Page 40 of Game Changer (Hidden Attractions #2)

Maya

“I’m just waiting for you to say it.”

Ethan tilts his head to the side. “Say what?”

“That it’s my fault we missed our dinner reservations.”

Hand in hand, we left the restaurant five minutes ago with rumbling stomachs when the hostess said our table had already been taken.

Can’t say I’m surprised when Ethan revealed we were an hour late, and now I’m feeling horrible for spending so much time taking pictures in the mirror.

In my defense, he didn’t say anything, so I had no clue we were on a time crunch.

“It’s not your fault. We both contributed to being late.”

My lips twitch as I remember him needing an additional ten minutes before we could leave our hotel room due to the raging hard-on he was sporting after seeing my pictures.

“Regardless, we need to figure out something else for dinner. I can google some restaurants nearby.” As he slips his phone out of his pocket with his free hand, I brush soothing strokes along the knuckle of the one tangled in mine.

His hand has been shaking since we set foot on the busy strip, and every now and then he’ll inhale deeply, though I can’t understand why.

“How about—” I tug him toward a hot dog stand on the corner, pulling us out of the crowd of people rushing by.

“You can’t be serious.”

“What? Are you too good for a hot dog?” I tease. “I didn’t peg you as the type to be stuck up.”

“I’m not, Maya, but it’s freezing outside. We didn’t bring gloves or hats to keep us warm.”

“Then what better way to warm up than a hot dog?” I approach the stand while he mutters under his breath, and after we both have our orders, we find a secluded alley away from the bustle of people.

I’d never tell him, but that was my goal all along.

I could tell all the excitement was getting overwhelming for him, so this was the closest food option I could find.

“This is so not what I had in mind for tonight,” he grumbles.

“What? Eating fantastic food and being in even better company?”

“No,” he answers with a mouthful of hot dog. “You deserve better than eating in an alley while you’re shivering .”

I hold up the tinfoil wrapped food. “This is my cure for being cold, remember? And as to eating in an alley, it’s definitely a first, but I think I’m rather enjoying myself.” I catch him doing the deep inhale again. “What is that?”

“What is what?”

“You keep inhaling like you’re not getting enough air.”

His forehead scrunches as if he’s debating whether or not to tell me, but eventually, he relents and says, “Anxiety is weird. I’ll get in these situations with crowds of people and feel like my lungs are constricted.

They’re not, but my mind tells me they are.

So I’ll inhale deeply to remind myself I can still take a deep breath.

” His lips purse. “It sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud. Medication and therapy help, but it’s not a cure-all, you know?

I’ll always battle with it, even if it’s only a fraction. ”

I smile softly. “I don’t think you’re ridiculous at all. Does it bother you? To inhale?”

“Nah.” He shakes his head, contemplating. “It’s more of a reassurance than anything.”

“Then I’ll happily listen to you inhale if it reminds you that you’re still breathing.”

His stare lingers on mine for what feels like an eternity as we finish our food in companionable silence. The feel of his eyes on me is almost a caress, and his speech at the hotel keeps circulating through my mind on a never-ending loop.

In this alley, I’ve never been so comfortable, and that’s saying something, given there’s a dumpster a few feet away from us that smells absolutely foul. The reality of the situation is it doesn’t matter where I am with Ethan. It just matters that I’m with him .

~

For the main event of our date, I tried to come up with thousands of possibilities about where he could be taking me.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand why he’d want to drive me to Vegas for a day when we’d both never been here before, but as we stand in front of the conference center and my eyes dart to the sign above it, my vision is suddenly blurry from the tears that will no doubt escape.

“Ethan.”

“It’s a beauty expo,” he explains, as if I haven’t already pieced that together.

“There will be tons of booths with free samples and demos with the latest styling tools and makeup products. It seemed fitting to bring you here with your clientele and portfolio taking off. I figured it’ll give you more inspiration. ”

“Dios mío.” I rub a palm over my heart as if that’ll calm the pounding beneath.

“I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face, Maya, but this is what you were born to do.

You know it, I know it, and anyone who’s ever met you knows it too.

