Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“Ooh, look at this,” Chase said as he strolled up to the front steps of the brewery. “Looks like the boys at the brewery decided to go full fall.”
“Fuck yes,” Emmett said from beside me, his eyes going wide. “I’m in heaven. I’m in something better than heaven.”
It was like a pub version of Emmett’s own fall decorations. Pumpkins dotted the corners of the deck and the short stairs that led up to the front door, and garlands with twinkle lights were strung throughout the front awning and back deck.
Seeing Emmett light up was one of the best parts of my day. I reached over and squeezed his hand, not giving a shit if anyone saw it.
Emmett had been through so much lately. Been through so much in the last two years, really. He was always so mature and responsible that when I got to see this childlike wonder in his eyes, it did something to my heart.
Fuck.
How was I going to do this?
How could I protect someone I cared about this much from the media shitstorm that constantly surrounded me… and would he even be willing to sacrifice his privacy for this?
For me?
A couple of hours later, we’d turned Jade Brewery into our second home. Football fans came up to me and Kace for autographs and pictures, but then ended up joining our crew, playing games of pool with us and sharing pitchers of beer. The fall vibes were even better inside the brewery, with every corner of the place smelling like spiced drinks and decked out in decor.
Emmett and I were in a heated game of pool with an older couple who had come over to challenge us after seeing us win against Kace and Nathan.
“This is the final money shot,” Emmett was saying, pointing over at the greying old lady, who was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.
“Oh, you can try!” she called out. “But you don’t know how good my husband is at being a pool shark.”
Emmett took a great shot but didn’t quite get the ball into the pocket. The lady’s husband went next, and made a shot that somehow managed to get three balls into pockets at once.
I dropped my jaw. “How? How is that possible?”
“Told you he’s good,” the lady said, reaching over to give her husband a hug and a kiss.
“But I can’t catch a football like you can,” he said, holding up his hands toward me.
We all laughed. “Hey, we did our best,” I said to Emmett.
Without thinking, I went over to him and did the same thing the old lady had done to her husband. I pulled Emmett in and pressed a kiss to his lips, forgetting about the whole secret part of it all.
“You two are adorable,” the lady said. “I’ve got to go refresh my drink, but thank you for the game.”
I turned to Emmett again, bracing myself.
“I am so sorry,” I said. “I totally forgot—”
He furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong?”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m so worried, Emmett.”
He breathed in, nodding his head. “I know it can be hard. Storm, you don’t have to come out until you’re damn well ready for it.”
I waved my hand. “No, no, not that,” I said. “I’ll get on the karaoke microphone tonight and tell this whole bar that I love cock.”
Emmett laughed and leaned against me, the skin around his eyes crinkling up at the edges. “Okay, I get the point.”
I squeezed his hand, turning so that I was facing him, away from the pool table.
“I don’t want any fucking headlines about you, Emmett,” I finally told him. “I can’t stand the thought of it. The shitty impression you had of me when we first met was because of those headlines, and I don’t want a soul on Earth to have a shitty impression of you.”
He turned his head slightly to one side, holding my gaze. “You’re worried about me? Really?”
“Of course I am,” I protested. “I can take the crap, but you don’t deserve that. You deserve to be treated like a damned king, as far as I’m concerned.”
He clicked his tongue, smiling at me. “If you’d told me when we met that one day, you’d be defending me, I’d have laughed out loud.”
“Well, believe it,” I said. “Because I’m pretty sure I’d take a damn bullet for you, these days.”
He bit his lower lip. “How did I get so lucky?” he asked. “My life is nothing like I thought it would be this year.”
“And I don’t want that to be threatened,” I said. “By some asshole at a shitty website deciding to talk about your personal life online.”
Emmett waved a hand. “Let them say whatever they want.”
I paused, raising an eyebrow. “You sure about that? Even with Waycott Marketing starting up?”
He nodded once. “I have nothing to hide,” he said. “Cutmore was the one with the issues.”