Well, they weren’t going to forget our names any time soon!
I looked to Marlo.
He held my hand and kissed it then announced over his mic. “I love this woman.”
Everyone cheered.
I leaped into his arms and kissed him amid the happy claps around the auditorium.
“Break a leg, Ray!” he said as we separated.
“You too, lover boy.” I winked as the audience laughed again.
The lights went low.
And before I went out for my first scene, I looked toward the audience and saw Nya clutching my mom’s hand with a smile of joy on her face.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
One single nod.
I don’t know how she got them there.
What she did.
What she even said.
But that woman down there was more a mother to me than my own, and I owed her a lot more than I ever gave her credit for.
It was I who should be thanking her, for loving a lost little boy with no shoes and a fascination with acting to escape his own crappy childhood.
I should be thanking her for seeing below the surface.
For seeing him.
The way I saw him that first day I announced we were going to be friends.
Tears filled my eyes as Marlo’s body filled the stage.
And then we were flying.
Together.
Dancing.
Singing.
And I was captivated by my Johnny as I walked in with a watermelon.
He moved across the stage, his eyes locking on mine. “What’s she doing here?”
“I carried a watermelon.” I squeezed my eyes shut as a real blush hit my cheeks.
He bit down on his lower lip.
I licked my lips in anticipation as he fired off his lines, everyone danced around us. I sighed to myself and tried to make my way past him when he grabbed my hand and thrust a leg against mine and rolled his hips. “Do you love me?” He sang as I danced awkwardly with him like I was supposed to.
And then too soon he was dancing with another camper, and I was staring after him with wonderment and lust in my eyes as the song ended.
“Better change your name, cuz you ain’t a baby anymore,” Marlo said, even though it wasn’t supposed to be him delivering the line, it fit. Sexual tension rippled across the stage after another heated stare, and I knew, I would have never been able to this, without him.
THINGS WERE GOING perfect.
Seamless even.
Staff members and campers worked perfectly together, making it one of the best productions I’d ever been a part of.
I wanted to believe it was because Ray was so raw, so believable.
And the tension between us?
Not acting.
It was time for the love scene. It would be tasteful, but it still needed to convey this need, this hunger.
“…one last time, and I’ll leave you alone,” she whispered her lines with a shaky voice as she went over and pretended to turn on the music, and then her hands were on my arms, pulling me to my feet, and we were dancing.
Flying.
I dipped her backward, pulled her against my chest.
Hooked her leg around my hips as our bodies moved in sync with one another. I shuddered when she moved behind me and kissed my back. Her fingers rippling down my muscles and then dancing again.
I was lost in her.
I didn’t hear the music.
I didn’t hear anything except for the erratic beating of my heart as I kissed down her neck and button by button undid her sweater, exposing her white bra.
Our mouths met as I slid her cardigan slowly off her shoulders, my mouth licking its way over her smooth skin.
I picked her up with both hands and carried her to the bed on stage, and then covered my body with hers as the music ended.
Both of our chests were heaving when the lights when low.
Applause like thunder rang my ears.
And still all I saw was her.
My Ray.
My Baby.
Mine.
Lights lit up stage left as we both ducked behind the bed and made our way backstage.
“Ray,” I pulled her in for a kiss. “Almost there.”
Her smile was wide. “This is fun.”
“It’s supposed to be fun,” I said, smiling.
“With you.” Her eyes darted to my mouth. “We would have been the hottest theater nerds ever in high school.”
I burst out laughing. “Yeah except I’m pretty sure I had a six pack back then from lack of muscle, so not so sure you would have wanted to—”
She crushed her mouth to mine. “I wanted to. I did.” And then she gave me her back and bumped her ass against me. “I tapped that.”
Jackson swore. “Really guys? Give it a rest!”
“Aren’t you supposed to be on stage?” I wondered out loud.
“Nope, but you are!” He double checked my mic to make sure it was hot again and then shoved me away from Ray.
Seconds passed, maybe another hour and we were at the final dance scene.
I felt my adrenaline spike when Time of My Life came on.
Ray winked at me.
She looked so fucking free I wanted to shout.
We made our way toward the middle of the stage amidst claps and yelling and then I opened my mouth to sing. “I’ve… had the time of my life…”
She joined in perfect harmony with a grin on her face that lit up the entire stage, that stole my heart and ran away with it.
Our friends danced around us.
Jackson and Jen in the background with Brax, the campers did their sequence, and then it was time for the staff part of the production. Staff members surrounded us and sang the chorus as we all did our huge dance number leading up to Ray jumping into my arms.
She ran across the stage and leaped, I held her high and twirled her, and she came down in my arms.
And kissed me.
She didn’t even finish singing her part.
Just kissed me so hard and long that cheering and singing erupted around us with cat calls and cameras flashing.
