Breaking Stars Page 17

  Tatum reached around my shoulder and pulled me against him. I breathed in his scent and instantly relaxed. “You’ll be great,” he said. “And if you hate college, then you’ll stop going and it won’t be a big deal. You will have tried the one thing that’s been haunting you for years. It’s a hell of a lot better than never trying and never knowing. You’re not wimpy, Paige Lockwood. You’re one of the bravest girls I’ve ever known.”

  No one had ever said those words to me before. At least not in a way that made me feel like I could no longer breathe, or that my heart might explode. My eyes welled up as I fought to keep the tears at bay.

  “No crying, babe. I can’t take it,” he said with a smirk as I swiped at my eyes. “Not from you.”

  “Then stop saying things that make me emotional,” I choked out, trying to smile.

  “Never.”

  Tatum leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine, and all thoughts of college, dreams, and goals were wiped from my mind in an instant.

  Dinner with Mama

  Paige

  After everything Tatum and his mom had done for me, I wanted to treat them to a meal in town. Part of me wanted to cook and show off what Mrs. Montgomery had taught me, but the realistic part didn’t want to risk my screwing it up. If Tatum’s mom had to save me in the kitchen, that would have blown the whole point of me trying to do something nice for her. She happily agreed to going out, and Tatum didn’t seem to care where we ate as long as we did. I decided right then and there that guys never stop growing.

  Without leaving town, we only had one option: the café. I hadn’t eaten there, but I’d seen it from a distance and knew it was small and homey. I dressed for comfort in a pair of ripped jeans and an oversized tan Diesel tank top. Mrs. Montgomery let me keep her boots in my room so I pushed my feet into them, smiling the whole time. Somewhere in this escape, I’d become the kind of girl who had fallen in love with a pair of cowboy boots. Grabbing my long hair, I swept it up into a ponytail and left wispy pieces falling around my face. I felt like a country girl when I looked in the mirror, and I had to admit that I liked it.

  Heading into the living room, I spotted Mrs. Montgomery sitting on the porch, rocking back and forth in one of the wicker chairs. Buster sat at her side. I joined her as we waited for Tatum.

  “I’m wearing your boots again, if that’s okay?”

  “Of course it’s okay.” Her gaze swept the length of my body before stopping at my feet. “They look adorable on you. You have such great style.”

  “Perks of being a celebrity. Free clothes and stylists to help dress you.”

  “Do you get a lot of things for free? I mean, I suppose you would.”

  I nodded. “I do. Way more than I could ever wear. You’ll have to come raid my closet sometime,” I offered with a wink.

  She gave me a grin. “I just might take you up on that.”

  I smiled, thinking about her and Tatum visiting me in Los Angeles. “Have you ever been to California,” I asked as she continued to rock in the chair.

  She laughed out loud. “Honey, I’ve never even left the state. Tatum’s daddy took him to visit schools and I stayed here. We planned on taking in a game after the holidays, but…well, that didn’t end up happening.”

  Her face pinched and I knew her heart was hurting thinking about her late husband. I hated seeing her in pain, so I tried to cheer her up. “After I leave, we’ll have to work something out where you can come visit. I’d love to show you LA and Malibu.”

  Tatum’s footsteps interrupted our chat and she leaned in to whisper to me, “I’ve always wanted to go to Hollywood.”

  “What are you two whispering about?” He stopped on the porch stairs and stared at us both as my eyes drank him in. His jeans always fit him so well, and tonight’s pair was no exception. The sand-colored shirt he wore actually matched mine, and I wondered if he noticed. The sight of his arms and shoulders caused my pulse to pick up.

  Tatum’s mom pushed up out of the chair and stood. “None of your business. Hey, you two match. You look real cute together.”

  Tatum glanced at his outfit before looking back at mine. “We do match.”

  “Go change,” I said teasingly, and pointed toward the barn.

  “You change,” he huffed back in response.

  “I was ready first.” I placed one hand on my hip and pretended to snarl.

