyes, facing the gorgeous sunset over the water. “I don’t know, it’s pretty breathtaking.”
I turned to smile at him, finding him staring at me with a familiar glint in his eye. On our sunset hikes, he would always joke about the view having nothing on me. It was cheesy and he knew it, but it was a thing. Noah had always made a cheesy pickup line sound anything but cheesy.
He cleared his throat. “So what’s up, Paige? Why do you want me to take you to the ball?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and turned to face him, leaning my back against the rail. “Cutting right to the chase, huh?”
“Well, you didn’t seem that interested when you ignored me last year.”
I swallowed. “I know, I’m sorry.”
“Why did you ignore it?”
“I don’t know. I shouldn’t have, it was rude. You deserved a reply, at the very least.”
He cocked a brow. “A reply, but not an acceptance?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Paige, it’s me. I know you as the girl obsessed with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos even though you hate the way it stains your fingers red, so you only eat them when you have wet wipes handy. Un-complicate it.”
I snorted. “Noah.”
“Paige.”
I took a beat, considering him. He didn’t know Paige Walker the superstar. He didn’t know the girl who could only sneak Hot Cheetos now, for fear that her dad or publicist would make a comment about her image or her waistline. He didn’t know how it felt to get hammered with questions and camera flashes whenever he went anywhere with me. He only knew the peace of moments like these, in front of a gorgeous sunset. If I couldn’t be myself with him—the uncomplicated, authentic version of me—then when could I?
“Honestly?” I asked, biting my lip.
“Always.”
“Chase didn’t think it was a good idea.”
The wheels turned in his head as he thought about it, and I wasn’t sure if he was putting all of the pieces into place or not. How much did he follow the tabloids? How much did he know about Chase? Still, I could tell he at least knew I was referring to my co-worker and love interest on the show, who happened to also be my on-again-off-again ex-boyfriend.
His jaw ticked slightly, and he shrugged. “So what changed?”
“For starters, he doesn’t even know I reached out to you, so he’s not an issue.” I’d wrapped my arms around my body in preparation to defend myself to Noah. I let them fall to my side as he didn’t even press me for more details about my ex. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was glad I didn’t have to go there. “Truthfully, I thought about what I was going to say to you the entire way here.”
“In the helicopter,” he stated, his lips twitching.
“Yes. In the helicopter.” I chuckled and rolled my eyes at him.
“And what did you decide to say?”
I let out a long breath. “I intended to come out here and tell you I missed you.”
He lifted a brow but didn’t speak.
I stepped toward him, closing the distance between us. “I wanted to tell you I’ve never stopped thinking about you, that I knew the ball was coming up, and that I just had to reach out and apologize for blowing you off last year.”
Adored by You: A Sweet, Celebrity, Military Romance (San Diego Marines Book 7) Page 2