Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Although, I knew Jax would absolutely say the same thing about me, given the chance. He was never shy about telling me how good I looked.
After a few more minutes of honking, stop-and-go congestion on the side street, our limo was able to pull up along the next side street tucked behind the club. We stopped for the camera crew and production team to get out and get into position near the front of the club to film us heading inside.
For a minute, it was just me, Shawn, and Nathan in the back of the limo. It felt like being in the eye of a storm. For this brief moment, it was just us, in the calm, while a world of exciting, awesome, terrifying chaos waited for us out at the premiere. We shared a glance, all of us clearly in awe of what was happening.
“We really did this,” Shawn said, shaking his head a little. “Our tiny ass, mountain town construction company. We’re going to have a fucking TV show, guys.”
They slid over next to me and we shared a tight little group hug.
“No matter what happens, this was worth it,” I said. “Even if the first season tanks, it was a wild ride. I’m so proud of you guys. Starting this company from nothing.”
“And we’re proud of you,” Nathan said. “Your whole life’s transformed in the last few months, and if this TV show goes anywhere, it’s going to be mostly because of you. And you know it.”
“Oh, stop,” I protested.
“Not kidding,” Nathan said. “People love you. They love you and Jax together, too, but it all started with you, Charlie. You’re just someone that people want to watch. You have the good juju.”
I puffed out a laugh. “I don’t know about that, but thank you.”
When I glanced out of the limo again, I saw Kim waving her arm outside, as if she were guiding planes on a runway. Soon I saw that Kace, Rush, and Jax were behind her, and she was bringing them over to the vehicle so that they could walk into the premiere with us.
The limo door swung open and the three of them filed in.
“Let’s fucking go, boys!” Kace bellowed the moment he was in the limo, pumping his fist and being his usual, party-starter self.
“Holy shit, you look hot,” Rush said to Shawn, whistling as he took a seat next to him and bit his lower lip.
Kace reached over to the volume knob on the stereo in the back of the limo, turning up the volume on whatever electronic, pumping-bass song was playing. Jax was the last to enter the limo before we started to pull up toward the entrance of the club.
Jax’s eyes landed on me and instantly I knew I was fucked.
Totally fucked.
And Kim was dead wrong about the idea of us breaking up. Because none of our fans were going to want to look at anyone other than him next to me. He was in a stunning light grey suit, and when he sat down next to me he smelled so good I wanted to cuddle up next to him like a cat.
I felt like my person had finally gotten here. Like I’d been out of place, or lost, somehow, until he was by my side again. The premiere didn’t feel daunting now that he was with me.
I didn’t even want to think about when or how our fake relationship was going to end. If tonight was going to be the last time we acted like a couple, I was going to make it fucking count.
“Hi,” he told me, and the look of genuine excitement on his face was worth a million bucks.
I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. “Look at you,” I murmured. “Fuck, Jax.”
“The crew set me up with a very good suit,” he said.
We didn’t have much more time to talk, because before we knew it, we had arrived at the front. Someone opened the limo door from outside, and Shawn and Rush got out first, the crowd by the club already erupting into cheers. Jax and I got out next, and a rush of chilly air hit me.
I didn’t even get a chance to look around at the crowd because the moment we stepped out, camera flashes hit us like a million little flashes of lightning.
“Holy hell,” I heard Jax say from next to me.
I reached for his hand in the blinding lights, and when he squeezed mine back, it was the surge of confidence I needed.
“Let’s do this,” I said.
We smiled and waved, stopping to pose for pictures as people screamed our names. Screamed them, at the top of their lungs. The premiere was probably nothing compared to big movie premieres in LA, but for me, here in Colorado, this felt like being goddamned royalty. We stopped for selfies and said hi to dozens of people before making our way down toward the front doors, where we posed in front of a backdrop for press photos and the paparazzi we’d seen before.