Page 105 of Begrudgingly Yours
“Are you going to call him?” Jett asks, pointing at thebusiness card while he takes my hand. We move down the hallway, preparing for the storm that is our friends when we turn around the corner.
“I’ll probably call him to just reiterate that I’m not looking for stage work. I’d like to thank him for the opportunity though. Maybe he knows other people in the business,” I say, my happiness glowing. “I’d like to graduate before anything. Getting work during the school year completely defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”
He nods. “I was just thinking the exact same thing.”
Just like we thought, there’s an uproar of cheering as we come around the corner. It looks like Dax has convinced almost the entire hockey team to come tonight. It makes me feel elated that he’s got that many people that are supportive of not only him, but his mates. Our core group emerges first, overwhelming us with hugs and words of congratulations.
Then Stacia and Opal grab me, giving me a group hug that almost squeezes the life out of me. Seeing their happy expressions does wonders to me. Even though I’ve just had a glorious night, seeing them makes it that much better.
Dax and Everett step forward, huge grins taking over their face and their hands hidden behind their back.
“What are you guys hiding?” I ask, meeting their excitement with a suspicious glare. Dax shows me first as he thrusts a huge bouquet of flowers at me. They’re pretty and pink and smell as light as they are. My eyes widen with surprise.
“You got me flowers?”
“Better. Cherry blossoms,” he says with eagerness.
The sentiment has its desired effect. I hug them to my chest. “Thank you,” I huff, feeling emotional. My dad used to bring me flowers after every performance, always pink and plentiful. The thought doesn’t make me sad this time, though. It lights me up.
“We got some for you, too,” Dax says to Jett, who just laughs, thinking it’s a joke.
“Right,” he chuckles, shaking it off, but then Everett pulls out a bouquet behind his own back. They’re a deep purple color with long leaflets, making the bouquet look full. Jett’s eyes hone in on them, surprise taking over his features. “Really?”
Everett grins. “You did an amazing job. These are gladiolus flowers.”
Jett takes them from our prime’s hands. I can feel him hiding the sudden emotion through the bond, choking a little to cover it up. “No one’s ever gotten me flowers before.”
There’s something about my mates’ relationship that causes me to beam. I rub Jett’s back, giving him some silent support that he accepts fully, his body relaxing under my palm.
“We were thinking of going out for a late dinner,” Stacia cuts in, pointing over her shoulder. “Actually, Ciro just really wants food, is what I should say.”
“Hey, we were always planning to treat them after their performance,” Ciro bites out. “Don’t put this one on me.”
“It’s so easy to put it on you,” Kendall says.
We start to head out, moving slower now because of the array of people standing around, the night coming to an end.
I feel the softest movement around my fingers, accompanied by the dark and smooth pull of decadent cherries. Dax’s fingers curl around mine and I look at him with a shiny smile already on my face.
“I got the house,” he says in a husky whisper, and the butterflies in my stomach soar immediately.
“What?” I respond as quietly as I can, disbelief lacing my tone. We stop walking as we get outside, the rest of the group strolling on without us.
“That townhome you love, downtown.” His eyes trail awayfrom mine, almost like he’s nervous. “All I have to do is sign the lease and it’s ours. If you want it.”
My eyes nearly bug out of my head. “What!”
He seems to think that my outburst is a refusal, because his face contorts with panic. “Or not! We can keep looking for another place to live, I’m sure there’s something closer?—”
Dax shuts up as I pull his lips to mine. It takes a second, but then he relaxes into the kiss, wrapping his arms around me when I jump into his arms.
I pull away, finding a giant smile on his face. He holds me securely in his arms, confusion painted all over his face. “So… youarehappy?”
The giggle that escapes can’t be stopped. “Are youserious? Of course I’m happy! Why wouldn’t I be?”
He finally returns my smile, the tension from before completely falling away. “I’m not sure. I thought maybe it was too much… sometimes I can be too much, especially with gifts.”
That softens something inside of me. I place my hand on his chin and point him towards me so our eyes meet. “You aren’t too much. You haveneverbeen too much. Not for me, okay?”
