Holy smokes. This was the friend who’d invited Lincoln? Okay, his connections were impressive. I didn’t think his reach was this far out of the sports world. I’d have to get the story about their friendship later.
“I thought it was time to see what these parties were all about,” Lincoln replied easily.
“Man, I can’t believetheLincoln Ford is in my living room,” Angus said. His attention shifted to me. “He told me he was bringing a plus one. You must be the girlfriend.”
“Angus, this is Ava,” Lincoln introduced. “Ava, Angus.”
We shook hands.
“Nice to meet you,” I murmured.
“Same here. Your man is a legend, Ava.” Angus beamed. He glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, Mason, look who’s here.”
Before I knew it, guys were coming up to Lincoln like a bunch of fangirls at a concert. I folded my lips to hide my smirk because he looked so uncomfortable. He shot me pointed looks between handshakes and shoulder pats because he knew I was laughing at him on the inside. I kind of hated how well we still knew each other. A pang of regret about how we ended hit me hard.
What really got to me, though, was that he never once let go of me. His arm still rested reassuringly around my shoulders even as he interacted with adoring fans. So why did he let me go twelve years ago?
Before I could mentally spiral, he said to his friend, “Angus, I heard Phoenix Sky was going to be here.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“Ava is a big fan…”
Angus smirked and pointed at him. “Sign a football for me, and I’ll personally escort your girl to anyone she wants to meet.”
My eyebrows went up.I’ll be damned.
“You got it,” Lincoln said.
Angus rubbed his hands together with glee. “Ava, would you like to meet Phoenix?”
“Er… yes.”
Sonofabitch.
That was easy. I glanced at Lincoln, who gave me a smug smirk. I wasn’t even annoyed by it this time. I could just kiss him. We hadn’t even been here for five minutes, and already I was getting what I wanted. Lincoln was absolutely right. He could get meaccess.
Being separated from Lincoln made me feel vulnerable amongst so many strangers. However, every time I scanned theroom, his eyes were on me, intense and protective even as he interacted with others.
His presence, no matter how far, was soothing. Ridiculous right? The man stomped on my heart years ago. He should be the last person who made me feel safe. Angus made quite a few stops, and I had the pleasure of meeting some people who had been far out of my sphere just the other day.
Finally, he introduced me to her. Phoenix Sky.
“Phoenix.”
She was chatting with someone, but turned around.
I took her in. I knew she was in her early twenties. She was a gorgeous girl with golden olive skin and a wealth of curly hair. The tips were still platinum—her signature. She was on the taller side, a few heads taller than me. Her amber eyes held a wary glint, but it seemed to vanish when she saw Angus. That was good. I’d hate for Lincoln’s friend to be an awful character.
“Hey, Angus. What’s up?” Her voice was soft and sweet, much like her singing voice.
“This is Ava. She wanted to meet you.”
The girl looked confused as her gaze shifted between us. She was likely wondering who the hell I was and why I had any right to breathe her rich, famous air.
However, when Angus said, “She’s Lincoln’s girlfriend.” He hiked a thumb at my supposed boyfriend, who was watching us even as he chatted with someone.
“Oh, yeah, I know him,” Phoenix said. “My brother is like his number one fan. Do you think you can get me his autograph? My brother would just die.”
