“Well, excuse me for wanting to hear your voice and not assuming that someone stole your phone and was pretending to be you.”
I laughed even harder for her thinking someone would kidnap me here in Alabama. There was more of a chance of that happening when I was back in New York. All I got from anyone here in the back country was that they wanted to protect those who belonged here, and because of Law, I was one of those people now.
“I need help, woman.”
“What is it this time? I know there are no issues with Law or you’d be crying.”
“Don’t assume I always cry over guys!” I faked hurt in my tone.
“Tell me what’s going on, Anya.”
“Law wants me to meet his friends tomorrow.”
“Didn’t you already meet his parents?” Leah asked me with a confused tone because she clearly wasn’t thinking the same thing I had. Meeting the friends was worse than meeting the parents.
“Yeah, but these are his friends. He talks to his friends. Who the hell knows what he’s said about me. What do they know about me? I have no idea what I’m walking into. What if they hate me? It’s one thing for parents to hate you, but it’s another for the guy’s friends to hate you.”
“Calm down, crazy woman.” Leah tried to shush me. “His parents love you and if there is anything I gathered from Law is that he probably didn’t tell his friends much. He seems very protective of you and always wants to make sure you’re his and that he’s the only one close to you.”
I shook my head, forgetting that Leah couldn’t see me.
“Yeah, I guess. But I mean, the whole town knows who I am, so what’s to say his friends haven’t already assumed the worst?”
“Anya.” Leah tried to calm me down. “Listen to yourself. You’re going off of assumptions. When did you turn into this walking mess?”
“Ugh.” I sat back down into one of the theatre chairs and laid a hand over my eyes. If I could shut out the world, maybe I could shut off my crazy. “What if they don’t approve?”
“You haven’t seen the way he looks at you or touches you. I’ve seen it. So has Axel. His own mom even saw it andsaidsomething about it. If his friends don’t see that too, then they don’t deserve to be in your lives.”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at me, though. I’ve seen that love.”
“But, Anya, you haven’t seen it when you aren’t looking.”
I tried to picture in my head when I caught Law looking at me in my side eye, but it just seemed normal for him.
“His gaze lingers and his eyes roam up your whole body and when he’s next to you, don’t think any person in the world is going to be able to touch you. You might not see it as claiming, but that’s exactly what Law does. You’re his, Anya, and he wants to show you to his friends so they know the exact same thing. Let him.”
“Well, that sounds more assuring.” I laughed, thinking of Law trying to lay claim to me. He didn’t have to, I was already his, but apparently in Leah’s perspective, he had to show others I was his too.
“Just be yourself. You see where that’s gotten you. A boyfriend and the acceptance of his parents. Be you and I have no doubt his friends will love you too.”
Leah’s words played through my head as we said our goodbye and she told me to stop being a crazy woman. And I tried to listen to her, but no matter what, even when I cleaned up the theatre room and vacuumed up the popcorn, then took a shower and made my way into Law’s bed, I still had a little tingle in the back of my head that this was going to be my true initiation into Law’s life.
I knew once I met Law’s friends, that would truly show where I was in his life and that was the ultimate question I wanted answered. Were we just boyfriend and girlfriend or were we something new altogether?
Something new was scary.
But something new would be completely worth it.
Worth every heartbreak I’d feel when Law left to race or every wreck he’d endure while racing, because when it came to Law and me, everything was worth it.
