On the Record Read online

  As she tipped the shot back into her mouth, the burn down her throat reminded her of exactly how she had felt every day since she had left him. It might have been the right decision, but it wasn’t easy, and it constantly left her with a bad taste in her mouth . . . and feeling a little sick.

  But Hayden was always there too. Slowly but surely trying to pick the pieces back up . . . pieces he didn’t know existed. Liz had just refused to let it go further than that. The last thing she wanted was to start something with Hayden and look back and see that it had been a rebound.

  “Looks like the results are in on that Cunningham-Maxwell race down in North Carolina,” the anchor said, slashing through all Liz’s coherent thought.

  She froze with her eyes glued to the television. It was finally time. The next moment felt like an eternity, as if Liz were watching the whole thing in slow motion. The crowd quieted all around her as heads turned to the screen to hear what had happened. Victoria collected shot glasses from Liz and Hayden and slammed them down on the counter, then turned to listen to the reporter. Even she was interested . . .

  Hayden’s hand landed on the small of Liz’s back and he drew closer to her. She felt his breath hot on her ear as he whispered softly, “Go out with me.”

  It wasn’t a request, but not quite a command. And he said it so faintly, so decidedly, and at just the right time that she didn’t even have time to process what was going on. In a split second she was going to find out if Brady had won. But now her mind was lost in Hayden’s comment.

  “And it looks like State Senator Brady Maxwell has pulled it off by an even slimmer margin than his primary race, with just over seven hundred and fifty votes over that threshold. Truly amazing. Congratulations, Senator Maxwell. We’ll be analyzing this victory more thoroughly later on tonight . . .”

  Liz couldn’t hear anything else as the bar erupted. People all around her were screaming and cheering for their hometown hero. And she just stood there gaping.

  He had done it! He had pulled it off. Seven hundred and fifty votes had pushed him to victory. That was such a small margin. Any precinct could have tipped the balance.

  Then Hayden had his arms around her middle and was spinning her in circles. Liz giggled, threw her arms around his neck, and pressed her thin frame against his chest. He slowed to a stop and then lowered his mouth down to her lips. Without even a second thought, Liz let herself get caught up in the moment—get caught up in Hayden.

  Her eyes closed and electricity shot between them as they melded together. The more she had pushed him away, the more the heat built between them. And now it had all released into one celebratory kiss. She hadn’t even known that she wanted this until it happened, and her heart fluttered.

  Hayden pulled away first, and she knew her breathing was uneven as his hazel eyes looked deep into hers. “Go out with me,” Hayden repeated with that same smile that had won her over from day one.

  Liz bit her lip. Brady was going to D.C. to be a congressman in the House of Representatives. He had just won everything he wanted and was likely celebrating that victory. He wasn’t celebrating with her, and he wouldn’t be. November didn’t mean anything to her anymore, and she had to move on. She had to forget Brady Maxwell. She would never regret what had happened between them, but she couldn’t keep obsessing.

  Maybe if she just let herself like Hayden again instead of putting all of her energy into pushing him away, that would make it all that much easier.

  She wanted this. She was ready to start over, and Hayden was giving her that opportunity. A smile broke out onto her face to match Hayden’s.

  This was good. This was the right direction.

  “I’d love to,” she murmured before finding his lips again.

  Chapter 2

  CHRISTMAS BOMB

  Liz had skipped the newspaper holiday party the past two years. Walking into the upstairs of a downtown bar that the paper had rented out for the night with Hayden, she realized she hadn’t missed much. Cheap Christmas decorations filled the room, and a tiny tree was set up in the corner. A table was filled with platters of holiday treats and punch. Most people, not surprisingly, weren’t dressed up for the occasion. Some had on tacky sweaters, but Liz had clearly outdone them all.

