Chapter 36

thirty-six

ELLA

How am I supposed to think when I keep replaying that kiss?

Over and over. And over.

It wasn’t even a real kiss. Does it count? It involved lips.

He kissed my temple with such tenderness my brain might actually explode. I can still feel the ghost of his lips on my skin if I try.

This is the last thing I should focus on when Holly is sitting directly across from me. I moved from inside the cafe to the sidewalk outside to meet her, purely for the change of scenery.

It’s also a little amusing to people watch.

Jack and Gus wave from the hardware store across the square, then go back to sweeping the sidewalk and working on their chalkboard sign. Ethel Jones, the owner of Evergreen Enchantments, has come and gone from her greenhouse at the end of Main at least twice now.

I’m feeling a little like an animal in a cage.

Overhead, the streetlamp flickers an odd shade of purple. Is that normal ?

“Who makes garden gnomes protected lawn ornaments ? They’re absolute pests and should be stopped.” A tall, broody stranger grumbles as he stalks past. He doesn’t make it two steps before he doubles back and plants his hands on our table. “Watch out for them. They’re always listening and they love shiny objects.”

He stabs the air toward the disco ball hanging from the zipper of my bag.

“Noted. Thank you, Mr—” I begin.

“It’s Jax.” And then he’s gone.

“Still so grumpy,” Holly says, lifting her iced coffee to her lips.

“Who was that?”

“Jax Blackwell. He owns a couple of mobile bars down at the food truck park. The Tipsy Toad and The Jolly Roger.”

“He seems angry,” I say in hushed tones, plucking my coffee off the table.

“Sounds like the gnomes are bothering him again.”

It’s been so chaotic since I arrived that I haven’t grasped how much Holly blends into this town. She could easily be someone who’s lived here her whole life.

To be honest, I feel a little like the stranger here. She knows people I can’t quite place yet, and they all seem to pay more attention to me than her. Holly Everheart is the celebrity here, yet she’s casually sitting across from me with a leg folded beneath her and the other lazily hooked over the arm of the chair.

As a human being, she’s everything I expected. As a celebrity, she’s not even close.

“Is it weird that Cade isn’t here? Obviously, he would love to be. Pesky football season.” She flashes me a genuine, bright smile as she tosses her raven black waves over a shoulder. “You’ll meet him at Homecoming, though. ”

“Won’t that be a quick turnaround for him?”

“They have a game Thursday night, so he’ll be here Friday. Then he will have to turnaround and fly back. He’s got a full bye week next week, though.” Her cheeks color. “I know our schedule is completely chaotic, but that pretty much sums up our relationship.”

“It’s your wedding. I just want to make it magical for the two of you.”

“He was my bodyguard when I was younger,” she replies, taking a long sip of her apple macchiato. “He and my step-mother didn’t exactly get along… but she made it seem like it was his fault.”

“They usually do,” I mutter under my breath.

Her eyes brighten as she adjusts in her seat. “A fellow member of the stepdaughter club! I knew I liked you.”

The last thing I need is for her to say something to Charlotte. Not that I think she would, but I’ve been on alert ever since Sebastian mentioned her. Well, technically, there’s been suspicion toward Charlotte for a long time.

Especially when she sent me here.

“Well, I?—”

She must see the panic set in on my face because she waves a hand at me.

“I would never say a word.”

“It’s complicated,” I say.

“I think over the next week and a half, you’ll learn how familiar I am with that sentiment.” She shrugs.

“Tell me more about you and Cade?” I don’t want to talk about myself. I’d rather her mind be on the love of her life when I show her my vision for their wedding.

“He’s one of those wild professional sports stories, where he got a second chance to play and he took it. After everything that happened with my stepmother, he couldn’t stomach being a bodyguard anymore.”

“And you met again at the farm.”

There’s that magic again. Luke might not believe in it, but it’s there. Pushing and tugging stubborn souls around until they can see what’s right in front of them.

“Ran right into him!” She gestures with her hands, her coffee sloshing around in her clear cup. “I got lost in the sunflower maze.”

“It’s so romantic,” I murmur. Chalk another couple up to the maze myth.

“He’s everything I hoped for, but I didn’t think I deserved.” Her demeanor shifts into something quieter, more introspective. “He reminded me I could be loved for me . Not for my music, or my voice, or the dollar signs attached to my name.”

My heart breaks a little. I touch my collarbone absently, unable to fathom feeling like I only matter because of my value. Rumors have swirled for a couple of months that she’s coming out with a new album, and I imagine it’s going to be raw and emotional. It’s what she’s good at.

“Ella!” Susie Hawthorne stops her walk down the sidewalk to bend down and greet me with a hug. “We’re so excited for you to come by and try on dresses this afternoon!”

