Play with Me
Page 77
“Meg, that was amazing,” Natalie and Luke are suddenly at our side.
“Seriously, Meg, I know people,” Luke’s smiling, but his voice is all business mode. “I could make some calls on Monday. You should be singing for a living, my friend.”
I’m shaking my head and holding my hands up for them to stop. “No, thank you.”
Will’s eyes narrow on me, but he stays silent.
“But, why? Meg, music has been your life for as long as I’ve known you,” Natalie responds.
“It’s not my life now.” I shake my head again and sigh. “I love music. I always will, but I love my kids at the hospital.” I shrug. “I’m happy here. I don’t need to be the center of attention.”
“If you change your mind, just say the word.” Luke leans in and kisses my cheek. “I could help make you a very rich woman.”
“I’m already rich,” I respond with a smile. “I don’t need the money.”
Luke tilts his head and a slow smile spreads across his incredibly gorgeous face. “Fair enough.”
Nat winks at me and they walk away, off to mingle with other guests.
“Talk to me,” I whisper up to Will when he still says nothing, just gazes down at me with sober eyes.
He shakes his head. “Not here. We’ll enjoy the reception. But we will talk later.”
My mouth gapes open and I just stare up at him. What the hell did I do?
“Okay,” I murmur. He nods once, sharply, and leads me back into the crowd to mingle and chat. He smiles and plays the perfect brother for the rest of the evening, but never puts a hand on me. Never looks at me. If I rest my hand on him, he steps away from my touch.
It’s fucking killing me.
“Will…” I begin when we have a moment alone, but I see Leo approach from the corner of my eye and I sigh as Will stiffens next to me.
This is the issue.
“Hey, Meg, we’re taking a break. Is this Will?” he asks and I raise a brow in question. “Jules’ dad mentioned you’d snagged Will’s heart,” Leo answers my unspoken questions and I grin.
“Yes, this is Will. Will, this is Leo.”
Will offers his hand to shake, but his face is anything but friendly. “Hello.”
“Hey, I’m a big Seattle football fan,” Leo tells him with a smile.
“Cool,” is all Will says, and Leo steps back, narrows his eyes and looks between Will and I skeptically. Finally, his dark gaze finds mine.
“Problem?”
I shake my head and force a smile. “No problem.”
I search the room with my eyes, trying to find someone to come save me. As much as I want to catch up with Leo, I need to talk to Will. His silence is killing me.
Samantha catches my gaze from a few feet away, and immediately steps into action, God love her.
“Leo, have you met Samantha?” I ask him as Sam joins us.
“Uh, no.” He doesn’t look down at her, not really caring who she is.
“She’s Luke’s sister,” I explain further, and he smiles in recognition. Sam is drop-dead beautiful, and Leo grins down at her, nods, but then looks back at me, in full protective brother mode, sensing the tension between Will and I. I don’t need him to start something.
“Sam,” I grin at her, “Leo hasn’t seen Jules in a long time. Would you take him over to see her and meet Nate?”
Leo continues to scowl at me, but then sighs and smiles down at Sam. “Hi, Samantha.”
“It’s just Sam,” she responds and tucks her arm in his. “Let’s do the obligatory walk away thing where we don’t sense the tension over there and find somewhere else to be.”
Leave it to Sam to not beat around the bush.
“Will, this is crazy. Talk to me. What did I do?”
But he frowns stubbornly and shakes his head again. “Not here.”
“You’re scaring me.” I whisper.
“This is not the time or the place,” he mutters, still not meeting my gaze.
“Time to toss the bouquet!” Jules announces. “Meg, get your sexy ass in here!”
I keep my eyes on Will’s face, begging him to talk to me.
“Go, Jules is calling for you,” he mutters and turns his back on me and walks away.
Fuck.
All the single girls are gathered in a semi-circle before the stage. In this crowd, there aren’t many single girls, maybe fifteen. Sam is nowhere to be found, probably still chatting with Leo.
Traitor.
I paste a smile on for Jules and wait patiently for her to make a big show of tossing the bouquet. I try to step aside so Brynna can catch it, but wouldn’t you know it falls right in my hands.
Sonofabitch.
I just laugh and hold it above my head. Jules hugs me and we pose for photos. The photographer asks for a few more posed family photos, and when the last photo is taken, Will returns to my side.
“Is all the wedding crap over?” he asks.
“Yeah, all that’s left is dancing and getting drunk,” I respond.
“Good, let’s get out of here.”
We spend the next hour making our way through the ballroom, saying our goodbyes, posing for a few more photos, and hugging Jules and Nate.
“I’m so proud of you, kiddo,” I hear Will murmur to Jules.
“Thanks,” she smiles up at him. “And don’t call me that.”
