Page 58 of Until Nalia
“Are you ready?” a woman, seeming to appear out of nowhere, asks Hector.
“Yep.” He looks at all of us. “See you guys after the show.”
“Break a leg or whatever they say in show business,” I tell him, and he grins.
While Hector steps up onto the stage, Logan takes a seat on a stool just off to the side, then maneuvers me to stand between his spread knees with his hand on my stomach. Pulling me back into him, he takes my weight with ease. The intimacy of our position feels oddly comfortable, and if I’m honest, I feel grounded with him holding me and less overwhelmed despite the fact that we are surrounded by so many people.
With a guitar in front of him, Hector gets close to the mic and starts singing “Ex To See” by Sam Hunt. I’ve heard the song dozens of times when I’ve been driving or just listening to music in my office, but hearing Hector sing it causes goose bumps to break out across my skin. Despite the upbeat tone of the song the lyrics seem to mean something to him, and my heart hurts just thinking about the situation with his ex-wife and his kids.
“He’s really good,” I tell Logan when the song comes to an end, and he starts singing another one that I’m not familiar with but has the same tempo as the last.
“He is, he loves performing.”
“I can tell.”
“Do you want to come with me to get a drink?” Missy, who’s standing next to me with Hanson’s arms wrapped around her, asks.
“I… Sure.” I start to step away from Logan, and his fingers, splayed across my stomach, dig in. I turn to look at him.
“How about you girls stay here, and we’ll go get drinks?”
“No,” Missy frowns at him, “I want a shot and she’ll be okay with me for a few minutes without you.”
“It’s okay,” I assure him, and he lets his hand slowly slide away. “Do you want something?”
“I know what he drinks,” Missy says, grabbing my hand, tugging me away. “What’s that about?” She frowns at me.
“What?”
“That whole you can’t go get your own drink business?”
“Nothing. He just noticed that I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of people in here when we arrived.”
“Oh.” Her frown deepens as she scans my face. “Are you okay now?”
“I’m fine, it just took me a couple of minutes to get used to it.”
“If you need to, we can go outside.”
“I’m okay,” I assure her.
“Just let me know.” She keeps hold of my hand and pulls me with her to the bar. Despite the fact that there are so many people waiting, with her flirtatious smile pointed at the right men at the right time, Missy has zero issues getting us to the front of the crowd or getting the bartender’s attention once we’re there.
“Can we get two slippery nipples, two Millers, and a bottle of water?” she asks the guy behind the counter, then looks over at me. “Or did you want another kind of shot?”
“I’d rather have wine,” I tell her, then ask him. “Can I have a glass of whatever red you have open, please?”
“Sure, thing, sweetheart.” He winks at me, and Missy turns to me, raising a brow.
“Not a shot kinda girl?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve done shots at a bar.” And I’m not trying to get wasted, I have to drive home later and get up tomorrow morning with Zuri. A hangover is never good, but it would really suck while having to be a responsible adult.
“I need to get you out more often.” As sweet as she is, I don’t think that’s going to happen. My partying days are long over. I’d rather be home with Zuri or spending time with my family. When the bartender comes back with the shots, Missy downs both of them, then asks him for a glass of red wine. I mention that she might not want to mix alcohols, but she waves me off and assures me that she’ll be fine, so I don’t say anything more.
“Mom sent a picture of the kids,” Logan tells me when I make it back to him. I look at his phone that he holds it out to me while taking his beer. The picture of Zuri and Cooper, both with big smiles, holding up two overflowing cups of froyo and candy, looks like it could be an advertisement for the frozen yogurt place in town. “She said they’re headed home now to watch Gremlins with Billie and Cat.”
“The ’90s movie?” My brows drag together as I meet his gaze.
