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“Okay, I need to go get changed back at my place. I’ll be right back.” He reluctantly pulls himself off me. Pushing up off the bed, I get up too. Though, I really want to stay in bed, with Bryce, naked. Especially since I was now all hot and bothered.
Bryce is pretty quick to change and come back down. When he returns, the first thing he does is kiss me. He wraps his arms around me and tugs me close.
He murmurs, “If something bothers you, Kat, just tell me, okay? I promise, you come before any of those assholes.” Smiling, I nod. We leave the apartment, Bryce locking the door behind us. As we walk out to his truck, his arm comes around my shoulder and he pulls me in and kisses the top of my head.
By the time we pull into the parking lot, my stomach is in knots. I close my eyes and try to control my breathing. Bryce reaches over and runs a hand down my cheek.
“If you want to go, we can turn around and go home.” He says.
I shake my head and open my eyes. I turn my head towards him, “No. I need to do this. I have you, and I know I’ll be fine.”
He nods and smiles, “Always, Kitty Kat. You will always have me.”
We walk into Wingers, and I immediately see Austin and the other guys that I met the last time. They’re all hanging around a couple of pool tables with their significant others. Well, everyone but Austin.
“Hey, everyone. This is Kat. Kat, you know the guys, but this right here is Kevin’s wife, Leslie,” Bryce points to a blonde woman who’s built like she lifts weights for a living. “This here is Rick’s girlfriend, Michelle.” I shake her hand. She’s a short brunette who looks like she’s a soccer mom. “And this one here is Tom’s wife, Diane.” Diane is a knockout. She has beautiful blonde hair, and she’s prettiest one of them all.
“Hi, nice to meet you all.” I mumble, tucking closer to Bryce’s side.
The guys take turns playing with each other at the pool tables. I stay close to Bryce when it isn’t his turn. I try to be a good listener with the girls, but my heart is racing, and I’m doing what I can to keep calm. That is, until they started asking me questions.
Leslie grins at me, “So, Kat, Bryce tells us you love video games and books.” Fuck. I feel little beads of sweat instantly form on the back of my neck. My mouth gets dry. This is where they judge me, call me names, and make fun of me.
Leslie starts back up, “I can’t wait to get the kids to bed most nights so I can get some game time in. Those kids do nothing by hog the Xbox. My Xbox.”
Wait. I blink, trying to reign in my surprise. She’s a gamer? I feel like I just got thrown a curveball here. After a minute, I find my words.
“Thankfully, I don’t have that issue. Bryce isn’t really a big gamer, so I never have to worry about him hogging my shit.” The girls laugh, and instantly I feel a little less pressure in my chest. We’re trading off gamer tags and the games we could play together when Bryce comes over and gives me a kiss on the lips.
“Doing okay?” he whispers.
“Yes, I am.” And I truly am. These women are friendly. They have yet to judge me or make me feel like less of a person.
“Good.” He leans in for another kiss. When I turn back to the girls, they’re all staring at us. Leslie is bouncing up and down in her seat, fist pumping into the air. Diane and Michelle both have a smile that stretches from ear to ear.
“I’ve never seen that side of him.” Diane admits after Bryce walks away. “He looks good with you.”
“He’s like a different person.” Michelle points out, nodding.
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused. There’s a part of me that isn’t sure I want to know this answer, but so far, they’ve been nice to me. I’m still cautious, but I know Bryce is still here for me.
Leslie purses her lips, then says, “Well, when he first got here, he was quiet. He joked very little with the guys, didn’t really talk, and just kind of hung around. That was for about a few weeks. Then, he seemed to loosen up a bit. But I should tell you, every girl in this place hit on that man. They tried so hard, threw out their best stuff, but no one could hook him.”
“Yea. Boobs all pushed up, practically worked naked, just to get him to into bed.” Diane adds, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
I can feel that twisting again in my chest. I loathe this place.
“But then a couple months ago, I guess in November, maybe October, he was like a new man. I mean, he smiled more, laughed more, and he really came alive. Now we know why. You.” Diane finishes, and all three stare at me, each one silently agreeing with her.
“That man is head over heals for you, Kat.” Leslie says, smiling. “Head over fucking heals in love with you.”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Did she just say maybe?” Michelle scoffs, looking at the other ladies. “There is no maybe here. We’ll be coming to your wedding in the next couple years. Count on it.”
“My nose is tingling. You ladies talking about me?” Bryce comes over and wraps his arm around me. He plants a kiss on my cheek and smiles at me with adoration in his eyes.
“Yes!” all the girls answer in unison.