She made a move to walk away, and I grabbed her arm. “No. I refuse to do this now. Not when we need to celebrate your engagement and shout to the world that you and Jamie are finally back together. We are not hashing out my drama.”
“But…”
I held up my hand. “Absolutely not. Tomorrow. Okay?”
She nodded before hugging me again. “I’ll always be here for you, Cay. You know that, right?”
I rested my chin on her shoulder. “Yeah. Thank you.”
She pulled back and smiled. “I’m not sure if I can wait until tomorrow to hear about this new guy. I’m on the edge of my seat over here.”
I snagged two glasses of champagne from a server and handed her one. “Here, alcohol will help.”
She grabbed it and took a sip. “Come on, let’s go say hi to the guys.” She looped her free hand through my arm, and we walked through the crowd. “Back together at last.”
“Finally.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cadence
Igroaned as the light from the window blinded me with its morning cheeriness. I squinted one eye open and tried to figure out what time it was, only to retreat into the darkness underneath the pillow.
My head played a drum solo, the heavy beats echoed inside my brain. It wasn’t the best tune to hear after a night of too many glasses of champagne.
I moved my hand around in my bed, searching for my phone and pulled it under the pillow with me.
I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the bright light, surprised by the number of messages.
Blake
I’m so hungover this morning. Why did you make me drink so much? Or was it me who made you drink so much? Either way. When you wake up, call me asap. I need to know things.
Elijah
Call mewhen you get up.
I rolled my eyes. Short and to the point. His new normal.
As I read Damien’s name, those now familiar flutters found their way into my stomach. I was beaming before I even read his message.
Damien
Jesus! You’re absolutely stunning. What a shame I didn’t have a show there this weekend. I would have loved to help take that off you.
Obviously, just to be helpful and not for any other reason.
You are the only adult I know that gets all dressed up, but damn, you wear those dresses well.
I had sent him a picture from last night and my cheeks warmed from his words. There was an unmistakable difference in how Elijah and Damien texted me. Like total night and day.Elijah had barely acknowledged the dress when I’d sent the same photo to him. He only cared that I behaved appropriately.
I set my phone down, messaging no one back, and emerged from under the pillow. The drum line had quieted just a bit simply by waking up, but I needed coffee. Thank God my mom shared my caffeine addiction. I knew a fresh pot awaited me downstairs.
Crawling out from under the warm covers, I shivered, kicking myself for not remembering to bring my robe. I hated being cold.
The black hoodie thrown onto my dresser caught my attention. I bit my lip as I grabbed it and pulled it over my head. It hung on my small frame, the hem falling just past my pajama shorts, and I had to yank the sleeves up so I could use my hands.
I’d brought it with me to return it to Damien. I hadn’t worn it at home. It seemed too personal. But his hoodie wrapped me in a new wave of warmth, like he was here, holding me.
