Page 33 of Faking It with My Bossy Ex

Jake's shoulders drop. “All right. Do what you have to do. I care more about Amy being happy than I do about how she’ll see me, but seriously, if you get her back, you’d better not hurt her again … This is the only warning you’re getting.” Jake’s expression turns serious, deadly even.

“Hurting her is the last thing I want to do. Thanks for being cool about telling her.”

“No problem. I’m going to go catch up to them.” Jake shakes my hand again. “Nice seeing you again, Dylan.”

He hurries out of the library, leaving me staring after him.

I never told Amy about Jake, or that I knew about Europe. She would have convinced me we could do it. I know she would have.

Now, looking back, honesty should have been my policy. Instead, I took things into my own hands out of fear, a gut reaction. But now, we’re not in college anymore, and maybe, just maybe, the past can be repaired. Our story can be different.

I have to do it in the right way, or it will mean nothing.

An idea starts to take hold and I leave the library behind and head to an old shop I hope still exists.

***

I’m leaning against the light post outside of Laura’s bakery when Amy finally says goodbye to her brothers and follows them out with Laura at her side.

Tyler nearly tackled me when he saw me, but Jake stopped him and pulled him away. I guess he really is open to Amy being happy, even if it is with me. The smile on Amy’s face turns to surprise when she spots me.

“Dylan, what are you doing here? Laura was going to give me a ride.” Laura looks between us.

“I figured we’d walk back together, so I waited.” A heavy cloth bag hangs over my shoulder, full of the surprise I prepared while she was visiting with her brothers.

“I’m not sure …”

“Go ahead. It’ll save me the trip.” Laura winks and Amy reaches for her as if to beg for her to stay, but she’s already slipping back to the bakery.

“Miss me?” I tease.

“No. I didn’t miss you,” she laughs. “If you must know, Jake and Tyler are great company.”

She shakes her head and scrunches her nose at the snowshoes I’ve brought her. She slips them on like a pro before standing and starting down the street. It doesn't take long to get to our shortcut, but I lead off to the left.

“Where are you going?” She asks, pausing at the entrance of the woods.

“Just a little detour.” I stop, clutching the bag. I reach my hand out and take hers, pulling her close. She opens her mouth to protest, then closes it again. “I wanted to take you somewhere special.”

“My brothers wouldn’t like this. For a moment, I thought you wouldn’t leave the library alive.” She shakes her head, uncertainty tugging at her expression.

“You’re cute when you worry,” I chuckle. “Your brothers wouldn't hurt me.”

“Are you sure about that? I’m not sure you know my brothers as well as you think you do.”

It didn’t take long to find the spot I was looking for. I’d walked up here earlier to make sure it was still the same. It’s a little pond, about thirty feet in diameter. There’s a city light pole erected at the edge, casting a warm glow over the ice.

“Dylan, what are we doing here …” She looks up at me, a puzzled expression in her eye. This pond isn’t just any old place. It's our spot. We’ve been here for our first date in the spring and other dates along the way.

“What do you say?” I pull the two pairs of ice skates from the bag and hold them up, my pulse picking up when her eyes go wide for a second. My chest feels tight, worried she’ll say no. That she’s buried the past so deep, there’s no chance of digging it up again.

“You want to skatenow?”

“Yup, just like old times. I got your size, eight and a half. They say skating is like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it.” Okay, that might be an exaggeration.

“I don’t know. It’s probably a bad idea.” She frowns, taking a step back, nearly tripping on her snowshoes.

I reach out and wrap an arm around her waist, stepping in close. I can smell cinnamon on her hair from being in Laura’s bakery. It makes my heart flip. My eyes drop to her lips and my mind races with the words she sent to Leo.

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