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Prologue

“Go on, Allison,” Mallory urged

“Yeah, do it now!” Kied me forward

I tore lass doors back to ht eyes danced with a ne we’d been sneaking when the adults weren’t looking I’d downed two flutes e at the ive in to their dares

“He’s alone for the first tiht It’s the perfect time,” Mallory said

Gnawing my bottom lip betweened within me about my potential course of action “I know, but…”

“But what?” Kim pressed

“What if he laughs atthrough my head “What if he won’t do it, and then he tells Jake what I asked him?”

Mallory rolled her green eyes “Quit stalling, and just do it!”

Kiret it if you don’t”

I threw both of ed a finger at the to either of you again”

With a laugh, Mallory said, “Yeah, right”

Glancing overwith party guests for ht of theued by why my older brother, Jake, stood before therin on his face, I et the better of me for once Instead, I focused on the task at hand

Just the thought of what I was about to do sentbeneath the yards of satin on own I took a few deep breaths to try and cal I needed was to pass out and have my dress around my head for all my friends from school to see I’d picked the lavender perfection a feeeks before It was exactly like what I had envisioned when I’d made sketches of my dream dress The bodice was encrusted with silver sequins and beading while the botto me look and feel like a Disney Princess

I tried my best to tune the voices of doubt out of s that reminded me of the new colt at Jake’s farm, I pushed myself forward and headed out the door into the courtyard Standing in front of the sparkling fountain was the man I’d been in love with for the past three years Rhys McGowan—the bassist for the world famous band, Runaway Train, and my older brother’s best friend The man who had no idea how I truly felt about him because all he saw e Tonight I was going to make him see me as more

For ahis arette In an instant, I was transported back in time to the first tione up for a weeklong campout at Jake’s farm I didn’t know at the tiuys were just starting out, playing weekends at Eastman’s Pub in don Atlanta I knew AJ because he was our next-door neighbor when I was little, but the two other guys, Brayden and Rhys, I’d never seen before

The moment Rhys stood up frooner I liked every single thing about hione era manners to his wavy dark hair and chocolate brown eyes He was younger than the other guys, and soe self