His crew cut is a little tousled, and his face is smoother than I remember from our last meeting.
Bright flashes of color peek from beneath his clothes, teasing the tattoos he’s collected since we dated. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dying to see what stories they tell.
What secrets do those tattoos hold about his life since we split? With Tan, every inked line means something.
Titan holds his hand out to me with a shining smile. “You look a vision, love bug.”
“Why, thank you, sir,” I reply, sliding my hand into his. “You look pretty good yourself.”
He winks and guides me into the limo, where Everleigh is waiting.
She looks absolutely stunning, and her dress is guaranteed to get people talking. Everleigh set out to make a statement, and she’s nailing it.
Deep cleavage peeps out of the top of her strapless dress, showing off the creative canvas her chest has become.
Deep red fabric, overlaid with black lace embroidered with flowers, hugs her curves and glows against her golden skin. Sheer black lace falls from under her chest to the floor, revealing her tattooed legs beneath. Only a line of embroidered circles keeps her from baring it all.
It’s a gorgeous, fearless look, and I’m dying to see the reactions she’ll spark tonight.
She’s paired it with black open-toed heels that show off the sterling silver ankle bracelet glinting against her tan skin.
Her hair mirrors mine in a messy updo, but while I went for a smoky, natural makeup look, Everleigh’s face is bare except for a slick of shiny lip gloss.
This girl is ready to absolutely slay tonight, and if I didn’t hate Grimm for hurting her, I’d almost pity the fucker.
“Looking delicious, baby cakes,” Everleigh says, smiling brightly.
I’m relieved to see her smile is real this time, not the forced one she wore yesterday.
“You’re on fire, babe,” I reply, carefully settling back into the seat.
Titan pours me champagne, and for the next twenty minutes, we fill the limo with light chatter. None of us wants to touch anything heavy because I need my head clear when we arrive.
My nerves tangle tighter as we near the venue. I’ve dreamed of this kind of recognition, but nothing compares to Songwriter of the Year. This is huge, and all eyes will be on me.
Ihatebeing the center of attention.
As soon as we round the block, we stop in the long line of limos waiting to unload their passengers.
Every few seconds, bursts of light explode across the sprawling, jam-packed sidewalks. Fans’ muffled shouts and ecstatic screams ripple through the air, making me grin and shake my head in sheer wonder.
Titan’s warm hand lands heavily against my bouncing knee. “You got this, love bug.” He squeezes gently. “Remember that you deserve this. So when you slide these sinful legs out of this vehicle, you own the hell out of that walkway and these cameras.”
Everleigh reaches across and slides her fingers between mine. “We got you, Vin. It’s your time to shine. You go set those cameras on fire.”
As we approach the entrance, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. They wait for me to gather myself, and when I give them a nod, Titan taps his knuckles against the window to let the attendant know we’re ready.
Titan steps into the frenzy of screams, flashing me an encouraging smile as he extends his hand.
“You’re fucking amazing, Vinnie. Get out there and let the world see it,” Everleigh coaxes.
“Love you,” I tell her.
“Right back at you, baby cakes.”
The moment my hand slips into his and he helps me out, a tidal wave of people shouting my name crashes over me, leaving me stunned.
Holy crap.
