Page 7 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)
OWEN
“You guys wanna get in the hot tub now?” I asked Bash and Miles when people started going outside in their swimsuits.
It was a little after eleven and the party had been fun so far, lots of familiar faces that I’d seen at Ky’s other parties, as well as some fun new ones.
I’d only shared that brief moment with Lucy in the kitchen—just enough time to fix her a drink and wonder how things had gone with her boyfriend after she’d left The Garden.
But once we sat down at the table, Miles had taken over with his entertaining stories, and then Ky came in to rally everyone for the “Minute to Win It” games his backup dancers had organized.
But Lucy seemed fine and friendly, and since her boyfriend wasn’t here, I figured that was a good sign.
“I’m getting in,” Miles said. “Yesterday’s practice destroyed me, so the jets would actually feel amazing.”
“I’m game,” Bash said. “Getting out of the water will suck, though, since it’s like eight degrees out there. ”
“Yeah, it will.” It had been a while since I’d been in a hot tub. Right after college, when Ian and I had lived in his family’s pool house, it was a regular thing—either with girls we’d bring home or just the two of us kicking back and talking about life, the universe, whatever.
But two years ago, Ian and I had finally decided it was time to stop taking advantage of his parents’ hospitality.
So we moved out—Ian into the massive mansion he had built on the land his dad sold him (because as the son of a billionaire, my best friend was loaded.) And I found an apartment near Eden Falls University, which worked out perfectly when I was wrapping up my PhD, teaching chemistry at the local prep school, and working weekends at The Garden.
Yeah…the last few years had been intense, so it was about time that I wound down in a hot tub.
Not that I really imagined there would be much “winding down” tonight since everyone was pretty ramped up and in a fun partying mood.
But hey, hot tub parties in the snow with your friends were always a good time.
We grabbed our swimsuits from the backpacks we’d left near the door and took turns changing in one of the bathrooms upstairs.
While Miles was in the bathroom, Bash and I hung out in Ky’s room, chatting as we waited. “Did you figure out who you’re kissing at midnight yet?” Bash asked with a smirk before inspecting his reflection in the mirror.
“What?” I asked, caught off guard by his question.
“Your midnight kiss. You know, for New Year’s?” He grinned, running his fingers through his dark hair and smoothing it back. “You can’t tell me you’re gonna break the tradition tonight.”
“I guess I wasn’t thinking about it,” I said. “Ian was always the one in charge of that challenge.” The one where he made each guy in our friend group pick a different girl at whatever New Year’s Eve party we happened to be crashing that year to woo and then kiss when the clock struck twelve.
“Well, since he’s all happy and engaged, I guess we’ll have to continue it without him,” Bash said. He turned to look at me. “So…who will it be? One of the dancers? Or possibly Nora’s cute friend I caught you flirting with earlier?”
“You talking about Lucy?”
“Yeah, Lucy. She seems nice. Kind of has a surprising spunky side.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised since I hadn’t seen that side of her yet.
Bash nodded. “We were on the same team during the games tonight and she seemed fun.”
Interesting.
Which, I would guess, was probably true. I’d just happened to meet her on what was probably a bad night.
“But she’s cute,” Bash said. “You should kiss her.”
“She might have a boyfriend, though…” I said, taking off my watch and tossing it into my backpack.
“Oh…” Bash said. “I guess that’s not surprising since girls like her are never single.”
I nodded. “I mean, I’m not a hundred percent sure. When I met them at The Garden last week, Nora tried to get me to give Lucy my number…but then she left with a guy shortly after that, so…”
“So I guess you better figure that out before you kiss her.” Bash chuckled.
“What about you?” I asked, giving Bash a sidelong glance. “You gonna try kissing anyone?”
“I don’t know…” Bash shrugged as he studied himself in the mirror. He took his black-rimmed glasses off, then put them ba ck on, as if trying to figure out which look he was going for. “I was kind of thinking about kissing Alessi.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “You think it’s a good idea to kiss an ex?”
“Probably not…” Bash chuckled. “But hearing her song everywhere I went this summer had me thinking about the time we dated. And I guess I wondered if she’s been thinking about me, too.”
Before I could say anything, Miles stepped out of the bathroom, saying, “You’re planning to kiss Alessi tonight?” with a protective edge to his voice.
“I’m thinking about it,” Bash said, looking back at Miles with a slight shrug. “Just curious if the spark is still there. You know, wondering if she’s been thinking about me, too.”
