Page 107 of Loving the Legend
When we reach his house, I steal a glance at him, and he looks so glum. Ugh, I hate it.
When he holds the front door open for me, I cave.
“OH MY GOD! YOU’RE MOVING TO LOS ANGELES!” I yell as I launch myself at him.
His eyes widen as he huffs out a laugh. “I thought you were upset.”
“I was just messing with you. This is the best fucking news ever, baby! Are you for real?”
“Yeah. Things will move swiftly once I’m back from Barcelona.”
My mouth gapes open. This is really happening. “You could stay with me—” I pause. “Sorry. What am I saying? That probably wouldn’t make any sense, and you probably want your own place.”
“Actually…I was thinking, we keep your place for appearances but look for a place of our own?”
“You want to live together?”
“I’d love to live with you.” His brow furrows. “But we don’t have to if it’s too much or too fast for you.”
The last time he proposed us taking a step forward by being exclusive, it resulted in me on my knees having a panic attack. I understand his cautiousness, but we’ve come a long way since then, and fuck…the idea of coming home to him during our hectic seasons seems too good to pass up.
“It’s not too much for me. I’d love to live with you,” I say, no doubt in my voice.
“Word?” he asks.
I nod and brush a kiss against his smiling lips. “Best birthday ever.”
Thirty minutes later,he’s packed and heading to the airport. I rub the ache in my sternum as I watch him drive away. His move to LA can’t come soon enough.
I head back to the hotel to meet the guys, who I find in various stages of a hangover. They blew a small fortune at Ivy’s, but by the look of things, they had fun, so I guess it was money well spent. Sid sends us back to LA on his plane. His pilot, Nat, knows the score on us and subtly winks at me when we board. All of Sid’s staff have signed non-disclosure agreements to ensure our privacy.
Archie’s reel goes viral and blows up my feed with happy birthday messages. I feel like the cool kid at school, recounting the ride to the guys. I had to throw in a few false details like Sid inviting me at the last minute. I hate lying to them, but I want to protect Sid and me for as long as possible.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Back to paradise,” Tevin says, gazing out the window as Nat taxies us into LAX.
I’m jittery from sitting too long. “Think I’ll hit a trail after I get in.”
Tevin yawns. “I’m dead, bro. Fuckin’ Justin pushed his whiskey hard last night. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a case already waiting for us when we get home. Dude’s a hustla. His shit’s smooth, though. I can’t front. Said somethin’ about aging it in Spanish oak. Got a money maker on his hands. I knew better than to mix it with vodka.” He winces. “Fuck it. I’m making today a cheat day. I’m craving pepperoni pizza, enchiladas, the Big Mek from—”
“You mean Big Mac?” I interrupt as I turn my phone off of airplane mode.
“Nah, bruh, Big Mek.”
I bunch my eyebrows.
His jaw drops. “You’re wildin’. You never had the Big Mek!”
I shake my head.
He grabs his phone, types in something, and slides it over.
I stare at his screen, taking in the double-decker cheeseburger spilling over with toppings and condiments. “Beast.”
“You know how you always tellin’ us about your uncle’s Caribbean food? I got five hundred on this beating that.”
I shake my head. “You fittin’ to lose your money then.”