  She had on an oversize sweater that looked like it had stepped out of the back of a grandma’s closet, complete with a Christmas tree with working lights and hand-painted ornaments and presents. She had paired that with tight black leggings and Rudolph tennis shoes she had snagged from the kids’ section. A strand of jingle bells was wrapped around her neck, and she even had a couple red and green plastic bows stuck in her hair. Victoria had jokingly told her that it looked like a bomb went off in the Walmart Christmas aisle.

  People mingled around the food table and the bar on the adjacent wall, or danced awkwardly to the Christmas music playing through the speakers. Liz picked out Massey talking to the rest of the Washington division. She was gesturing profusely to her captivated audience. Tristan was tucked into a corner working on his laptop. That kid seriously needed to take a break or have a drink. Liz noted that Brady’s sister, Savannah, wasn’t in attendance yet, and breathed a slow sigh of relief. She didn’t mind that she and Savannah worked together on the paper, but the reminders of her brother Brady were bad enough when it wasn’t the first time Liz was out in public with Hayden.

  “Hayden! Liz!” Meagan said, rushing up to greet them. She was wearing a tacky sweater that Liz couldn’t even begin to explain. It was like an explosion of red, green, and white glitter in random designs that was both terrifying and hard to look at without squinting.

  “Hey, Meagan,” Hayden responded amiably. “Great job with the party this year. I think this is way better than last year.”

  Liz was sure he was just being nice. Typical Hayden.

  “Liz, you look so cute. I’m glad you really dressed up! I was worried I was going to be the only one,” Meagan said cheerfully.

  “Thanks. I thought more people would be dressed up than this,” Liz said.

  “At least some people did it this time. Last year it was only me and a couple other people. I guess Calleigh told everyone else she wasn’t dressing up . . . so no one else did,” Meagan said with a shrug. Then she seemed to quickly correct herself. “Nothing against Calleigh, of course. She looked fabulous as always! Love her!”

  “Well, thanks for putting this all together,” Hayden said. Liz glanced up into his face when she heard the strain in his voice.

  Huh. Seriously, what was the deal with Calleigh and Hayden? He had said that he and the beautiful reporter had dated briefly and that it was over. Liz had never pushed further than that. Whatever they had been had clearly never been something public, because she was sure she would have noticed that, at least. Maybe she would find a time to ask him that didn’t make her sound jealous. So . . . never.

  Hayden wrapped an arm around her shoulders and directed her away from Meagan. They didn’t take more than a couple steps before Massey darted into their path. She was on the shorter side with shoulder-length blond hair. A die-hard sorority girl who even wore her letters to a Christmas party.

  “Oh my God! Look at you two! So flipping cute. I can’t even handle the cuteness. So glad you’re not like hiding your relationship anymore,” Massey said, linking her arm with Liz’s and dragging them into the center of the group.

  Massey had told Liz earlier that week that she wasn’t going to dress up, because she didn’t want to wear the tacky sweater she had gotten for her sorority date night more than once. She couldn’t be photographed in it or she might die. Liz had just laughed. Oh, the woes of having an active social life.

  “Y’all, aren’t Hayden and Liz like the cutest couple ever?” Massey asked as introduction.

  Liz smiled, fighting the blush of embarrassment that was surely creeping up her cheeks. Hayden just drew her in closer. Though she didn’t look up at him, she was sure he was smiling. He might have been nervous earlier about how pe
ople would react, but not now. Right now he was in his element. This was his paper. These were the people he worked with, the people who worked for him. He was going on four years of their camaraderie and respect. Hayden owned this group with nothing more than a smile.

  The total control pouring out of him pulled the tension right out of her shoulders. Why was she worried about what these people thought? It was her relationship, not theirs. She and Hayden had kept the past month of their relationship private. Even though they had snuck glances across the office and left the newspaper at the same time, this was their first official appearance out together. Liz just had to remind herself that it didn’t interfere with work in the slightest, and apparently everyone already knew. She needed to get ahold of herself.

  She wasn’t some cowering girl hiding behind a man. She wanted to be editor next year, and then she would be commanding the same respect Hayden had currently. Liz visibly straightened, ignoring the jingles that came from her necklace.

