CHAPTER TWELVE

 

 

The jade roller is cool against my cheek as Kali hums under her breath and leans toward me where I sit on my bathroom’s spacious vanity. My eyes are closed, but I can hear Liv nearby tossing my clothes over her shoulder from inside my closet and muttering to herself.

D-Day has arrived. My stomach is in knots simply thinking about it.

Boone will ring the doorbell any minute now, and I’ll have to sit there and listen to him tell me that he doesn’t want to fake-date me anymore and is getting back together with the real love of his life. At least I’d told him to meet on my own home turf to limit the humiliation.

“Eureka!” Liv cries from the closet. A second later, she scampers across the bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom to stand beside Kali. “Sutton, don’t you worry. I found the perfect outfit for you. It’s going to make Boone’s jaw hit the floor.”

“And your makeup is going to be flawless,” Kali chimes in proudly.

I slowly open my eyes and smile at my two besties.

“I can’t believe you guys are being so nice to me even after I tricked you,” I say, still in awe. “If I were you, I’d be so mad.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Kali says. “Girl, I know you. If Liv or I managed to put on a show like you did, you’d be downright impressed.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Liv agrees with a nod.

Laughing in spite of everything, I lean back against the mirror and let Kali finish gently rubbing moisturizer into my face before she starts applying makeup. We’d agreed on simple but gorgeous as the theme for my breakup fashion statement.

“I'm so glad I have you two in my life,” I whisper.

Kali squeezes one of my hands while Liv takes the other. For a minute we simply smile at each other. We’re so close that we can communicate without words. Nothing else needs to be said.

The comfortable silence continues as Kali applies my makeup. Then Liv helps me dress. In a pink skirt that comes to mid-thigh and a floaty, white blouse with sheer paneling, I’m a beautiful force to be reckoned with.

My two BFFs stand close to me, Liv’s chin on my shoulder and Kali’s cheek to mine as we look at the reflection of the mirror.

“You look amazing, girl,” Kali whispers.

“Thanks to the two of you,” I murmur before squeezing them tightly in a hug.

Downstairs, the doorbell chimes.

From where he’s lying on the floor, George lifts his head and lets out a bark while Coco blinks at me curiously. Even Chanel, the bunny, seems to know something’s up because she hops around in a small circle.

My breath immediately lodges in my throat. My tongue feels so heavy and dry behind my teeth that I’m not even sure I’m going to be able to talk to Boone at all. What if I just sit there looking like a fool while he breaks my heart?

I manage to take a deep breath and hold it in my lungs while I count to ten. My heart’s practically palpitating in my chest, but I need to stay calm and cool. I’ll let Boone say his piece while acting collected and confident. There’s no way I’m going to let him see how much I’m hurting.

It’s that simple. I don’t need a wishy-washy man in my life, even for a fake relationship.

Kali and Liv gaze after me as I leave the bedroom and head down the stairs. Jutting out my chin and pushing back my shoulders, I grasp the knob and pull open the door.

Sunlight spills inside, framing Boone’s athletic body in golden rays. He gazes down at me, his hands dug in the back pockets of his jeans, making his tee stretch tightly across his muscular chest. A slow smile crosses his mouth, but his eyes are full of woe. My knees start to quiver, but I force myself to stand tall. He doesn’t look like he’s slept much last night. His hair is a little mussed and he seems tired.

Join the club, buddy.

“Boone,” I say stiffly.

“Hey,” he says. “You look amazing, dar—”

Unable to bear hearing him say darlin’ one more painful time, I step out the door and close it behind me.

“You wanted to talk, Boone, so let’s go talk.”

With a hesitant nod, he follows me to the backyard of the house, which is mostly just an area of private beach decorated with an outdoor table, comfy chairs, and an oversized umbrella. Instead of allowing him the honor of sitting on any of our cozy chairs, I lead him right to the sand by the water and ease myself down onto the warm dunes. He joins me and for a little while we simply stare out at the ocean.

After a moment, he turns to me. I know the words he’s going to say even before they even leave his perfect, sweet lips.

“Darlin’,” he whispers huskily. “I can’t do this anymore. This has to end.”

Since yesterday, I’ve been bracing myself for that exact comment, but it still manages to hit me like a sucker punch.

I wince hard, grinding my teeth, but I refuse to break down. I lift my head, letting the sun warm my cheeks so that I don’t tear up again. I’d spent enough time crying last night. I won’t shed a tear today.

