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“Hey,” Johnny replied, words slightly slurring from the beer he and Gibsie had been necking all day, but tone as polite and professional as always.

“Oh my god, you were amazing against Fiji,” another girl told him, one with the biggest breasts I’d ever seen in real life. “Soamazing.”

“Can we get a picture?” another asked.

Johnny hesitated, tightening his arm around my stomach.

“It’s okay,” I said with a small nod, encouraging him to take the picture so we could get back tous.

Smothering a frustrated sigh, he slapped on a professional smile and walked over to the girls.

“Can you take it please?” one of them asked, holding her digital camera out for me to take.

Nodding, I hopped down off the railing and took the camera from her. “Okay, I have the flash on so it should work. Smile.”

Johnny looked extremely uncomfortable, but he smiled as the group of six girls all draped themselves around him.

I snapped four pictures of them and then held the camera out for the girl to take back.

“Thanks so much,” she gushed, staring up at my boyfriend like he held the moon. “He’s amazing.”

“Yeah.” I forced a smile. “He is.”And he’s mine.

“I’m sorry about that,” Johnny said, tone low, as he waved them off and hurried back to me. “That was fucking embarrassing.”

“Don’t be sorry for people loving you,” I told him.

He shook his head and helped me back onto the railing. “They don’t love me, Shan.”

“They adore you,” I corrected, pulling him closer to stand between my legs. “And that’s okay.”

“Maybe,” he conceded, clamping his hands down on my hips. “But they don’t love me.”

“Oh?” I arched a brow. “How are you so sure?”

“Because I know what it feels like when someone loves me.” He tipped my nose with his finger. “And that’s not it.”

Heat crept up my neck. “Johnny—”

“I know what I’m going to do, Shan,” he whispered. “About the contract? I’ve made a decision.”

My heart hammered wildly in my chest. “Really?”

He nodded slowly. “I have to do this forme,” he whispered. “I need to. It’s what’s right forme, you know?”

“I understand,” I breathed, feeling the weight of the world settle down on my shoulders.

“You’ll love me no matter what?” A shudder rolled through him and he clenched his eyes shut. “No matter how hard it gets?”

“No matter what,” I forced the words out of my throat, knowing that I was agreeing to break my own heart in the process. “You sign and you shine.”

“And you’ll be okay?” he pushed. “No matter what?”

I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll marry you,” he said then. “When we’re older and everything settles down.” Taking my hands in his, he placed them around his neck and leaned in close. “Just stand by me,” he said in a voice thick with emotion. “Staywith me.” His hand squeezed mine. “And I’ll make you proud. I’ll do right by you.”

My breath came out in a pained rush. “Johnny…”

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