He laughs, a real Will laugh, and my stomach clenches. God, I love his laugh.
“Seriously, Meg, I know people,” Luke’s smiling, but his voice is all business mode. “I could make some calls on Monday. You should be singing for a living, my friend.”
I’m shaking my head and holding my hands up for them to stop. “No, thank you.”
Will’s eyes narrow on me, but he stays silent.
“But, why? Meg, music has been your life for as long as I’ve known you,” Natalie responds.
“It’s not my life now.” I shake my head again and sigh. “I love music. I always will, but I love my kids at the hospital.” I shrug. “I’m happy here. I don’t need to be the center of attention.”
“If you change your mind, just say the word.” Luke leans in and kisses my cheek. “I could help make you a very rich woman.”
“I’m already rich,” I respond with a smile. “I don’t need the money.”
Luke tilts his head and a slow smile spreads across his incredibly gorgeous face. “Fair enough.”
Nat winks at me and they walk away, off to mingle with other guests.
“Talk to me,” I whisper up to Will when he still says nothing, just gazes down at me with sober eyes.
He shakes his head. “Not here. We’ll enjoy the reception. But we will talk later.”
My mouth gapes open and I just stare up at him. What the hell did I do?
“Okay,” I murmur. He nods once, sharply, and leads me back into the crowd to mingle and chat. He smiles and plays the perfect brother for the rest of the evening, but never puts a hand on me. Never looks at me. If I rest my hand on him, he steps away from my touch.
It’s fucking killing me.
“Will…” I begin when we have a moment alone, but I see Leo approach from the corner of my eye and I sigh as Will stiffens next to me.
This is the issue.
“Hey, Meg, we’re taking a break. Is this Will?” he asks and I raise a brow in question. “Jules’ dad mentioned you’d snagged Will’s heart,” Leo answers my unspoken questions and I grin.
“Yes, this is Will. Will, this is Leo.”
Will offers his hand to shake, but his face is anything but friendly. “Hello.”
“Hey, I’m a big Seattle football fan,” Leo tells him with a smile.
“Cool,” is all Will says, and Leo steps back, narrows his eyes and looks between Will and I skeptically. Finally, his dark gaze finds mine.
“Problem?”
I shake my head and force a smile. “No problem.”
I search the room with my eyes, trying to find someone to come save me. As much as I want to catch up with Leo, I need to talk to Will. His silence is killing me.
Samantha catches my gaze from a few feet away, and immediately steps into action, God love her.
“Leo, have you met Samantha?” I ask him as Sam joins us.
“Uh, no.” He doesn’t look down at her, not really caring who she is.
“She’s Luke’s sister,” I explain further, and he smiles in recognition. Sam is drop-dead beautiful, and Leo grins down at her, nods, but then looks back at me, in full protective brother mode, sensing the tension between Will and I. I don’t need him to start something.
“Sam,” I grin at her, “Leo hasn’t seen Jules in a long time. Would you take him over to see her and meet Nate?”
Leo continues to scowl at me, but then sighs and smiles down at Sam. “Hi, Samantha.”
“It’s just Sam,” she responds and tucks her arm in his. “Let’s do the obligatory walk away thing where we don’t sense the tension over there and find somewhere else to be.”
Leave it to Sam to not beat around the bush.
“Will, this is crazy. Talk to me. What did I do?”
But he frowns stubbornly and shakes his head again. “Not here.”
“You’re scaring me.” I whisper.
“This is not the time or the place,” he mutters, still not meeting my gaze.
“Time to toss the bouquet!” Jules announces. “Meg, get your sexy ass in here!”
I keep my eyes on Will’s face, begging him to talk to me.
“Go, Jules is calling for you,” he mutters and turns his back on me and walks away.
Fuck.
All the single girls are gathered in a semi-circle before the stage. In this crowd, there aren’t many single girls, maybe fifteen. Sam is nowhere to be found, probably still chatting with Leo.
Traitor.
I paste a smile on for Jules and wait patiently for her to make a big show of tossing the bouquet. I try to step aside so Brynna can catch it, but wouldn’t you know it falls right in my hands.
Sonofabitch.
I just laugh and hold it above my head. Jules hugs me and we pose for photos. The photographer asks for a few more posed family photos, and when the last photo is taken, Will returns to my side.
“Is all the wedding crap over?” he asks.
“Yeah, all that’s left is dancing and getting drunk,” I respond.
“Good, let’s get out of here.”
We spend the next hour making our way through the ballroom, saying our goodbyes, posing for a few more photos, and hugging Jules and Nate.
“I’m so proud of you, kiddo,” I hear Will murmur to Jules.
“Thanks,” she smiles up at him. “And don’t call me that.”
He laughs, a real Will laugh, and my stomach clenches. God, I love his laugh.