  “Thanks for that, Massey,” Liz said.

  “It’s just good to see you guys out,” Massey said.

  “It’s not like you all didn’t already know,” Hayden said.

  The group shrugged and hid their smiles behind their drinks.

  “Well, y’all were not subtle,” Massey responded.

  Hayden laughed and brushed his hand back through his blond hair. “Why would I ever want to hide Liz in the first place? Just look at her.”

  She glanced up at him and swallowed. That was all she had ever been with Brady—hidden—and it had ripped her heart open and scattered it into a million little pieces. But the adoring look on Hayden’s face at least momentarily stopped the destruction and seemed to bandage the wound.

  “Okay. Oh my God, we get it. You don’t have to be so flippin’ disgusting,” Massey drawled. “Like, get a room or something.”

  “Don’t be jealous, Massey,” Liz said.

  “I’m so not jealous, but can we talk about this adorable outfit for a second?” Massey asked. And with that the tension about Liz and Hayden being together dissipated.

  Nothing to see here, people. Move along.

  Liz sidled up closer to Massey, who apparently was super jealous about Liz’s jingle bell necklace. She promptly handed it over for Massey to wear and insisted she keep it for her date night. Then Liz made her way to Tristan’s table to try to coax him to come out of his corner. He stared up at her doe-eyed and shared a few words with her about the party, informing her he was having a great time. She couldn’t get him to leave the table, though, and as soon as she walked away, he started in on his laptop again.

  Time seemed to fly, and Liz realized with a start that she was having a really good time. Her anxiety had been for nothing. She kind of wished that she had come to the event the previous two years. Either way, it was nice to mill around with her friends and colleagues and just relax a little instead of being constantly on deadline.

  Hayden was also nearby, never too far away but certainly not hovering. And . . . it felt right.

  The room quieted as Hayden called everyone’s attention to where he was standing. Without even thinking she moved to stand next to him, and he squeezed her hand.

  “Hey, y’all! Thanks so much for coming out to the annual holiday party. I don’t have a long speech or anything, but I just wanted to thank everyone for your hard work and dedication this semester. You’ve all really put in the time and effort it takes to propel this paper into the forefront of college journalism,” Hayden said to a chorus of applause.

  Liz smiled up at him. She felt a familiar excitement spread through her body at the words. She was proud. Proud of Hayden, proud of the paper, proud of everything they had accomplished. She was part of something worthwhile.

  “I know I would never be able to stand here today and talk about so many achievements without every single person here right now. From our three-person campaign division, taking on the midterm elections, to our kvetching column, keeping the student body entertained, to the photojournalists, chronicling the activities around campus, we are the heartbeat of the university. We only have one week left this semester, and I know it will live up to my high expectations for this paper. I can’t even wait for next semester, which always brings in new people, new challenges, and new chances to shine. So thanks for coming out tonight, and happy holidays!”

  Hayden held his glass up and everyone followed his lead, yelling out happy holidays and merry Christmas, then tipping their drinks back.

  The chatter resumed as soon as Hayden finished his drink, and he turned to face Liz, pulling her into him. She slid her arms around his middle and leaned her head against his chest. It felt totally normal, as if she had been doing it for much longer than she actually had.

  “That was a good speech,” she told him thoughtfully.

  “Thanks. Made it up on the spot.”

  “I could tell,” she joked.

  Hayden poked her side playfully until she giggled and tried to pull away. She looked up at him to tell him to stop, and his lips found hers. The kiss was brief, but heated, and when he released her, she seemed to have forgotten what she was going to yell at him about.

  “Are you ready to get out of here?” he asked.

  “Where are we going?” She wasn’t sure why it mattered, with the way he was looking at her.

  “Well, we could go back to my place,” he said softly. “Or we could go to that party with my friends.”

  Hmm. Going back to his place sounded like a good time. A really good time. But was she ready for that?

