Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 133655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
My mind flits back to last year, when I was standing right here, watching Julia the same way. I knew I loved her then. I just hadn’t told her yet. Hell, I even kissed her that night and called it a best-friend kiss because I was too much of a fucking coward to tell her the truth.
But now, she’s mine. And I get to kiss her every damn night. Every morning. Every chance I get.
Thank fuck.
Behind me, the deck creaks with new arrivals, and I pray to the fire marshall and whoever constructed it that it can handle the load. I glance back and see Gunnar strutting toward the drinks table like he owns the place. He grabs a glass of lemonade and hands it to Finn’s sister Willow like it was his idea all along.
“Seriously?” Evie huffs from her spot in the shade. “What about me?”
“You have legs, don’t you?” Gunnar shrugs, already walking away.
Evie flips him off.
Before she can rise out of her chair in dramatic teenage fury, Reece—Finn’s eldest brother—slides a glass of lemonade in front of her like it’s nothing.
“Thank you,” she says sweetly, her voice gone soft as she stares up at him like he’s the fucking sun and the moon and the stars. It’s a teenage fantasy daydream happening right in front of my eyes, and I find myself blinking hard to make it go away.
Slow your roll, Evie. Reece is definitely too old for you.
I turn my attention back to the lake. Scottie and Finn are joined by Blake and Lexi, but there’s no sign of my girl. I start scanning the waterline, frowning.
Where the hell did she go?
Arms wrap around my waist from behind, soaking the back of my shirt. “Hey, roomie,” the voice of the girl of my dreams whispers against my spine.
I turn to find Julia grinning up at me, soaked and glowing.
“Hey, roomie,” I say, brushing her wet hair off her face.
“Don’t you want to come swim with me?”
“I was enjoying the show from here. Very Baywatch, Jules.”
She laughs. “Were you watching me like a stalker again?”
“You know it, babe.”
She plants a kiss on my chest. “Well, now that I’m up here, I think I’ll make a sandwich.”
“Nope.” I scoop her into my arms. “You’re gonna sit your cute little ass right here while I go make you one. The AC is cranked in there. You’ll freeze your tits off.”
She rolls her eyes but melts into the chair I lower her into.
But as I head toward the door, it swings open and out walk Jack and Travis Hayes. But they’re not alone. There’s a girl following behind them. A girl I’ve never seen before. She’s petite, brown-eyed, and nervous as hell, glancing around like she’s one deep breath away from bolting.
Jack and Travis are too busy arguing over God only knows what to introduce her, but Julia doesn’t miss a beat.
My girl stands and smiles. “Hi, I’m Julia.”
“Piper,” the girl says, reaching out. “Hi.”
“Oh shit,” Jack mutters. “Everyone, this is Piper.”
Piper smiles awkwardly but also elbows Jack in the stomach.
Jack chuckles and wraps his arm around Piper’s shoulders. “Piper just transferred to Dickson, so Trav and I have taken her under our wing.”
Piper smiles up at Jack like a girl who really likes Jack.
“I’m currently trying to talk Piper into being our roommate next year,” Travis chimes in, and now Piper is smiling at Travis like a girl who really likes Travis. “We have the extra space in our apartment, and the dorms are all filled.”
“You do not have the space,” Piper says quietly. “One of you would be sleeping on the couch all year.”
Travis shrugs and smiles. “I already told you, babe, I don’t mind.”
“I also don’t mind,” Jack adds.
I look toward Julia, my mind a little confused on what the arrangement is here and if we’re about to be in the middle of a Why Choose-style romance, but when Julia discreetly widens her eyes at me, I know I’m not the only one.
Eventually, Jack and Travis lead Piper down to the lake, where everyone else is located, and Julia moves as close to me as she possibly can, whispering, “What the hell was that?”
“No idea, Jules.” I shake my head and run a hand through my hair as I watch the trio head for the lake. “But it seems like Dickson is going to be interesting this year.”
She snorts. “Let’s hope those boys don’t take a page from your book and start fires in their apartment.”
I laugh. “Jules, honey, it feels like they’re already playing with fire as we speak.”
She rolls her eyes and stands up on her tippy-toes to kiss my lips. “So…about that sandwich?”
I kiss her again. “I’m on it.”
“I sure do love a man who knows his place in the kitchen,” she teases, giving me a light smack on the ass before sitting back down.