Page 112 of Until I Own You

Bridget takes a sip of her strawberry daquiri, no doubt extra strawberry included. She smiles at the taste, then offers Jack an answer. “I don’t know. She had to go do something.”

“That sounds suspicious…”

Bridget giggles.

Oh, that giggle. Want it to be my ring tone.

She shrugs. “You know how she is.”

“I do. Sneaky,” Jack replies.

She laughs again before her eyes snap to me for a mere moment before traveling away. “Anyway…”

“See anything you like?” Jack asks Bridget.

My body bristles, every nerve pricking, goosebumps spreading across my skin.

Bridget scans the bar, then shakes her head. “’Fraid not. Everyone’s a little too Jimmy Buffet-coded for me.”

I try not to breathe an audible, obvious sigh of relief.

Jack raises his glass. “Rest in peace.”

Bridget raises her daquiri too, and they clink glasses.

I feel like an audience member to my own life.

In the Underground, I always know what to say. But out in the real world, Bridget leaves me tongue-tied. I guess I’ve never been a man of too many words. Lots of thoughts, lots of action, but words have never been my specialty.

Especially not when it comes to my stepfather’s daughter.

Even worse now that she’s my lover.

Some jaunty piano starts up, and a voice blares through the microphone. “Jackieeeeeee!”

All three of us turn to the karaoke stage.

Abigail is standing center stage, one microphone to her mouth, another in her hand. She’s waving our hands in our direction.

“Oh no,” Jack groans.

I’m getting secondhand embarrassment for him.

“Come sing with m–” The first lyric to Thank You For Being a Friend, the opening theme song to The Golden Girls starts, and she just goes for it.

“Big Golden Girls fan, Jack?”

Jack’s head dips lower. “She’s butchering it.”

Bridget and I exchange a look and then both laugh.

“Hold my beer.” He forces it into my hand before barging through the crowd to join Abigail and save her from her poor performance.

Bridget and I watch for a few moments, neither willing to speak or acknowledge that we’re alone, even in this sea of people.

“You should sit,” I say in a soft voice and place my hand on Jack’s stool.

“Alright.”

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