You may not believe in yourself yet, but I do, and until it finally dawns on you, I’ll be by your side to remind you.

” I’m a blubbering mess when he tugs me against his side.

“I want you to soak up every minute of this experience and apply it to your future as a cosmetologist , because that’s what’s in store for you. ”

I swipe at the tears cascading down my cheeks, no doubt ruining the makeup I spent hours on, but Ethan takes over for me and uses his thumb to catch them instead.

This man overcame his fear of traveling to bring me here because he believes in me. He thinks I can do this, and for the life of me, I’m wondering why the hell I let him go to begin with. If my parents can’t see he’s good for me, then that’s their loss.

Ethan Davis is the man I’m spending the rest of my life with.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper through a choked sob.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Three words are on the tip of my tongue, but I refuse to say them until I come clean to my parents.

I can be confident and claim all I want that my parents will have to deal with my decision to be with him, but once I’m in front of them, I have no clue how our conversation will play out.

Telling Ethan that I love him will only result in more heartbreak if next weekend, I can’t follow through with this newfound courage I imagine I’ve gained.

“You don’t have to say anything at all.” He tugs two tickets out of his wallet and passes one to me. “I just want you to enjoy tonight.”

I laugh into the night sky. “There’s nothing in this entire universe that could ruin my night, Ethan. Although I probably look terrible now. Pretty sure my makeup is ruined.”

“Please.” He rolls his eyes. “You couldn’t look terrible even if you tried. Your setting spray did a damn good job.”

I gasp, and at the sound, he tosses his head back and releases a genuine, throaty laugh that leaves me practically giddy. “You’re learning!” I squeal.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Linking his arm with mine, he leads us to the entrance.

“What else have I taught you?”

When he grins wickedly, I realize I walked directly into that trap. “I’ll show you better than I can tell you, but there’s time for that later. For now, let’s go fuel that passion of yours.”

~

The beauty expo reminded me of when I was a little girl and my parents would let me pick out candy at the grocery store.

It didn’t happen often, but the array of flavors and selections overwhelmed me.

I didn’t know where to look first, and as Ethan guided me through the different vendors, never complaining when I stopped at each one, I was a little girl picking out candy all over again.

Hair tools, makeup brands, skin products. The list was endless. We got a goody bag for buying tickets, but it nearly doubled in size with all the free samples. It was like freaking Christmas when we finally got back to the hotel room with our arms loaded with bags.

“I can’t wait to try these products out on my clients,” I gush. “God, tonight has been the absolute best, and it’s all because of you.” After I put the bags in my suitcase, I twirl around to throw my arms around his neck.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, drawing me closer. I’m flush against his chest, and my breath quickens when his hands skim the sides of my dress until they reach the hem. “So, have you finally accepted your fate as a cosmetologist, or are you going to deny it for a bit longer?”

“I think tonight has changed my perspective on a lot of things. The whole point of this year was to find ourselves, right?”

He nods as his fingertips rub the backs of my thighs.

“Well, I think by reconnecting with you, you’ve given me the courage to be true to myself.

Finishing cosmetology school was one of the proudest moments of my life, but I thought then that it’d never be my full-time career.

I didn’t think it would be possible, but you .

. .” I blink away tears. “You push me in the best ways, Ethan. You’ve made me realize that I can do this if I want to, and I can’t thank you enough. ”

And next weekend at my parents, I’m not only going to fight for you, but I’m fighting for myself too.

“Well, I’m glad you feel that way because you do the same for me. I’ve been thinking a lot about myself, too, and I decided to go and change my major on Monday.”

My eyes grow wide as saucers. “What? That’s incredible , Ethan! Are you kidding? I’m so happy for you! It’s for sports education, right? Please tell me it is.”

“Yeah.” A bashful hint to his tone has me melting against him. “I haven’t told the kids or Ronnie yet that I’m accepting the assistant position. Thinking about surprising them with the news next Sunday at the game.”

“I’m so proud of you. Seriously. You’ve worked so hard to figure out who you want to be, and I think coaching is the perfect job for you.”