“Well, I’ve been trying to figure out my stepsister for years,” Miles said with a sigh. “So, good luck on figuring that out.”
The dynamic between Miles and Alessi had always been a puzzle to me.
Their parents had gotten together right around the time Miles graduated from high school, and to be honest, I never really knew what to make of their relationship.
Sometimes it felt like they hated each other, and other times they were best friends.
What I did know for sure, though, was that they both worked hard to keep their personal lives out of the spotlight. Miles with his football career, and Alessi with her singing career, which had exploded this past year when she opened for Ky on his European tour.
“You still trying to figure out if that one song is about you?” I asked Bash, recalling the conversation we had last summer at a party where he’d tried to convince us that Alessi’s chart-topping hit was about him.
Bash shrugged. “I just can’t think that it isn’t.”
“What lyrics are you talking about?” Miles asked, frowning .
“ Under the firework sky, your eyes meet mine, a secret spark ignites, but we’re out of time,” Bash said, mimicking the cadence Alessi used in her song.
“Because of the weekend you met, right?” Miles’s face softened with recognition. “You think she’s talking about Ian’s infamous Fourth of July yacht party?”
Bash nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Exactly.”
“Well, I guess those lyrics could be about you.” Miles raised an eyebrow. “But who really knows? My stepsister has had quite a few boyfriends through the years…”
“Should we head down to the hot tub and ask Alessi about her secret muse?” I suggested, intrigued, since I had my own theories. “Time to get to the bottom of this.”
“Yeah, let’s do it.” Miles clapped Bash on the shoulder. “I’ve been curious about the meaning behind that song, too.”
“Off to solve the mystery!” Bash raised his hand in the air. “And to kiss our fair maidens.”
“Hear, hear!” Miles cheered.
And now we were just showing that we were all a little drunk.
When we got back down to the kitchen, I spotted Nora and Lucy talking and laughing at something on Nora’s phone together.
“You girls planning on joining us in the hot tub?” Miles called out, flashing his usual grin. “Or are you too worried about making that freezing cold dash back inside?”
“Of course we’re getting in the hot tub,” Lucy replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “We were just waiting to see if you were brave enough to get in.”
“You’re doubting my bravery?” Miles bantered back. “Geez, Lucy. I thought we were buds.”
Lucy rolled her eyes, a playful smirk on her lips. “We’ll see you out there in a bit.” And when she glanced briefly at me, something stirred in my chest.
Yeah, I really needed to find out if she was single before the clock struck midnight because a New Year’s kiss with a cute girl like her was exactly what I needed to kick my goal of finding a girlfriend this year into gear.
“So, we were just talking about your new album,” Miles said to his stepsister as we climbed into the end of the hot tub where she was sitting.
The air was chilly, sharp enough that we could see our breath.
But the moment we sank into the water, the cold outside seemed to fade away, replaced by the soothing heat.
“And we came up with a few theories about where you drew inspiration for some of your songs.”
“Oh, you did?” Alessi asked, her green eyes flicking between Miles, Bash, and me.
“Yeah…” Miles leaned forward, his signature smirk making an appearance—the one that usually meant he was about to stir things up. “And I’ve got to admit, the theories are pretty good.”
“You think so?” Alessi pushed some of her dark hair off her neck, now damp from the steam of the hot tub. “W-what songs are you wondering about?”
“Mostly ‘ Under the Firework Sky ,’ ” Miles said, meeting my gaze and then Bash’s for a second before turning back to his stepsister. “That one’s been stuck in our heads all night.”
“Oh…that one…” Her eyes went wide for a moment before she schooled her expression. “W-what made you wonder about that one in particular? Is it everyone’s favorite or something?”
“You already know it’s my favorite,” Miles said with a wink. Then with a bigger grin, he added, “And come to find out tonight that it also happens to be one of Bash’s favorite songs, too.”
“Oh really?” Alessi’s gaze flicked to Bash. “I’m so glad you liked that one. It’s really special to me.”
“Was there any particular inspiration behind that song?” I asked, trying to get to the bottom of things.
“Oh, um…” Alessi hesitated.
“Was it because of Ian’s summer yacht party?” Miles suggested. “About six years ago?”
Alessi’s gaze shot to him, and…did she just glare at him for bringing that night up?
Did Miles know the truth already, then? And she didn’t like him putting her on the spot like this in front of Bash?