Page 157 of Toxic Wishes

Even though it shouldn’t have, hearing Naomi was Jenna’s favorite hurt. I knew it was true, and it came as no surprise, but it never stopped hurting, especially now that I understand why they all treated me so differently throughout the years.

“Yeah,” I say as I buckle my heel on the bed. I was taking longer than usual because I didn’t want him to see the sadness in my face.

“Abigail, don’t worry about them. Let’s have fun.”

“Why would I worry?” I say as I stand, smoothing my dress over.

He narrows his gaze on me. “Really? Something happened between you and Colt over the summer, but it’s not my place to pry.” He holds up his hands in surrender.

“But just know, Colt’s been back home almost every other week to see Bodie. Other than that, I haven’t heard much about what he’s been doing. But I’m not saying this to give you hope.”

My stomach feels like he’s twisting it in a knot and pulling it tighter as he continues. “I know how-” he pauses, ensuring his word choices will not trigger me. “Restricted you can get when it comes to yourself, so I’m only telling you so you don’t think Namoi is even a factor. I think Colt is just trying to move on or cope, the same as you are.”

The knot broke, bursting open every emotion I had packed away for months. I slowly nod as Josh comes closer to place a hand on my shoulder. “It will be okay. Just relax, and let's have a nice dinner and focus on having a good time. And remind yourself Mel will be here tomorrow. The three amigos reunited just like the old college days.”

I force a smile and walk over to the bar area where he stood. He right, might as well have a drink to help take the edge off before we head down to the dining area.

“Dad!”

My heart nearly stopped when I heard Bodies’ voice. I’ve been watching the door ever since we were seated. But when the waitress started making her rounds to take orders, I became distracted looking at the menu. Bodie wanted to sit as close to me as possible. Josh was sitting a few seats down next to his dad, Troy, and some other NFL players he wanted to chat it up with. Bodie was on my right, with Nora next to him. And we all sat across from Naomi. She had a seat open the whole time, and I knew why she wanted to sit right across from me, front row and center. Bodie pushed back his chair, scrapping the tile, and bolted for the door. He jumped in Colt’s arms as Colt spun him around. They exchanged words as he held Bodie up to him, eye level. Then Bodie points my way, and immediately, my heart races. I look down at the menu.

Shit, shit, shit.

I have no idea where Colt will sit since Bodie and his grandma are already sitting next to me. I’ve been so wrapped up in how I’d feel when seeing Colt, but I forgot how attached I got to Bodie over the summer. I look up at them over my menu, savoring the moments I used to witness all the time at the lakehouse.

A few other people I didn’t know got up from the table and went to say hello, along with Troy and Jenna. Naomi returned her attention to me, “Oh look, Colt’s here,” she smirked as she picked up her glass of wine and sipped.

I tore my gaze away from her. I had two shots in the room, so by no means did I need any more to drink. I picked up my water casually and took a sip.

After a few minutes, the crowd surrounding Colt started to dwindle, and my heart raced as I stole glances at him. He looked beautiful. His hair has grown slightly longer. With the ends curled up in a messy sort of way, but I found it incredibly sexy. He wore a French blue shirt, revealing the color in his eyes. The shirt was tucked into navy dress pants, showcasing his masculine silhouette. Broad shoulders created the mouth of a V and led down to a narrow waist. God, he is even more fucking handsome than I remember. Fawning over him caught me off guard that I hadn't thought about his appearance lately. I missed the man inside that body, the one that let me see beneath that rock-hard shell. Even though he wasn’t a cancer, sometimes he acted like one.

When Colt finally shook the last person's hand, he scanned the room, and his eyes landed on me. I felt his gaze all over. My heart jumped into my throat. My body tingled, and my eyes watered. Luckily, Bodie tugged on his hand, which caused him to look away, but at the same time, I saw Naomi get up and walk towards him. She was wearing a super tight light pink dress. That was low cut and showed off the fake boobs she got. Her long blonde hair was curled at the ends, and she was flawless as usual. She kissed him on the cheek before she turned around and guided him towards the dinner table. Colt went around the table, greeting everyone he hadn’t said hello to yet as Bodie and Naomi took their seats.

“He still knows how to make a grand entrance,” Noami says to Jenna and Troy, sitting beside her.

“Just like he will inside me tonight.” She flutters her eyes to mine, and I want to pull her stupid clip out of the side of her head and throw it at her, knocking her eyeball out. But I remained calm as if her words didn’t phase me. Once he was done greeting everyone, he came to sit at the only seat that made sense since it was across from his mom and son. I knew that was the only reason he was sitting next to Naomi. Sitting down, he tipped his chin and said, “Abigail, good to see you.”

I force a smile. “You too, Colt.”

Naomi ran a hand down his arm, and that tiny gesture alone made me want to get out of there and get another drink, but I focused my attention back on my hands.

“Dad, You have to sit next to me,” Bodie says across the table.

“There aren’t any open seats next to you, bud.”

“I got it.” Bodie gets up, grabs an empty seat almost the size he was, and puts it between my seat and his, looking pretty pleased with himself. “Now there’s a chair. Abigail can move over a little, and so can I. There’s plenty of room.”

There wasn’t, but I wasn’t going to open my mouth and discourage this idea because this may be the only chance I would get to be close to him this weekend and maybe at all. And I longed for his touch. When my eyes caught Colt’s, I could see he was hesitant as I felt, but Colt’s eyes glanced around and saw everyone looking at him. Rather than making a scene, he smiled.

Colt was a large man, so even though Bodie managed to squeeze into a chair, his shoulders and legs barely fit when he sat down. His muscular leg was less than an inch from mine, and I could feel its heat. And it seemed to travel up my leg and warm all my body parts below the waist. I had the strongest urge to shift my thigh against his. Even leg against leg, as desperate as that was. Instead, I took a deep breath and looked up, exhaling to see Naomi sending daggers my way. I smiled, a genuine smile for the first time tonight.

Bodie kept up the majority of the conversation, which I was grateful for because it kept Colt looking the opposite way as me. Conversations flowed, and the entire time, I had to pretend I wasn’t completely consumed with the man next to me. There were points Bodie brought me into the conversation, and a few times, our eyes met, and so many unspoken words passed between us. All under the watchful eye of Naomi. Who was now draining her third or fourth cocktail.

“Where’s the freakin 'waitress?” Naomi snaps.

“She’s busy bringing out the desserts,” Colt says.

“I’m drinking my dessert tonight,” Naomi says, looking around again. With the waitress nowhere in sight, she pushes her chair back. “Anyone want a drink?” Naomi looks at me, then at Colt. And before we could respond, she was walking off, presumably to the bar. With her hawk eyes not on me, I take this chance to use the restroom, taking my time. When I return, I nearly stumble at the sight.