Page 82 of Embracing the Beat
Somehow. Maybe I can get a hold of Sawyer and stay with him if he’s home.
MIA: But now you don’t have to. Love you!
MICHAELA: Love you too!
“Everything okay?” West steps behind me, his hand finding the small of my back, and I lean against him.
“I-I’m not sure,” I admit and hand him my phone so he can scroll through my texts with Mia.
“She wants you to meet with an entertainment attorney?” he asks. “The one here was zero help.”
“They didn’t specialize in entertainment law. Just said they were familiar with it. One of the few here who were.”
“So you’re going to LA?” His arm tightens around my waist protectively.
Spinning, I loop my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his.
“Just for a few days,” I promise. “I’m coming back.”
“Sawyer’s already working on it.”
Embarrassment still pricks that my big brother is aware of what happened, but I know West did the right thing when he called him.
“It can’t hurt to hear what this attorney has to say.”
He pulls me against him, his arms tightening. “I worry about you. I don’t want you to go alone.”
“If Mia and Garrett set up this appointment, it means they trust this guy. And I trust them.”
“I wish I could go with you.”
“I know.” I press a kiss against his jaw. “And I love that.”
The words are on my lips. To add another love in there, but the tour guide interrupts us, calling everyone back. We keep walking, West’s hand linked with mine as he whispers bits and pieces of history to me along the rest of the walk. They aren’t sweet nothings, but I’ll take them any day.
“Just a few days, right?” he asks as we head back to the starting point of the tour.
“Two or three tops,” I tell him. “Why? Going to miss me?”
I’m teasing, but his expression is serious when he pulls me back into his arms.
“Yes.”
“I’ll miss you too.” I grab his hands and pull him down until our lips meet, my tongue tangling with his. His heartbeat races under my palm.
If leaving him for a few days means I’ll miss him this much, what’s going to happen when I leave for longer?
??????
“You ready?” he asks, spreading the paper open between us on the outdoor table at a park near both restaurants.
“How are we going to do this?” I motion to the two sandwiches between us.
He hands me the one we picked up at Pat’s. My mouth waters at the smell of meat and peppers.
“You try that one first, and I’ll try this one at the same time.” He lifts the sandwich from Geno’s. “Then we switch.”
West counts down from three, and I angle my head to try to take a bite without making a huge mess, watching him do the same.
