Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes. Was Colt seriously trying to convince Trent not to spend the weekend with me? I knew he didn’t like me, but this was going too far.
“Felicity is still on the loose. We have no idea where she is or what she wants, and you’re just going to go spend the weekend with your girlfriend?” Colt said, disgust dripping from his tone.
“She’s my fiancée, and yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“Sorry, Trent, but I’m with Colt on this one,” Jax said. “It’s not safe.”
I stifled a groan. Of course he was in the middle of this, too. Though I suspected his reasons for trying to convince Trent to stay home had very little to do with Felicity being on the loose or concern for our safety.
“I don’t care,” Trent said, his voice tight. “Chloe will be perfectly safe with me.”
“Yeah, well, we’re not exactly worried about her,” Colt said.
“I am,” Jax said.
Trent’s snarl was loud enough for me to hear, and my heart lodged in my throat. Another second and the three of them would undoubtedly start fighting. I needed to let Trent know I was ready, but I didn’t want to walk in and have them think I was eavesdropping, even if that was exactly what I was doing.
“I’m spending the weekend with Chloe. End of discussion,” Trent said, and I was surprised that there was no longer any anger in his tone.
“You’re being reckless, Trent,” Colt said, his voice rising with each word. “That girl is going to end up getting you killed.”
Okay, I’d heard enough. Swallowing hard, I walked into the living room, head held high, and smiled like I hadn’t heard a thing. It was bad enough Trent was arguing with his brothers about spending the weekend with me. I didn’t need to get involved in it, too.
“Ready to go?” I said to Trent, taking his hand in mine.
“Yup,” he said, his gaze locked on Colt.
Colt shook his head and huffed. “I thought you were smarter than this.”
Trent stiffened. Then, slowly, he pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and tossed it on the couch. “We’ll be back Sunday night. I don’t want to hear from either of you until then.”
He tugged on my hand and led me outside. Shock ricocheted through me. Had he really just left his phone in the house? What if something happened? Jax and Whitney had my number, so I guessed if it was something serious, they could get in touch with me.
“I heard what happened back there. Are you okay?” I asked once we were in his truck and headed down the road.
“I am now.” He smiled in my direction. “Please don’t let them ruin our weekend.”
“Oh, I don’t plan on it,” I said with a grin.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS is what you used to do all the time,” I said, shaking my head.
Trent and I had spent the last hour roller skating, and it was a lot more fun than I ever expected. Like everything else, he was so good at it while I fumbled my way along. He’d been patient with me, though, holding my hand so I wouldn’t fall.
“Yup,” he said with a nod. “In the early 90s, I spent almost every Friday and Saturday night at a roller skating rink.”
“Why?” I laughed.
“Mostly boredom.” He shrugged. “And because Jax thought it was a good place to meet girls.” Trent rolled his eyes.
We sat at a table in the concession area, which also housed a small arcade. A disco ball hung over the center of the rink, twisting and pulsing various colors over the room. Loud thumping music pumped from the speakers suspended in each corner. The entire atmosphere was electric, and it was easy to see why people liked it here.
“Want a drink?” Trent asked.
I nodded. “Water, please.”
He stood, leaned down to kiss my cheek, then disappeared into the crowd that was supposed to resemble a line at the concession stand. Smiling, I watched in awe as people whizzed around the rink.
A group of people moved into the center of the rink and began some rather impressive spins and tricks. I stood and made my way toward the short wall that separated the rink from everything else so I could get a better look. I leaned against the wall, totally mesmerized. How on earth did they do that without falling flat on their faces?
When they finished, the placed erupted in cheers and applause. A moment later, the lights dimmed, and the DJ said something that was too muffled for me to understand. At least four dozen people filed out of the rink, leaving only pairs left on the floor. The music slowed to something softer.
“Couples skate,” Trent said, coming to a stop in front of me.
I blinked, confused. When did he get back in the rink? “Uh… okay,” I said.
“This is the biggest moment of the night,” he said, clutching the wall and bringing himself closer to me. “This is when every guy in here shoots their shot.” His eyes sparkled, and his lips curved into a playful smile. “See, when you first get here, you always find that one girl who just takes your breath away, and so you watch her skate. Subtly, of course, because you don’t want her to know you’ve noticed her. But you have. You notice how she flips her hair over her shoulder when she tosses her head back to laugh. How she moves around the rink with her friends, smiling.”
I couldn’t stop from smiling right now if I wanted to. I loved listening to Trent talk like this, to hear him relive parts of his life that clearly had an impact on him. It was easy to picture him and Jax here, showing off, making the girls swoon.
“And then the DJ announces couples skate,” he said. “So, you take a deep breath, skate up
