“Uh, yeah, I can see that,” my cousin responded, then asked Chloe, “You comin’?”
“No, you guys go ahead, I’m going to go in and see Zoey in action.”
I leaned over to kiss her quickly on the lips, then slapped Gabe on the shoulder and said, “Hurry, let’s go before he leaves.”
Chapter Thirty ~ Chloe
I watched them walk away. Reardon like a little boy in a man’s body, so excited to get to meet one of his heroes; and Gabe, smiling at his cousin and best friend fondly, as he chuckled at the other man’s exuberance.
It was hard to imagine that Reardon, the sweet, sexy, self-appointed geek, was the same man who had thoroughly rocked my world just a little over an hour ago.
Just thinking about his body, that mouth, and the words that came out of it … Sheesh, it was enough to make me clench my thighs.
Such a dangerous combination of nice guy and hot man. I walked into Zoey’s panel thinking how lucky I was, and how I couldn’t wait to learn more about this complicated man.
I stood in the back and watched as my sister, looking totally composed and in her element, answered questions about her beloved trilogy.
I was so proud of her and all she’d accomplished.
Zoey had always lived in her head, in a fantasy, and although we’d been opposites growing up, I’d always cherished her for her big heart and quirky personality. When she’d given up everything to move in with me and help me when I was pregnant and alone, she solidified her place as the most important person in my life.
We’d never been able to count on our parents, and neither of us had ever lived with a man or counted on one to take care of us, but we’d always had each other.
Watching her up there, smiling down at a crowd of her fans – people who loved her stories and the worlds she created – was an amazing feeling for me. I could only imagine what it felt like to her.
I could see Chris standing off to the side of the stage, his eyes wide as he took in all of the people. He knew his aunt was successful, but seeing just how beloved she was was probably overwhelming.
I took one more moment to relish Zoey’s success, then walked around the aisles to get to my son. I caught the eyes of Zoey’s publicist, who motioned to security to let me pass.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I asked Chris, tilting my head toward the stage Zoey sat on.
“Awesome,” Chris said, his eyes glittering with excitement. “Aunt Z totally kicked Dad out. You should have seen his face; his mouth was open, but he couldn’t speak.” Chris let out a gleeful laugh. “It was so cool.”
“Did you get a program or anything? Is there anyone specific you wanted to see?” I asked quietly.
“Guardians of the Galaxy and Spiderman for sure.”
“Yeah, Reardon wanted to go to the Guardians one, too,” I mentioned, then looked at my son’s face, which was starting to lose the little boy and look like a young man, and cleared my throat. “I, um, think Reardon and I are going to go to dinner tonight. Do you want to come?”
Chris tore his eyes from the panel and looked at me, a small smile on his lips.
“Like on a date?”
“Ah, yeah, exactly a date,” I replied.
Chris’s grin got big.
“Awesome.”
“So, do you want to go?”
“I don’t know,” Chris said, turning his head back toward Zoey, who was answering a question about her upcoming Zombie book. “I’m thinking I’ll just chill in the room and get room service.”
“Are you sure? You know you’re more than welcome to come, and, you like Reardon, right?”
“Yeah, Rear’s the coolest … You guys go have fun, I’ll be fine in the room.”
“Okay,” I said, my tone conveying my uncertainty.