I set her on her feet and kissed her back, I kissed her with everything in me, I claimed her on that stage under those stars, under that moon, I claimed that Ray of sunshine, and I swore I would keep it forever.
“We did it.” She said against my lips. “Together.”
“Together,” I agreed as a standing ovation exploded around us, followed by roses getting thrown on stage.
And when she turned to smile at the crowd, it wasn’t lost on me that my foster mom was sitting right next to Ray’s mom — who was sobbing uncontrollably in her seat.
“He would have loved this, my brother,” she said through tears as she squeezed my hand.
“He did love it.” I pressed a hand to her chest. “Because he was here, with you, the entire time.”
Tears filled her eyes as I wrapped an arm around her and then pulled her toward the front and bowed with her.
I recognized a few agents, a few industry professionals, and for the first time in a really long time, I didn’t give a shit.
Because I already had my future in my right hand.
I JUST WANTED to celebrate with Marlo, with Jen, Jackson, even Brax, but I knew I needed to at least thank my mom for coming, though I assumed Nya had dragged her kicking and screaming.
Nya excused herself the minute I walked up, most likely to go in search of Marlo. The crowd was thick with bodies, laughter, industry chatter.
And then there was my mom and me.
Staring each other down.
“You,” She cleared her throat. “You were magnificent.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Thank you.”
“Truly.” She stared down at her pristine white heels with the red soles. “Everything was flawless. It seems that you’ve found your purpose.”
“Maybe,” I answered, as she swiped under her eyes.
&
nbsp; “Your father and I…” She started and then glanced over her shoulder at my dad who was talking to a few police officers. I’d probably have to give a statement, press charges, do something, but for now, I wanted to think about Marlo, about the performance.
About being free.
“Your father and I…” She tried again. “Are going to try.”
It wasn’t what I wanted.
I wanted her to throw her arms around me and say how wrong she’d been.
But that wasn’t them.
It would never be them, would it?
I nodded. “All right Mom, I’ll try too.”
She nodded and then held out her hand.
I wanted to be offended that my own mom wanted to shake my hand.
Instead, I shook her hand and breathed in the scent of Marlo behind me.
I turned. “You.”
“Me.” He breathed.
“You were perfect.”
“You were the perfect one.” He cupped my face. “And I’m so fucking proud of you.”
That. That was what I needed.
“I’m proud of me too,” I said. “Proud of us.”
He tucked my arm into his side. “Excuse us.”
We were walking at a fast pace toward the front of the stage again where a nice older gentleman was standing, talking on his phone. He gave us a nod, and then excused himself and hung up.
“Young lady.” He shook his head, his eyes held wonder, the crinkles at the side made me think he smiled more than he scowled, and I liked that he was wearing a suit but already had the tie pulled and the buttons undone. “You were fantastic!”
“Thank you!” I beamed.
He held out a card. “I’d like to talk representation.” He looked between us. “For both of you, actually.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Marlo answered for me while I stared slack jawed at the card.
I had wrongly assumed it was just another agent with big promises and even bigger lies.
It wasn’t just an agent.
It was the William Morris Agency.
“Close your mouth,” Marlo whispered under his breath. “You earned this, and you also earned this…” He backed away and then spread his arms wide. “Ray, congratulations, you’re finally starting to peak!”
I burst out laughing. “Yeah, yeah.”
“She has boobs.” This from a confused Jen.
“Party at the lake!” Brax shouted.
“That’s going to end well,” I mused while Marlo wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided us toward the sparkling water.
“Whatever happens,” Marlo said so only I could hear. “We’ll always know, that it was the hot summer nights that got us to this place.”
“And what place is that?” I stopped walking and looked up at him, his crystal blue eyes shone down on me with amusement, with happiness.
“Love.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss across my lips. “Hate.”
“Everything in between?” I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“All of it, Ray. All of it.”
“Come on you guys!” Jackson was already pulling his shirt over his head.
“Run along, farm boy.” I shoved Marlo.
He just laughed and started jogging toward the shore yelling, “As you wish!”
Six Years Later
“YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL,” I whispered against her neck as we neared the building, our driver went to the back, as requested. “You’re also fidgeting.”
Ray pressed a hand to her stomach and gave me that death glare I found so damn attractive. “I’m allowed to be nervous.”
“You’re a movie star, kind of a big deal, you’d think that walking into a gymnasium would be cake.” I winked.
She just scowled. “Look who’s talking Mr. I have so many fangirls that movie theaters kept losing posters because high school girls were ripping them off the walls and running!”
I grinned to myself. “I can’t help it. I have a nice ass.”
She tilted her head and then licked her lips. “You know we could skip.”
“Nope.” The car came to a stop, our driver got out and then opened the door wide. “Out you go. Plus, this will be good for you! Think of it as your final moment.”
