Page 16 of Every Time My Heart Breaks

“Am not!” I heard Trick’s muffled answer through the door.

“Are too!” I shouted back before I stormed to my room and set down the curling iron on my dresser before going to my full-length mirror and biting my lip as I studied myself.

I didn’t only dress up for boys, did I? That made me sound…

Kind of like a loser.

Self-consciously, I sat on my bed and pressed a hand to my abdomen. It wasn’t wrong to try to look nice.Orto want a boyfriend. I was only being stupid for letting my annoying, twelve-year-old brother get into my head.

Today was going to be a good day, and I wasn’t going to let anyone else get in the way of it. Especially Trick.

There. Once more resolved to my plan, I pushed back to my feet with a new determination and finished my hair before slipping on a fancy pair of bedazzled sandals and some bracelets and rings, then a necklace and fun pom-pom earrings. By the time I was finished and had hooked the strap of my purse over my shoulder before making my way to the front of the house, Mom, Dad, and even Trick were already there, waiting for me.

“How is it…?” Trick asked, lifting his brows at me. “That you can start getting ready an hour before me, and I wait until the very last minute, but we’restillalways waiting on you when it’s time to go?”

“Trick, hush,” Mom warned with a nudge to his arm. “Girls have a lot more to put on than boys.”

“Like what?” my brother complained. “Bras?”

I sighed. “Like makeup, and hair products. Jewelry, perfume, deodorant…” Wrinkling my nose at him, I lifted my brows. “Please tell me you didn’t forget to put deodorant on, did you?”

“I put on deodorant,” he argued with a frown. “And brushed my teeth. Didyoubrush your teeth?”

“Yes, I—”

“Children,” Dad cut in, laughing and lifting his hands. “I’m sure everyone followed their proper hygiene regimen. Now, can we go? The party’s already started without us.”

“Amen,” Mom added, leading the way out the door. “Let’s party.”

Trick snickered at me and followed her.

I turned to Dad, instantly apologizing. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

But he just smiled and caught my hand before bringing it to his mouth and kissing the backs of my knuckles. “Never apologize for pampering yourself, Chloe Girl.” Then he winked at me and kissed my hair. “It was worth the wait. You look lovely.”

As I hugged him back, he chuckled and slipped an arm around my waist, escorting me outside after Mom and Trick.

I burrowed close and snuggled against him all the way to the car. But seriously, he was, like, the perfect father ever. I loved my dad so much.

If there was any reason that I wanted a boyfriend for myself, it was probably because of him. Because not only was he a stellar dad, but he made my mom deliriously happy. I mean, the way he doted on her and made her smile and just made her the queen of our house…

I wanted a person like that in my life someday too. Someone who smiled and lit up around me and loved me the way my dad loved my mom.

Remembering how Luke had held my hand at the dance and then how he’d looked so sad when our song was over, I drew in a deep, encouraged breath as I climbed into the back of the family SUV next to Trick.

I fidgeted in the car until we reached the party, where a smirking Trick leaned toward me and whispered, “I think Bentley likes him back. Aren’t you even worried about breaking her heart if you steal him?”

Widening my eyes at him to get him to shut up, I reached out and pinched his arm as I mouthed the words, “I do not like Beau!”

“Do too,” he hissed knowingly.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, then turned to stare out the side window, effectively ignoring him as Dad found a parking spot.

* * *

I really must’ve keptthe family waiting because the party was in full swing by the time we walked in. Even my oldest brother, Julian, had made it before us, and he’d had to drive a couple of hours to get here.

He had his fiancée, Nia, with him, and they came over to greet us first as the four of us shuffled inside. The only one missing was my sister, Skylar, who was still away at her college and hadn’t been able to make it back this weekend.

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