Page 91 of Up All Night

Not wanting to dwell on my thoughts and fears, I pushed them to the back of my mind.

“Are you okay?” I asked him.

He looked taken aback, surprised I would be checking on him, too. “Yeah, why?”

“I saw your reaction to your dad’s comment about Cannon,” I explained.

He shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

He might think he was fine, but I knew better. From the things he’d shared with me about how he longed to make his father proud, I knew it had hurt him. He wasn’t trying to lie to me because I don’t think he realized he was also lying to himself. He wanted those words to be true. He wanted to be fine with how things were between him and his father, but the truth was, he wasn’t.

I turned toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I hadn’t planned on hugging him, but my body had moved on its own, wanting to provide him some sort of comfort, to let him know that I knew.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close, his head dropping down to the spot between my neck and my shoulder.

He took a deep inhale, breathing in my scent. “Thank you for coming with me today.” His voice was laced with appreciation as his grip on me tightened, like having me here with him was a source of strength.

My heart swelled in pride at knowing this strong, independent man wanted me, possibly even felt like he needed me.

Okay, maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but the way he held me had me feeling like a lifeline. Or maybeIwas holdinghimlike that.

Worried that I might be mistaking this hug for something it wasn’t, I loosened my grip and slowly took a step back. Plus his parents might be watching from one of the many windows that looked out into the yard. They thought we were just friends, and since I didn’t really know what West and I were to each other, it was best to keep things more on the friend side.

Cannon and Demi had gone to sit on the patio furniture. Demi was laughing at something Cannon had said, and though I couldn’t hear their words, they were clearly flirting.

Watching the two of them at the charity gala had been one thing, but seeing them interacting, it was clear there was definitely something going on between those two.

West took my hand and led me over to sit with Cannon and Demi. So much for acting like friends, but I wasn’t complaining. West taking my hand was a simple gesture, but I was pretty sure it would provide me enough happiness to last a week. I was positive I had the biggest, goofiest smile on my face as we sat down, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.

Cannon sat up straight as we joined them, removing his gaze which had lingered on Demi before we joined them. West seemed oblivious to whatever was going on with his best friend and his sister. When I’d briefly mentioned it at the gala, he’d brushed the thought off like it was crazy. What was crazy was how West couldn’t see they were crushing on each other. It wasn’t my place to say anything, though. It was obvious, with Cannon’s sudden change in demeanor, that he didn’t want anyone to know, especially not his best friend.

“I can’t believe West made you come to one of our family dinners,” Demi said to me in a way of greeting. She turned to West and smacked him on the arm. “How selfish are you?”

“Extremely.” He didn’t try to hide how he wanted to have me here.

Her face softened as she took the two of us in, like she thought we were adorable and she was so happy for us. “Well, I’m still sorry you had to deal with our father.” She tucked her legs underneath her. “And you know Mom and Dad aren’t buying this friendship thing, right?” She gestured to us and our still-clasped hands.

“I’m not trying to keep anything from them,” West informed her. “It’s just not any of their business what’s going on between Halle and me.”

Demi rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “And what is going on between you two?”

West gave her an annoyed look. “That’s none of your business either.”

“Oh, c’mon,” she whined. “I’m your favorite sister. And I’m sure Halle and I will be the best of friends soon enough.”

Cannon chuckled as he watched Demi give West a hard time.

“You’re my only sister,” West deadpanned.

“Yeah, but I’m still your favorite.”

West shook his head, love for Demi clear on his face. “Halle and I are still figuring things out. It’s new.” He squeezed my hand, looking over at me with a smile that had me melting into his side.

“It’s not that new,” Demi insisted. “Anyone with eyes could see you two were crazy about each other at the gala.”

“I agree,” Cannon added.

Surprised at their comments, I looked at West to see what he thought of their claim, and he looked just as surprised as me.

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