Page 55 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)
OWEN
“That was incredible,” Lucy said, looking over at me after the cast of Beauty and the Beast did their final bow.
Her eyes were wide with awe; her cheeks flushed in a way that made it very hard not to lean over and kiss her right there in the middle of the packed theater.
“Asher and Elyse were just… I don’t even have words.
I think I forgot to breathe during the ‘If I Can’t Love Her’ scene. Your brother’s voice is unreal.”
“He’s truly talented,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips as I studied her face. “I’m glad you enjoyed the musical.”
“I loved it,” she said, glancing up at me, eyes bright. “Thanks for inviting me. This was seriously a dream come true. This whole day has been magical, really.” And when she leaned her head against my shoulder, my heart swelled.
“I’m glad you could make it work.” I slid my arm around her, tugging her a little closer. “I know how busy you are.”
It was the Wednesday of spring break, but even though classes were out, Lucy’s schedule hadn’t exactly slowed down.
She still had training sessions in the mornings—thankfully pushed back to ten instead of the usual crack-of-dawn start, since her coach wasn’t completely heartless.
But even with the extra hours of sleep, she was still knee-deep in the chaos of competition season and juggling big class projects.
She’d flown to Nebraska over the weekend for a meet—taking second in the all-around despite still recovering from strep.
And after the home meet she had coming up this Sunday, only three meets remained: the Conference Championship in Philadelphia, NCAA Regionals two weeks after that, and then the big one—the NCAA Finals.
It was such an important final stretch in her gymnastics career, the kind of moment she’d been working toward her whole life. And the fact that she’d carved out a day to come to Manhattan with me? That meant something.
Made me hopeful that maybe I wasn’t the only one really falling here. That maybe…once we figured out how to bring our relationship into the light, we might actually have a shot at something real and lasting.
Which I wanted so badly.
These past few weeks with her had been so good that I couldn’t help but want more.
Not just weeks. But months. Years.
Maybe forever.
“Are we still going backstage to meet them?” Lucy asked, glancing up at me with a flash of nerves in her blue eyes.
“If you’re up for it,” I said, slipping my fingers through hers. “Asher told me how to get backstage to his dressing room.”
“Okay, cool.” She nodded, blowing out a breath. “I’m just a bit nervous, since they’re like…famous. But yeah, I’d love to meet your family.”
And there was something about the way she said it that made my heart shift in my chest.
Because I was about to introduce the girl I was falling for to my family. Which was actually a pretty big moment since I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d done that.
Had I ever?
Giving Lucy’s hand a gentle squeeze, I led her toward the backstage entrance Asher had mentioned. And as our hands swung casually between us, I couldn’t get over the fact that I was actually able to do this—hold her hand in public.
It was a seemingly small thing to most people in a relationship…but for us—ever since that kiss on New Year’s—this was the first time we hadn’t had to hide. There were no shadows to keep to, no ducking out of sight when someone walked by.
Here in a city full of strangers, we could be a regular couple. Just me and Lucy, hand in hand, enjoying a spring night out in town.
The whole day had been amazing, actually; the kind of day I wanted to bottle up and keep forever. I’d picked Lucy up from the train station earlier this afternoon, and we’d wandered through Manhattan, letting the city buzz around us as we walked hand in hand through Central Park.
Crocuses and daffodils had just started blooming, dotting the grass with color and promise. Everything smelled like fresh air and street pretzels.
Dinner had been at a cozy little Korean restaurant tucked into a side street—dim lighting, soft music, the kind of place that made you lean in closer without realizing it.
Lucy had stolen bites off my plate, told me my chopstick skills were “hot,” and laughed in that effortless way that always made something in my chest loosen.
And then tonight—watching her glow under the theater lights, fingers laced with mine as she sat completely captivated by the show—it had felt…real. So good. So blissfully uncomplicated.
Like I wasn’t her professor and she wasn’t my student .
Just a guy falling for a girl who made the world brighter.
Sitting there, soaking in the music and the magic and the way Lucy leaned her head against my shoulder like she belonged there, I found myself wanting more moments like that.
Moments where I could walk up to her on campus and kiss her cheek without worrying who might see. Moments where I could find her after a meet, wrap her in a hug, and tell her how proud I was.
Just…the little things. The freedom to feel what I felt out in the open. To stop hiding the happiness she gave me.
And I knew that we were less than two months away from her graduation. If we could just keep things quiet until then, we might actually be in the clear.
But part of me didn’t want to wait.
Not because I couldn’t. But because I didn’t want to miss her big moments. I wanted to be at her last meets. To watch her at Nationals in Texas next month and not spend the whole time ducking behind a program, terrified her dad would spot me in the crowd.
Which meant I probably needed to talk to President Archibald and Dean Harris. Tell them I was dating my student.
And hopefully, when I walked out of those conversations, I’d still have a job.
Lucy and I reached the backstage entrance, and I knocked. As we waited, I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“You nervous at all?” she asked, glancing up at me.
“A little,” I admitted. Then, with a smirk, I added, “Mostly just hoping my brother doesn’t completely embarrass me. He’s kind of a dork sometimes.”