From across the table, Holly is on full alert.

“Oh well, you know?—”

“I’ve already pulled an entire rack of dresses based on the vibe you sent earlier. Absolutely lovely, by the way.”

“Susie, I?—”

“I’ve got to get back to Piper and the shop, but I’ll see you in a few hours.”

As quickly as she interrupted our conversation, she’s gone .

Holly is fit to burst, both hands clutched to her chest, her eyes sparkling like diamonds in the late morning sun.

“You should’ve led this meeting with your news!”

I’m in a mine car, speeding downhill with a broken brake lever. There’s a winding, terrifying track ahead of me and I need something to stop it. An anchor to toss out. Anything.

“I think you’re?—”

“I know I’ve already said this, but I’m so glad you and Luke found each other. He’s so private he’s hard to read most of the time—but I could see the loneliness in his eyes. He’s a good man. I, of course, need all the details about how he proposed.” She switches positions again, drawing her knees up into a cross-legged position in her patio chair.

So do I, Holly. So do I.

My head swims with that word. Proposed. I’ve barely accepted that I have feelings for him and navigating our fake relationship.

“How he proposed—” The words feel foreign and stiff on my lips.

Typically, I’m quick on my feet and ready to roll with whatever the bride needs to hear. It’s a gift. But this is throwing me for the biggest loop since I walked in the door thirteen years ago and found my things packed in boxes.

Set her straight right now!

Panic bubbles in my chest.

“You know, Holly?—”

I’m immediately saved by a notification on her phone, and practically drown in the sigh of relief that escapes me.

She untangles herself and holds up a finger as she turns away from me. “I’ll right back—it’s Cade. But seriously, I can’t wait to hear every single detail!”

As soon as she’s around the corner from the coffee shop, I whip out my phone and pull up the group text I have with my step-sisters, affectionately nicknamed The Glass Slipper Gang, after an incident with a unique pair of shoes.

I waiver for a moment before deciding to include both of them in this conversation. Laila is more up to date on everything, but I’m sure she’s filled Bridget in by now. They’re the closest thing to actual family I have and it’s not like I want to text Luke’s siblings and panic to them.

Not when it’s about their brother.

Laila won’t tell, and I don’t think Bridget will either. I think there’s a higher chance of Charlotte catching wind of this through the town somehow than through her daughters. Her continued demands and desire to have it all make her almost unbearable sometimes.

ELLA

I’ve really stepped off into the deep end now.

LAILA

You didn’t dodge another deer, did you?

ELLA

Too soon. But no.

LAILA

No big bad wolves?

ELLA

Be serious.

LAILA

One can never be too careful.

brIDGET

You didn’t ask for anything from a fairy godmother, did you?

ELLA

I can’t imagine being that desperate.

brIDGET

Luke kissed you??

ELLA

This is… not about a Luke.

brIDGET

That’s not a no.

LAILA

I am going to be majorly offended if that happened and I didn’t get a phone call.

ELLA

No.

brIDGET

I know! You finally got to ride in a pumpkin carriage.

ELLA

Nope. Y’all are terrible at this game.

brIDGET

Laila told you to just tell us.

ELLA

Holly thinks Luke and I are engaged.

My phone lights up with an incoming video chat and I decline it. The last thing I want to do is admit the error of my decision on the sidewalk of this incredibly nosy little town.

LAILA

ELLA JANE TAYLOR, ANSWER MY VIDEO CALL RIGHT NOW

ELLA

Can’t. I’m on the sidewalk of Once Upon a Brew and there are ears everywhere. Supposedly, the gnomes have literal ears.

LAILA

I’m sorry, did you say gnomes?

brIDGET

Was this a thing when we lived there?

Do they have little gossip clubs? I need to know how this works.

ELLA

This is a real, actual problem.

LAILA

Why does Holly think you’re engaged to Luke?

ELLA

Susie from the bridal shop told me she pulled dresses…

LAILA

In front of Holly.

ELLA

I’ve got to do damage control, quickly. I heard Dean muttering something the other day about a phone tree, so I don’t need this to spread around town.

Just as the thought crosses my mind, the busy little townsfolk of Enchanted Hollow check their phones. It’s literally like watching dominos topple into each other.

Too late .

By some stroke of Enchanted Hollow magic, Luke steps out of a storefront a couple of doors down, and saunters in my direction. I focus on him, hoping that weird friend telepathy we always joked about as kids still exists.

Play along with me , I silently beg. I need you.

ELLA

Please keep this quiet. I’ll figure something out. Gotta go.

Before they can respond, I close my phone and drop it back into my bag. When Luke gets close enough, I embrace the brave, and throw myself at him. Literally press my body against his in a hug that’s bound to leave a few jaws hanging and wrap my arms around his neck.

