Josie shrugs and goes quiet. All I can think about now is Mason looking at my ass and now I’m self-conscious that it might be fat or too flabby for him. I’ll have to start some butt crunches or something, like my mother does to firm it up.
“Don’t look now,” Josie says, and of course I turn and do just that and find Mason staring at me. I have to look away immediately for fear that he’ll laugh when he sees that I blush easily.
“I have to go use the restroom.”
“Josie Preston, if you leave me, we’re no longer friends.” She stands and starts laughing as she walks off. I look up, straining my neck when two muscly legs stand in front of me. He crouches down so that he’s almost at eye level.
I try not to let my nerves get to me, but I’m lost in his emerald green eyes. He could be my Saint Patrick’s Day lucky charm. Oh my god, Katelyn, you’re an idiot.
“Hi Katelyn.”
“Hi,” my voice is weak. I bite my lip, hoping he’ll go away.
“Good luck at try-outs. I can’t wait to have you cheering for me this fall.”
“Okay… I mean thanks.”
Mason shrugs. “Maybe we can hang out over the summer.”
“Yeah sure, stop by anytime.”
As soon as I say it, I know he never will.
“Thanks. See you soon.” He’s gone before I can even comprehend what the hell just happened. All I know is he didn’t even touch me and my skin is tingling.
Tingling. I didn’t think I’d feel anything when Harrison touched me. I’m not supposed to. My body isn’t supposed to react to him, but it did. When Harrison held me to him, when he cupped the back of my head so gently, despite the fact that his hand is so strong – something Mason had never done – I felt the desire to be with him course through my body. He ignited a smoldering passion that I’ve been trying to bury since Mason.
Stepping away from the door, I can’t help but smile at the memory of the first time he spoke to me. It wasn’t long after that day in school that we became a couple. We spent almost every day together the summer between our freshman and sophomore year. If he wasn’t at football camp, he was at my house. We had a pool, and he and Liam would come over and beg me to go swimming. Swimming with them was only exciting when Josie was around, which wasn’t much, since she had to work. My mom said he was using me and when school started, he’d drop me like a bad habit.
I dreaded the first day for fear that she was right. I was prepared for things to be different, but they weren’t. He ignored all the girls that flirted with him and told me he only had eyes for me. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with him. He was easy to love.
I look around my dark and quiet hotel room and realize that I’m alone in every sense of the word. Peyton doesn’t want to talk to me and Elle is having no problem finding a way for Harrison to fit into her life. My happy little family is slipping through my fingers.
Everything in my life is changing and there isn’t a thing I can do to stop it.
Walking through the gates, I stop and take in the surroundings with Peyton and Elle holding my hands. I pull them closer without being obvious. They don’t know how important it is that we are standing here. Mason should’ve been here with us. We had this planned out – a gift for their sixth birthday – we had started saving everything we could. We were going to make this happen, together, and now here I am with our girls and standing in front of me is a man who, I have a feeling, would move into the role of dad without hesitation, if given the chance.
The girls and I walk forward. Elle lets go of my hand and walks right up to Harrison. I try not to show any emotion when she slips her hand into his. Quinn doesn’t seem to care, so why should I? Peyton lets go next, leaving me to stand awkwardly in the middle of the entrance to Disney World by myself. Josie shoves me lightly when she walks by. I want to kick her. Tackle her to the ground like I did when we were in kindergarten. Childish, yes, but the look in her eyes tells me enough. She knows Harrison is watching me. I know it too because I can feel his eyes on me, even if they are covered by dark glasses.
Harrison steps forward and onto the path that will lead us to the most magical place on earth. I check on Peyton, who is firmly attached to Liam’s hand, just as Elle is with Harrison. He looks back at me, clearly waiting for me to follow. He doesn’t need words, it’s like I can read him already.
Two bodyguards with two more in front of Liam flank me. If it were just the guys out today, we wouldn’t need them, but with the kids out, the security is required. The guys also don’t want to sign autographs today, which is understandable. Jimmy comes up behind me and puts his arm around my shoulders. It doesn’t escape my attention that Harrison’s already somber expression turns even bleaker.