Page 133 of Remember Us This Way

I scoff and ruffle her hair. “You wish you could look this good.”

She pretends to gag as Henry glances over me. “Not bad, kid,” he says. “Who would have known you could scrub up so well?”

I roll my eyes as Mom and Erica barge their way through, starting the onslaught of over-the-top gushing. “You remembered the corsage, didn’t you?” Mom double-checks, even though she can see it right here in my hand. “Tonight has to be perfect.”

“Yes, Mom,” I groan, holding up the corsage. “I’ve got everything I need.”

“Perfect,” Erica says, a grin from ear to ear. “I’ll go see if she’s ready.”

Erica takes off, and I’m not surprised when Mom and Hazel hurry up the stairs behind her. Despite everything Zoey and I have already been through, I can’t work out why the hell I suddenly feel so nervous.

Zoey’s father remains by the door, his gaze coming back to mine as we hear Zoey’s mom knocking on her bedroom door. “I always thought I’d be giving you the bring her home by midnight speech,” Henry tells me. “But . . . just make sure she has a great night, something for her to hold on to. Make some memories.”

I nod. “I will.”

He gives me a tight smile, and I see the dread in his eyes, the same way it lingers in mine, and just as he goes to say something else, we hear Erica calling from upstairs. “Zoey, honey? Where are you?”

My brows furrow, not liking the tone in Erica’s voice when I hear my mom. “I’ll check the bathroom,” she mutters to Erica before I hear her footsteps hurrying down the hall. There’s a quick knock before I hear Mom’s voice again. “Hey, my little warrior. Are you in here?”

There’s the subtle creak of the door before Mom calls out again. “She’s not here either,” she says. “Where could she have gone?”

They check the rest of the house, but when they start making their way back down the stairs with furrowed brows, I realize I already know the answer to their questions. “It’s alright,” I tell them before they start to panic that she’s passed out somewhere. “I know where she is.”

With that, I turn on my heel and jog down to my car. “Let me know when you find her,” Zoey’s dad hollers after me.

As I unlock my Camaro and drop into it, I glance back toward the parents and give a firm nod, knowing without a doubt that they’re going to worry until they know she’s safe. Then hitting the gas, I take off down the street, desperate to get to her.

Pulling up in the park barely a few minutes later, I look out toward the swings and find her sitting in the moonlight, her silver gown sparkling with her subtle movements. She doesn’t make a move to look back, but I know she senses me here.

Quickly shooting off a text to Zoey’s dad, I let them know I’ve got her, and with that, I push out of my car and make my way across the park, my gaze lingering on my girl as she gently swings back and forth.

I plant myself right in front of her, crouching down as I grip the chains on either side of her, bringing her to a stop as I look up into those dazzling green eyes. She’s fucking gorgeous, and my heart stutters in my chest as I take her in. “Fuck, Zo,” I breathe, unable to take my eyes off her as a soft blush spreads across her cheeks. “You’re breathtaking.”

She smiles but it’s only a small one, the exhaustion of her day already shining through. “I’m sorry,” she says, her gaze eating me up as she checks me out in my suit. “You got all dressed up for me, but I don’t think I’m going to make it. I’m just . . . I’m tired.”

“It’s okay,” I whisper. “Seeing the way the moonlight sparkles off you in this dress is more than enough for me. I just want you to have a good night.”

She shakes her head with sadness in her eyes. “You went through all that trouble getting Principal Daniels to let me go,” she says, her voice breaking. “All I wanted was to dance with you at prom. Anything else would have been a bonus.”

Releasing the chains, I brush my fingers down the side of her face and watch as she leans into my touch. “Who said you still can’t dance with me at prom?”

Her brows furrow. “I . . . What?”

I grin, standing up and offering her my hand and getting the sweetest satisfaction as she delicately places her hand in mine. Closing my fingers around hers, I help her up from the swing, placing my other hand at her waist as her feet press into the sand.

I move us back to where the ground isn’t so bumpy before lifting our joined hands over her head and gently spinning her before pulling her right in against my chest. “Just because we’re not in some stale school gym with shitty decorations and a bunch of teenagers trying to get laid doesn’t mean we can’t have our own prom right here,” I tell her. “Pick your favorite song and let me dance with you.”

Her cheeks flush, and when the overwhelming happiness reaches her eyes, I could crumble right here in her arms. “You’re going to dance with me right here in the middle of the park?” she asks, pulling her phone out of the hidden pocket at the side of her silver gown.

“There’s not a damn thing I wouldn’t do for you, Zoey James. And if you want to dance with me on your prom night, then we’ll do that until our feet can’t move a second longer.”

Zoey tips her head up to me, pushing up on her tippy toes and brushing the softest kiss over my lips. “You need to warn a girl before you make her swoon like that.”

“Never,” I tease, my hand curling around her back and pulling her in even closer. “I’m a live on the edge kind of guy.”

Zoey grins wide, rolling her eyes before finally hitting play on a song and carefully tossing her phone into the grass to free up her other hand. A cover of “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Jasmine Thompson starts playing through her phone speaker and my chest starts to ache as she folds back into me.

I avoid listening to songs with deep lyrics that force me to face reality, but if this is what she wants to dance to, then I’ll suck it up and be the man she needs me to be, even as the words eat me alive.

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