This wasn’t going to work. We needed privacy.
“Come on,” I said and, grabbing Bodhi’s hand, I took a step, but got nowhere.
Rooted to his spot, Bodhi smiled. “Actually, no. This is your family, right?”
I nodded.
Scanning the crowd, Bodhi’s eyes landed on my stepfather. “Terrance, I see you put on some pants.”
My stepfather puffed out his chest. “I did. Thanks for noticing.”
Bodhi’s focus shifted to my mother. “Thanks for giving me the address to this place.”
She lifted her glass. “Of course, sweetie.”
Swiveling my head in her direction, my eyes narrowed to slits. “You knew he was coming?”
“He called me last night when you were making up pet names with the f-word in them.”
I cringed, hoping Bodhi hadn’t heard me in the background screaming out “Sweetfuckingpea” at the top of my lungs.
“So, when you were giving me that pep talk this morning about destiny and all that crap, you already knew he was coming?”
She shrugged. “Yes.”
I shook my head. This woman. “Unbelievable,” I muttered.
“Breeze, eyes up here.” Bodhi tipped my chin with his index finger. “You’re sort of ruining my declaration of love.”
“Oh, sorry. Please continue.”
“First. I want to introduce myself to your family.” He waved. “Hey, everyone. I’m Bodhi. Most of you probably heard what happened to Breeze and I and how we escaped a fire together. But what you might not know, is how I fell head over heels for the girl. Our time together. The romantic connection. I’m telling you, people, it just doesn’t happen. I mean, I love everything about her. Her smile. Her beauty. Her heart. Oh, and she does this really cute clapping thing with her hands when she’s excited, and it’s the cutest shit I’ve ever seen in my life. Like it’s better than those kitten videos on YouTube.”
A group of my great aunts giggled as they nodded in agreement.
“Anyway, I’m telling you all this because I’m trying to win her over and, if she doesn’t choose me, I’ll honestly be devastated.”
My knees shook from the force of his confession. In what world was I allowed to choose him?
Bodhi swallowed hard as he took my hand. “Breeze, I don’t want another night to go by where I don’t know if you’re mine.”
Sighs echoed off the walls. Bodhi had laid himself bare in front of the people I loved. That was him. He lived his life in the open. In front of crowds.
But not me. What I had to say was for his ears alone.
I pressed a kiss to his lips. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”
This time he didn’t balk when I took his hand. My family wasn’t as agreeable.
The minute we took a step boos erupted.
Bodhi looked a little crestfallen as I led him to the far corner of the room.
“What the hell?” His eyes darted back to the dispersing crowd. “They’re booing me.”
“No, they’re booing me. You, they’re swooning over.”
And then, as if he realized why we were here, he squared his shoulders. “There’s only one person I care to swoon and that’s you, Breeze Marigold Cassidy.”
