“Alright, see you tonight, Babe.” I could hear the smile in his words. I wished I could pull one out of my thoughts, but the only thing coating my brain at the moment was the terror of waiting for that test to finish.
Hanging up the phone, I closed my eyes tight. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see a positive result or not. Exhaling a heavy burst of air, I opened my lids.
One.
Two.
Three.
Forcing the muscles in my neck to loosen, my head fell forward.
And...
***
My car felt out of place, a grain of dirt in a sea of glass. Turning my head to a soft tap against the window, a man stood outside dressed in a crisp tailored suit.
Rolling down the glass, I asked, “Yes?”
“Can I park the car for you, Miss?” The gentleman hovered forward, hand on my door handle.
Seriously? Valet parking, are you fucking kidding me?
“Okay.” The words drew out over my tongue. It was such a bizarre thing to see at someone's home. Granted, this wasn't your typical house, it was another mansion beyond anything I'd seen before. It had to be ten times bigger than one I stayed in with Hegan on Martha's Vineyard.
As the valet opened my door, his hand came down to aid me out. Dropping my heels to the cold pavement, a brisk wind flew over my skin; the touch of winter in New England.
“I got it, Anthony.” The deep baritone voice crept in from the shadows. Hegan was standing behind the young man, a shadow in the dark night sky.
“Oh, sure, Mr. Alexander. Sorry.” The boy, who looked no older than seventeen, stepped to the side.
“May I?” Hegan said, his hand held open with the palm up, free hand draped across his lower back.
He looked amazing; a well fitted black blazer hung over his tight blue t-shirt. Even in the dark driveway, the ripples of his chest stood out, hugged by the fabric perfectly.
“Why thank you.” Smiling, I gripped his hand and exited the car.
His eyes rode the length of my jacket, slowly climbing back up to my face. “I can't wait to see you what you have under that.”
“Well don't get too excited. It's much more appropriate compared to the second skin I wore to that lunch with your parents.” Chuckling, I turned to the valet driver. “Careful, sometimes first gear sticks, so go easy with the clutch.” Tossing him the keys, I cupped my arm in Hegan's.
“When are you going to let me buy you a new car?” Hegan asked.
“Why? This one runs fine.” Arching my lip, I clasped my hand around the muscle of his arm.
Hegan let out a light laugh as we made our way up to the house. “My mom's been asking me about you.”
“Oh yeah, and what have you said? All good things I hope.” Veering up at him, my heels clicked across the smooth granite steps.
“Good things?” Cocking his head to the side, he said, “I told her the truth. That you're a serial killer stalker, who won't leave me alone.”
Grinding my elbow into his ribs, I huffed under my breath. “I thought that's what you liked about me?”
Hegan chuckled, scooping his arm around my waist, and pulling me in tighter. It felt good being in his arms, everything around me melted away. All my fears, all my doubts, they all disappeared when we were together.
Opening the door, I was hit with the sound of music, glazed in laughter and loud voices. It streamed through the wave of warm air and scent of cinnamon. Now this is a party. I thought as my coat was stripped off my back by another servant of the Alexander family.
Walking through the great room, there were people everywhere. Hoards of unfamiliar faces filled the space. Looking around, the place was brightly lit in white lights, holly berry bushels, and decorations out the ass.
To top it all off, there was the biggest Christmas tree I had ever seen set in the middle of the room. It had to be fifteen feet high, blaring in all its glory.
“Wow.” The only sound I could make, barely audible out of my lips.
“You can say that again,” Hegan said, eyes eating me up as I stood beside him. “That dress is amazing.” He studied the rich purple teacup dress I was wearing.
I could feel my cheeks flush red, bowing my head into my chest, I pushed back a curl of hair behind my ear. “Not me, this place. It's incredible.”
“Yeah, I guess. They do this every year, throw a huge party for all their socialites.” Hegan buried a hand in his pocket, the other falling to his hip. “To be honest, this is the first one I looked forward to.”
“How come?” Tilting my head, I fingered the cuff of his sleeve.
“Because I don't feel completely alone.” His fingers glided between mine, squeezing firmly. “You're here with me.”
From the far side of the room, a loud burst crushed through the air. Snapping my head to look, I saw his dad holding a bottle of champagne, tipping it into glasses for a small group surrounding him. His head turned towards us, mouth opened in a wide smile.