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Shay

I was seven when I fell in love with Easton Connor He was four years older than me and best friends with ht of hiht of him as off-limits

When I fell offdown the street after my brothers, it was Easton who circled back to help ravel out of en peroxide Easton who turnedme about Carter’s inability to speak every time he saw his crush in class

I decided right then that I was going to marry Easton Because I was seven and didn’t understand the realities of romantic love Because Easton hadn’t yet become the Easton Connor Because I hadn’t hit puberty and become chubby Shay Because I still believed in fairytales, I believed I would reen eyes

It was my secret One I vowed to keep to ht Easton didn’t know my plans

And I had no idea he’d break my heart

Shay

April 27th, draft night, thirteen years ago

“Shay!” Easton hoists a shot glass in the air and wriggles it in offering “Tequila? What do you say?”

Carter spins on hiive my little sister alcohol”

“Shit, sorry,” Easton says, but his et she’s so young”

The tequilato his head, because there’s no other explanation for the way he’s looking at h ht think thatNo That doesn’t make sense This is Easton My friend now, sure, but East is everything Girls everywhere are crazy about him—a football star on the brink of NFL fame, he could have any woman he wanted

Carter grabs a beer and leaves the kitchen and pushes out the back door to join the party And then it’s just me and Easton Alone with a bottle of tequila and the full shot glass that’s still in his hand

He flashes a glance over his shoulder toward the back door “Does Carter have any idea that you’re not a little girl any the distance between us