Page 148 of Broken Saint
It’s stupid. It’s only a few hours really, but the sense of loss I feel right now is a little overwhelming.
He’s only going upstairs to one of the rooms. He’ll probably be blowing up my cell in a matter of minutes.
But it doesn’t matter.
After all these years apart and trying to forget about him, I miss him.
I’ve barely seen him all day. Our evenings together this week have meant everything to me.
My dependence on him should probably be a warning sign that everything that’s happened this week has been too fast and too heavy. But it’s not.
Everything feels too right. Too perfect.
Predicting that I’d need them, three sets of designer shoes appear before me.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, feeling anything but.
None of them say anything, and when I look up, I discover why.
They’re all staring back at me with understanding in their eyes and empathy on their faces.
All three of them have stood exactly where I am right now. Two of them literally.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice cracking with emotion.
“Ella,” Letty breathes, stepping forward and pulling me into a hug. “It’s a big thing. We get it. To the outside world, you’re just having a night apart. But it’s more than that. The anticipation, the nerves, the excitement. The unknown. I’m pretty sure only girlfriends and wives of professional athletes understand this moment right now.
“We’re right here with them every step of the way, only we’re not. Not quite.”
“It’s why we need to stick together,” Peyton adds, stepping up to my other side, with Macie right beside her.
West, Brax, and Leon might have gone to their team’s hotel, but Macie is sharing a room with us instead of hanging out there with the Chiefs girls.
They form a circle around me, and instantly, it takes me right back to so many times before when we did something similar.
“Who’s ready for a screaming orgasm?” Peyton asks a little too loudly, making us burst out in drunken giggles.
“So ready,” Letty says. “Although, I fear you’re not offering the kind I really need.”
Peyton wiggles her brows. “I mean, I’m not really into girls, but a few more cocktails and?—”
“Never let Luca hear you say that,” Macie warns, making us laugh again.
“Ah, while the boys are away, the girls can play, right?” Letty announces as we head back toward the bar.
“Not sure that was quite what I signed up for,” I confess as we move toward our abandoned couches to find four new cocktails waiting for us.
Letty reaches for hers first and lifts it in the air.
“To family,” she says, looking at each of us.
“Family,” we all echo before I confess, “I love you guys. Thank you for helping me find me again.”
“Girl,” Peyton says. “We are here whenever you need us, whatever you need us for.”
My nose itches and tears threaten.
“Nope. None of that. We’re celebrating,” Macie says, noticing my glassy eyes.