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“Shhh!!!”

“Scarlett, slow down!”

Why was he yelling?! “There’s no time. I’m not spending the best night of my life in prison.”

Axel laughed and lifted me over his shoulder.

The upside down view of his butt might be the last thing I saw before I was in handcuffs. I smiled, remembering him carrying me like this on the first day of classes. He’d been so mad at me. And I hadn’t understood why. But now I did. He’d wanted me all to himself. If only he’d known I wanted the same.

I was very distracted, but I quickly realized that Axel wasn’t running. “Axel! Hurry.” I slapped his butt.

He laughed and picked up his pace.

“Run! We’re going to get caught.”

“We’re not going to get caught,” he said as he set me down by one of the fences.

“A security guard must have seen us!” I got myself over the fence. “Hurry!”

Axel just laughed and jumped over the fence.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him farther into Central Park. A few turns and I calmed down a bit. It didn’t seem like anyone was following us. “Why the heck weren’t you freaking out?”

“I may have paid off a security guard for the night.”

I opened my mouth and closed it again. “Axel Stevens! I thought we were going to prison.”

“And I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

“Well that was very unspecific!” But I couldn’t help but laugh. “We were breaking the law. I was worried. I didn’t realize that dating you would turn us into Bonnie and Clyde.”

Axel’s hands slid to my ass. “Bonnie and Clyde?” He smiled. “I think we’re a few decades off of that. We’re in the 50s, baby.”

I laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet, you’re going to be taking my last name soon.”

Butterflies erupted in my stomach. How many times had I written Scarlett Stevens in the margins of my notes? And then I remembered one of the kiss thief’s texts. About how he was playing the long game. He’d said he was going to make me his wife. I smiled up at Axel.

“You ready to head home, Bonnie?”

I laughed. The smile on my face was so big. Axel called my place home. This whole year I’d felt so unlucky. But I was the luckiest girl in the world. It had just taken a little extra time for me to figure it out.

Chapter 31 – Everything

Saturday

I was humming as I walked through the door of my apartment. I closed it and twirled in a circle as I made my way into the kitchen. My skirt lifted so I could just see the tulle peeking out.

My heart was so full it felt like it might burst. Really. I was so happy that I was almost in tears. I barely understood the feeling. I think it had been a really long time since I was this happy.

I kept humming as I opened the fridge. I was thirsty from running through Central Park and Axel probably was too. I grabbed two water bottles and pushed the fridge door closed with my hip.

I twirled in another circle, but froze when I heard someone clear their throat.

I almost dropped one of the water bottles when my mom hit a light so I could see her sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of tea.

Why did she keep trying to give me a heart attack?