“More like your final revenge,” she grumbled to herself.
“Hey!” I stepped out, offered my hand, then pulled her against my chest. “I love you. I don’t need revenge when I have you. Plus, we’ve been over this… we have each other.”
Her eyes locked on mine. “I may be acting a bit more hormonal than usual.” She bit down on her bottom lip as tears filled her eyes. “I’m pregnant!”
“What?” Breathless, I cupped her face as electrical charges surged through me. “Did you say you’re pregnant?”
“I don’t know how it happened!” She threw her hands into the air while I burst out laughing.
“Really? You don’t? Because I can give you a list of how many ways and positions it could have happened in the last night alone…”
She smacked me. “It’s just this whole… thing,” She waved up at the gym. “Is making it worse.”
“You’re pregnant,” I repeated with a sense of awe filling me. “My beautiful wife of two years is pregnant.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “My sexy husband of two years, my boyfriend since I was six—”
“Are we suddenly not counting the hateful years?”
“Nope!” She popped the P and grinned. “Because I don’t think we would be in this place had we not had those years of hatred. It boiled into something greater than that.”
“It did,” I whispered, then pressed a kiss to her mouth. “I can’t believe you’re pregnant.”
“I found out this morning.”
“This morning, this morning, when you cried over that dog food commercial?” I wondered out loud earning another slap from her. “Ouch!”
“He was so hungry!” More tears came.
“Hell, let’s get you inside.”
Our security guard Mitch, the only security Ray allowed us to bring, opened the back door to the gymnasium as we slowly made our way inside hand-in-hand.
Music pumped through the sound system.
And I was immediately transported back to high school.
The nerd.
The unloved.
The guy stuffed in lockers pining after the prom queen.
Well, joke’s on fucking them — I grinned so wide my face almost cracked. I was happy! Don’t get me wrong, we were both extremely successful. Ray had a running sitcom that made the Big Bang Theory look like child’s play, and I’d landed a few small roles before my big break as a vampire.
I was also never going to live that role down.
Not that I minded, since I genuinely liked it and was laughing all the way to the bank — or getting chased by teen girls, that too.
It was the perfect revenge from the universe.
Going from getting stuffed in lockers.
To being literally in every locker, as a vampire poster.
Hah!
A few whispers, cameras going off.
“May I have this dance?” I pulled Ray close as the rest of our graduating class watched. I danced with her in the middle of the floor, under the cheesy decorations next to the punch bowl.
I got my revenge in the best way.
I got the girl.
“I love you.” I tilted her chin toward me.
She just smiled. “I love you too, lawn boy.”
That got a laugh out of me as people watched us with adoring expressions and cameras out.
“See? Aren’t you glad you came to your ten-year reunion? Told you it would be fun!”
“Yeah,” She didn’t pull her eyes away from me. “I’d rather take you behind the gymnasium like I should have my senior year.”
I pressed a kiss to her ear. “What’s stopping you?”
And that was all it took for her to grab my hand and drag me through the heavy crowd of i
Phones lifted in the air.
And when the summer night air hit my face, I smiled. It always reminded me of camp.
Of my friends.
True friends.
True love.
Life.
A beautiful gift — you just have to love yourself enough to accept it, and then you have to fight like hell to keep it.
“Unbutton your pants,” Ray barked.
“Is your whole pregnancy going to be like this?” I teased.
Apparently, I wasn’t going fast enough.
“Remember how last year Jackson got me a Kama Sutra book and I opened it in front of everyone and then threw it at his face?”
I grinned as her hands worked my tucked shirt out of my trousers. “I think we all remember that, because it ended up hitting Brax in the face and Jen had to get him frozen peas.”
“Well, I’m thinking, I have all this energy…” Her grin was wicked. “So I’d hydrate if I were you.” She jerked my pants open.
I bit back a curse as she shimmied her dress up past her thighs and settled a leg over my hips.
“Also, I’m not wearing underwear.”
I sucked in a breath and gripped her hips with my hands. Digging my fingers into her tender flesh. “Damn, I’m so glad you said yes when I proposed to you next to the lawnmower.”
She arched, then lowered herself onto me. “Maybe one day my dad will call you something other than ‘kid.’”
I squeezed my eyes shut as I moved inside her. “Let’s… not talk about your dad when I’m inside you, ‘kay?”
We laughed. And then it was just us again.
Behind the gymnasium, where our old selves should have always been.
Loving each other.
Forever.
Try these other RVD New Adult Romances!
CAPTURE
Losing your ability to speak at the age of seventeen; it’s not normal or fair.
But trauma, has a way of throwing normality out the window.
Dani lives anything but a normal life.
Her sister is married to one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Her best friends are rockstar duo AD2.
And she has more love around her than most people experience in a lifetime.
Summer Nights Page 10
