Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
I cover my mouth with my hand. “I’m sorry, Harrison.” The anguish radiating from him becomes palpable, filling the air with an unspoken sorrow.
“I keep this crown with me because it reminds me of her. It’s silly, I know.”
I shake my head. “It’s not silly at all.”
“Well, now both my parents are gone, and I have nobody left in this world.”
My heart shatters at his words. “You have me,” I say, not even thinking about it. Because he does have me. Even if nothing romantic comes out of this whole thing, he’ll always have me by his side.
He smiles at me, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Do you mean that?”
I nod. “I do mean it. I know things are moving quickly between us, but I want you to know I’m always here as a friend.”
He glances down at the crown in his hands. “I don’t want to be friends with you, February.”
The sentiment makes my breath catch. “I don’t want to be friends either.” I want so much more with him. Yet, the haunting fear nestled within my chest threatens to overpower, causing a pain so profound that it threatens to bend me in two.
“Can I take you out on a real date?” he asks me, standing from the couch and setting the crown back on the shelf.
I respond with a nod, rising in tandem with him, my heart echoing a resounding, “Yes.”
Perched on the edge of my bed, Lennon inquires with a playful gleam in her eyes, “What are you going to wear?”
I grab a blue dress from the closet and hold it up in front of the full-length mirror in my room, seeking Lennon’s approval. “What about this?”
“I like that one. It goes good with your eyes.”
I toss it on the bed. “Or this one?” I grab a long red dress.
Lennon shakes her head. “That’s a bit too dressy. I like the blue one.”
I nod. “Okay, now which shoes?”
After another hour of getting ready, I’m finally ready to go. Lennon left what feels like eons ago, leaving me twisted in a tangle of nerves.
There’s a knock at my door, and I open it to see Harrison standing there with a handful of daisies in his hands.
“Wow,” he whispers.
I blush. “How did you know daisies were my favorite flower?”
He holds out the bouquet. “I saw a few photos of daisies in your shop.”
I take the flowers from his outstretched hand and feel a slight pang in my heart at the mention of my shop. I move toward my kitchen, Harrison following after me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to mention your shop.”
I shake my head, pulling down a vase from the top of my fridge. “No, it’s okay. Promise. These are beautiful,” I say, trying my best to sound upbeat. “I just don’t know if my shop will ever reopen.”
Harrison steps closer, reaching out to touch my arm. “Feb, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” But it’s not fine. I feel like my dreams are being run over by a Mac truck.
Harrison pulls me into his arms. “I want to fix this for you, but I don’t know how. You can open your shop in my shop.”
His words make me smile. “You’re too cute. God, I’m being so lame. We’re supposed to be having this great date, and here I am, a Debbie Downer, ruining the whole thing.”
He swipes a strand of hair from my face. “We can sit here all night crying over things, and I would still have the best night of my life.”
I could kiss this man. “That’s sweet, but I don’t believe you.”
“No?” He steps back, pushing up the sleeves of his button down, displaying his arm porn. “Let’s have a good cry.” He taps at his chin. “We could cry about the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. That gets me every time.”
“Because it’s so moving?”
He cracks a grin. “No, because it’s so terrible.”
“Oh, we could cry about squirrels.”
“Squirrels?”
“Yes, we can cry because there’s an overabundance of them in the world, and just not enough nuts to feed them all.”
“Is that true?”
I shrug. “I think I read a story about it. Maybe it was chipmunks.”
Harrison leans in, kissing my cheek. “If you want, we could grab dinner and have a good cry while doing it.”
“Or we can just talk about other things.”
“I love other things,” he says, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets.
Together we head out of my house after I give him a mini tour of the place, making sure I show him my prom queen picture back from high school. Once we’re on our way, Harrison lets me know we’re heading to a nice little restaurant in the heart of downtown—The Mad Vine.
I’ve always wanted to eat there, but Drake never wanted to venture out much.
Harrison grabs my hand as we drive, and the conversation flows easily. So much so, that by the time we make it to the restaurant, I feel like I know everything there is to know about Harrison Riggs.