Chapter 24
Caydence
Nervous. Scared. Unsure. Those are all the things that I’m feeling right now as I stare at myself in the mirror.
He told me he loved me the other night, and I couldn’t say the words back to him. A part of me knows that I love him too, but there’s a part of me that still thinks this is all moving too fast.
My hair is done, makeup is perfect. The dress Devon got me fits like it was made for me, and all I can do is look at myself in the mirror. Who is this girl staring back at me? This isn’t the girl I remember. This one is different. Is that a good thing? I don’t know.
Devon walks into the bathroom in a tux that makes him look dangerous and delicious all at the same time. He steps up behind me and looks into the mirror above my head before his eyes fall to meet mine.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Do you ever feel like you don’t know yourself anymore? Like, somehow you’re not the same person as you used to be?” His hands come to rest on my shoulders as he watches me in the mirror.
“Things change. People change. We grow up. I think that’s about all there is to it. Why?”
“I just feel like I don’t know who I am anymore. Or who I’m supposed to be,” I confess.
“You are who you’re meant to be,” he responds.
“Which is?”
“Mine,” he growls. My stomach clenches at his words. Is that who I’m supposed to be? Devon’s? After everything he’s done?
A soft smile tugs across my face before he spins me to face him.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Let me prove it,” he says before crashing his lips against mine. He kisses me like I’ve never been kissed before. He shows me just how much I mean to him, how much he wants me, and when he pulls away, I feel a loss.
“Devon,” I murmur, but he cuts me off.
“What you felt right then? That’s me. That’s every part of me wanting you, needing you, craving you. That feeling is my heart yearning for yours, Caydence.”
“But …”
“No. No buts. I do what I do for you because I want to. I will keep doing what I do for you. Don’t you see that? You’re the only person who means anything to me, Caydence. Where you belong is with me. Who you are is mine.” I can’t argue with him because I don’t know what I’d even say. I feel it. I feel the deep connection between us, but there are still lingering doubts in the back of my mind. Doubts about what he’s done and if he’s going to do it again.
Deciding to leave it alone for now, I smile up at Devon. He leans in and presses his lips to mine once more before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the bathroom. We walk down thestairs and out to the waiting limo he reserved for us tonight. I climb in and sit down as he sits next to me.
“You like it?” he asks, motioning around.
“Never been in one. It’s a little weird,” I tell him.
“I never really liked them. My dad had one for a while, but it got old fast. I think if the mood is right, they can be nice. Like tonight.”
“You never told me what the gala was about,” I remind him. He grins, and I know that grin. He isn’t going to tell me either.
“That’s a surprise,” he says.
“Why? Doesn’t everyone else know?” He shakes his head.
“Nope. Most think it’s for the school or the team, but it’s not. Tonight I made it special,” he replies.
“How so?”