“I’m real sorry,” he continues quietly, but now I’ve heard enough. I don’t want an apology.

I whirl toward him, long dark hair flying over my shoulders, and fight the urge to scowl at him.

“I get that part, Boone. Really, I do. We agreed that we could end this relationship at any point. But how could you let me find out that you’re getting back together with your ex the way I did? How could you go out on a date with her and let everyone online rub it in my face? I know our relationship was fake, but did you have no real respect for me at all?”

Boone falls silent. His jaw goes slightly slack.

“I…” he stammers. “We…”

I hold up an angry hand, palm facing him. “I, we, nothing, mister. One of our commandments was to be honest and you broke that.”

“Sutton, I’m not getting back together with Lucy,” he interrupts swiftly. He turns in the sand, knees sinking slightly into the beach. His eyes are so earnest that it almost leaves me speechless. “You really think some other girl is the cause of this?”

Confusion swirls with the frustration building inside of me. “I saw the pictures of you two together.”

Boone shakes his head. His dark blond hair hangs into his eyes. “Yes, I was with Lucy last night, but we weren’t together, Sutton. She just got engaged. She wanted to tell me face to face.”

I blink at him in confusion.

“What…?” I whisper.

“Lucy and I ended up talking for a long, long time last night, but it was nothing underhanded. We talked about what it means to be happy and how much we’ve both changed and grown since leaving Texas. Lucy was sitting there telling me how sorry she was for cheating on me, but at the same time, she was glad that it happened because it led her to where she is now. And honestly, I agreed with her, because it led me to you, Sutton.”

My eyelashes flutter. I can’t remember how to breathe or swallow or move. I can hardly even remember how to speak. “Me?”

Boone leans toward me like he wants to touch me, but instead, he plants his hands in the sand in front of me.

“You want honest, I’ll give you honest. I’ve been falling for you from day one, darlin’,” he says. “You weren’t just some cute girl in a bar that needed help. You were just…you were just you. You’re so beautiful and funny and sassy and sweet and charming and confident. I wanted you then and I want you now, but I can’t fake this anymore. I have feelings for you, Sutton. I broke a rule. Maybe the most important one. And now, I don’t want to give you up because of it.”

Boone stares down at the sand, chin falling to his chest. His hands curl into wounded, tight fists.

I gaze at him, stunned beyond belief.

This whole time I was fighting feelings for Boone, he was doing the exact same thing? I had no idea.

“You’re too good at acting,” he continues weakly, eyes still down at the sand. “The line between what’s real and fake got too blurred for me. I can’t have my arms around you, my lips on yours, and not have you belong to me heart and soul, Sutton. I thought I could handle it. I thought I could hide my feelings, but I simply can’t anymore.”

My heart squeezes in my chest.

“It wasn’t fake for me, either,” I whisper, the words leaving my mouth before I can even think of stopping them. “None of it was, Boone.”

He lifts his head sharply. But instead of his eyes meeting mine, he gazes dazedly out at the ocean for a moment, blinking hard and shaking his head as if he thinks the sound of crashing waves has messed with his hearing before he slowly turns back toward me.

“Sutton, are you saying…?” he whispers, voice shaking faintly.

Despite my earlier promise, tears pool in the corners of my eyes. But this time, they aren’t tears of sadness. They’re tears of pure joy.

“I’m saying I’ve been trying to act like I'm not truly falling for you, Boone, but the truth is that I knew I was in trouble from the first minute we met,” I tell him. “You think any girl would be able to resist your handsome face, cute accent, and charming chivalry? Of course, I fell for you. I fell so hard that I’d rather be with you in a fake relationship than be without you for a minute.”

A faint roar of shock and joy rumbles through Boone. He gently cups my face and rests his forehead on mine. I can feel his hands shaking, but my whole body is vibrating, too.

“I want to be with you, darlin’,” he says, his breath warm on my lips. “I want to be with you for real—forever. All you have to do is say yes.”

“Yes!” I answer immediately. “As if I could ever even think of saying no.”

He chuckles and the sound is music to my ears. He pulls me close, arms circling me, and I melt into his strong chest. He tips my head up toward his, mouth finding mine once more.

Though we’ve already kissed, this sweet smooch sends shockwaves of joy rippling through me like I’ve never felt before. This time, the kiss is the promise with new beginnings and real joy. There’s nothing fake about it.

Our relationship might’ve started out full of lies, but the honest truth is that we were meant for one another all along.