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“Wow,” Katie whispers. I look over at her, her head only a few inches below mine. Her eyes are wide as she takes in the sparkling room. The black and gold theme runs throughout the decorations, with white accents splashed around. Several high-top tables surrounding the outer edges of the space have black tablecloths covering them, and the round tables in the front of the room have white linens. Waiters wearing black and gold carry trays of champagne throughout the ballroom. This whole event seems to be about as fancy as you can get.
Katie’s hand squeezes my arm as we walk further into the room. I stay as still as possible to keep from reminding her that she’s holding on to me. All the while, I’m screaming on the inside like a little kid getting a present. I want to fist pump and then kiss the living hell out of her.
Am I being ridiculous? Yes. But who wouldn’t feel like this when their crush is showing them attention after freezing them out for months?
Rationally, I know this means less than nothing to her. I just can’t help turning it into more. It’s the way my brain works. And maybe… just maybe, tonight could be my one chance to prove to her how good we could be together.
CHAPTER 3
Katie
Ineed a drink. Like right now.
I was nervous to come here tonight as it was, but I was not prepared to be overwhelmed by the opulence.
Growing up, my family had enough money to be comfortable but not enough to splurge. Even now, I only make enough to not need to stress too much about my bills. Being in this room, surrounded by a wealth I’ll never achieve is… a lot.
“Would you like a drink?” Nolan places his hand on mine, which is still hooked in his elbow. As much as I know I need to keep my distance from him, his presence is grounding me more than I’d ever admit out loud.
I glance up into his ocean-blue eyes, with flecks of green sparkling in the bright light of the chandeliers. “Yes, please. An old-fashioned if possible. If not, whatever white wine they have.”
“You got it.” He winks, making my belly swoosh with desire. No. Nope. Not happening. He is not making my vajeen cry with need.
Liar.
With a squeeze of my hand, he moves toward the bar. I try very hard not to check out his ass, but I lose the battle of wills I’m having with my libido. Goddammit, the man is delicious. Why? Why does he have to be the epitome of my perfect man?
He looks over his shoulder and catches me staring. I squeak and turn back to my circle of friends. Thank God no one is paying attention to me. Adam and Ellie are talking with Adam’s parents. Cindy is in a gorgeous silver, sparkly dress, and Steve has on a black suit with a matching silver tie. The two of them are adorable together.
I’m grateful they’ve adopted me into their family. My own parents passed away when I was pregnant with Cody, and I don’t have any other family still alive. To be honest, even when they were alive, they were nothing like Cindy and Steve. They loved me, but they weren’t overly involved. Having people in my life who give unconditional love the way Cindy and Steve do has healed a part of me I didn’t realize needed to be healed. What’s even more astonishing about the way they treat me is that I don’t attend all the family gatherings. I stick mainly to the holidays because I want Cody to experience having a big family during important events, but I don’t want to overstay our welcome.
“Katie, my dear, you look downright gorgeous tonight,” Cindy says. She brings me in for a tight hug that I return full-heartedly.
“Thank you. I was just thinking the same about you. This dress looks beautiful on you.”
“I agree with you entirely, darling girl.” Steve gives me a side hug.
Cindy blushes and playfully smacks his chest. “Sweet talker.”
I grin, ignoring the pinch of longing in my gut. What would it be like to be with a man who worships the ground you walk on? Even after being together for as many years as they have.
Nolan comes up next to me, holding out a glass tumbler filled with my delicious-looking cocktail. “For you.”
I take a grateful sip. “Mmmm. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Nolan nods and then leans in to kiss his mother’s cheek. “Hi, Mom. You look wonderful.”
“Thank you.” She smiles at him.
“When is this shindig supposed to start?” Nolan asks.
“It has started,” Adam says with a frown, as if he doesn’t understand why Nolan wouldn’t already know that.
Nolan makes a face as he looks around the rapidly filling room. “Huh.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Adam asks.
“Oh, nothing. I guess I expected… something else. I don’t know.” He shrugs. “With the way you were talking about tonight, I thought it would be more exciting than a bunch of rich people talking to each other.”