  “Party? I’m not tired yet,” Liz said quickly. As if he wanted to take her back to his house to sleep.

  They had been dating a month, and still she changed the subject whenever the subject of sex came up. God, she loved sex, but a small part . . . okay, a large part of her screamed that she wasn’t ready for that.

  She still associated Brady with so many of the emotions and feelings that came with sex. It wasn’t fair to jump right into bed with Hayden when she couldn’t even tease apart her own thoughts on the subject. Sometimes she thought that she wanted to, and she knew Hayden wanted to—what guy didn’t?—but she wouldn’t until she was sure she was ready, and Hayden didn’t push her. Ever the upstanding gentleman.

  “All right. Your call. I’ll let the guys know,” Hayden said, reaching for his phone and hiding the slight look of disappointment that crossed his face.

  When Hayden got on the phone, they moved over toward the entrance so he could hear the phone conversation. Liz took out her own phone to see if she had heard from Victoria. The screen came up blank just as Savannah Maxwell walked into the party.

  As usual, she looked gorgeous, tonight in a red sweater dress, thick black tights, and black heels. Gold jewelry dangled from her ears, and a long chain hung around her neck. Her dark brown hair was sleek and straight well past her shoulders. And still . . . she reminded Liz of Brady. They had the same shape eyes, the same overconfidence, and the same poised stride.

  Liz had fought with herself every day this semester while working with Savannah. She liked the girl, and Savannah wasn’t her brother. That was for damn sure. But sometimes it was all wrong, and Liz just wished over and over that things could be right again.

  “Liz,” Savannah said with her effortless politician’s smile. She really should consider running for office, though Liz knew she had no interest whatsoever. “Sorry I’m late. I got held up. What did I miss?”

  Liz had a moment where she wanted to ask her where she had been. It wasn’t that it was likely that she had been with Brady. And it wasn’t that it made a difference if she had been.

  Christ, Liz needed to get ahold of herself. Everything in her life did not revolve around Brady fucking Maxwell.

  “Not much. Hayden made a speech. We all just hung out,” Liz told her.

  “Cool. I’m going to go say hi quickly. I have a physics test in the morning,” she said, rolling her big brown eyes.

  Liz cringed
. “That sucks. Good luck.”

  “Thanks. See you at the paper.”

  “Bye, Savannah.”

  Liz watched her walk away, a weight lifting off her chest. Her relief at the other girl’s departure was totally irrational, but it happened all the time.

  “You ready?” Hayden asked, slinging his arm over her shoulders again.

  She diverted her attention back to Hayden. “Yep.”

  They walked down the street briskly to try to keep back the biting cold. The first week of December was usually pretty chilly, but this was too much. A cold front had just run its course through Chapel Hill. With North Carolina’s mercurial weather it would be in the eighties tomorrow or something equally ridiculous. She seriously missed her parents’ house in Tampa right now.

  When they reached the bar where Hayden’s other friends were gathered, Hayden held the door for Liz and she quickly passed through. Rubbing her hands together to try to bring life back into them, she waited for Hayden to follow her. He planted a kiss on her forehead and then took up warming her hands for her. Then he laced their fingers together and pulled her through the crowd.

  His track friends were clustered around the back end of the counter with beers in hand. She had met most of them at the beginning of the semester when she had helped Hayden move, and had gotten to know them a little better over the last month.

  When she got close enough, Hannity greeted her with a hug and pulled her into the center of their group. Three of the guys on the team were named Andrew, so they all went by their last names: Bynum, Cush, and Lightsey. The other guys in attendance were Jake Morgan and Henry Evans, who also went by their last names. It was confusing and had taken her a while to get used to.

  “Glad you showed up, Lane,” Bynum said, as they clapped each other on the back.

  “Yeah, how was your cute holiday party?” Hannity asked. He poked at the bows still in Liz’s hair and she rolled her eyes. She had completely forgotten those were there.