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)
I swoop in, closing the inches between us, and that first touch is a bolt of pure voltage, shooting through my veins.
Her gasp tangles with my groan, proving she feels it too.
It tears down every wall we’ve ever built, leaving nothing but the raw truth we’ve been fighting our whole lives.
My hands sink into her hair, anchoring her as I drink her in.
She presses closer, like she can’t get enough either.
Somewhere in the distance, the church bells chime midnight—each toll sinking into my skin—marking the exact moment Harlow Hayes ruined me forever.
We’re lost in the recklessness of it all, in the heat, the tension…until a voice cuts through the night, shattering the moment.
“Harlow, get down here!” her father bellows from somewhere below, his furious voice slicing through the air. “I know you’re up there; I tracked your phone.”
She jerks back like the words physically struck her, breath catching in her throat.
For a long moment, all we do is stare at one another, both of us caught in the charged silence as we process the magnitude of what just took place.
“I mean it, young lady. Don’t make me come up there,” her father calls again.
Her eyes shut briefly, shoulders sagging under the weight of defeat. “I better go,” she whispers, her voice barely grazing the space between us.
I catch her wrist before she can move, my thumb pressing into her pulse. “You sure it’s safe? He still sounds pretty pissed.”
Her gaze softens, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through. “Yeah. Don’t worry. He’d never hurt me, at least not physically.”
But emotionally is a different story. She doesn’t need to say it; it’s written all over her face.
She starts to slip off my sweater, but I stop her with a hand on her arm.
“Keep it. I’ll get it later.”
She looks up, voice tentative. “You sure?”
I nod.
A small, grateful smile touches her lips. “Thanks.”
She stands, brushing the dirt from her bottom, then heads for the trail.
Every stride takes her further away from me, each step carrying the weight of finality with it, as if the night itself is being erased, and something inside me panics.
“Harlow,” I call out.
She pauses, glancing over her shoulder.
“Don’t leave without saying goodbye, okay?”
The faintest smile touches her lips, a shadow of the girl I’ve always known. “I won’t,” she promises, tugging lightly at the hem of my hoodie. “I have to return this, remember?”
I return her smile, despite the unease knotting in my gut. “Right.”
Without another word, she disappears into the night, leaving a hollow ache in my chest.
Regardless of her promise, she left without saying goodbye, and it would be three long years before I saw her again.
It hit like a sucker punch to the chest, but it also came with a valuable lesson—one that had me vowing to never let my guard down around Harlow Hayes again.
What neither Linc nor Harlow realized…is that night, beneath Heart Mountain’s peak, something irrevocable had taken shape. Something that had begun years earlier, forged in the fires of meaningless banter and harmless pranks, only to be mistaken for hate.
The truth is, love isn’t always born from a place of comfort; sometimes it’s woven from the ashes of conflict and rivalry. One powerful enough to transform not only hearts, but the very course of one’s destiny.
Everyone has a dream at some point in their life. For some, it might be taking that once-in-a-lifetime trip, exploring all the beauty the world has to offer. For others, it could be finding the perfect place to call home, or embarking on an adventure that changes everything.
For me, the dream has always been the same: to become a wedding planner. Not just any wedding planner, but one who creates pure magic.
While other little girls my age played with Barbies, I was busy planning weddings—sometimes even my own. I’ve imagined that day in vivid detail, mapped out every beautiful moment. The dress, the flowers, the music…everything except the face of my Prince Charming. That part has always been a mystery, and still is to this day, but that’s okay, because I got my dream. I became that wedding planner, just like I always imagined, and I love it. Love the way I get to take an ordinary day and turn it into something unforgettable, a moment people carry with them long after the clock strikes midnight.
The happily ever after might not be guaranteed. But the magic of that day? The memory? That will last forever. And that’s exactly what you get when booking with me, Harlow Hayes, your very own Fairy Godmother of Ever After Events.
Today’s wedding is no exception. The bride is glowing as she adds the final touches in the bridal suite, the groom has a grin that hasn’t wavered all morning, like he’s just hit the jackpot. Every detail is unfolding exactly as planned. Yet, as I stand here, clipboard in hand, overseeing the last-minute adjustments before the ceremony begins, something darkens the moment.