“Um...” When I hesitated to answer, she turned and walked away. Wow. I felt acidity burn in my stomach. That couldn’t have gone worse. I knew the moment I quit and drove across the state to be with Ollie, this wasn’t going to go over well with my family. But I’d been hoping to figure out how I felt about him first before I had to tell people. Now we were here and now everyone knew that he was...what? My boyfriend? Hell—I glanced around the room—for all I knew my sister and dad might also be attending this huge ass wedding and now knew too.
A second later, one of the servers came by and placed a dinner plate in front of my spot at the table. The plate had mashed potatoes, veggies, and giant cut of meat.
My stomach turned.
I stood up. “I’ll be right back, Ollie.”
With a deep breath, not glancing back at him, I walked across the wooden dance floor in the middle of the room. I had no idea where I was going. I was dressed head-to-toe in black, like I was mourning something. My hair was a wild mess. I didn’t have makeup on. I looked like something a cat had dragged in. Meanwhile, Sydney Michaels was sitting next to her brand new husband, in the most beautiful white gown, looking like a princess. This was exactly why I never wanted to come. Why her and not me? It was a question I’d never understand. But I didn’t even care to understand anymore. I knew it was because I wasn’t good enough.
To make it all worse. Rhett saw me and got out of his chair. He said something to his bride and then stepped around their sweetheart table.
Oh God.
I looked for an exit. There were plenty of ways out of this tent. I could bolt in any direction for open air. But that would be rude and impolite, and everyone would see and...
“Hey,” my friend said. “I’m glad you came. I’m so sorry about the other day. I didn’t even ask where you’d been, what had caused you to miss work, before I yelled at you. It was really awful of me, Luce. I’m sorry. You’ve been seeing your doctor regularly, right?”
I’d mentioned the breast cancer thing when I quit. Crap. He knew my sister was in remission. He probably knew about Emma having the double mastectomy. So he must be guessing I was next in line for all that. “Of course, Rhett,” I offered nicely. I even smiled as I lied. “I’m fine.”
“You’re here with Ollie Mills?”
I let out a small, awkward laugh, glancing back at my date. “I am.” A woman I didn’t recognize had just sat down beside Ollie in my seat. Fan-flipping-tastic.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Rhett said. “But I know you. You’re sensible and smart. I was worried for a second when I saw you come in with him, but then I realized that the rest of his family is pretty awesome. Sydney and Dani have become close. So Ollie’s probably great, too.”
“Yeah,” I muttered.
“Alright. Well, have fun tonight.”
“You, too. Tell Sydney I said hi and that she looks beautiful. I better get back before some other girl steals my date.”
I joked, but there may have been some truth behind it.
Rhett stepped away.
A shiver ran over me as I moved back toward my table. “That’s my seat,” I told the woman.
Ollie didn’t even glance up as she stood and walked away. He was too busy doing something to my dinner plate. He’d moved all the veggies around, and the hunk of meat was missing. He had his napkin on the plate, sopping up the juices from the meat. “Is it okay if your food touched the stuff you can’t eat? Because they were close together and they might have touched.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Sure it does. I can go find one of the waiters and get you a new plate.” He started to stand, and I grabbed his hand.
“Hey. Oliver—”
He was upset. I saw it in his eyes now. They were tense and raw with pain. I’d hurt him. My conversation with Rhett had hurt him. It had been so innocent. But Ollie didn’t know that. All he knew was how I used to feel about Rhett.
“Stay with me,” I said to him.
“Fine.” With a sigh, he sat back down.
~ CHAPTER 36 ~
OLIVER
I didn’t know how strongly I felt for Luce until the moment I saw her talking to Rhett. She’d been in love with him for years, possibly still was, and seeing her smile at something he’d said made me feel like I’d been punched in the stomach. I never knew something as simple as a smile could hurt so much. Because it did and it was debilitating. Some girl sat beside me, tried to start a conversation, and I didn’t even respond. I wasn’t in the mood. I ignored her until Luce returned and took her seat.
