“I don’t need to be presented, Hallie. It’s just Leo,” Willa mutters. I smile, and Wren returns it, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
“She’ll learn,” Wren says. “It’s always easier to just let them do their thing than it is to argue with them.” I smile and shake my head, but don’t argue. I can see how that would be the case, for sure.
“Can you just let me have this?” Hallie says, then opens the door to Willa’s bedroom and pokes her head out, giving me a grin. “He looks hot.”
“Oh my god,” Willa whines. “Can you guys be normal?”
“No. Now come on, let’s go!” Nat says, then pushes Hallie out of the room. She tries to close the door behind her, but Willa’s hand moves out, a fire-red nail polish on her fingers. I stare at them, blinking and trying to remember if she’s ever worn anything but nude polish as long as I’ve known her.
“You guys are being ridiculous. I have a date to go on!”
“I know; we’ve spent the whole day preparing you,” Nat says, but steps aside so Willa can step out of the bedroom, and all thoughts of her nails leave my mind.
I get, then, why she wanted to present her…Nat completed a full transformation. Not in a bad way, and not in an unrecognizable way, but it’s almost as if the shield is not just temporarily lowered, as I’ve seen more and more over the weeks, but it’s gone altogether.
Her hair is down in loose curls, with bright makeup applied with a light hand on her face, a pretty pink blush across hercheeks and nose. And her hair isn’t just down: it’s changed. Instead of her icy blonde locks that Jackie insists fit the brand, it’s a softer, slightly deeper shade of blonde that, in an instant, I can see suits her so much better. It’s a few inches shorter, though her hair was so long before that it’s still long, the ends brushing past her breasts.
She’s wearing a reddish-orange dress that skims her knees, held up by thin straps at the shoulders, and a pair of white sneakers. I’ve never seen her in the color, but it looks absolutely perfect on her.
She looks nothing like Willa Stone, the pop star, but everything likemy Willa.
“Wow,” I whisper, taking her in.
“Oh, we did well,” Nat murmurs, a smile in her voice, but I don’t break my gaze from Willa as I continue to take in every beautiful inch of her.
“Hell yeah,” Hallie says.
“Yeah,” Wren murmurs, a hopeless romantic sigh in her voice.
“Do I look okay?” Willa asks nervously, white teeth biting into a full, pink bottom lip, and I finally step forward, three long strides until I’m in her space and pulling her into me.
“You’ve never looked more gorgeous,” I whisper.
I watch her lips part before a million arguments cross her face. She wants to tell me that I’ve seen her in designer gowns, one-of-a-kind masterpieces made only for her, winning awards and playing arenas for tens of thousands of people, but I stop her before she can speak her objections aloud. “Never, Willa.”
“Wow,” Nat whispers, a quiet awe I don’t think she experiences often in her tone.
“Well, we’ll just be leaving,” Wren says, pulling my attention from Willa for a moment. She gives her friends a pointed look, then tips her head to the side before grabbing Hallie’s arm.
“Right. But I want an update tomorrow!” Hallie says, waving at us as she moves out the door.
“And we’re going shopping next week! I don’t care if you two are fucking like bunnies, take a minute away. Your vagina will need a break!” Nat calls, narrowing her eyes as she walks backward.
“Dear god, Nat,” Wren murmurs.
Willa laughs, shaking her head, and the prettiest blush burns over her cheeks. “Bye, guys!”
“Use protection!” Hallie yells.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Nat calls, and then the door slams behind them.
I turn back to my girl. She still has a soft, happy smile on her lips. Finally, I dip my head and press my lips to hers, soft and sweet, forcing myself to leave it at that, knowing we have plans for the evening. She melts into my hold, and I smile into the kiss before breaking it.
“You good?” I ask. “If they were too much?—”
“No, no. I’m good. They’re intense, but they’re good people. They feel… genuine, which I haven’t had much of in my life.” I know exactly what she means, because it seems like everyone in Holly Ridge is that way.
“Ready to go?” Her eyes are a bit dazed, but her pink lips tip, and she nods.
