Page 28 of Bae

Trent blanched. “We, uh, forgot to pick up Nova’s b-day present.”

“You were supposed to do that days ago!” Rimmel scolded him.

She was cute when she admonished people.

“I know,” Trent replied. “That’s why I didn’t want to say.”

“Don’t be telling Ivy, Rim,” Drew pleaded, joining in. “You know she’ll give me a lecture that lasts until the party starts tomorrow.”

Tomorrow was Nova’s one-year birthday party. Ivy had been planning it for a month.

Rimmel snorted. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Trent tossed his arm around her and pulled her in for a quick hug. Over her head, our eyes connected.

Liar, liar pants on fire.

There’s no way Drew hadn’t already picked up Nova’s birthday present. Hell, they’d probably already bought her half the damn store.

Trent’s eyes promised to clarify later, and they also promised two other things:

1.) Obviously, it wasn’t something he wanted to say in front of Rim.

And

2.) I probably wasn’t going to like whatever the fuck it was.

Rimmel

Boone’s Farm was flowing.

Well, just into my and Ivy’s glasses. All the guys were drinking beer because, you know, Boone’s Farm was “lame” and “tasted like Kool-Aid.”

But I saw Braeden sipping it out of Ivy’s glass, and there was also the fact that he was the one who brought home the bottles.

Uh-huh, I had his number. It was 1-800-I’m-A-Big-Phony.

“Hey!” Ivy scolded, snatching back her glass and making the light-pink liquid slosh around. “Get your own!”

Braeden made a face and stuck out his tongue to wipe it off with the sleeve of his hoodie. “That shit is just as bad as I remember.”

“I think you like it,” I teased. “You just don’t want to admit it.”

“You wound me, tutor girl.” He placed a hand over his heart and rounded his eyes. “That you could think so low of me…” His words trailed off with a dramatic sigh.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re the one over there trying to steal it.”

“Not steal,” he admonished. “Just taking a sip of some memories.” I watched him lean over Ivy and kiss her on the temple.

She smiled and leaned into his lips. Her perfectly polished hand came up to rub at the side of his jaw. “That was a good night.”

“Yes, it was.” He agreed quietly and kissed her again before pulling back.

Ivy smiled up at B. Her blond hair wasn’t as long as it used to be. With her crazy schedule with her YouTube channel, her column withPeople,and being an amazing mom to Nova, she announced one day she didn’t have time for all her long, thick hair, so she chopped it off.

In a very fashionable way, of course. Ivy didn’t do anything unless it was fashionable.

Now she wore it as a long, graduated bob. It was shorter in the back but then grew longer in the front. The front section still reached past her collarbone, so I considered it pretty long, but it was shorter than she used to wear it. The strands were still blond and shiny. Sometimes she wore it blown out and sleek, which really showed off the steep angle of the cut. Other times, like tonight, she added some texture and wave with a curling wand and some kind of salt spray.

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