Finally, he murmurs, “That explains why you were acting so off at the end of the night.”
“I didn’t think anybody noticed.” I huff out a small chuckle.
“To be fair, I don’t think anybody would’ve noticed except for me.”
I nod, hoping he’s correct.
“When did it happen?”
“Right after we finished doing that song with Colt.”
“Damn,” he murmurs. We’ve stopped walking, and he’s now facing me. “Was that the first time that happened?”
“And the only.”
Xander nods, not an ounce of judgement on his face. “How are you feeling about it?”
“Confused as all fucking hell.” I huff out a laugh. “There have been a few moments leading up to it where I thought maybe something was there, but I brushed it off because he’s my sister’s ex-husband. And then after it happened, we didn’t really talk about it again until we hit the road for the circuit, but even then, we both agreed it meant nothing and it wouldn’t happen again.”
“Did it mean nothing?” he asks. “To you, I mean.”
I shake my head, but don’t bother saying it out loud. It’ll just sound pathetic.
“Does Jade know?”
“Absolutely not.”
“That’s so tough,” he replies, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Do you think it really meant nothing to him?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I blurt out, the frustration growing inside of me. “He freaked out as soon as the kiss was over, and then he did a professional job of avoiding the topic altogether for quite a while. But the way he looks at me sometimes…”Like earlier.“I don’t know, Xander. I don’t fucking know anything if I’m being honest.”
When he doesn’t respond right away, I turn my head and glance over at him. He looks at me, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
“What? Just say it. I know I’m a horrible person.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“It’s something Cope and I were just talking about last week.”
My eyebrows scrunch together. “You were talking to Cope about me and Boone?”
“Well, Boone, but yeah. Cope asked me if I noticed how frequently Boone looks at you.”
“What do you mean?” I swear my stomach flips.
“I hadn’t noticed it at the time, but since he brought it up, I definitely have. When we’re all sitting around the fire at night, it’s especially noticeable.” My chest squeezes as I listen to him. “He just… I don’t know how to explain it. He watches you, but not in a creepy way or anything. It’s like he’s admiring you. Like he can’t go more than a few minutes without checking on you.”
“He doesn’t do that,” I scoff, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling at the thought.
“He definitely does,” Xander pushes. “You may not see it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Do you notice how whenever the buzzer goes off at the rodeo, and he jumps off the bull, you’re the first person he looks at?” I’m shaking my head before he can finish.
“Xander, that’s ridiculous. No, he does not. I would notice that; I’m the photographer, remember?”
“You’realwayslooking down at your camera as he jumps off, like you’re making sure you got the final shot, so it would make sense that you never noticed.”
My heart’s beating so powerfully now, I can feel it in my throat. There’s no way any of that can be true.Boone watches me?No. No fucking way.