  He cracked a smile. “I’m not changing. Neither are you. Let’s go eat.” He reached for my hand and I grabbed it tightly.

  The three of us couldn’t fit into Tatum’s truck comfortably, so we followed behind his mom as she headed toward her car. “Do you want me to drive, Mama?”

  Mrs. Montgomery waved her hand around, as though his suggestion were words she could slap out of the air. “You are not driving my baby. You get your behind in the backseat like a gentleman and hush up,” she demanded as she opened her door.

  “You’ve been told,” I whispered.

  “No shit,” he said as he pushed the seat forward to squeeze into the back. I felt bad that Tatum’s large body had to sit back there, so I moved my seat as close to the dashboard as I could to give him more legroom.

  The car came to a stop next to the bowling alley, which had a diner attached to the side. “This will be nice, Paige. Thank you. It’s been far too long since I’ve been out of the house for a meal,” Mrs. Montgomery confessed.

  “It’s my pleasure. Really.”

  Tatum squeezed my hand as we approached the diner’s glass doors. Our bodies moved in sync before he held the door open for his mom and then for me, giving my butt a quick smack as I walked in front of him. The diner wasn’t crowded, but every person in the room turned to stare the second we entered. I figured that the news about my being in town had gotten around a while ago and that it wouldn’t cause any problems, but I quickly realized that they weren’t only looking at me.

  “Maybe this was a bad idea?” I said apologetically toward Mrs. Montgomery.

  She leaned toward me. “It’s not you, dear. It’s me. And Tatum holding your hand probably doesn’t help.”

  “Emily. Tatum. Young lady I don’t know. Sit anywhere,” an aging waitress shouted from behind the long white counter, and I stifled an uncomfortable laugh. Three men sat on bar stools watching us, and I shifted toward Tatum, feeling a little uncomfortable. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him.

  Mrs. Montgomery slid into a corner booth away from the majority of prying eyes and forced a smile. “I don’t get out much since Tatum’s daddy passed. It was just too hard at first. Not just to leave the house, but to leave the bed,” she said with a sigh. “But this is good.” She nodded, as if trying to convince herself. “This is a good step. These are my friends and I’ve ignored them for far too long.”

  I sat next to Tatum, silently listening as his mom confessed things I was certain she usually never talked about. Before I could feel guilty for forcing her out of the house, she assured me with a smile that this had been a great idea. I wasn’t entirely convinced.

  When Tatum rested his hand on top of my thigh, I both relaxed and tensed at the same time. He had this calming effect on me that mixed with his ability to turn me on with just a touch, which of course caused complete chaos inside my body. Excitement tore through half of me while utter comfort settled the other half. It made zero sense, but I chalked it up to the Tatum Effect and all that feeling “red” he seemed to do to me. Quinn would have a field day with that.

  Air blew past me as someone stopped abruptly in front of our table. “Hi, y’all. I’ll be your server tonight.”

  I looked up to see Brina standing there glaring at us with a notepad and pen in hand.

  “Hi, Brina, I didn’t know you worked here,” I said sincerely.

  Her face soured as her voice turned bitter. “It’s not like we’re friends, so how would you know?”

  “Be nice, Brina,” Mrs. Montgomery said in a warning tone.

  “Can I get y’all
anything to drink?” She tapped her pen repeatedly.

  “I think we’ll all have some tea,” Mrs. Montgomery said before Brina turned on her heel and stomped away.

  “Do you think she’ll spit in them?” I whispered toward Tatum’s mom.

  “She most certainly better not or I’ll be paying her mama a visit. What happened to that girl? She used to be so nice.”

  Tatum’s grip on my hand tightened. “She wasn’t ever nice, Mama. She’s a fake. A fraud. A phony.”

  I squeezed Tatum’s fingers before letting go. “She’s not worth it,” I reminded him, and he leaned over, placing a kiss on my cheek.

  “Do we get to talk about this now?” Mrs. Montgomery waggled her finger between us, and my cheeks warmed.