Luce stabbed a carrot with her fork. She ate it and then another and then another. Finding food choices for her at rest-stop vending machines was not easy. Luce still hadn’t gained back the weight I knew she’d lost on the island. And we hadn’t slowed down for even one proper meal since. So even if I was frustrated and unsure about our future right this moment, I was happy seeing her finally eating something. Most of the bug bites on her legs had healed, but I wondered now if we both shouldn’t see a doctor after everything on the island just to be sure all was okay.
She cleared her plate in a few seconds.
“Should I find you more?”
“I’m okay.”
“Because I’m sure there’s some leftover carrots somewhere.”
She smiled, pushing her plate aside and resting her elbows on the table. She stared over her shoulder at me. “Are you my boyfriend?” She spoke low; nobody else at the table would have heard. I barely heard. She grew very serious, very quickly, and she had my full attention. I rested my elbows on the table, leaning in closer to her. Our arms touched.
“Do you want me to be?”
“Yes.”
“What’d the guy say to you?”
“You mean the groom?”
I knew his name. She did, too. I was not sure why we weren’t using it.
“It was all polite small talk,” she whispered.
“He made you smile, and I didn’t like it.”
“It meant nothing.”
“I didn’t like it,” I repeated. “Does he have something to do with your question now?”
“He has everything to do with it.”
Fuck. My jaw tightened. The room became boiling hot. I was annoyed, with my heart screaming at me, but I didn’t move away from her.
“So,” she said calmly. “I was speaking to this guy who used to mean everything to me. It was him I’d think about before bed and in the morning when I woke up. Until this other guy, this really annoying guy, started calling me each day. Telling me all this pointless shit about his life. I joke you not, I couldn’t get him to stop. But it was his call and his voice I started looking forward to each day. Then I got stuck with this same annoying man on an island—go figure. And it was his body I started looking forward to sleeping next to each night.” She shivered, brushing her hands over her arms. “It’s his touch driving me half insane. It’s his kiss I can’t get enough of. I just spoke to someone who used to mean everything to me, and it didn’t mean anything. Nothing at all. Because I’m in love with you.”
What?
She loved me?
I didn’t trust my ears. I was stunned, blown away, still trying to process, to pick my jaw up off the table, when my cousin sat down next to me. Dani, all dressed up in her navy bridesmaids’ gown, pulled up another chair and practically sat on top of me. “What the hell is going on with you, kid?”
I sat back, flabbergasted. My mind was still stuck on Luce’s words. “What are you talking about, Dani?”
“You.”
I couldn’t control myself. I moved and grabbed Luce’s face. I pressed my lips to hers, breathing her scent in deeply through my nose. The room spun. This thing between us was out of control. I couldn’t function. I couldn’t think. I just needed to be closer to her. I tasted her lips, letting everything I was feeling wash over me, savoring the hell out of this moment. Because it was the first of its kind. How could she possibly love so
meone as messed up as me? I just didn’t understand. I didn’t see what she saw. Not that I was complaining. The best thing in this world was hearing Luce say those three small words to me.
“Can you focus for two seconds?” Dani said, tugging on my arm.
I sat back down, fucking shaking, my heart racing. “What, Dani? What! What do you want? Can’t you see now isn’t the best time?”
She groaned. “Guess who showed up at the house? Luke.” Luke was here? “He drove through the night with his kid and his girlfriend, when I’m in the middle of pulling off the wedding of the century, and for whatever reason you’ve scared the crap out your brother. So you’ve got another stalker? So what. Maybe if you didn’t sleep around and toy with these women, they wouldn’t turn so crazy. No offense, Luce. I’m sure my brother is super serious about his current fling with you.”
“Don’t,” I warned. She didn’t need to bring Luce into this. “Just don’t.”
“No. It’s really getting out of hand. You don’t answer your phone. You don’t respond to text messages. You randomly show up at weddings you technically weren’t invited to.”
“Well, I have a new number, so...”
