“Oh, she will be pissed. I’m preparing myself for that, and you should too. You’ll probably need to do damage control.”

“That’s fine.”

“So what do you want me to say?”

Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and said exactly what she was thinking. “I have no freaking clue.”

He chuckled against her hair, his arms coming around her a little tighter as he buried his nose in her hair. “Fine, when you know, let me know cause I have no clue either.”

“I will.”

“Good, now get some rest.”

She placed a small kiss against his jaw. She felt so safe in his arms, so complete. She was still in pain, but it didn’t matter because she was wrapped in his arms and he wanted to surprise her and make her feel better.

And he had.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered, and she meant it. She had missed him terribly. It seemed like he was always there when she needed him, even when she didn’t ask him to be. It was new, and it was comforting. She couldn’t imagine not having him there. That terrified her, but what could she do about it? Leave him? Stop what they were doing? She couldn’t. She couldn’t even fathom the thought. She liked what they were doing. He made her happy, something she thought no man could do after Kevin. So why stop what she liked, what made her feel good, and what made her happy? She couldn’t, and she wouldn’t.

Snuggling her nose in his neck, she took in a deep breath. His deep, woodsy smell intoxicated her senses as he said, “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

He said it like a promise, and it gave her chills.

Because she felt the exact same way.

Chapter 22

“I’M SO freaking nervous.”

Reese looked over to where Claire stood with her arms crossed behind her back. Her hair was in a bun with a huge pink flower at the base. Her costume was a thing of beauty. Reese took great pride in her costume designer, and this detailed masterpiece was nothing less than perfect. The top was a white bra that was covered in glittery tulle that had flower detail all over it, with bright pink and white stonework. The bottom was a pair of white booty shorts covered with the same tulle and detail. It went perfect with Claire’s skin and brought out her ice blue eyes. Brian stood beside her in a pair of dark jeans and no shirt, his dark hair brushed to the side. Reese was going for a ‘rich girl—poor boy’ theme and to her, it worked. She just hoped the judges thought it did too.

Wrapping an arm around Claire, she smiled as she said, “Why? You’re gonna kill it, both of you.”

Brian smiled over at her as Claire took in a deep breath. “He isn’t here yet, and I really want him here.”

Reese wanted him there too and, like Claire, she found herself looking around the room. They had been in Chicago a day. Phillip wasn’t there yet and promised her he was hauling ass to get there. He had a game the following day that Reese wished she could go to, but it wasn’t in the cards. Her whole team was performing today and tomorrow. She couldn’t let her team down by leaving for a game, no matter how much she wanted to go.

“He said he was coming right?” she said, even though she knew he was coming.

She nodded, her eyes glassy. “Yeah, he is stuck in traffic, I think.”

Reese shrugged. “So no worries. We still have fourteen numbers before you two.”

She let out a breath, looking down at her phone as she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just nervous.”

“Don’t be. We got this,” Brian reassured her, squeezing her hand.

She looked down at her phone as she took in deep breaths. Reese knew she had to do something, and she was kind of mad at herself for putting so much on Claire. This was a huge competition, and she was preforming three times this weekend. Claire had every right to be nervous as hell. Shit, Reese was nervous too, not that she would ever say so.

Squeezing Claire into her side, she said, “Come on, let’s go stretch some more. I’ll stretch with you two.”

Claire looked up and bit into her bright pink, glossed-up lips. “Okay.”

They moved off to the side and went to the floor, stretching the way they did before each class. Reese’s eyes kept moving though. She was looking for him and hoping to God that he made it. She didn’t want Claire to be disappointed, and she also didn’t want anything else for Claire to be mad at Phillip about. Phillip still hadn’t told her about them, but she was starting to think that he would soon. Maybe on the drive home… and that made her nervous. She seriously cared for this girl and didn’t want her to hurt, but she agreed that lying to her wasn’t the right thing to do. Not with how much time they were spending with each other, and also with the fact that everyone knew but Claire. Reese just hoped she understood that it was nothing serious, and that Reese would always be in Claire’s life. The girl needed stability and with everyone that was in Claire’s life, there was no reason why she couldn’t have it.

Reaching for her feet, she closed her eyes and really reached for her toes with ease. When she opened her eyes, she saw him. Phillip was rushing through the middle of the hall, dodging around dancers and their parents as he looked around frantically. As always, he was beautiful. Fitted jeans with a plaid green shirt on. His hair was brushed to the side with a green beanie holding it in place. His eyes were shining, his nose pink from the cold air outside and man, she had missed him.

She fought the urge to jump up and wave like a crazed person to get his attention. Instead, she smiled and she said, “Claire, Phillip is here.”