Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 101736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
“I don’t want to hear this,” he groaned.
“Too bad.” Troy’s tone was plain. “You’re going to.” He nodded his hello to Madison, dropped down to sit on the other side of the couch from her, and gestured to me as if to say, continue.
“We both tried to fight it,” I said. “I didn’t want to like her. I didn’t want to be so fucking into her . . . but it got to a place where I couldn’t control it anymore.” I gestured to his girlfriend and my voice turned sharp, cutting to the truth. “Tell me you don’t know what that’s like.”
His posture had been confrontational with his hands jammed in the back pockets of his jeans, but as soon as he considered what I meant, his hands dropped out to hang at his sides.
I gave him the most determined look I possessed. “Your ultimatum is dumb, and if you want to play stupid games, then you’re going to win stupid prizes.” My chest lifted with a deep breath. “I pick Sydney.”
Colin blinked. “What?”
Maybe he was bluffing or maybe not—I didn’t care. “She knows about my past and how I wasn’t always the greatest of guys. And as much as it confuses you—well, me too—she said she loves me anyway. So, you’re not going to stand in the way of that.”
He stared at me in utter disbelief, and when I didn’t budge, he tossed a glance at Troy. It screamed can you believe this guy?
Troy stared back with a fixed look. He’d had to deal with similar shit with his mom when he’d started dating Erika, so it hadn’t taken much to convince him to join Team Preston.
When Troy didn’t back him up, Colin looked pissed. “You’re willing to risk our friendship and everything on this?”
“On her? Yeah, I am.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I get why you don’t like it. You think I’m not going to treat her right or I’m not serious about it. But I promise I’m going to do my best, and doesn’t this show you how fucking serious I am?”
I glanced at Troy, who nodded like he could answer for Colin. Or maybe he was simply trying to support me.
“I know it’s too much to ask you to be happy for us,” I said, “but please. I’m asking you not to throw our friendship away just because I fell in love with your sister.”
I hadn’t even realized what I’d said until Madison gasped, and Colin stumbled back a half-step.
Oh, my god.
It had tumbled from my mouth without warning, but now that it was out, my shoulders felt lighter. The twisting unease in my stomach disappeared. It was like guilt was falling off me for confessing a secret I hadn’t even known I was keeping.
“You’re in love with her?” For the first time since Colin had learned about Sydney and me, he didn’t sound angry.
“Yes.”
“I knew it,” Troy gloated. “You should have heard him when I caught them together. He’s got it bad for her.” His tone was teasing. “It was almost kind of cute, but like . . . in a disgusting way.”
“Thanks for that,” I said dryly.
“No problem.” Troy relaxed back into his seat on the couch. “Now, you two make up and move past this, and when it comes time to plan my wedding, I expect to get a big discount.”
Something twisted in Colin’s expression. Part of him wanted to forgive me and move forward, but another part of him struggled. “You love my sister,” he stated. “I don’t know how to handle that.”
“You can do it,” I said. “Getting used to my dad and Cassidy together was weird, but I managed.” I swallowed a breath, giving him a moment to digest that before pushing forward. “I have an idea that might help, but it’s going to take some work and all three of us to pull it off, though.”
“He already pitched it to me,” Troy said. “And I’m in.”
Getting the guys on board was the first hurdle to overcome, and it would only get harder from here. I wouldn’t just need Troy and Colin, but also a shit-ton of luck too.
Curiosity peaked out at the edges of Colin’s expression, which was a good sign.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Sydney
My parents were ecstatic when they learned I’d broken up with Preston. My mom hadn’t made any attempt to hide her relief, and was so pleased, she didn’t notice I was heartbroken. In fact, she barely noticed I was upset.
I went upstairs to my room, called my friend Hailey, and as the story spilled from me, so did the tears. She tried to comfort me, but I could tell she was annoyed I’d kept it a secret from her, which was fair. Since she’d never really understood my high school crush on Preston, she seemed happy my relationship with him had run its course.