He picks up another roller and comes to join me. His proximity has my nerve endings on high alert, along with other unmentionable parts of my body.
“Speaking of suggestions, I think I have one for that bucket list of yours.”
“Oh, yeah?”I’ve only ever told my parents about the list. Not because it’s a big secret, but because, well, I just haven’t really had anyone to tell. The thought of Rowan being the first person outside of my parents to know has those butterflies taking flight in my belly again. Even more excited to hear his suggestion.
“I’ve always thought it would be cool to go bungee jumping.”
“We should do it!”I say before I have a chance to think about what I’m suggesting. Once my words fully register, I want to literally facepalm my own damn forehead.
To give him credit, he smiles gracefully, like he’s gearing up to let me down gently.
“That sounds fun, Daredevil.”
“What?”I ask, utterly shocked that he’s even entertaining this crazy idea of mine.
He chuckles once again, his eyes crinkling playfully. He reaches out, his elbow gently shoves me in my side when I just stand there dumbstruck and wordless.“I said I’m in.”
I gulp, and my head starts to shake back and forth.“You don’t have to. I didn’t ask you so you would feel obligated. I just— I just—”I stutter for the first time in my entire life.Fuck me.
“I want to.”His eyebrows pull together as he watches me make a complete idiot of myself.“That is, if the invitation still stands.”
“Yes,”I whisper. Pure excitement floods my system at the thought of marking something off my bucket list—and with none other than Rowan Pierce.
Oh, holy shitballs.
This is either going to be the best or the worst idea I’ve ever had.
There’s only one way to find out.
Chapter Six
Millie
“You agreed todo what? And with whom?”Dad asks with his fork halfway to his mouth. The beef tenderloin Mom made for dinner is barely hanging onto the fork, and his jaw looks like it just came unhinged from the socket with how quickly it dropped.
“Bungee jumping, with Rowan Pierce.”
“You keep saying words, but they aren’t making any sense. Who is Rowan Pierce?”he asks as he finally puts his fork down, saving his pants from beef tenderloin that was surely about to drop on them.
“I met him at the house-building site. He’s my age—well, actually, I don’t know that for a fact, but he looks like he is.”
“You can’t be serious right now,”Mom says, astonished.
“What’s wrong? I think it’ll be fun, and isn’t it good to have someone going with me?”
Dad is already shaking his head.“Not when it’s a complete stranger. I mean, your mother and I haven’t even met him.”
“And since when is bungee jumping on your bucket list?”Mom asks.
She has me there.“It wasn’t, but when he suggested it, I knew it needed to be. When I asked him if he wanted to join me, he said yes. It’s really that simple.”
“Simple?” Dad repeats.
I nod,“I know you’re freaked out that you don’t know who this guy is, but isn’t it time you guys trusted me? You can’t protect me forever, you know.”
“We can’t?”Mom asks rather sassily, at the same time Dad says,“It’s not that we don’t trust you.”
“If it’s not about trust, what is it?”
