Page 20 of Fake Shot
He gives me a nod and another giddy smile, and then he heads back to the party as I continue down the hall. Two quick knocks on their bedroom door and Audrey calls, “Come in.”
I push open the door to find their huge king-size bed littered with several outfits she must have tried on and discarded. Now, she stands in front of the floor-length mirror in a black sundress with tiny satin straps over her shoulders. Her hair is down in loose, dark waves and her skin is glowing. I can’t help but smile as I watch her looking at her reflection, happy with what she sees.
Audrey was already a badass single mom before Drew came back into her life, but one of the best changes sincethey got together is that not only is she happy in their relationship, but she’s also more confident in herself as well.
“Hey,” I say, “you almost ready? Everyone's already here, so I just wanted to check and see how you were doing?”
In the mirror, Audrey’s big blue eyes meet mine and she sighs. “I’m being a terrible host, aren't I?” She lets out a little laugh. “I was so sweaty after our walk on the Esplanade with Graham earlier, I had to shower. And then of course it took me forever to dry my hair. And now I feel like I'm sweaty again from the heat of the hairdryer.”
I smile at her. “You look gorgeous—like you're glowing. You’re not sweaty at all.”
“Thank you,” she tells me. “I know I can always count on you for an honest opinion, so I appreciate that.”
I laugh a little to myself. As if I would tell Audrey she looked sweaty—even if it were true, which it isn’t—when I know Drew is about to propose to her!
“Alright,” I say, “so are we going out to the party now?”
“Yeah,” she says, fluffing her hair one last time. “I just need to make sure I turned my curling iron off.”
“I’ll do it for you so you can head out and say hi to everyone.”
As soon as she leaves the bedroom, I rush into her bathroom to unplug the curling iron, because I'm determined not to miss the moment. And as I come back down the hallway to the kitchen, Drew is kissing Audrey's forehead and then turning her away from him. Beyond them, Graham already has his sweatshirt off and is walking around in a t-shirt that says,Dad wants to know if you'll marry him. He’s adorable with his shoulders back and head held high, like he wants to make sure the whole shirt is exposed so no one misses themessage. I pull my phone out and snap a few quick pictures, because I know Audrey will love being able to see this later.
Audrey wanders from Drew over to some of his and Colt's teammates, and is chatting with them, completely oblivious to the fact that her son is walking around with a proposal on his chest.
I come up beside Drew where he stands leaning against the kitchen island and ask him quietly, “How long do you think it'll take her to notice?”
“No idea,” he says with a small laugh, “but I probably should stick close to her, so I'm there when she does notice.”
“Probably a good idea.”
“I’ll be shocked if someone doesn't accidentally spoil it,” he says.
“Nah, everyone's going to love it so much, they wouldn't dare ruin the surprise.”
“You didn't tell Colt, did you?” he asks, but his eyes focus in on Audrey as she chats with his sister and his mom.
“I told you I wouldn't tell anyone,” I remind him. I had to lie to Colt this morning when he flat out asked if there was something special about this party, and if I thought Drew was going to propose to Audrey.
“Well, you do live with the man,” he says with a shrug of his shoulder while his eyes search the room for Graham.
I snort. “Not by choice. And it doesn't mean I swap secrets with him.”
His words are low and quiet when he says, “I don't need to know anything about what you two are swapping.”
I slap his arm hard as the earlier text message from Bambi flashes through my mind. “Ew, stop it,” I say through a laugh. “That's so gross.”
Teenage me would have been thrilled that someone thought Colt might be interested in me like that. Adult me knows better. Not only is Colt the most notorious playboy in the NHL—as that earlier text message from Bambi reminded me—he has major Peter Pan syndrome. And the last thing I need in my life is another man who refuses to grow up.
“Let's just hope he knows how to keep it cool when he sees Graham's shirt,” Drew says.
“Your message in the group chat wasveryclear. You’ve got a surprise planned, and when people realize what it is, they need to not act suspicious. I’m sure most people have guessed.” I nudge him in the side as I watch Graham approaching Audrey where she stands talking to Jameson. “Go on, get your girl.”
Holding up my phone, I try to be as discreet as possible, filming him walking over toward Audrey. This scene has me all up in my feelings. I'm so happy for my sister—that Drew found his way back into her life, that she was willing to trust him, that he’s such an amazing dad to Graham. And I watch as other people at the party start to notice Graham's shirt. Lauren's hand flies to her mouth, which has Morgan swiveling her head to see what she’s looking at.
And then I'm looking for Colt. When I find him, his eyes are wide and he's looking at me like he’s amusedandhalf wants to murder me. His lips move silently as he mouths, “Liar.”
Oh, if only you knew half the things I haven’t told you.
