I hug my mom around the shoulders, and in her ear, I whisper, “Remember what I said. I’m not marrying her.”
She stiffens in my grasp but doesn’t say anything. Probably because the Kenzys are here, and she doesn’t want them to know what I’ve proclaimed. Knowing her, she’ll probably try to make this work despite my protests. But I won’t have it. I want to date Avery, and I can’t do that with Dorothy chained to my future.
I shake my father’s hand and say farewell to the Kenzy family, and then Dustin and I are leaving the golf course. Dorothy looked slightly put off that I’m leaving, but I can’t do anything about that.
Fresh air greets us outside, and Dustin says nothing to me as we get in the car and drive away. But that all changes once the golf course is in the rearview mirror.
“Man, that was awkward as hell. Is that why you brought me along? To endure the shit show with a friend?”
“Sorry,” I grumble under my breath, holding my steering wheel a little too tightly.
“No, it’s fine. I get it.”
“If I would have known?—”
“I said it’s fine, Reid.” He blows out a breath. “I thought the last time I met them and your mother pretended I didn’t exist was hard enough. This topped the cake.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, my mind reeling.
“That Dorothy girl was into you though. She was checking out your muscles.” He pokes my pec, and I slap his hand away.
“She’ll find someone else if she is.”
“You’re really not going to marry her?”
I shake my head.
“What changed?” he asks, his tone serious.
Glancing at him for a second, I decide how to answer him. There’s no real way to tell him the truth.
My silence must speak volumes because he sighs. “This is about that girl you slept with, isn’t it?”
I shrug.
“Sarah, right? Have you seen her since that night?”
I nod, deciding to give him truths to the questions I can answer. “We share a class.”
“And?” he presses. “How did it go? Does she like you as much as you like her?”
I nod again. “Though she refuses to admit it. She thinks I’m too much like her ex.”
He laughs out loud. “You have your work cut out for you then.”
Rubbing my forehead, I answer, “Yeah, I sure do. And I have no idea what to do.”
“Just keep after her, man. She’ll come around.”
God, I hope so. I didn’t just stand up to my parents for nothing. If only she could see how serious I am about her.
CHAPTER 11
AVERY MOORE
I all butflop down onto the couch, my backpack slumping to the floor between me and the coffee table. I’m exhausted, and all I want to do is sleep for the next century.
My last class of the day was Spanish, and again, Reid sat next to me. Okay, so maybe it gave me the tingles that he chose me over his friend. But it shouldn’t. Traitorous body. Traitorous heart.
