Page 6

“Go get your girl, honey!” my mother calls out as I leave our house and cross the yard.

Rolling my eyes, I jump in my truck and try not to speed as I travel the two-mile distance to the Riley residence, a house I’ve visited many times over the years. But this is the first time I’ve ever been this nervous to go there.

I don’t even have a corsage or flowers.

Fuck, now I’m sweating.

This is so not me—showing up unannounced, acting on impulse.

All the times I’ve thought about how I’d have this conversation, I envisioned us in the bed of my truck in our field. I would reach for her hand, pull her close to me, cup the side of her face, and tell her that I don’t want to be just her friend anymore. That I want to kiss her, hold her, and see if there’s a future for us beyond our friendship.

Sighing, I turn on her street and notice the house up ahead, both stories fully lit up and the wraparound porch gleaming.

The Riley house is huge to accommodate their family of seven, but the only window I’ve ever noticed from the outside is dark as I pull into the driveway.

Fuck, I hope I’m not too late.

I slam my truck door shut and hurry up the porch steps. As I lift my hand to knock on the front door, it swings open, revealing Elodie on the other side.

“Easton?” The surprise in her voice is alarming, but I fight to ignore it.

“Hey, El. Is Lennon around?” Clearing my throat, I continue. “I, uh—I need to talk to her.”

Elodie’s eyes fill with something I can’t decipher, but as soon as she moves out of the way and I see who’s standing behind her, it becomes clear as day.

Regret.

That’s what I saw in her eyes.

Lennon’s laugh fills the room as she reaches for Justin’s hand, weaving their fingers together. “All right, Mom. Enough with the pictures.”

“If you think I’ll ever stop taking pictures, you’re sadly mistaken, Lennon,” Ava Riley says before her eyes drift over to me.

But I only see her from my peripheral vision because I can’t move my gaze from Lennon standing there next to her ex-boyfriend.

“Easton…” Elodie whispers, breaking through my haze.

I blink a few times and finally connect with her eyes. “What the fuck, Elodie?” I grate out just loud enough that she can hear me.

“He just…showed up,” she whispers back.

“What are you two whispering about?” Lennon asks.

Elodie grabs my hand and spins around to face her best friend, plastering on a fake smile. “Easton decided to ride to prom with us!”

Lennon’s smile is instant, but it does nothing to bring light to the darkness I feel filling up the center of my chest. “Oh, perfect! It wouldn’t be prom night without both of my best friends.”

Justin meets my eyes as I direct my attention over to him. “Joy,” he grumbles.

“The feeling is mutual, dickface,” I fire back.

Lennon swats my chest. “Be nice, Easton. Justin apologized for the breakup and we’re giving things another shot. Right, Justin?” She rubs his chest through his dress shirt.

Justin’s slimy smile makes me want to punch it right off his fucking face—again. “That’s right, babe.”

Ava claps her hands, breaking through the tension. “You’d all better get a move on if you don’t want to be late.”

Bruce, Lennon’s dad, enters the main living area from the kitchen, dangling his van keys on his fingers. Having five kids requires a vehicle that can fit the entire family. Even though Lennon and her youngest sister, Nora, are the only ones left at home now, it makes sense that he would use it to drive us to the school. “Let’s go, kiddos. My wife and I have a hot date tonight.”