I chuckle at that, pushing playfully against his chest. “This isn’t a sports game. Even if they love me, there won’t be any standing ovations for my speech.”
“You never know.” He squeezes my hip playfully back. “I’ll start the applause, it’ll be obnoxious. Wait for my whistle above the crowd.” He looks around pointedly. “Do you think they sell foam fingers in the lobby?”
“Don’t you dare!” I whisper-hiss. But Grayson won’t hear it. He places a quick kiss on my temple, tugging my clutch from my hand and gently pushing on my hip toward the stage.
“Let me hold onto this. They’ll be calling for you soon, honey. Just remember that you got this, and I’m right here if you need me.”
“Ready to take me home once it’s done?”
He winks, squeezing my hip before releasing his grip on me. “Anywhere you want to go, baby, I’m there.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Grayson
My heart pounds wildly in my chest as I watch Holly take the stage. I know she’s anxious, stressed, on the verge of feeling like she might lose it, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her.
She keeps her head held high and shoulders back, smiling politely at everyone she passes. She doesn’t rush her movements, doesn’t falter with her steps as she gracefully takes the few stairs to the stage. I wait until she’s at the podium and adjusting the microphone before I start to relax. A few patrons come to the bar, and I move to the side, closer to her piece of shit ex-fiancé, but still close enough to where I was standing that she’ll see me if she needs me.
The crowd hushes, and all eyes are on her as she raises her head. She smiles, addressing the crowd and starting out with a polished thank you to those who helped putthe night together. She then offers the crowd a little insight into her background. She doesn’t mention the circumstances that led to her working in the country, the circumstances that I thank the heavens for every day, but she alludes to changes she went through, and goddamn, it reminds me how strong this woman is.
People will often look at me and assume my size means strength, and it does. Physical strength, anyways. People would likely look at a woman like her and see that she’s slender, soft, and assume weakness. She might not be able to toss a bale of hay, or carry an injured animal, but to come back after the anxiety she’s experienced, to face her weakness and insecurities while leaving behind the people who didn’t treat her right takes a hell of a lot of courage, courage that I’m not sure I have.
“She might be nuts, but damn, she looks good.”
A conversation to my right halts my thoughts, and I twist my head, finding Geoff mumbling a little too loudly to a guy standing next to him. They’re both looking ahead, making it seem as if they are giving Holly their undivided attention, but their comments are loud enough, as if they want someone to overhear.
That someone is likely me.
I clear my throat and take a step to the side, bringing me closer to them. This entire night has me on edge, from theamount of money that is wasted hosting an event like this, my conversation with the real estate prick at the bar, to the awkward statement from earlier, and now her douchey ex trying to rile me up. I’d love for them to keep it up, give me a reason to wipe the slimy smile from his face. But more importantly, I want them to shut the fuck up and not take one ounce of attention away from Holly and her night.
I turn toward the bartender, softly asking for a bottle of beer. With my elbows resting on the bar, I still my movements, waiting to see if they continue.
“You and her still trying to make things work?”
I don’t hear the first part of Geoff’s answer, likely a lie about how they’re taking time apart.
“—not sure if I want to deal with her bullshit again.”
The bartender slides a cold bottle across the counter, and I swipe it, throwing a few dollars in the tip jar.
I twist around, making sure I’m good and close to Geoff that when I raise the bottle to my lips, my arm brushes against his. If my size is good for anything in this world, it’s intimidation, and I’m ready to intimidate the fuck out of him.
He turns to me and throws a fake nod in my direction before his face twists toward his friend on the other side. “I learned my lesson with her. Just because she’s hot andusually keeps her mouth shut doesn’t mean it’s worth putting up with everything else.”
“Oh? I thought she always seemed pretty nice.”
Geoff scrubs a hand over the back of his neck. “She’s nice enough sure, but she’s fucking crazy man. You try spending year after year hearing the same whining over and over again, and then tell me how hot you think she is.”
Their conversation is loud enough that a few guests at nearby tables occasionally turn, twisting their head over their shoulders to see who’s talking. It’s not enough that Holly would ever know, but with how hard she’s worked, I refuse to let these assholes ruin this night for her. I’ve never been one to start a fight. Lukas is the hothead, and Theo will join in if the timing is right, but to protect Holly? To protect her honor as a woman that I fucking love, I’d take on the world for her.
I'm not sure exactly when it happened, when I realized that I was head over heels for this woman. It might have been a gradual build up, one that became stronger and more powerful each time I saw her. Each time I was lucky enough to hold her and be on the receiving end of one of her smiles. Or maybe it was instant, that first night on the cold city street when my hands gripped her arms so she wouldn't fall. Something about the way she was staringup at me sparked this feeling in my chest that only seems to burn the more I get to know her.
Either way, I love her, and I refuse to let her useless ex ruin this for her. Setting my beer bottle on the bar, I let my hands fall to my sides, flexing my fingers. I move to stand in front of the both of them, facing them directly. Keeping my voice low, words slow and calculated, I stare them both down to force my point across. “Are we going to have a problem tonight?”
Geoff’s friend has the decency to look a little scared, but I do have about six inches on him and about eighty pounds. He takes a step back, hands tucked in his pocket and nods. “Naw, man. Sorry.”
Geoff on the other hand, isn’t as smart. He runs his tongue over his front teeth, daring to take a small step forward. “You’re pretty cocky when you’re out of your element,” he says, arching a brow. “Spend a few weeks slamming the hot doctor and you’re putty in her hands. It’s embarrassing, really, thinking that she gives an actual shit about you. She’s lost her mind, buddy, remember that. Once the smoke clears and she comes to her senses, she’ll leave that podunk town you call home in the dust so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
