Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
I cross my arms, fighting the heat crawling up my neck. “Did Maddie bail on you already, or are you just making your rounds?”
His smirk falters, but only slightly.
“We parted ways.”
“Parted ways?” My eyebrows lift, though this is not new information. I’ve spotted her several times near the DJ booth, flirting and taking selfies, Easton nowhere nearby. “What does that mean?”
I want to hear him say it.
He steps closer, raising his voice so I can hear him above the thrum of music and laughter. “After Maddie realized I wanted to be here with you, she told me to find you and…you know. Tell you how I feel and stuff.”
Tell you how I feel and stuff? The words hit me like a gust of wind, knocking me off kilter.
“Maddie told you to find me?” My voice is laced with disbelief. That sounds so unlike her. Unkind. Bratty. Selfish—that’s the Maddie I’m familiar with.
“I might have driven here with her, but we were talking in the car and I told her…”
He clears his throat.
My heartbeat skips.
Be still, my heart! Is this the moment?
Is Easton about to confess he likes me?
“I told her it’s you,” he says simply. “I want you, Harper. I want to see you smile like you did when we were working on those stupid cardboard knights—not stare me down like you want to murder me. I want to make you laugh. I didn’t want…to go the entire night having you ignore me.”
“Who says I was going to ignore you?” I scoff, but my voice comes out shakier than I’d like. “That would be immature.”
My chin tilts up slightly, defiance written all over me. I am not the immature one here.
“I’m not here to argue with you—I’m here to borrow you. I have a surprise, but you have to trust me.”
“Borrow me?” I narrow my eyes at him, doing that murder-him-with-my-eyes thing he mentioned, toes tapping against the hardwood floor. “As in a kidnapping?”
He throws his head back, laughing, and I can’t help but notice the way his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows. It’s a subtle tell, but one of the little details I’ve learned about him over the past two weeks—one that betrays him when he’s nervous or anxious.
“We started with blackmail. Why not kidnapping? Though, no,” he says. “Pretty sure you would kick my ass if I kidnapped you.”
“Damn straight I would.”
“You have to leave with me to see the surprise.” He steps closer. “Do you trust me?”
My heart skips.
Do I trust him?
The question hangs between us, charged with the weight of all our recent bad decisions. Their consequences.
I glance around the gym at the vibrant dresses. Guys in suits and tuxedos. The loud music. The sparkling decorations…Everyone is lost in their own world. No one would miss me if I left, except perhaps Macy, and she would be the first person to shove me toward the exit.
What’s the worst thing that could happen?
I’m curious.
Enough so that when Easton extends his hand, palm up, I look down at it and begin reaching for it. His eyes never leave mine.
“Let me prove to you that I’m not a dickhead. Please.”
Against all logic and self-preservation instincts, I slide my hand into his. His grip is warm and firm in mine, and for a moment, I bask in our closeness.
“Fine,” I say, my nod slow and deliberate. “But if this ends with me feeling like a fool, I will hold it against you forever.”
His grin widens as he leans in, brushing my cheek with a quick kiss. “Deal.”
Before I can overthink it, I thread our fingers together as he leads me out the door. Across the parking lot.
Straight to a shiny black car I don’t recognize.
My heart flutters, threatening to burst from my chest. This is maddeningly romantic, and I hate love hate how much trouble I’m already in!
Guh!
“Where are you taking me?” I ask nervously, busying myself by buckling my seat belt. The road is quiet as he begins the journey, lit only by the glow of the streetlights, and my nerves tangle with excitement as I watch our little town pass through the window.
“You’ll see.”
Eventually, I realize he’s turned down his street.
Then I realize that not only are we on his street—we’re pulling into his driveway.
I glance over at him, confused. “Did you forget something?”
Easton gives me a cryptic smile and cuts the engine. “Trust.”
I open my door and step out as he rushes around to my side to offer his hand, smoothing my dress as I follow him toward the house. My heels click against the pavement, and I try not to trip on anything in the dim light as we head to the side of the house.
We walk past trash cans, recycling bins, and a riding mower before I stop in my tracks, breath catching in my throat.