Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

“ W ow.” Lila was stunned when she entered the private dining room Brian had reserved for Team Lockwood.

It was bathed in soft, ambient lighting. The walls were draped in flowing fabrics of different variations of yellow. Some tables were adorned with elegant artwork that added character and sophistication.

In the center of the room was a large, beautifully set table decorated with a tasteful arrangement of yellow and white roses and flickering candles that created a warm glow.

Soft music played in the background, setting a relaxed vibe for conversations and laughter.

The room was thoughtfully designed to blend comfort and luxury, making it the perfect setting for an unforgettable night.

Lila turned around in a circle. “Brian, this is breathtaking.”

He devoured her with his eyes. “I could say the same thing about you.”

Lila blushed as she continued to twirl around in her stunning floor-length emerald green gown that hugged her figure to perfection. She batted her lashes. “Oh, this old thing.”

“As much as I love to see you in it,” Brian murmured, his eyes lingering as he reached out, fingertips grazing the fabric gently, “I’m going to enjoy taking it off even more.”

She smirked, leaning closer as her fingers traced a playful line up his arm. She whispered into his ear, “Can’t wait.”

Brian’s gaze softened as he straightened, tucking a stray strand of Lila’s hair behind her ear. “Until then, I wanted to make tonight special.” He looked around the room with a satisfied grin.

Lila followed his gaze, taking in the candlelit ambiance, the carefully arranged flowers, and the soft music playing in the background. “I think you’ve accomplished that. It really is beautiful in here.”

Brian clasped his hands together, a hint of pride flashing across, and nodded with satisfaction. “Figured it was fitting. Lots to celebrate tonight.”

Lila still had no idea what was planned but decided to just go with the flow.

Liam stepped into the dining area, wearing a tailored suit, making him look dashing and effortlessly handsome. His confident stride drew glances from everyone in the room, including special guests and Team Lockwood. It took a moment to find his brother, but when he did, Liam immediately started to make his way over to where Brian and Lila were standing and talking.

“You clean up pretty well.” Liam joked as he made his way over to Brian. “And Lila, you always look beautiful, but tonight, I’d say exquisite.”

A warm smile spread across her face, making her eyes sparkle. “So glad you made it, and since we’re handing out compliments, you don’t look too bad yourself.”

A slow grin spread across Brian’s face as he nodded, wrapping an arm around Lila and pulling her snugly against his side. “You,” he chuckled, his voice playful but firm, “don’t come over here trying to be all charming and shit with my girl. Go find Colby.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Brian saw Liam’s expression falter, a brief flash of hurt evident before he quickly masked it. Brian’s heart sank a little, realizing the unintentional impact of his words.

As if the mention of her name conjured her up, Liam’s head turned slightly toward the entrance, and there she was, Colby James, standing at the threshold.

Colby looked otherworldly gorgeous. She wore a stunning beaded, floor-length, fitted strapless gown. The vibrant canary yellow hue sparkled as she moved. It complemented her cinnamon-colored skin, which seemed to be glowing. She wore her trademarked natural hair that was adorned with matching yellow jewels.

Liam’s mouth went dry, and time felt like it had come to a complete standstill as he stood there watching her while his heart pounded out of his chest.

Colby was a vision. No other woman had ever had this kind of effect on him. It must be witchcraft.

He didn’t understand how it was possible to feel such longing and despair. How could someone so perfect be so out of reach? The weight of his feelings pressed down on him, a bittersweet reminder of the distance between them. He was utterly captivated yet painfully aware that this moment was fleeting. They were no longer together, and it was his fault. He’d allowed his pride to get in the way.

Liam had fucked up too many times. The likelihood that Colby would forgive and take him back was slim. Still, he was Liam Lockwood. He’d made mountains move. This situation was much more difficult than that. It would be a helluva climb, but Colby was more than worth the effort.

Brian leaned over to Liam. “You okay?”

Liam didn’t hear him. He’d been unable to take his eyes off Colby.

Lila watched the entire situation unfold too. She rolled her eyes in frustration as she couldn’t understand how two people who loved each other so much couldn’t figure out how to make their relationship work.

Colby glanced around the room and immediately stopped the second her eyes landed on Liam. She had both hoped he would be here and wouldn’t, but damn, he looked good. He stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the room. He always had.

Just looking at him made her body sizzle.

Their gazes locked, and in that moment, a whirlwind of emotions surged between them.

Colby had missed him terribly. Yet, she understood how they arrived at the distance between them. They were on different paths and had different dreams. Get it together. Liam is going to always be around a lot. He is Brian’s brother, so suck it up and deal with it.

Colby took a deep breath and walked over to where Liam, Brian, and Lila stood.

As Liam watched Colby approach, his pulse quickened, caught in the tension of what could have been and the reality of what was.

“Hey, everybody.” Colby spoke to everyone but hadn’t taken her eyes off Liam.

Liam scratched the side of his temple as a corner of his lip edged up. “You decided to choose violence tonight, huh?”

Colby was confused. “What?”

“You’re wearing the hell out of that dress.” Not unlike Brian with Lila, Liam was imagining a million different ways of taking it off her.

She blushed. “Oh. Thanks.” Colby was hesitant. “Y-you look good too.”

“We all look good,” Gonzo said with laughter as he walked over with Abby, both dressed to the nines, followed by Ben and other team members.

Damn . Liam didn’t even have a minute to talk to Colby. She seemed receptive. He hoped she would be. Sometime tonight, he would find his opportunity to try to make things right between them.

Gonzo reached out to Liam for a fist bump. “Lockwood runs best when the family’s all together.”

“Oh yeah,” Ben said with a laugh. “Agreed. We’re kicking ass tomorrow.”

Although Colby was trying to play it cool, she was melting underneath Liam’s gaze. He hadn’t taken his heated stare away from her since the moment their eyes met. Nervously, she laughed. “No doubt about it.”

Although Colby was caught in her whirlwind with Liam, she didn’t miss the fact that Gonzo and Abby had arrived together and were seemingly awfully familiar with each other. Colby noticed when Gonzo placed his hand at the small of Abby’s back. It was subtle but a very intimate gesture. Colby hoped she wasn’t reading too much into it, but it would be nice to see Gonzo paired up with someone, especially since he had taken his breakup with Bree really hard.

When Abby turned her head, Colby mouthed to Gonzo, What’s up with this ?

He winked, mouthing back, We’ll talk later .

A hush fell over the room. Colby’s back was turned away from whatever caused the surprised looks on everyone’s faces. She turned to see what they were all looking at.

Her smile froze.

It was her father, looking as handsome as she’d ever seen. He’d escorted Aunt Faye into the room, and of course, she looked like a million bucks, but another woman stood on the other side of him.

It was her. There was no doubt about it.