The music stopped. John Michaels tapped the microphone. “Good evening, everyone. I’m John. Brother of the bride and best man. This is completely out of my comfort zone. Um, but...”
I wanted to argue with Dani more, but she’d turned her attention to her husband.
John continued. “But I have to speak, so I’m going to speak.” For someone I’d only ever see in black jeans and long-sleeve thermal shirts, he pulled off a tux surprisingly effortlessly. “Up until recently, Sydney’s always been my only purpose in life. It’s her I worry about. Her I protect. Her that’s always kept me going. Then she started dating this guy.” He pointed to Rhett. “A brother’s worst nightmare.”
The crowd chuckled.
“I mean, Rhett was Rhett. And I couldn’t stand him. I thought he was the worst guy my little sister could have picked. But the crazy part was, he was always there. Christmases. Birthdays. On the weekends. This guy wanted to be part of our little family, and I was forced to accept that. And he’s never faltered. He’s always been this gentleman to my sister—her rock, her everything, her person. Maybe it took me a lot longer to see it than everyone else, but Rhett... you’re the most loyal person. I know for the rest of Sydney’s life, you will always be there. Now I see how ignorant I was in the beginning, and how right you two are for each other. I’m honored to be your best man. I’m happy to call you my family today.” John raised his glass. “To Rhett and Sydney—my family.”
His speech ended, people cheered, and I glanced at Dani. She had tears in her eyes. Quickly she brushed them away, then she turned back to me. “Now can you explain to me what’s been going on? Start at the beginning because I need to know everything.”
~ CHAPTER 37 ~
LUCE
I couldn’t believe I said I love you. But my heart would not stop beating for this guy, would not stop doing jumping jacks whenever his eyes connected with mine. And then the fucking carrots. Oh God, I just told Ollie Mills I loved him over carrots.
I swallowed hard as he confessed to Dani about being stranded on an island. “April, my stalker, and her friend left us for dead on some random, deserted island. Then she comes back a week later and kidnaps me. Luce saved my life. We jumped off the back of my boat. Who the hell knows where my boat is now, and—”
“How long ago was this? I just saw you in Tennessee.”
“It was before that.”
“You and Luce have been hanging out since before our meeting at Caleb’s house?”
She wasn’t talking to me, but I could see the question in Dani’s eyes. It surprised her hearing that Ollie had been hanging out with me, or probably anyone, for longer than a night.
“Yeah. What does that have to do with anything? I’ve been talking to Luce for months. So anyway...”
Ollie continued giving Dani the cliff notes version of the last several days, when Ellie, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, suddenly shouted, “Luce, let’s dance!”
She acted drunk, but I knew she was just playing on that to pull me away. She tugged me toward the dance floor. Dinner had ended long ago. The lights were down. People had started to migrate to the dance floor. I joined Ellie with some of my closest friends, Rhett and Sydney included among them.
“I overheard everything,” Ellie said, hanging on my arm. “You and Ollie. The deserted island. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It was only six days.” I downplayed it. But being on the island felt much longer than that. “Ollie’s a good guy,” I added, speaking over the deafening music. “He kept me safe on the island.”
“But can he keep you safe from a stalker?”
She made a valid point. But that wasn’t the number one question pressing on my mind. I just asked this sexy-as-sin Rockstar if he was my boyfriend? He’d evaded the question, which didn’t surprise me, when he failed to answer yes or no. Then I’d dropped the l-word, something I’d never dared say out loud to anyone before, and he hadn’t returned the words. Yeah, he’d kissed me. I felt that kiss. My whole world kind of tilted off its axis when his lips connected with mine; was that his way of skirting around something like this? There were so many insecurities running through my mind. With Rhett, I never felt insecure. Right up until the moment I found he was sleeping with other women all along and that we weren’t as serious as I believed.
I tried to move to the music. My body wasn’t into it. Actually, I felt a little sick. Who the hell was I to think Ollie Mills might actually return words like that? To someone like me?
