Evangeline

Holden took me to dinner. We got fish tacos at a food truck at a marina, which is exactly my speed. But he didn’t want to go home after, and somehow he dragged me out with him, saying I needed to be social.

I was having too good a time to say no.

“I’ll text Jude, tell him where we’re at, if he wants to meet up,” Holden says as we drive down the freeway in his convertible. My hair is blowing wildly and I’m trying to gather the ends to keep it from becoming a complete mess.

“That’s cool. I mean, I never hang out with Jude … socially.”

“Maybe because you use words like socially?” Holden laughs. “Seriously, though, I don’t doubt it. Evie, you look like you’ve never let go in your entire life. Not once.”

I press my lips together, let go of my hair. Let it catch in the wind.

“There was one time,” I tell him. “One time where I let go of all abandon.”

“How’d that go?” he says, pulling up to a valet outside a swanky club.

“It was a complete disaster,” I admit.

But it wasn’t a total disaster. In a lot of ways, it was what pushed me over the edge to move out, to move on.

My single day with Cash made me brave in ways I never had been before.

* * *

“I look like a legit scrub,” I whisper as we walk through the loud nightclub.

“You look perfect. Besides, it’s dark in here, no one will be able to see that you have salsa dripping down your shirt.”

I punch him in the shoulder, and let him take my hand and lead me through the crowded club.

“Hey, that’s JoJo and McQueen,” Holden says. He pulls me to the VIP area, where we’re quickly whisked past a security detail.

“Holden, my man,” McQueen says, jumping up from the couch and fist-bumping him, giving him a grin. “Good to see you, dude.”

I watch this exchange, smile as everyone is introduced—but then they sit back down, and I see the people they’re with.

More important: the person they’re with.

“Cassius?” I say, shocked. I knew the tour was over, but I didn’t know he was back in LA.

Looking around, I see Elle Camino, Jack Harris, Jack’s wife Tess. I try to breathe. Try to remain calm.

Try to shield my heart.

It’s too late.

One look at him, and I feel my knees go weak and my resolve soften, and every warning inside me whooshes by.

I just want him.

Even though I’ve spent his entire tour trying to tell myself I don’t, I do.

“Evangeline.” He stands, looks me in the eye. I’m unable to look away.

“You guys know one another?” Holden asks, reaching out to shake hands. “Didn’t know you were so connected, Evie,” he says.

“I’m not. I just. Cash and I are—”

“Old friends,” Cash says. “Long time no see.” He looks at me, his eyes reaching my heart. Then he looks away, his eyes landing on where Holden’s hand is still holding mine.

I pull my hand away, awkwardly. Awkward because Holden wasn’t being awkward in the least; he was being nice and sweet and sort of flirty, but not in an aggressive way. In a way a guy can be, when he’s the freaking sexiest man alive.

Cassius doesn’t say any more to me, and I take a seat on the couch, next to Elle Camino and her girlfriend Sasha. Everyone is loud, chatting with drinks in their hands. And I look around with wide eyes, out of my element and really, really needing a drink.

Next thing I know I have tequila in my hand, and a lime wedge.

It’s Cassius who hands it to me, silently. He remembered my drink.

“So,” Elle says dramatically, “you’re Evangeline Kendrick. We’ve heard so much about you.”

I see Sasha swat Elle’s knee, as if warning her, but Elle just smiles at me.

“You heard about me from where? My dad?” I ask, confused.

The girls roll their eyes.

“Um. No. From our boy,” Elle says, gesturing toward Cassius, who’s talking to Jack Harris two feet away.

He’s so close. I just want to reach out and grab his hand.

Never let go.

“Cash told you about me?”

Elle flicks her thick, dark hair over her shoulder. Her old school, hip-hop, high-rise jeans and crop top are so completely on point, I have a hard time believing Cash could think about me when he had such a gorgeous girl in his line of sight.

“You just about killed him back in New York. We didn’t think he’d be able to perform,” Sasha says.

I pull away. I thought these two were being nice, but I can see they’re in fighting mode. And I’m the one they plan to attack.

Holden has come up and taken a seat beside me, and Jude is with him. I feel calmer, having them with me. Even though I just met Holden, knowing Jude vouches for him makes him feel like an old friend. A real friend.

“Uh, he hung up on me,” I tell the girls, slightly annoyed.

“Because you didn’t want to see him,” Elle says quickly. “What are you even doing here, now?”

I watch Cassius turn toward the group and I know he’s hearing every word I say. Good. I want him to understand me.

Finally.

“First of all,” I say, feeling bold, “I don’t owe anyone an explanation of anything. But the reason I didn’t meet Cash in New York is because I moved to LA.”

“You moved back to LA?” Cash asks, looking into his glass of ice.

The DJ chooses this moment to stop spinning, and the lull in noise makes everyone at the table turn toward him and me.

“Yeah,” I tell him. “I actually never went back to school. I quit.”

“Where are you living?” he asks. “Still at your dad’s?”

I shake my head. “I moved into Holden’s.”

Cash pulls away, as if the words are a force to be reckoned with. “Are you fucking kidding me with this?” he asks coolly. He shakes his head, looking at me like he’s disgusted.

He doesn’t get to act this way. Not with me.

“Dude,” Holden says, raising his hands, not understanding the depth of any of this. I don’t know if I do either. “It’s all good here.”

“You shouldn’t have hung up on me in New York,” I say, tears suddenly in my eyes. I’m not holding back. I have a heck of lot of emotion rising to the surface. “It was a really dick move, Cassius.”

“Maybe you two should take this.…” Tess says, looking around.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Jude says, touching my shoulder. “Hey, Evie, let’s get you somewhere, sweetie.”

“No,” I say, pushing him away. “There’s nothing to discuss. I’m perfectly cool. So freaking cool.” I smile at Holden, who seems to consider his next move, who seems to realize what’s going on between Cassius and me.

“We’re just gonna give you guys a sec,” JoJo says, grabbing McQueen. “If you need any backup, honey, I’ve got you covered.” She leans over and kisses my cheek.

Jack and Tess follow them, and so do Elle and Sasha.

I’m left with the most unlikely group of men: Cash, Holden, Jude.

A motley crew, if I’m being honest.

But, in some weird way, I feel like all three of them are in this with me, even if Cash currently hates my guts.

“She’s living in my guest house, bro,” Holden says, looking Cash in the eyes. “Jude and I go way back. Evie and Jude are cousins. I was just helping a brother out.”

Cash looks fierce, the same way he did outside my garage when he punched his fist against it, drawing blood. I want to soften his hard edges, like I’ve never wanted to do anything else in my life.

I’m drawn to this bad boy with a dark past, and I just want to crawl into his lap and kiss his lips, and let him rest his head against my chest.

“You’re not together?” Cash asks, and I know how hard asking that question must be. It reveals his desire—his desire for me.

Holden just claps his hands together, grins. “Shit, man, I asked this girl out. You know what she told me? That she still wasn’t over some other guy.”

Relief washes over Cassius’s face, and I feel the room expand with the realization that there doesn’t need to be a brawl tonight to lay claim to me.

Jude runs his hands over his jaw. “Shit, that was fucking tense.”

The four of us laugh nervously.

“You cool, Evie?” Jude asks, watching out for me.

I nod, then I look at Cash. “Will you please take me home?”

He stands, grabs my hand.

I have a feeling this time he won’t let it go.