Page 42 of I Blame the Rival

The lack of expectation in his voice has my shoulders dropping with relief. He leans forward and turns the ignition, casting one last glance in my direction.

“Ready to go book shopping, Flower?”

I close my eyes, soaking in the sound of my nickname on Skylar’s lips. When I open them, he’s still watching me and I can’t fight the smile that takes over my face.

“Absolutely.”

“I’m transferring schools.”

Awe drips into my voice when we step inside the most adorable bookshop in Southern Alberta. Betty’s Books & Nooks isn’t just designed for book shoppers, but readers as well.

The tiny shop is split into different sections based on genres, with each closet-sized room set up to look like a personalized library. Worn love seats are strategically placed in each section to encourage visitors to have a seat and start their next favourite book.

It’s cozy and simple and I think I’ve just fallen in love.

“Oh my God. Is that a romance section?!”

I grab Skylar’s arm and drag him towards the sign hanging above the second closet. The wooden sign has pink hearts painted along it and I have to stop to snap a picture.

“Good to know your loyalty lies with whoever holds the most romance novels.”

Amusement dances through Skylar’s gaze as he looks around the room. I quickly snap a photo of him as well before tucking my phone away.

It seems silly to want proof this boy exists, but a part of me doesn’t believe it myself.

“Happy ever afters are my secret addiction.”

I shoot him a smile before turning my attention to the colourful spines lining the shelves around us, “There’ssomething reassuring about knowing everything is going to work out in the end.”

Skylar wanders over and pulls a book from the shelf. The half-naked model takes up the entire cover, the engorged muscles big enough to see from where I’m standing.

He holds it up with raised eyebrows, “I can see the appeal.”

I laugh, “Not all of them look like that. You’re looking at the erotica shelf so those books are going to be more intense.”

“Erotica?”

“You know. Books that are more focused on physical attraction than plot.”

He tilts his head, “That doesn’t sound intense to me.”

Biting back a smile, I walk over and take the book from him. I flip open the cover to the trigger warnings and pass it back. Skylar reads them silently, his cheeks growing pinker with every BDSM act listed on there.

“I take it back. This is very intense.”

Giggling, I take his hand and lead him over to the contemporary shelf, where the cheerful cartoon covers lie in wait.

“There’s a lot of sub-genres in romance. You have dark romance, sports romance, queer…” I point to the different shelves around the room before bringing his attention back to the one in front of us.

“This is the romance I like. Not too dark but angsty enough to feel real.” Reaching over, I grab a familiar cover, “This is the one I was reading in the parking lot.”

Skylar takes it and flips it over, reading the synopsis. Trying not to obsess over his reaction, I scope out the rest of the options lining the shelves. The owner did a good job organizing, making sure series and authors stayed relatively in order.

“It sounds fun.” He doesn’t make a move to put it back and a thrill goes through me.

“Are you going to get it?”

“Yeah.” He gives me a shrug, “I could use a happy ever after too.”

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