Page 103 of Princess of Hawthorne Prep

Why am I so nervous?

We’ve been together for a few weeks.

He sneaks through my window and crawls into my bed on a nightly basis. A few hours before dawn, he’ll slip back out and will pick me up for school in the morning. We hold hands in the hallway when he walks me to class, and we eat lunch together every day. He drives me home after football practice and we make out in his G-wagon when it’s parked in my drive as we say goodbye.

So…this shouldn’t be a big deal.

But that doesn’t change the fact that it is.

Maybe this outing just solidifies our status and makes it official.

Or maybe it’s because he refuses to tell me where we’re going or what we’re doing.

“Delilah?” Mom calls again before peeking her head inside my room. I catch her gaze in the mirror.

A smile spreads across her face. “You look beautiful.” It turns just a bit wistful around the edges. “I wish Dad could see what a gorgeous young woman you’ve grown into. He would be so proud of all your accomplishments.”

“Thank you.” Her words mean everything to me.

If I needed time to work everything out in my head, so did Mom. Edmund really did a number on her self-esteem. He made promises he had no intention of keeping. She’s thrown herself into her new job and has been working with a counselor. We’ve discussed the idea of setting up a joint appointment to tackle some of our communication issues. We only have each other, and it’s important we have a good relationship.

I blink away the moisture that tries to gather in my eyes before swiping my small black purse from the dresser and following Mom into the living room.

“I think you’re really going to enjoy today,” she says.

My eyes widen as I stutter to a stop. “Wait a minute. You know where we’re going?”

She throws a glance over her shoulder. Any hint of nostalgia disappears as she flashes a devilish grin. “Yup.” She pops the P at the end.

My hands settle at my hips. “Austin toldyouwhere he’s takingmefor our date but refused to even give me a hint?”

Her blue eyes sparkle with excitement. “That’s right.”

Mom has done a complete one-eighty where Austin is concerned. After we worked everything out, he showed up at the door the next day with a bouquet of brightly colored wildflowers for her.

Over the past two weeks, she’s gradually thawed, dropping her preconceived notions about both Austin and the Hawthorne family. Mrs. Hawthorne even invited Mom over for dinner so they could get to know each other. As terrible as it is to have the loss of their husbands in common, it solidified their friendship and gave them something to talk about before discovering they had a lot of other similarities. They’ve become fast friends. Mrs. Hawthorne is down to earth and not like a lot of these Hawthorne Prep moms.

Before I can bombard her with more questions, there’s a knock at the front door. Mom bursts into movement, rushing toward the tiny entranceway. I think she might be more excited about this date than I am.

Although, that would be difficult.

As soon as I catch sight of him, air stalls in my lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

Or maybe I just forget how.

If I took my time getting ready this morning and making sure every hair was in place and my outfit was perfect, so did he.

Have I ever seen him look more handsome?

Nope. I don’t think so.

He’s wearing a gray Henley beneath a black leather jacket and dark wash jeans that hug his muscular thighs. Tan Timberlands complete the outfit. His hair is freshly washed and looks as shiny as a raven’s wing.

Our gazes collide and awareness sizzles through my body, electrifying the tips of my fingers and toes. Once I’m ensnared within his green depths, it’s impossible to look away.

“Hi.” My voice comes out sounding ridiculously breathy.

Even from across the room, I feel the heat of his gaze as it licks over every inch of me.

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