Page 35 of Heart of Thorns

“I…” I swallow. “Well, you know those dates he’s always setting up?”

“Indeed.”

“The girl and her dad came to the game last night. My father made sure to let me know that Bill Keenland is some big shot he wanted to impress. When Bill and his daughter came on the field, he made some comment about me being his future son-in-law.”

My best friend inclines his chin, clearly waiting for me to get to the fucking point.

“So I lied and told him that there was a misunderstanding and I already had a serious girlfriend.”

Silence.

Rhys just stares at me for a solid minute, then tips his head back and bursts out laughing.

My face heats.

“You? Aseriousgirlfriend?” He slaps his hand on his thigh. “Fuck, man. So that guy tattled on you. Did you come clean to your dad or what?”

That probably would’ve been a smart idea.

“I doubled down,” I mutter.

He cackles.

“It’sfine,” I snap. I grab my pillow and chuck it at him. “I’ve got a plan.”

“A plan,” he repeats. “You have a serious girlfriend hiding under your bed?” He gets down on his knees and fucking checks. When he straightens, there’s a shit-eating grin on his face. He checks my closet, then makes a show of opening my window—on the second floor of the house—and leans out.

“Sit down.” I stand and pick up my jeans from the floor. “I have a plan in the works.”

“This sounds like a fourth quarter Hail Mary.” Rhys rolls his eyes. “A planin the worksto get a serious girlfriend? Those don’t happen overnight, you know. Or maybe you don’t? Since you seem so unfamiliar with the concept.”

“Fuck off.” I swap my sleep shirt with a clean one. “Briar Hart.”

He gives me a blank stare.

“The one who painted the portraits in the locker room.”

He stands and comes closer. I squint at him, wary, until he presses the back of his hand to my forehead.

I swat him away. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Checking to see if a fever has made you delusional.” He eyes me. “Jury’s out. She painted you as the freakingdevil. How did your proposal go?”

I shift. “It wasn’t a proposal.”

“It had better be, seeing as how your parents are serious about you getting married.” He chuckles. “How did you ask her to be your fake serious girlfriend?”

“Well, I found her in the weight room. And I asked after she fainted at the sight of me.” I hold up my hand to stop his onslaught of comments. “Yeah, yeah. I heard how that sounded.”

“What did shesay?”

“That she’d think about it.”

He bursts out laughing. “Oh, you’re screwed. Have fun with that one, Thorne. I’ll be watching with popcorn in hand.”

He leads the way out of the room, and all I can do is shake my head.

I didn’t even tell him that Dad wants to meet her at Christmas.

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