Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Linc smirks, eyes catching the faint glow between us. “Remember when a bunch of us would come down here, and dare each other to jump in?”
“Every summer,” I say, the memory tugging at me. “Half the high school would be packed onto these docks.”
He leans on the paddles, grin widening. “Did you ever do it?”
“No way. I wasn’t stupid like the rest of you.”
He laughs, not offended in the least by that statement.
“But I’ll never forget the night Matthew Shepherd shoved me in,” I grumble, my words bitter. “Scraped my knees up bad.”
It still burns just thinking about it. I was so pissed I wanted to drive his truck straight into the lake.
“I remember hearing about that.” Linc’s voice drops, edged with something darker. “I socked the bastard good for it.”
The words hit like a shock, freezing me in place.
My head tips, eyes studying him. “You’re lying.”
“Honest to god.” He lifts a hand, palm out. “Ask Gunnar. He was with me.”
I wait for that telltale smirk, the crack in his expression that always gives him away, but it never comes. “You’re serious?”
He nods.
“Why?” the question comes out softer than I expect.
“Because he hurt you,” he says, as if the answer is that simple. “I wasn’t going to let him get away with that.”
My heart bursts, flooding every corner of my chest, bearing a truth I can no longer deny.
All these years I convinced myself Linc Masters was the villain of my story, when the truth is, he’s been the hero all along.
“Besides,” he adds, leaning forward with that cocky smirk, “no one’s allowed to hurt your feelings but me.”
A laugh slips out, tangled with the emotion he just unleashed. “You just had to ruin the moment, didn’t you?”
He doesn’t even try to look sorry about it. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
Even when he’s impossible, he still manages to pull a smile out of me. “Well, just for that, you’re never getting your hoodie back.”
His brows lift, disbelief flashing across his features. “Don’t tell me you still have that thing.”
“Yep.” My voice is light, though the memory behind it isn’t. “I thought about torching it after I left that day, but then I felt bad since you probably weren’t the one who paid for it. So, I kept it and wore it whenever I felt like it. Figured it would piss you off if you ever found out.”
Actually, I used to wear it when I missed home, because even the familiarity of our rivalry felt like something worth holding onto.
He doesn’t bite back at my satisfaction like I expect. He’s watching me now, something quieter taking shape in his expression.
“I was kidding, Masters. You can have it back.”
He shakes his head, his voice rough with something I can’t name. “I don’t want it back…but I’d like to see you in it.”
The heat in his gaze cuts through me, sparking low and deep until the rest of the world fades to static. Before I can find my voice, a crackle sounds over the distant speakers, announcing the countdown will begin soon.
“We’ll pull up here.” Linc angles the canoe into a quiet pocket of the lake, slowing the oars until we drift to stillness. Then he reaches down, lifting the lantern at his feet, and holds it out to me.
“You don’t want to release it?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I got it for you, Goldilocks.”
My heart warms as I take the lantern from him. Our fingers brush in the exchange, barely a touch, but it sends a current racing through me, the kind that lingers, the kind I’ll feel long after tonight fades.
“You’ll need to give it a little push when you let go,” he murmurs.
I nod, cradling the lantern carefully between us.
The countdown swells from the shore, voices rising in unison, carrying across the water.
“Ten. Nine. Eight…”
My pulse skips with each number, thudding in my chest as I hold Linc’s gaze.
“Three. Two. One.”
I release the lantern with a gentle push, my head tipping back as I watch it drift upward.
It climbs slow and sure, rising to join all the others already afloat. Together they form a constellation, like a cluster of golden fireflies chasing the stars.
On instinct, I ease onto my back across the padded bench, my eyes fixed skyward, chest swelling with a sense of magic I haven’t felt in years.
Linc doesn’t speak. He only watches me, as if knowing I need every second of this.
For several moments, there’s only silence, filled with the faint lap of water against the canoe.
Until I break it.
“If I ever get married…I want it to look just like this.” The thought slips out, soft as the night around us. “By the lake. Under the stars. Quiet. Private…”
Linc leans back, the paddle resting across his knees. “Tell me about it, Goldilocks.” His voice come out low and thoughtful. “What does a wedding planner’s dream day look like?”