“You. Amaze. Me.”
I didn’t have time to tell him he amazed me more before he took my hand in his own and morphed into ‘Sports Superstar Brody,’ confidently shaking hands and working his way through the crowd.
The red carpet was overwhelming, suffocating. Flashbulbs right in my face, hundreds of them causing me to blink so fast, I’d be surprised if there were one picture with my eyes open. My heart was pounding as hard as ever, the only thing keeping me from sprinting back to the limo and barricading myself inside was Brody’s warm hand resting comfortably on the small of my back.
Brody! Brody, over here! Brody!
The reporters were piranhas, all begging for his attention as we walked the line, pausing for pictures every five feet or so.
“Brody Murphy, who’s your date?” One yelled out over the others. “Is she your new girlfriend?”
“She’s my only girlfriend,” he yelled back to the feeding frenzy with that charming grin plastered to his face.
“Do we get her name?”
“Soon enough, soon enough. Tonight is about the kids though, don’t you think?” He went over and signed a few autographs, took a few pictures and the crowd cooled it a bit. He said goodnight to the masses and led us inside.
After a few more stops to meet people in the foyer, we headed into the ballroom.
Oh my God.
The room was permeated with the soft, unmistakable smell of roses. Every table was decorated with the lushest white and silver linens, and the tabletops were sprinkled with enough candles to give the entire room a romantic glow. Waiters in black tuxedos strolled from person to person, balancing sterling silver trays of foreign looking food on their fingertips. Bartenders poured pale, bland-looking drinks. Personally, I liked my alcohol in brown glass bottles.
As I stood, completely mesmerized, taking in all of the beautiful scenery in that room, I didn’t even notice Andy walk up to us. I turned as he and Brody were doing their weird man hug. I immediately panicked and peeked to see if anyone was behind him.
Not anyone—Blaire.
“She’s not with me,” Andy said as he turned toward me.
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment that I’d been caught looking for her.
He leaned forward and gently kissed my cheek. “She actually wanted to come over and apologize, but I told her she was to stay away from you the whole night. I don’t even want her looking at you. And it has nothing to do with Brody’s contract, it’s because you’re the girl that has made my best friend the happiest I’ve seen him since he was twenty-one and got signed to play professionally.” A tight smile formed on his lips and I couldn’t help give him a bigger smile back.
“I appreciate that, Andy. Thank you.”
“I’m so sorry for the way she acted. You didn’t deserve that. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
Brody stuck his hand out for Andy again and they shook in some sort of show of mutual respect. He turned and walked away, and I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding.
“You okay?” Brody looked nervous.
A small laugh built up inside me at the irony of that interaction making him nervous, but the hordes of people outside calling his name and clawing at him was nothing.
“I’m good.” I beamed at him. “I’m so good.”
“Let’s find our seats, then get a drink, huh?”
I was having the best time … dinner was out of this world, the people at our table were wonderful and Brody couldn’t keep his hands, or lips, off me.
I felt like Cinderella.
“I’m gonna use the restroom, I’ll be right back, okay?”
Brody stood politely as I got up from the table. Dina, a wife of another hockey player, got up and said she’d go with me. We gabbed about hockey life once the season started, and she actually put my mind at ease. Her life wasn’t so different from any other woman who had a husband that traveled for work.
“I’m so glad we talked. You really calmed my nerves.”
“Absolutely! You’re so sweet. Brody is lucky to have you,” she said as she reapplied her lipstick. “You coming?”
“I’ll be right behind you … I’m going to call my mom and check on the girls.”
She smiled and squeezed my hand on the way out.
“Hockey wife? You really think you’re going to be a hockey wife?” An achingly familiar voice cackled as I started to dial my mom’s number. My stomach flip-flopped as Blaire slithered out of one of the bathroom stalls. “Hi, Kacie. So nice to see you again.”
“Hi, Blaire,” I said, tucking my phone back in my purse. “I’ll see you later.”
“Where are you going? I wanted to talk to you some more.” Her tone dripped with insincerity as she inspected herself in the mirror. “We never finished our conversation a couple weeks ago because your douchey boyfriend so rudely interrupted us.”
You have got to be kidding me. She doesn’t sound very apologetic. What the hell was Andy talking about?
“He’s not a douche, Blaire, and I’m not about to stand here-”
“Oh, you’re gonna stand there, or you would’ve been gone already.” She turned and looked at me with venom in her eyes. “Admit it, you want to know all I know about Brody because the truth is, you barely know him yourself.”
I stood frozen, like an animal in her crosshairs, but I felt stronger this time. Maybe I couldn’t get my legs to move, but my mouth certainly could.
“You know what, Blaire? I think it’s you who doesn’t know Brody.”
She tossed her head of thick blonde hair back and laughed. “Did he tell you all about Kendall?”
I put my hand on my hip and cocked it to the side. “As a matter of fact, he did.”
“Oh really?” She straightened up and smirked at me. “Did he tell you he saw her last weekend?”
Bile rose up in my already uneasy stomach. Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, I did my best to keep my dinner down, not wanting her to know she was getting to me … again.
Is she lying? She has to be lying. He wouldn’t have seen her again, right? Not after we…
“I don’t believe a damn word you say, Blaire.”
“Okay,” she said, as she whipped her phone out and thumbed something onto the buttons. “I’ll prove it to you, Princess.”
“I don’t have time for your bullshit. My date is waiting for me.” I turned to leave the bathroom, but that didn’t stop her.
“Go ahead, live it up while you can, it’s only a matter of time before he throws you away too,” she cooed.
God, this obnoxious woman knows how to push my buttons.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” I spat as I turned around.
“Of course I do, Kacie. I’ve seen it a hundred times with him. He likes a girl and brings her around constantly for a few weeks. As soon as he gets sick of her, he tosses her aside and goes onto the next.” She faced the mirror and tousled her hair.
I’d had enough. Nothing I could say would get through her stone exterior, I was just wasting my breath arguing. I stomped toward the bathroom door and almost fell through it when it was pulled open from the other side.