Page 58 (1/2)

“Thanks,” I said, wishing I feltthis alone I hated that Carson hadn’t shown He was probably at the beach right now, flirting with Olivia

“And Mia?”

I startled, thinking he had already hung up “Yeah?”

“I don’t care if he ishis a—”

“Thanks, Ethan,” I said, cutting him off

I hung up and waited as the text cah Once I punched in the code to the keypad on the side door, I went inside and surveyed the living rooether were still scattered throughout

I er over Carson’s sloppy handwriting, and it all hit me My parents Carson Even my confrontation with Olivia stirred a painful ache i

nside my chest I couldn’t squelch, and the tears I had suppressed all day rose to the surface Being dateless for the Snowflake Ball was the least of my worries

I crouched in front of the boxes labeled “Adams Family” and reached for the first one as a tear slid downthe heavy box in front of me when the front door slammed

I turned around, expecting to see Ethan He had come after all

“That was fast” My words trailed off, lost in the lump in my throat Because it wasn’t Ethan It was Carson

His dark hair was htly flushed fro to stand in front ofabout the way he held himself, the way he couldn’t seem to meet my eyes told me he was nervous

He reached up and tugged on the drawstrings of his hoodie, looking more adorable than was fair

“You came,” I said

“Here, let round next to him Once he stood back up, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his Wild Cat joggers and stared at ruff as he reached out and brushed a thumb over my damp cheek