Page 17 of My One Rule

I don’t miss Ace leaning in to hear what I’m saying as he continues handing out the cake.

“I wasn’t actually proposing,” I admit. These are our best friends, I can’t lie to them!

Lilla laughs. “So, it’s a fake engagement like in the movies and books?”

“I mean we’re not fake dating.”

“What’s with the rings?” Chance asks with an eyebrow lifted.

He’s got frosting across his lip. Maggie wipes at it, then licks it off her finger.

“I don’t know.” How do I explain that we didn’t really get engaged, then show up to a party wearing engagement rings? “A fun vacation trinket?”

Everyone’s laughing and I shovel cake in my mouth because I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know why we’re still wearing the rings.

Eventually everyone who doesn’t live here clears out. I hug Hannah and Val and carry my tired ass upstairs.

“Goodnight,” I say to Maggie and Chance.

Ace follows me up and waves to the other two as they head to the rec room.

“You sure you don’t want to hang out with them?” Ace asks from the doorway.

I toss myself into the bed letting out a relieved sigh.

“I’m so sure.”

He smiles at me and runs a hand through his silky smooth dirty blonde hair. He’s got a black polo on. I love how it fits around his arms. For him this is pretty casual for a party. Stripping the shirt off, he closes the door.

“Can we talk?” The question makes my heart drop.

I nod and sit up trying to ignore the queasy sensation in my stomach.

He sits on the edge of the bed.

Is he about to suggest we fake break up again?

“We don’t have to tell people we’re engaged.”

Fuck, here it comes.

He reaches out and grabs my hand with the ring.

I don’t think I can handle what he’s about to say.

“We can tell people what happened.”

My voice is so small when I ask, “Why?”

“Hey,” he says so soothingly. He kicks off his shoes and crawls into the bed and pulls me against his chest.

I lean into him stiffly, waiting to be hit by whatever idea he’s come up with that just might shatter me. But he doesn’t say anything else.

Fear eats away at me and I don’t know what to say so I wait for him to keep speaking.

“You know I love you, right?”

I swallow hard and look up at him. “Yeah…”

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