“No,” Gram said. “Nothing like that.You were just scared. And if he really cares about you, then he’ll understand that.”
“Do you really think so?” Jillian asked, pulling back to look her grandmother in the eyes.
“I really do,” Gram said, nodding. “But you did hurt him, my love.”
“So I can’t go small,” Jillian said to herself, an idea forming.
“Oh my,” Gram said. “I just meant you should make sure he knows you’re not proud of yourself for running away.”
“I’ll make sure he knows,” Jillian said, suddenly knowing to her bones that she had the perfect idea. “He might not be ready to talk to me. But he’s not going to have to wonder if I want to talk to him.”
21
TRIPP
Tripp stood in the farmhouse kitchen, watching the kids model their clothes for the formal and pose for photos together.
Tag’s daughter Olivia looked on, laughing as Dulcie’s little sister Delphine and her best friend, Sadie Fournier posed for selfies. The two were going without dates, which Tripp thought was a pretty good idea for a pair of sixteen-year-olds, especially when one was basically his niece.
Cash’s son, Cody, was pinning a rose to Annika Corbin’s dress, his hands practically shaking.
Cody and Annika were juniors, and they had been best friends since the year Cody and Bella moved to town. But Tripp was pretty sure there was a lot more to their feelings than friendship these days.
I hope he doesn’t get his heart stomped on,Tripp thought darkly before he could stop himself.
But Cody and Annika weren’t Tripp and Jillian. Theywere still young and innocent. Everything would turn out just right for the two of them, if it was meant to.
The front door opened.
“Shoes,” everyone yelled.
A moment later, Levi Andrews appeared, looking very sharp in a tux with a turquoise bow tie that perfectly matched Olivia’s dress.
“Whose limo is that out there?” he asked.
“Limo?” Cody echoed.
The kids all scrambled for the front door, in a hurry to see what all the fuss was about.
“Whoa, Olivia,” Levi said as they headed down the hall. “You look incredible.”
Tripp couldn’t help noticing Olivia’s cheeks go pink as she took Levi’s hand and headed down the hall with the others.
“Did you send a limo?” Tripp asked his brother, Cash, who was sitting at the kitchen table with a few of the other adults. Cash was a bit of a rock star, and though you might not believe it these days to look at him, he did still have rock star money.
“Not me,” Cash said. “I didn’t even know we had a limo company around here.”
“Uncle Tripp,”Olivia yelled from the front door.“I think you better come out here.”
“What is it now?” Tripp mumbled, heading down the hall to where the kids were all gathered out on the front porch.
As he got closer, he could hear music playing.
The kids sort of giggled at him as they made room on the porch so he could step outside.
The scene awaiting him on the front lawn was so unexpected that for a few seconds, he just stood there, unable to process what he was seeing.
Levi was right—there was an enormous limo parked right in the middle of the gravel driveway.