She laughed, her eyes catching the light. “Somehow, I doubt your Broadway star brother who just crushed it in front of a sold-out crowd could do anything that embarrassing. ”
“You never know,” I said with a wink.
A stagehand opened the door a few seconds later, giving us a quick once-over before I introduced myself and told him who we were. He gave a nod and motioned us inside, leading us through a maze of narrow backstage hallways that smelled faintly of sweat, sawdust, and old makeup.
Lucy’s hand stayed tucked in mine the whole time, but I could feel the hum of nervous energy radiating from her the closer we got. Excited nerves , I thought. The good kind .
“Ready?” I asked, giving Lucy’s fingers one more reassuring squeeze as the stagehand knocked on Asher’s dressing room door.
“Ready,” she said, her voice soft but steady.
A moment later, we stepped inside and found Asher and Elyse cuddling on a small couch, still in costume from their last curtain call—he in his velvet Beast coat, she in her glittering Belle gown, the stage makeup giving both of them a slightly surreal glow.
“Owen!” Asher said, standing the second he saw us. “I’m so glad you guys made it.” He pulled me into a quick hug, clapping my back.
“Yes, it was so fun seeing you in the audience tonight,” Elyse said warmly, wrapping me in her own hug.
I stepped back and slid an arm around Lucy’s waist. She looked a little wide-eyed but kept smiling—and for a second, I wasn’t sure how to introduce her. My brain scrambled for words that felt right…and didn’t make me sound like I was twelve.
I turned to Lucy, gesturing at my brother and his wife. “Uh…this is my brother, Asher, and his wife, Elyse.” Then I looked back at them and motioned toward Lucy. “And this is Lucy…” I hesitated a beat before awkwardly adding, “My girlfriend. ”
Okay…not exactly the most polished delivery of my life. But it got the job done.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Lucy said, letting out a soft laugh as she stepped forward, giving each of them a quick hug. “You two were amazing. I’ve wanted to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway ever since I was a kid and they couldn’t have picked more perfect leads.”
“Thank you,” Elyse said warmly, her brown eyes glowing at the praise. Even though she and my brother had been playing these roles to sold-out audiences for a year and a half, she was still the same level-headed girl she’d been when they first met. “We’re so glad you could come with Owen.”
Lucy nodded and looked between the two of them. “Wow, you’re all so tall in real life.” They chuckled, and Lucy quickly added, “But I guess that’s probably because I’m just really short.”
“No, I’m five foot nine, so I am pretty tall for a girl.” Elyse laughed, linking her arm through Asher’s. “Luckily, I got my six-foot-two guy to make me still feel dainty.”
“Well, you two look super cute together,” Lucy said, beaming at them. “And your chemistry—it seemed so real on stage.” She let out a little laugh, then added, “It’s like you’re really in love or something.”
Asher and Elyse just smiled at each other, and watching them, I felt a quiet happiness swell in my chest. Not many high school couples made it, but these two were proof that young love could grow into something deep and lasting. Real.
Lucy turned back to them. “I actually have this weird thing,” she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“I watched one of my married cousins in a play once, and when it came time for him to kiss the female lead, I was just cringing the whole time, thinking, ‘ Please don’t kiss her, you’re married to someone else.
’” It stressed me out so much.” She gave a little laugh.
“So it was nice not worrying about that tonight. I don’t know how actors and their spouses handle that. I would be so jealous.”
Gosh, she’s so cute. The way she was nervously rambling.
But also, the sentiment behind what she was saying was refreshing to hear. Showed the kind of life partner she’d be. Loyal. Devoted.
“We’re definitely lucky that it’s worked out for us to work with each other on those scenes.
” Asher laughed, reaching for Elyse’s hand.
“But back in high school…” He shot a look at Elyse.
“Let’s just say I was extremely jealous when another guy was playing the Phantom to her Christine during the ‘Point of No Return’ scene in Phantom of the Opera. ”
“And the fact that you and the guy playing the Phantom hated each other at the time didn’t exactly help.” Elyse smirked.
“Very true.” Asher chuckled.
“But now you’re best friends, so it all worked out,” Elyse said.
“Right. Plus, I got to marry you, so that helps, too.” Asher winked.
We all chuckled at that.
“But enough about us,” Asher said, turning back to Lucy. “We already peppered Owen with about a thousand questions when he told us he was bringing someone special tonight, but we’d love to hear more from you.”
“Yes,” Elyse said, her eyes warm. “He’s already gushed about what an accomplished gymnast you are. How smart and driven you are as well, in addition to being excellent at keeping him on his toes. He’s clearly completely smitten. But…”
“…what is it that you see in my brother?” Asher asked, picking up the thread with a mischievous grin. “Because as far as I’m concerned, he’s just a boring chemistry nerd who gets his kicks and giggles from balancing chemical equations.”
“See, I told you he’d try to embarrass me,” I said, looking at Lucy with mock embarrassment.
“We might need to sit down for this,” Lucy said, hooking her arm through mine. “Because I’ve got a whole list of things I love about your brother and it might take a while.”