Page 46 of The Lucky One

Seeing Ella settle into the life she’s always wanted has been the most incredible transformation I’ve ever seen. Laila and I couldn’t be happier for her, though there was decidedly a mourning period when we had to go back to Colorado without her. No matter how temporary it was.

The home we’d shared didn’t feel the same without her there.

“What are you going to do when you catch him?” Laila asks. She grabs a couple of Lucky Charms and stuffs them into her mouth with a grin.

“Aunt Laila! Stop eating those. They’re decorations.” Lucy flips a braid over her shoulder and rolls her eyes. “Aunt Bridget, tell her to stop.”

“Why do you think she’s going to listen to me?” I ask.

“She’s your twin.”

Laila snorts and takes another few marshmallows.

I try to keep going through the motions, peeling the backing off shamrock foam stickers and mindlessly handing them to Lucy as she grabs for them.

Everyone is so happy, and I’m letting everyone think Weston is someone to me. I’ve got no clue what he is—but I want what my sisters have so badly it aches.

And while we both knew Ella was headed for her happily ever after when she came back here, Laila is a transformation I wasn’t expecting. Back in the fall, I was too busy to notice the longing looks she and Holden exchanged. The quiet whispers. I noticed the weirdness between them when she came back for Christmas, but not the news that the quiet baker stole her heartyearsago.

It’s hard to let go of something so surprising.

And all the while, I was going through the motions in a relationship that I didn’t want to be in. I’ve wanted more for so long I can’t remember otherwise, but it’s hard to accept it as a possibility when people tell you that you deserve what you have.

Even if it’s unhealthy and makes you sad.

A hand slides around my waist, squeezing my side in a way I’ve come to appreciate over the last few days. I’m not a touchy-feely person, but Weston is proving that perhaps that’s because the wrong people were trying to show me affection.

That—along with all the other feelings I’m dealing with—is not something I’m ready to sit with, yet.

It’s all extremely overwhelming.

“Princess Lucille, may I please steal your aunt for a moment?”

Lucy’s eyes shine as she watches us. “Are you going to kiss some more?”

Heat creeps up my neck as Weston’s laugh reverberates between us. That would be wildly inappropriate, but I’m not sure I’d complain either.

“I’m safely back in prince form, so I just want to go walk around with her a bit.”

“I hear you need some gold?” Luke leans over Lucy, dangling a bag in front of her.

With an excited yelp, she yanks it from his hands.

“I could use a walk,” I breathe out, my heart rate kicking up a few notches. And it’s not because Weston is touching me.

I need some air away from all this happiness.

“We’ll be back in a minute,” he says, immediately leading me away from the table with a gentle nudge to the small of my back.

Since I’ve been here a few times now, I know my way around enough to seek a place to breathe. It’s probably not ideal, but Luke’s youngest sister, Violet, has a greenhouse that should be uninhabited. I just need a place to pull myself back together.

There are signs advertising the upcoming strawberry and flower festival. A few yards away, Violet is making clover crowns with some kids and gives a quick nod when I silently ask if it’s okay for me to escape into her haven for a minute.

“That’s better,” I mumble as we step inside.

It’s quieter, and somehow the earthy floral scent is enough to distract me from my thoughts for long enough for me to pull in a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Weston asks, his voice low. “I was going to ask if you just wanted an excuse to neck like teenagers, but that feels inappropriate.”

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