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“The way you’re looking at me...” I murmured. “You have no idea how it makes me feel.”

Her throat bobbed. “So, tell me.”

“I can’t,” I replied. “But you’re dangerously close to making me break all my rules.”

It felt easy to admit these things in the darkened room. As though this moment wasn’t real. Like time had stopped. Or I was in some alternate universe where I actually had a chance.

“Maybe your rules are worth breaking?”

She was staring up into my eyes like I was worthy. Like, despite my many flaws, I was what she wanted. What she needed. A delicate tremor rippled through me as my chest flooded with warmth.

“Paige, I . . .”

Light filled the room, and her eyes jumped away from mine. Cheers sounded, and the familiar noise of the hockey on TV drifted up from downstairs. The harsh, bright light of the bathroom felt far too revealing. I’d been so close to divulging my heart, and if Paige only looked into my eyes, I knew the truth would be only too evident for her to see.

She kept her eyes low and stepped back. That one swift movement did even more to break the moment than the lights flaring back to life. Whatever had been happening in the darkness was over.

“I better get dressed,” she said. She didn’t wait for my reply as she slipped past me and out into the hall. I followed her, and just as she was about to push into Cammie’s room, she stole a glance my way. There was a spark of something in her eyes. Excitement? Regret? Uncertainty? She was gone before I could decide. I’d come so close to confessing my feelings, but it wasn’t my last opportunity. Whatever had just happened between us in the darkness had ignited a cautious hope inside me, and I wasn’t going to let the next chance pass me by.

Chapter 26

Paige

I was such a chicken. I’d been beating myself up about it all day, and I was in a total daze as I drove home from school. I didn’t think I’d heard a single word during any of my classes, and it was lucky I hadn’t needed to take any tests, because I knew I would have failed them all. The only thing I could think about was the way I’d felt when I’d been stuck alone with Grayson in the dark.

I’d wanted to kiss him.

Desperately.

I’d even tried to tell him as much while the power was out. It had been barely a minute, but in those brief moments everything magnified. It was like a door had opened inside me, and I wasn’t sure I could close it again. My attraction to Gray was undeniable, and I’d been so close to acting on my desires. Perhaps if we’d been in the darkness a little longer, I would have lost all control. But when the harsh lights flicked back on, my confidence vanished.

I shouldn’t have run from him, but I’d been terrified of how close I’d come to ruining everything. So, I’d hidden in Cammie’s room for the rest of the night, tormented as I replayed the things we’d said. More than that, I remembered the way he’d looked at me. It was as though he’d echoed my thoughts. Like maybe he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.

I’d only seen him twice today. In the morning, at breakfast, he offered to make me something to eat, so I’d grabbed a banana and bolted from the room. Then at lunch he’d come and found me in the newsroom while I was working on my article with Bonnie. He’d let me know he had a team meeting after school, but he’d be home at six for our date.

I had no idea what to expect, and Grayson hadn’t dropped any hints. But it felt like I was teetering on the edge of a precipice and one move either way could be the difference between safety or doom. Deep down I knew tonight was the night I discovered which way I would fall.

Nobody was home when I arrived back at the Darlings’. It was still early on Friday night, so it wasn’t that unusual. Amy and Danny were probably both still at work, the boys had their Devils’ team meeting, and Cammie practically lived at the ice rink so she was rarely around anyway.

I made my way into the house, still wondering exactly what Grayson had planned for the evening. I didn’t know the first thing about going on a date. And he’d been surprisingly tight-lipped about what we were doing. I guessed he was taking his job as coach seriously and wanted me to have the full date experience.

I slowly made my way up to Cammie’s room, my thoughts already on the next problem. What was I supposed to wear? I started mentally shuffling through the clothes I’d brought with me, trying to remember if I had any appropriate date attire. I even considered one of the Bonnie-approved outfits I’d bought during my makeover day with Grayson, but I wasn’t sure either of those was right. The clothes might have gotten a reaction out of Gray at the time, but I wanted something I felt comfortable in. Something that made me feel confident and pretty. If I was going on a date with Grayson, I wanted something perfect.

I stilled as I entered Cammie’s room. There was already a dress laid out on my bed. I approached it slowly. It looked familiar, and when I reached it, I immediately recognized the small, delicate flowers printed on the pale pink fabric.

“It’s my dress,” I whispered.

It was the one I’d tried on when we’d been shopping. The one that had made me feel just like me. The one I hadn’t bought because I didn’t think being me would ever be enough to catch a guy’s eye.

There was a note on it:The perfect dress for my perfect date.

Grayson did this? I wasn’t sure I could fall any harder for this boy, but he was making it far too easy. I’d always known Gray was sweet, and kind, and generous. But the way he made me feel like I was something truly special, just for being me, was incredible. As if there was any doubt left, I knew there was no coming back from this.

My feelings for Grayson had grown roots. They’d started as nothing more than a faint stirring in the back of my mind. A tiny seed, so small they were easily overlooked. But the roots had been slowly spreading and quietly weaving their way into my heart and thoughts. Before I knew what was happening, they’d anchored firmly within me, knitted into the very fabric of my being.

I still had a couple of hours before the date, so I took my time to do my hair and makeup. When I finally put on the dress, I couldn’t have been happier. Everything had come together better than I could have dreamed. I’d never expected to feel this way before a date. Such a mixture of anticipation, and uncertainty, but the dress gave me a quiet confidence I hadn’t expected, too. And while I knew this was only supposed to be a practice date, it already felt like so much more than that to me.

The doorbell rang just as I put the final touches on my makeup. I glanced at the bedroom door, wondering if I should go downstairs and answer it. This wasn’t my house, but no one else was at home, so I hurried down to see who was there.