  “I hope it’s okay. I meant to talk to you.” I glanced at Tatum. “Alone. I just—”

  “Paige.” She reached across the table for my hand. “It’s more than okay. You’ve brought light to my son’s eyes again and a smile to his face. It’s been too long since I’ve seen either.”

  Tatum squeezed my thigh and nodded in agreement at his mom’s words. A smile spread across his face, and my eyes instantly filled as I fought to keep back the tears that threatened to spill. I refused to be the girl who cried at dinner because some nice words were spoken about her. Focused on holding back my emotions, I’d almost forgotten my manners. “Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery. That was really nice of you to say.”

  “I wasn’t being nice, dear. I only speak the truth. So, thank you.”

  Tatum’s mouth breathed against my ear, “She’s right. You’ve made me believe in love again. I’d all but given up any hope for it existing before you came along. Thank you for reawakening my heart.”

  I ducked my head, and the tears I’d fought so hard to stop from falling spilled down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away as Brina sauntered over to our table. Perfect timing.

  “Make her cry already, Tatum? Great job, sweetheart,” she snapped as she placed the three drinks on the table.

  “Brina Marie Ward, I know for a fact that your mama didn’t raise you to have such a smart mouth. I’ll ask you one last time to act like the Southern woman you were raised to be before I start lodging complaints. And you know how much I’d hate to do that.” Mrs. Montgomery cocked her head to the side and smiled.

  Brina straightened her back and lowered her head. “Yes, ma’am. You’re right. I apologize. I’ll be back in a minute to take your order.” She quickly shuffled away.

  “Wow. That was impressive,” I said, somewhat intimidated by Mrs. Montgomery’s attitude.

  “Here in the South, we know how to make you feel about this big.” She held her fingers almost an inch apart from each other. “And we do it all with a smile on our face.”

  “You ladies scare me,” I admitted with a tight laugh.

  “Me too,” Tatum chimed in.

  Dinner was uneventful and Brina didn’t act out anymore. Matter of fact, she barely spoke to us unless absolutely necessary. I think Mrs. Montgomery scared her. After paying for the check and tipping Brina more than she deserved, I noticed Tatum’s eyebrows pull together as his eyes got that faraway look in them.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked.

  “I think I left the office door unlocked at the shop. I need to run there real quick and make sure I locked it all up.”

  “This is a dangerous town. You should definitely dead bolt everything,” I teased.

  Mrs. Montgomery chuckled. “You two go check on the shop, and I’ll go wait in the car,” she offered with a smile.

  “Thanks, Mama. We’ll be right back,” Tatum said before giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

  As we closed in on the shop, I noticed the side door hanging completely open. “Tatum, you didn’t even close the door!”

  He shrugged. “I was in a hurry.”

  “For what?” I asked as we entered the dark space.

  “To see you.” He wrapped an arm around my lower back as his lips met mine softly, his tongue gently begging for entry. I opened my mouth, allowing him in and greeting his tongue with my own. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged as I deepened our kiss, his lips all over mine, tasting me, wanting me. But then he broke our kiss just as slowly as he started it. “Stop distracting me.”

  “Me?” I pretended to growl and walked through the office door out into the garage. Even in the dark, my eyes immediately found my beautiful black car, gleaming as it sat in one of the garage’s two bays. I walked around it, noticing all four tires were intact and in place.

  “Uh, Tatum?” I shouted toward the back office where he was doing God knows what.

  “Yeah?”

  “Is this my car?” I asked, knowing full well that it was.

  “Yeah,” he drawled out.

  “How long has it been fixed?” I asked with a small smile playing on my lips.

  He exited the office and stared at me before answering, “Pretty much since you got here.”

  My mouth fell open. “What?”

  Tatum stalked toward me, wrapped his arm around my waist, and pulled me against him. “I didn’t want you to leave. I still don’t.”

  His lips came down on mine and I lost myself in the feel of his tongue slowly exploring my mouth. His heart raced and beat against my chest, filling me with more passion. A moan escaped my lips as I leaned closer, my hands pulling at the back of his neck and winding in his hair.

