I have an incredible guy like Noah who loves me, a best friend in Tully, two new siblings, a mother who was kind enough to give me a new life, a dad who buys me things like expensive cars and jewelry, and not to mention, a scholarship to one of the best universities in the area.
I’m fucking winning at life.
I light up the screen of my phone and look down at the time. Three minutes past seven. I’m officially late. Glancing at myself in the mirror once again, I find myself beaming. Yeah, it’s going to be an incredible night.
I grab my phone and look down. Where the hell am I going to put this? Usually, I’d shove it down in my bra or in the back pocket of my jeans but that’s clearly not an option right now.
Oh well, I’m sure Noah will have a pocket.
I make my way towards my bedroom door before stumbling in my heels and giving myself a moment to pull it together. Chicks walk around in these things all the time. If they can do it, then so can I.
Fake it ‘til you make it, right?
I hold my head up high and make my way out of my bedroom and up the hallway, and it’s not until I hear the subtle, “Fuck me,” gasped from across the room that I look up and realize my knight in shining tattoos is already here and gaping at me as though he’s never seen a woman in his life.
I bite down on my lip, taking him in.
He’s pure perfection. I mean, he’s always perfection but in a suit with those green eyes, he’s like per-fec-tion.
I really am the luckiest girl on the planet.
“There will be none of that,” dad says from somewhere in the room. I have to tear my eyes away from Noah as honesty, I hadn’t even realized dad was here, but when I finally take him in, I have to roll my eyes at the way he’s standing with his rifle carelessly thrown over his shoulder.
“Really, daddy? The gun?”
Dad shrugs his shoulders shamelessly. “What can I say? The kid isn’t scared of anything. He needs a little something to remind him to keep his paws off my girl.”
I raise a brow. “Would it make you feel better if you chaperoned our night? Stood next to us with a ruler while we danced to make sure he doesn’t get too close.”
Dad opens his mouth to say something, but it’s Noah’s voice that cuts through the room. “Dancing? No one said anything about dancing.”
Dad gapes at him as though he’s some sort of stranger strutting around his house in the nude. “Have you got your head screwed on, kid? A girl as beautiful as that asks you to dance and you’re going to say no? You’ve got your wires crossed. Beats me how you ever scored yourself a girl in the first place.”
A laugh bubbles out of me as I look at my stunned boyfriend. “Did the big, bad Noah Cage just get shut down by his girlfriend’s daddy?”
“No,” he fires back. “I’m just trying to work out what the fuck to say that won’t offend or piss him off.”
I shake my head. I can only imagine what kind of comeback he would have said and I’m sure as hell it would have been something about not needing to dance with chicks to score because he’s got other ‘tools’ that he’d happily put to good use.
“Right, in that case, we should get the hell out of here before dad shoots you in the ass. I mean, there’s only so many times he’ll threaten to do it before he just gives in and pulls the trigger.”
Dad grins wide. “My baby knows me well.” He drops the gun, which I’m pretty damn sure isn’t loaded, down on the couch before striding towards me and taking me by the shoulders. “You look stunning, Squish,” he murmurs, holding me at arm’s length so he can take it all in. “Have a wonderful night and call me if you need. I don’t care what time of the night it is, I’ll be there if you’re in trouble.”
“It’s school prom,” I remind him. “Somehow I think I’m going to be absolutely fine.”
“You never know with this stuff,” he warns. “Now, get on out of here before I start blubbering about how grown-up you’ve become and you give me another heart attack.”
“Oh, geez,” I laugh, looking over at Noah. “We better scram.”
“Alright, Spitfire.”
Noah comes and takes my hand and before I know it, he’s leading me out to his Camaro. He even goes as far to open the door for me and the second I get a glimpse into his car I notice the corsage sitting on the passenger’s seat. “What the hell is that?” I question, looking at the thing in horror.