Page 41 of The Love Trick

We’ve done this a million and one times.

This time is no different.

“It’s dark out here,” Addy comments as we hit the sand, heading for a rock-lined pier that juts out into the water. “I’m surprised they don’t have many lights.”

I flex my muscles, tightening her arm against me. “No worries. I got us. The boogeyman runs the other way when he sees me.”

“Does he?” She tips her head back to look at me, the moon casting a glow across her pretty blue eyes.

I swallow hard and look away. “Oh yeah, for sure. I’m way scarier than the boogeyman.” I lead her down the pier, not stopping until we reach the very end, where one lone bench sits. “This is way less fancy than I thought it was.”

Addy laughs, releasing my arm and plopping down on the bench. “Nah, I think it’s perfect. Sometimes things can be too nice, you know? It’s nice to just be normal.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if I know what normal is, though,” I reason, resting my arm on the back of the bench. I’m keenly aware that it might look like my arm is around Addy, but it’s not. It’s on the bench. And I’ve put my arm behind Addy many times.

Stop being weird.

Addy leans back, the ocean breeze blowing through her hair and creating a picture-perfect moment. “What do you think about Robert and all his friends?”

“I think they’re fine. Robert is the better of them, honestly.” I shrug, my eyes rolling down the feminine shape of her nose and well-defined lips shaded in red. Her eyes are on the water, and I’m not going to lie, I’m glad she’s not looking at me.

Because I’m thoroughly enjoying taking in every small detail of her.

“Do you think you could be friends with them?” She keeps her gaze locked on the water. “Like maybe we could do things with them once we get back from Hawaii.”

My heart takes an extra thump. “They might not want me around.”

She looks at me, her dark brows creased. “Why?”

I take a deep breath, my eyes falling to my hands in my lap. “Well, one of us will have to break up with the other after all this—and I doubt they’ll want me around when they think I broke your heart. They all think really highly of you, Addy.”

Her hand lands on mine, squeezing it. “I’ll be the one to call it off. You don’t have to do it. After all, this was all my idea.”

I shake my head. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Why?” she whispers.

I shrug, shaking my head. “I’m not gonna leave you to have to answer their barrage of questions. IfI’mthe one who does it, they won’t do that to you.”

“Oh,” she says, pulling her hand away.

We fall into silence for a while, listening to the ocean waves as they kiss the shore. I rarely ever visited the ocean growing up, but when I did once with a foster family, I remember being taken aback by it—and the peace that it brought to me. Right now, though, it doesn’t bring me peace at all.

It feels like there’s a storm brewing inside of me.

“If you had a bachelor party, what would you want to do?” Addy’s voice draws me out of my thoughts. “You know, like if you were getting married.”

“Well, first, I’d have to be in a position to get married.” I laugh, eyeing her. “And I don’t see that happening any time soon.”

“Yeah, okay, well let’s just say youhadto marry me,” Addy says with a shrug. “It’s like mandatory or something, so now, youhaveto think about getting married. What would you do for your bachelor party?”

I raise a brow. “Okay, I’ll play along with this. Where is this forced marriage happening?”

“Right here in Hawaii.”

I rack my brain, trying to picture Addy as my fiancée, and it’s borderline terrifying how easily the image comes to life. “Um, honestly, I’d probably want a joint party.”

She makes a face. “Why?”

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