Breathe Out (Just Breathe, #2)(101)

My eyes bulge a little as they watch him in the mirror — Joe takes his turn relieving himself right in front of me. What the hell?! For all the times we’ve stayed the night, with or without sex occurring the night before, he’s never done this. Shit.

Nervous, I rush out of the bathroom and slip back under the blankets.

Not long after, Joe joins me. “How’re you feeling?”

“Good,” I return.

We stay in bed snuggling until room service is delivered. I hide under the covers, not wanting to be seen by the staff member. The last thing I need is to have a witness to me being in Joe’s room.

After we eat, I sneak back to my room to shower. I text Pop-Pop, inquiring about breakfast and he confirms that he and Joanna are free anytime. We schedule to meet up in twenty minutes and I grab Joe from his room on the way down to the only five-star restaurant in the casino.

Just as Joe finishes ordering, Maggie and Henry pop into sight. Jared and Nathan aren’t long to follow. When our food arrives, Joe excuses himself temporarily from the table to take a phone call. My family and I chat freely as we eat. I openly share my late night excursion with them and they all seem genuinely happy for me.

“We want to see the video of Emma driving,” Maggie says to Joe as he sits back down.

“That may have to wait,” Joe announces with his business persona in full effect.

“What’s going on?” I question.

“They know we’re here. They know you’re here,” Joe reveals.

“Shit,” my mouth slips. “Sorry, Pop-Pop.”

“Damn. I was really enjoying some time away from all of that,” Nathan comments.

“Me too,” I add.

“How did they find out?” Maggie inquires.

“Could have been staff,” Joe says. “All of our guards are on high alert.”

“What should we do?” Maggie asks the group.

Everyone looks at each other while remaining quiet.

“Emma?” Jared starts.

“I don’t want to be the one to decide,” I reply.

“Well, they’re most likely here for you, Jared and Nathan,” Maggie states.

“Does it get any better?” I ask, looking to Joe.

“In time, but . . . there will always be something,” he admits.

Everyone nods their understanding of the predicament.

“I say, let’s play it out,” Nathan chimes in. “If it gets crazy, we’ll leave. Let’s just have all our stuff packed and in the cars just in case.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jared comments.

“Good thing the Halloween party is invite-only,” Maggie mentions.

“Yeah, no shit,” Nathan blurts. “Sorry, Pop-Pop.”

Laughing, Pop-Pop reminds, “You’re all adults. You don’t need to apologize each time you curse. I used to swear like a sailor when I was in the military.”

Everyone laughs.

By the end of our meal, we agree to pack our things and have them delivered to our vehicles. When we gather in Jared’s room, we plot out our plan of action.

“Let’s give them what they want,” Nathan suggests.

“And, what’s that?” Maggie searches.

“Be in front of their cameras,” he informs. “Let’s go shopping and eat lunch out on the town so they can have their fill of us for a few hours. Then, we can head home. They’ll probably leave us alone after that.”

“It’s possible,” Joe notes. “They usually are just looking for a few pictures they can use to spin a story. Once they have it, they’ll leave.”


We take two elevators side by side down the main floor of the casino once Hunter, Taylor and Deacon confirm that the cars are packed. Maggie, Henry, Pop-Pop and Joanna get in one elevator while Jared, Nathan, Joe and myself get into the other. When the doors open, visitors of the casino rush toward Jared, Nathan and me. Taylor and Caesar, my bodyguards, with Hunter and Luke, Joe’s bodyguards and Steve and Jesus, Jared and Nathan’s bodyguards block the mob’s access to us in front while the rest of our teams and Maggie’s and Henry’s follow up behind us.

A crowd quickly forms in front of us, screaming Jared’s, Nathan’s and my names. We smile and sign a few autographs as our guards press forward. Lights flash in every direction. It takes about thirty minutes to walk the distance to the lobby which is only about one hundred meters from the elevators. The crowd swarms around our vehicles as we get in, but the hotel staff is quick to aid our drivers to shift the mass of people out of the way.

Our chauffeurs park in a line out front a few boutiques that Maggie, Jared and Nathan want to check out. Each of the stores are happy to have any current customers leave the shop while the eight of us peruse their merchandise. After a little apprehension, Joanna starts to perk up and ooh and ahh over some of the outfits and accessories. Jared and Nathan make trying on clothes a game and everyone joins in, even Henry and Joe. We pick out different things for each other to try on. Then, Maggie finds a quaint little jewelry shop and we buy something that we see catches Joanna’s eye among a few things for ourselves.

“Ooo, I want to go in here,” Maggie announces freely, not caring who’s in earshot.

I look to Henry and Joe, who both look very uncomfortable with the idea. Joanna giggles and Pop-Pop mirrors Henry’s contention while Jared and Nathan eagerly follow Maggie and me into the store.