Page 51 of The Love Trick

I’m fighting back the urge to cry suddenly. “Kissing was against the rules.”

His mouth drops open, and I see regreton his face. “I know … I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

I nod, trying to blow it off. “Right. Okay.” I paste the fakest freaking smile I’ve ever had on my face and make my way through the crowd. As I pass a deep trash can on the edge of the roped-off area, I look around to see if anyone is watching me.

And then I throw the flowers away.

I take off across the sand into the darkness, away from the party. No one will notice if I’m gone, and honestly, I need a break. I need to think over what just happened.

Why would he kiss me?

He was the one who came up with that rule!

Taking a step forward, I let the warm ocean water cover my bare feet. I stare down at them and then look back at the party, wondering what Blaze is thinking. Does hereallythink this is some noble cause?

“I don’t know what came over me.”His words echo in my head as I reach up and touch my lips, the taste of him still lingering in my mouth.

Ihatehow much I like it.

I hate that I know it’s real now.

I have been trying to ignore it, but now IknowI have feelings for him. And if he would’ve told me tonight that he wanted me as more than a friend, I would’ve agreed.

“Hey,” a voice cuts through the darkness, and I turn to see mydadwalking toward me. Not Blaze. “What’re you doing out here in the dark?”

I laugh, quickly wiping the tears from my face as he drapes his arms around my shoulders. “Just getting some air. I don’t think I like weddings.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know. I guess they just remind me of the fact that I might not ever have one.”

He nods, letting out a sigh. “Well, does that have anything to do with whatever happened after you caught that bouquet? I wasn’t too busy to see something went wrong between you and Blaze.”

I peer up at my dad, wishing I could just tell him the truth. “It’s complicated.”

“Ah, do I need to go punch him in the face for you?” He chuckles. “I’m not above starting a fight for my girls.”

“No.” I laugh. “He’s just… He’s not good at this kind of stuff. He didn’t grow up with a family, and maybe it scares him.”

Or maybe he just sees me as a friend—one that he can make out with and then bail on.

“I remember when I first met Blaze years ago when you were in college,” Dad says, his gaze scanning the horizon. “Back then, I thought he was a handful, and a bit of a mess, really. He rode a motorcycle, didn’t have a family, and I don’t think the kid knew anything other than hockey, but…”

“But what?” I furrow my brow.

“But I saw how he treated you. He’s always respected you, long before you two became an item, and I think that shows a lot on his part.”

Oh.

I blink up at him. “Does this mean … you approve of Blaze? Because I wasn’t so sure what you guys were gonna think about all this.”

“I do.” Dad smiles. “If he treats you right and makes you happy, then that’s all that matters to me.”

I close my eyes, a mixture of shock and guilt pulsing through me. I never expected my parents to be so accepting of Blaze. I always thought they wanted me with someone more traditional, someone who followed all the rules and fit into our socialite family perfectly.

Too bad this relationship with Blaze is fake.

But … maybe it doesn’t have to be.

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