Page 109 of Hey, Stepbro

"Promise me one thing," I murmur, our breath mingling as he beats me off under the water. "Promise me that no matter what happens in the future, we'll keep our love strong. Like our dads."

"Of course," Blakely whispers, his eyes sincere and unwavering. "I promise. You can count on me."

I steal one last kiss before we step out of the shower and wrap ourselves in towels. As we return to the party hand in hand, I'm overcome with gratitude for the man by my side.

He’s sweet yet spicy, nice yet naughty.

He’s perfect for me.

CHAPTER33

BLAKELY

TWO MONTHS LATER

I'm standing in front of a ladder, my hands full of red and green ornaments, the scent of pine filling Animal Paws. The shelter is already cozy with its warm brightly painted walls and wooden floors, but Stella and I are determined to make it even more inviting for the holiday season.

"Can you pass me another ornament?" Stella asks from the ladder.

I smile as I hand her a shiny green bauble.

"Here you go." I watch as she carefully places it on one of the higher branches of our newly set-up Christmas tree. Its twinkling lights cast a soft glow over the room, making everything feel magical. "It's starting to look amazing in here."

Stella grins, leaning back to admire our handiwork. "You're right. All these decorations really drive home the fact that Christmas is right around the corner. I bet the animals will love them, too."

"You can say that again."

"What do you think about putting this wreath over the entrance?" I glance over at the beautiful evergreen wreath in Stella's hands, adorned with festive red and gold ribbons.

"Perfect."

"Soooooo," Stella says, coming down from the ladder and hanging the wreath above the door. "How's your relationship with Brock going? It's been four months already, right?"

My cheeks heat up at the mention of his name. "Yeah, it has. And I can't even lie. Each day is better than the last."

"You two are so damn cute together. I never thought I'd see our resident bookworm and a player like Brock hit it off this well."

"He's definitely not a player."

"Well, I never thought I'd see you and a jock fall in love."

"Neither did I, but life's full of surprises."

As we decorate, I can't help but think about all the wonderful moments Brock and I have shared lately. He's gone out of his way to show his love and devotion—from surprising me with my favorite brownies from the campus café on days when I'm swamped with schoolwork, to volunteering with me here at Animal Paws, even though he's busy with the Rawdogs. He's always ready to lend a listening ear, and he goes the extra mile to bond with Waxley and Stella, too.

Of course, one of my favorite memories of us is the impromptu picnic we had on the quad last month. The weather was perfect—Riverside had our annual Indian summer, which meant that there wasn't a patch of snow. It was sunny, with enough heat to keep us warm.

We spread out a blanket under an oak tree, shared sandwiches, fruit, and kisses. At one point, Brock pulled out a copy ofThe Notebookfrom his backpack, telling me that he wanted to read it to better understand what I enjoyed.

The look on his face as he stumbled over the more flowery prose was priceless. I remembered that he'd promised he'd readThe Notebookwith me a few months ago, but I couldn't believe he kept his word. Tears welled in my eyes, and of course I had to reward him with a kiss. I couldn't have been happier.

I also discovered something else. Brock isCampusKing.This happened during our date, actually. Brock pulled out his phone and showed me messages from his pen pal. When I saw the texts I'd sent him reflected on his screen, I burst into laughter.

AnimalLoverandCampusKingfinally "met."

I guess that big four-way date we were planning with our "partners" won’t happen, after all.

"Earth to Blakely." Stella's cheery voice snaps me back to reality. She's waving a sparkly plastic Santa in front of my face, laughing. "You were totally lost in thought there. Dreaming about your handsome prince?"

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