“I am about to ask for the biggest favor in the entire world,” I whisper against his ear, struggling to not get lost in the way his unshaven neck feels against my lips.

“Is this an item that’s missing from the list? I’m not sure what’s so special about hugging on the sidewalk,” he replies, still unmoving. “But, I promised to help check items of that list.”

“Luke,” I plead.

“Fine. What’s your favor?”

“Holly thinks we’re engaged. Susie stopped by from the bridal shop and she mentioned pulling a bunch of dresses.” I drop my voice even lower. “I think the phone tree already knows about it.”

There’s an agonizing pause of silence where I think he might tell me I’ve lost it.

“Congratulations, you two!” Ethel is beaming from ear to ear as she walks by. “Just keep the PDA to a minimum.”

I groan. The track for my mine car just hit a massive drop.

“If you forgot to get her a ring, you can stop by the antique store,” Madeline says, conveniently passing us with a wink. “Sometimes you just can’t wait. Right?”

Luke’s hands come to rest on my hips before he wraps his arms around the small of my back to bring me even closer.

“Seems like we might need to change our rules,” he mumbles. “Is this okay?”

Oh, it’s more than okay.

I nod because my voice is about to be a traitor if I answer him right now. Luke’s arms have quickly become my favorite place in the world.

I step back so we’re not so close, but my plan fails miserably. Since our heads aren’t beside each other anymore, we’re only a breath or two away. It would be so simple to raise up on my toes and kiss him.

You know, just to confirm that there will be a foot pop involved.

“She wants to know how you proposed,” I breathe, just barely. “All the details.”

The pressure of his arms squeezes me just so, slowing the chaos in mind and setting off an entire fireworks show inside my body.

“I’ll agree to this on one condition.”

“What?”

He can ask me for anything within reason and I’d say yes. My only demand is that we stay just like this a while longer.

“We could tell everyone they’re misunderstanding. It would wreak some havoc, but we could. Why shouldn’t we?”

I squeeze my eyes closed; the answers playing out in my mind.

Because I want this life so badly, I can taste it. I want what Holly has. I want to keep chasing the feelings I get when I’m near Luke, both the safety and the butterflies.

Charlotte never lets me forget she’s still hiding in the wings, thanks to her never ending supply of demanding emails and texts. But Luke never lets me forget that I don’t have to deal with them alone.

I want that partnership. That belonging.

My square pumpkin fits perfectly into the Jackson family patch, along with all the others. It’s the first time in years that I’m not exhausted from being the misfit.

The last letter from Patch pops into my mind. Be brave.

This probably isn’t what he had in mind when he wrote that, but his encouragement helps anyway. I open my eyes and lift them to his, willing to be a little vulnerable.

“I don’t know. What if?—”

He’s watching me, waiting for me to say what I need. There’s a ring of dark blue around his pupil, just a smidge darker than the rest of his iris.

“Go on,” he urges quietly.

“What if we stop faking this relationship?”

This sounds so dumb.

But I’ve read books with crazier plots and seen movies that make this seem perfectly normal.

“You want to date for real?”

“If you hate the idea, we can pretend I never said a word.” The words come out in a whoosh as I duck down. “I just thought maybe there was?—”

— something here . Something amazing that I’m not imagining.

He surprises me by taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger, tipping my face up enough to look him in the eyes again. What I see there makes my knees turn to jello. There’s no laughter, just heavy emotion.

“There is. And yes. Let’s stop fake dating.”

He drops his hand so he can dip his head to brush his nose against mine. The movement is so soft and purposeful; it sends a shiver through my whole body.

Why isn’t this in more romance books? It’s so tender I can hardly breathe. If he’s pretending for Holly right now, he deserves an Oscar. The Academy just needs to hand it over because I fully believe in this moment that he’s treasuring me.

And maybe he is.

He did just agree to stop fake dating me.

“So we’re… actually dating?”

“Sounds like it.”

I wish this could be a magical moment, complete with fairy dust and floating into the air. It would match exactly how my insides feel right now. But I avoid fairies, so I’m not sure if this is even feasible.

“This is interesting timing,” he says. “Mom wants you to come to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Already wanting me to meet the family? You move fast,” I joke.

Luke grins against my skin, the sensation lighting hundreds of tiny fires where he touches.

“Maybe I know when I have a good thing in front of me.”

My brain is melting.

I’ve got no clue what to say.

“So she wants a proposal story.” His voice rumbles in my ear.

“Mmm-hmmm,” I murmur, linking my fingers around his neck.

“Guess I have to make it a good one, then.”

I’ve collected moments like Polaroids over the last few days, tucking them away in a mental treasure chest.

This one, by far, is my favorite.