“Yes!” I shout, and Juju shouts with me, and we turn to each other at exactly the same time.
We kiss—quick, hard, both laughing. Her hands are warm on my face, and my heart’s a drumline. Then the sound shifts. Not just cheering. A different pitch. A ripple of voices ricochet around us.
“Hey—that’s you!” someone yells, gleeful, and Juju and I pull apart, looking around.
Somehow, I don’t have to look to know.
But we do. And there we are, twenty feet tall, in high definition on the Jumbotron: Juju with her eyes shining, and me looking stunned, caught in a kiss.
For a second, I get a heady rush knowing everyone just saw me kiss my girl. And in the next, reality crashes in. I hear Jackson telling me we’d be a disaster. Juju’s hand finds mine and squeezes. Her shoulders square and her chin lifts. She doesn’t drop my gaze. She doesn’t shrink.
I take a breath and do exactly what I want. It’s not like anyone we know will see this anyway. Jackson’s on his honeymoon, and the chances of anyone watching and recognizing us are slim. I turn and grin at Juju. She starts laughing, and then she leans in and kisses me again, shorter this time, and our section cheers louder.
When we look again, the camera has cut away to a kid with a foam finger, doing a crazy dance.
Tully’s team wins, and I feel bad for not sticking around to congratulate him, but he has a long list of obligations to fulfill after every game. And I wouldn’t know how to explain why I’m with Juju. He knew I was bringing someone, but I never said who.
There will be time to brag on him later. For now, I don’t want to miss a second of showing Juju just how important she is to me.
CHAPTER THIRTY
SHAKEN
JULIANA
Past: Juju, age 23, Camden, age 25
The dread I felt over the thought of seeing Camden at Tully’s first professional hockey game was almost blinding. I had almost talked myself out of going so many times, but Goldie wanted me there, and I wanted to be there for her and for Tully. My entire family was going. We were all excited for him and had been talking about this game for months. I didn’t want to let anyone down, and I didn’t want to miss out.
But that stupidalmostkiss. The kiss that never was.
The kiss that almost happened simply because I was a body who was there…
Every time I thought of what he’d said, I got angrier.
It was good that I could hate him a little more all the time, because softening where Camden Whitman was concerned was something I never ever needed to do again.
I couldn’t believe I’d let myself go there for even a second.
I’d go to this game, and I’d look good doing it. I wouldn’t show how much he’d wrecked me with the bitter pill I’d had to swallow. His honesty played on repeat in my brain around the clock, and I wasn’t going to let that voice keep me from being there for my friends.
I dressed in something cute and put on a big smile, telling myself I’d do my best to stay out of his way.
The problem was that, somehow, I ended up in a car with him. Erin was in town from Windy Harbor for the game, and Jackson and Erin were laughing about something. He motioned for us to come with him and told her to get in the front seat so they could keep talking.
Which meant Camden ended up in the back seat with Goldie and me.
I didn’t know how he even fit back there. When he squeezed in the back, his shoulders bunching up between me and his sister, I would’ve laughed if I hadn’t been so disgusted with him. I was fairly certain the rage bouncing off of me melted him every time he tried to look at me. And that helped somewhat.
The ride felt like it lasted forever, and when we stopped, I hurried to get out. I wore leggings with high boots and a cropped shirt.
Some guys walked by and checked me out, and one said, “Hello, hottie, lookinggood.”
Camden’s eyes fluttered down to my bare stomach, and his jaw clenched. “Nice. Leaving nothing to the imagination, I see.”
“Trust me, there is so much more to see than a few inches of my stomach.”
He swallowed hard and chose to remain silent.
