Page 86 of Blush Crush

He gives me a slow nod, rolling his lips together like he’s not sure what to say.

“I’ll go put these in some water,” I tell him before spinning away. “You can come in,” I call out as I walk to the kitchen to grab the vase under my sink.

As I fill the vase and toss in the little packet of flower preservative, Cole wanders around my small apartment.

It occurs to me he’s never been beyond the foyer until now.

While I unwrap the bouquet from the plastic wrap and trim the stems, I hear him move about, not being the least bit sneaky about the fact that he’s snooping.

“Find anything interesting?” I call out through a laugh.

“Just this little guy,” Cole says in a weird baby voice, closer than I guessed he was.

I turn around to find Duchess in his arms looking less than pleased.

“She,” I correct him. “Her name is Duchess.”

The two look at each other, almost as if Duchess understands they’re being introduced. He gently grabs one of her paws and shakes it. “I’m Cole, but you can call me Daddy.”

My head falls back, laughter bubbling out of me. It’s all so ridiculous.

Duchess jumps out of Cole’s hold and literally runs away from him.

“She’ll come around.” He shrugs. “I’m hard to resist.”

I finish arranging the roses in the vase and set them on the counter where I can see them from the living room, and then I grab my coat and bag and we head out.

I stare out the window as Cole drives us to his parents’ house, the bare vineyards flying past us.

“Anything you want to talk about or go over before we get there?” Cole asks, breaking the silence.

I shake my head, glancing over at him. “I feel like we’ve been doing a pretty convincing job, but maybe I’m being overly confident.”

He nods. “No, you’re right. Everyone at the lake house seemed to buy it.”

I think I even bought it for a moment there.

The intrusive thought hits me in an instant and sneaks under my skin.

I know it’s fake. My brain knows that. But sometimes I think my body forgets. Because when we’re kissing and doing other…things, it feels a lot less fake.

And I haven’t forgotten that brief moment in the hallway where Cole admitted he wasn’t faking that he wanted me.

I didn’t know what to do with that information then, and I still don’t.

I sit back, silently staring out the window at nothing.

Soon enough we pass through the iron gate withBentonacross the top and my nerves start to buzz.

I would be nervous if this were real, but I think I’m even more nervous because it’s not.

But as we coast up the hill and into the driveway, my stomach drops out from under me.

My head whips over at Cole and he looks just as shocked as I am.

Parked alongside the Benton vehicles is a car I would recognize anywhere. Especially because of the letter L decal on the back window.

My parents are here.