“Fuck,” he says, slow and smooth as fucking silk as his body wraps around me. “Say that again, baby.”
I playfully smack him on his chest. “Feels a little magical, doesn’t it?” I say, looking around the room.
“Maybe,” he teases. “Or maybe that’s just you.”
Before I can answer, the lights dim and Bailey’s voice booms over the mic. “Please, once again give it up for the one and only Theo Bishop!”
The room erupts in cheers when my brother takes a bow, guitar slung across his chest as he grabs the mic. He looks every bit the country superstar he is. His signature charming grin, long curly hair combed to perfection and his wranglers fitting just right. When he strums the first chord of his next song, the crowd instantly falls under his spell again.
“Got someone special to sing this next one with me,” he says, playing the tune to one of my favorite songs of his, a duet he has with another country megastar, Beverly Cash. “Some of y’all around here may know her already, but for those of you who haven’t had the utmost pleasure, let me welcome none other than Crossroads’ very own cowgirl, Billie Cole.”
The crowd roars as Billie struts out onto the stage in a glittering gold dress and dark blue bedazzled cowgirl boots. Her long wavy hair is a beautiful strawberry blonde color that complements the tones of her dress perfectly, and as she takes the mic down from the mic stand, she looks every bit the country star I know she’s going to be.
The two of them share a quick smile before launching into the duet that traps the entire room in a trance.
I watch them, admiring how incredible they both are and feel Jase’s hand slide into mine.
“May I have this dance?” he asks, already leading me out onto the dance floor. We sway softly to the beat of the love song, and I can’t help singing along.
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his head down to mine as I sing against his lips. “Every kiss with you feels like the start of a new day, the end of a long night, the kind that takes my breath away.”
His breathing turns unsteady as his hands roam up and down my back until he’s gripping my waist, his fingers dig in like he needs to feel me, to make sure I don’t walk away. Leaning forward, he continues the song, swaying us back and forth untilI feel drunk on something stronger than what they’re pouring behind the bar.
“Every touch from your hands is sunshine breaking through, lightning in the night sky, the beginning of something new.”
My heart beats faster as the intensity of the lyrics radiates between us, causing an electric current to ripple through us. My body feels alive, my lips numb from how electrified I feel being this close to him, hearing him say these things to me and saying them back.
I want to kiss him, to close the distance between us and taste the liquor on his lips. “This is it, Moonshine. I can’t imagine it gets better than this.”
A blush creeps up my neck from the way he’s watching me. The intensity of his gaze burns through me like a laser beam cutting through. “I’ve never felt this way, so I really don’t know what to make of it.”
“Are you happy?” He asks so nonchalantly I’m not sure he meant it.
I pause and really think about what that even means. I glance around at Nash and Bailey who join us on the dance floor, Theo up on stage with Billie glowing beside him, Monty and Beau laughing behind the bar, Raven snapping pictures at the photo wall with Lacey, the newest addition to our little family, at least for the night.
My gaze finds Jase again, standing here, his thumb brushing across my lower back while his other hand slides around my waist and lands on my stomach. His fingers move as he rubs them along my bump like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Yeah,” I whisper, my voice cracking with the emotion that swells up inside me. “I am.”
Jase’s lips lower to me but just before he kisses me, we’re startled when Theo and Billie start to count down, their voices rising in unison.
Ten…nine…eight…
Bailey rushes toward us with flutes of champagne, sparkling cider in mine of course, as the rest of my brothers and friends join us on the dance floor. All except for Monty, who’s surely gone off to hide who knows where, and Raven, who I assume got stuck at the photo booth.
Jase leans closer, his lips grazing my ear. “Midnight wish?”
Seven…six…
“Don’t need one,” I say, meeting his gaze. “I’ve got what I want.”
Five…four…
The crowd’s chants grow louder, glasses raised.
Three…two…
As the room explodes in cheers, and balloons rain down from the ceiling, Jase kisses me. His lips start slow and gentle, unbothered by the eyes, noise or flash of cameras around us. For a moment it’s just him and me, standing in the middle of a crowded bar, ringing in the new year. A fresh start, a second chance and, just like the song said, the beginning of something new.
