Page 171 of Rule Breakers Fall Hardest

And in just a few short months, Rosie will walk down the aisle to me.

When it’s our turn to get up, I don’t let go of her hand. Our line slowly snakes toward the podium. When my name is called, I reluctantly let go. Rosie’s name is next, and as she exits the stage, I hold out my hand to help her down the steps.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask when we return to our seats. We stay standing, waiting for the rest of our row to fill in. “Don’t tell me,” I say, before she can answer. “You’re thinking about getting me naked later.”

She squeezes my hand, her nails digging into my palm. “Daire,” she hisses.

I laugh and lean in to kiss her cheek. “Oh. So it’s just me?”

“You’re thinking about getting yourself naked? Weird.”

Biting back a chuckle, I pinch her side. “No,you. We have babysitters for once.”

A laugh bubbles out of her. “You know there’s no way we’re going to be able to leave Sammy with your dad or my parents. We’re way too overprotective for that.”

“Yeah,” I groan. “We are, aren’t we?”

When our row is full, we sit and wait for the rest of the names to be called. By the end of the ceremony, I’m so close to dozing off that Rosie has to nudge me to keep me from closing my eyes.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

Reaching over, she rubs my neck. “Don’t worry about it. I’m bored out of my mind too.”

When it’s finally, blessedly over, Rosie drags me with her in search of Bertie.

Wading through hundreds of students is a nightmare—especially when I’m stopped by people I know every three feet.

“This is insane,” she mutters, pulling me along. “Do you knoweveryoneat this school?”

I give her hand a playful squeeze. “Pretty much. Here, hang on.”

I let go of her hand and move in front of her, crouching down slightly.

“Uh.” She stands behind me, her body going rigid. “What do you want me to do?”

“Hop on.”

“You’re giving me a piggyback ride?”

“It’ll be faster. Promise.”

With a huff, she climbs on and loops her arms around my shoulders.

I grasp her thighs and hold her easily, plowing through the crowd. “Beep, beep,” I tell people as I pass. “Coming through.” To her, I ask, “Do you see her?”

She cranes her neck and scans the crowd. “To your left,” she directs.

Hiking her up higher on my back, I turn and head that way. “Now to your right a bit. Perfect. Straight ahead.”

When her best friend is only a few feet from us, she hops down from my back. Luke hovers near Bertie like a protective bodyguard. They’re not together, but it’s obvious from the way he looks at her that he wants more.

“We did it!” Rosie throws her arms around her.

“Yeah, we did,” Bertie says, her tone and expression more subdued.

“Are you coming over tonight?” Rosie asks, not letting Bertie’s melancholy deter her from her own joy,

Her mom wanted to throw a huge party for us, but we managed to talk her down to a family dinner.

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