  “I miss you when I don’t see you,” he murmured against my lips, and I pulled back slightly to make eye contact with him.

  “Me too,” I admitted before closing my eyes and pulling his lips back toward mine. A few moments later, we started for the exit, hand in hand. “Wait.” I stopped short and his hand jerked against mine. “I want to bring my car back to your house.”

  “Now?”

  “Why not now?” I paused before waggling my eyebrows and adding, “I’ll let you drive it.”

  “Really?” His eyes lit up.

  “Really. I’ll head back with your mom and you can bring my car back with you.”

  “Deal.” He placed a quick kiss on my lips before grinning wide. “Let’s go home, babe.” He said like it was the most natural thing in the world and I nodded, as if his home was where I belonged.

  My Girl

  Tatum

  Paige’s BMW was a dream to drive. It was the first time that I wished my house was a hell of a lot farther away from the shop—and that the drive there included hairpin turns and well-paved roads where I could floor it like I was on a racetrack. The car hugged the road and made even the simplest of moves feel effortless.

  It was official. I was jealous of a goddamn car. And the girl who got to drive it whenever she wanted.

  When I pulled into the driveway, I made sure to slow down to a snail’s pace so the gravel kicking up wouldn’t chip away at her paint. Paige stood out on the porch with her hands on her hips, a big-ass smile on her beautiful face.

  “Waiting for me, darlin’?” I said as I slid out of the car.

  “Always,” she shot back, and sprinted down the steps and into my arms.

  I strode toward the porch with her in my arms, reaching down awkwardly to pet Buster’s head as he danced around us. This girl drove me crazy in the best of ways; I couldn’t get enough of her.

  “How’d you like driving her?” she asked, her arms wrapped around my neck.

  “She handles like crazy. I’m in love.” When her body went rigid in my arms, I had to backtrack. “With the car, I mean. I’m in love with your car.”

  Paige let out a little snort. “Figures.”

  “I’m only a man, honey. Can’t blame me.”

  “Oh, I don’t. It’s typical. Men and their cars.”

  “Actually, it’s your car. But I’ll take it off your hands if you’re tired of it,” I offered, knowing full well she’d never say yes.

  “You wish. That’s my baby. I’ll drive that thing till one of us dies.”

  I leaned in and whis
pered, “Let’s hope it’s the car.”

  Her fragrance intoxicated me. I had no clue what it was, but she just smelled like Paige. I wanted to bottle it up and put it on my nightstand.

  Weird, I know.

  Reaching for Paige’s hand, I pulled her toward the barn, the feel of her fingers idly stroking my knuckles turning me on. The simplest things this girl did seemed to awaken every part of me.

  We walked through the door and I flipped on the light switch. She glanced at the computer, making me wonder if she wanted to use it.

  “Have you been online lately?” I hadn’t been online at all since she’d let me kiss her. Personally, I couldn’t give a shit what was being said about her when I knew the truth. And I’d rather be physically around her than read about her on my computer screen. Real-life Paige was a million times better than online Paige.

  “I applied to a couple of schools, but that’s about it. I haven’t checked my e-mails or anything, though. The only people I really care about know where to find me.” She smiled, and it brightened her whole face.

  “Quinn and your family?”

  “Yep.”

  “So, tell me about the schools. Where’d you apply?” My curiosity was piqued, and I wondered why she hadn’t mentioned it until now.

  “UCLA, USC, and Pepperdine. That’s all for now. I figured I’d research some more later, but it was a good start.”

  “Those are all really good schools.”

  She shrugged. “I know. And honestly, I probably wouldn’t even be able to get in on my own, but since…” She paused and blushed a little. “Well, since I’m me, there will probably be some strings pulled in the admissions office.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” I asked, not entirely sure how I felt about the situation. Had it been someone other than Paige, I would have thought they were a spoiled brat getting whatever they wanted because they were famous. And it would have annoyed the living shit out of me. But since it was Paige, I didn’t feel as irritated. Which made me a hypocritical dick who was okay with double standards. I should make a T-shirt.