"I’m starting to get really nervous," Becca proclaimed as she finished touching up her makeup. I was buckling the thin ankle straps on my nude high heels when I glanced up. She had on a sparkly white dress that fit her body like a glove. It was tight, with cap sleeves and a short hemline. She'd paired it with some fuchsia heels that were perfect for summer. Her short hair was straight as always, but she'd pumped up her eye make-up.
"Nope. No. If you start to be nervous then I'll be nervous. You look awesome." I stood up and saw my reflection in the mirror behind her. She'd helped me with my makeup so that my blue eyes popped against my tanned skin and dark hair. I felt good.
She dropped her makeup brush and started scrutinizing her appearance, winking one eye and then the other and then smiling from different angles. All right, she wasn’t even getting ready anymore, so I waltz into the bathroom, spritzed us with perfume, and pushed her out the door.
"Stop winking at yourself, psycho. It will be fun. We'll meet the guys there. They'll hand us drinks, we'll mingle with celebrities, and then be on our way," I tried to assure her as we headed to the hotel.
I didn't admit it, but I was glad that Becca was taking the role of Nervous Nelly because it forced me to be the confident, cool one for the both of us.
“Oh my god, if Amy is there I’m going to talk to her.”
“Amy?” I asked as we headed toward the hotel.
“Poehler aka my best friend. Keep up, Kinsley.”
My cell phone started ringing and I had Becca answer it so I could keep driving.
"Kinsley’s secretary speaking, she's driving... we're on our way... probably twenty minutes in this traffic... okay I'll tell her... oh my god, no. Gross. I'm not telling her that... (laughter)... okay we'll call you when we get there."
Becca ended the call and dropped my phone back into my little clutch.
"That was your boyfriend. He can't wait to see you and he wants us to call him when we get there. He'll come out with Penn and get us."
I nodded. "What else did he say?"
"You'll have to ask him. You guys are gross."
I laughed and started to feel my shoulders relax. I think Becca was feeling better, too. We turned the music up and sang along the rest of the way to the hotel.
When we arrived, I pulled up in front so the valet could take my car. We both gaped as we pulled up into the driveway. I'd been to the Hotel San Louise once or twice for brunch with my parents, but seeing it lit up at night was breathtaking. The hotel was fashioned after the roaring 1920s. The facade was white with beautiful lights leading us toward the valet. Becca had texted the boys when we were about to pull up, so when I handed my keys to the valet and rounded the car I wasn’t surprised to find Liam and Penn waiting for us outside of the hotel doors.
Boy did they look good against the backdrop of the hotel. I felt like I was stepping into a scene from The Great Gatsby.
I paused to take Liam in from head to toe, admiring the way the black Armani suit was tailored for his body. He'd skipped a tie and wore his crisp white shirt with the top two buttons undone. His usually unruly hair was styled back, reigning in his rugged good looks, but he'd left his five o'clock shadow to balance out his features. I wanted to take the lapels of his jacket between my fingers and tug him toward me for a kiss, but we were still a few feet away from each other.
As Liam and Penn stepped forward to greet us, I held back a smile. Their tongues were practically hanging from their mouths. It felt good to know that I, Kinsley Bryant, nineteen-year-old soccer dweeb, could bring Liam Wilder to his knees... almost.
He reached forward for my hand and spun me around slowly. He whistled low and sexy when he saw the back of my dress.
"Kinsley, I think you forgot your jacket in the car," he teased as I finished the spin.
I shrugged innocently and inhaled his cologne. He wore his signature scent and I let it wash over me as he bent to steal a chaste kiss from my lips. Before he pulled completely away, he whispered, "You look so beautiful."
I smiled up at him, trying to take in the magical moment before getting swallowed by a giant crowd of people.
“Thank you,” I said, patting my palms against his suit jacket and feeling his hard chest beneath the layer of fine cloth.
"I should have warned you, but there's a Step and Repeat in the hotel lobby before the entrance into the event."
"A what?"
Liam smiled. "A red carpet. They'll want to snap a few pictures of us before we head in."
A wave of nerves instantly crashed over me. Woah, wait. Was I ready for this? Coach Davis and Liam’s sponsors knew a little bit about our relationship, but what would happen when the story broke to the media?
"So what are we going to do?" I asked, peering up to try and decipher what he was thinking. His features were sharp, but relaxed.
“I'd prefer to have you on my arm, but it’s probably safest if I walk in with Penn and you and Becca walk in together after us."
I reached up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.” I knew he was trying his best to protect me from the media.