Page 45 of Ever After

“Hey yourself. Winston came through for us. We have a flight in the morning. We need to get your new ID, hair dye, and we need to get you some clothes. Think you can handle a small amount of retail therapy?”

She smiles, still half asleep. “What color are you changing me to?”

“A sexy redhead. I’ve heard they’re spunky. Think you can pull it off?”

She smirks, and her cheeks redden. “I think I can give you a run for your money, sure.”

“We’re going to make this a quick trip. We have to get over to the place to get you a new ID.”

“Any chance you have anything I can wear besides oversized men’s clothes?” She turns and pulls the covers up, covering her chest.

“The only other thing we have is the dress you were wearing the other night when we brought you here.”

“I should have asked Allie to bring me something.” She sighs. “Where’s the dress?”

I sit up on my elbow, looking down at her. “You aren’t seriously going to go out in that thing, are you?”

“I’m not walking into a store in pajamas, and I have nothing else. What do you want me to do?”

I give in. “Fine, but we’re ripping the tags off of a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as soon as you get them on. I don’t want you in that thing longer than you have to be.”

Leaning in, she plants a kiss on my cheek. “Promise. Does Winston have a name picked out for me?”

“Oh, hold on, I asked him the same thing.” I look at the message and groan.What an ass.

“Yeah, looks like you’re going to be Abigail Sinclair.”

The color drains from her face. “Sinclair, like the ex you left me for at prom? You have a sick sense of humor.” She throws the sheet off her and storms to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

“I had no idea what name he was going to pick.” I get up, pull on my pants, and go to the door. “Finley.” I knock, hoping she will answer. “Please, open up. I seriously had no idea what name he was going to pick. I’m sure he chose that name because it’s common.”

“Why not choose Smith, or Adams, or something else then?”

I sigh. “I don’t know. All I know is we need to get a move on so we can finish everything and be ready for the flight tomorrow.” She doesn’t respond, so I continue. “I wanted to go with you, Finley. During chemistry class, when we were partners, I started falling for you. I had broken up with Katie before prom because she cheated on me. When we got there, she cornered me, and I couldn’t get away from her. She was desperate to get back together and refused to let me go.”

She unlocks the door, and I push it open. She’s sitting on the floor, a towel wrapped around her small frame, and her knees are pulled up to her chest. “I bet I would have had a much better time with you than with her.”

She looks up at me, her eyes wide in shock. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. You became the unexpected hottie in my dreams. I thought about you often.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this in high school? Why wait so long?”

I shrug. “I was scared of what people would think. I had a reputation to protect, and I couldn’t even control my ex.”

Finley

I can’t believe what he’s telling me. It almost seems like a dream. How many times have I thought of this man, saying these exact words to me?

Hundreds.

For the remainder of senior year,thiswas my fantasy. He would find me in the halls and tell me he made a mistake, and that he really wanted me, Katie be damned. Then he would press me against the lockers and kiss me. It’s a dream I never thought I’d see.

“You’re not messing with me, right?”

“No, I’m telling you the truth. No one knows this, not even my closest friends. I never told anyone because my friends and Katie’s friends were assholes, and I didn’t want anyone messing with you.”

I crawl over to him and give him a big hug. He wraps his arms around me, and I rest my head on his strong shoulder. “Thank you.”