Just as I was about to step away from the craziness of the dance floor, someone’s arms wrapped around me from behind.
I caught my breath.
It was Ollie. He’d come to join me on the dance floor. He pulled me close against his chest. He moved a lot easier to the music than I did. I melted into him, following his lead, enjoying his body and the sway of his hips. For a second I forgot my insecurities, and a million shivers shot through me when he kissed my neck and touched my waist. His fingers slipped over the fabric of my shirt. But was physical contact just his way? Was that all I could ever expect from Ollie?
“I think I’m in love with you too,” he whispered.
I froze.
My vision went a little blurry and the people faded away. The music turned dull in my ears. I swallowed, confused. His hands laced with my hands, and he hugged me tighter.
“I don’t understand,” I choked.
“Yeah, me neither.” He spoke close to my ear. “Women say those words to me often. Fans, I mean, they shout that kind of bullshit when I’m on stage. I’ve heard girls say it in bed, too. During sex. So I hear it a lot and it never means much. But you said it, and nothing has ever meant more. So yeah, I’m in love with you, too. I’m wild about you. I don’t care how crazy that makes either of us.” He pressed his lips to my neck. “Leave with me?”
“Now,” I muttered.
“Yeah, now.”
“Okay.”
I felt shaky.
He moved, tugging me with him off the dance floor. I waved goodbye to Ellie. But she was too into the Cha Cha Slide to notice. Back at the table, Ollie stopped where Dani and John were sitting.
“We’re leaving,” he said to them.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Stay at our house,” John offered.
Ollie made a noise like he wasn’t too keen on that plan even though that had been his plan all along. Luke was already at the house. I didn’t understand his hesitation.
“Who else is staying the night? Half this party?”
John shrugged. “Just family.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“So are you staying or not?” Dani wanted to know.”
“Staying.”
“Then I’ll walk with you to the house,” she decided. She kissed Jo
hn briefly before standing with us. Then the three of us left the reception. We went past the sheer curtains, away from the noise and the people, and across the land that separated the giant tent from John’s massive house.
The door was unlocked.
I followed Ollie and Dani into a warm, well lit, quiet home. The backdoor led to the kitchen. It was a mess. Seemed like everyone had left stuff everywhere. They’d probably all been preoccupied with last minute wedding preparations.
“So who all is staying here tonight?” Ollie asked again, pushing the question on Dani.
“Caleb and Emma. A few of John’s cousins who are in town. I’m not sure who you recognized at the wedding. But anyone that looked super rich, those folks, they’re all from John’s side of the family. John’s parents included in that umbrella. Then Rhett and Sydney tonight. They’ll leave for their honeymoon in the morning.”
Ollie’s grip on my hand tightened. So Rhett was who he was worried about? Frankly, the idea of staying in the same house as Rhett on his wedding night didn’t sit well with me, either. Not when I just wanted to be close with Ollie.
“Majority of the rooms are taken,” Dani went on. “But the den has a couch. It’s cozy. You can sleep there.”
“Fun,” Ollie muttered.
“Alright. Good. I’m going back to the party. Don’t you dare let me find you naked when I get back.”
Ollie said nothing in response as Dani left us in the kitchen. He stood still as her footsteps moved down the hall. Then we heard the door we’d come in open and close.
“Fuck,” he said once we were completely alone. He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip, moving in to kiss me very briefly. He whispered, “c’mon.”
I guess we were sleeping on the couch, then. Fan-flipping-tastic. But that wasn’t what happened. I followed Ollie upstairs to where he found a linen closet. From inside he pulled out blanket after blanket, all of which he loaded into my arms. He even found a sleeping bag shoved in the bottom of the closet. “Nice,” he whispered.
Then he grabbed about six different pillows from someone’s already claimed room. In the kitchen, he collected a grocery bag and filled it with some food and water bottles. Juggling all this stuff, he whispered, “come with me.”
Never Leave a Rockstar (Never Trust Book 4) Page 13