Page 44

Locket

Abi

I found it to be totally unfair that since Declan was so much stronger than me, his ball hit the pins harder—when he knocked a few down, they knocked all the others down easily. I stood by the fact that I was better at the sport of bowling, but he managed to beat me in all three games.

His entire family had been wildly entertained by our competition, because all three games were close; he only beat me by a total of ten pins.

But it was, without question, the most fun I’d had in years (aside from New York with Dex).

With the few boyfriends I’d had in high school and college (and I could count those short-lived relationships on one hand), I’d never experienced that partnership feeling, where it felt like it was the two of us against the world.

But somehow, I had that with Declan.

And as someone whose family had always pretty much consisted of just me and my mom, it was overwhelming—in the very best way—to be surrounded by all these people who seemed to love one another.

Dex’s aunts teased him, Nana Marian doted on him, and he had inside jokes with, like, ten or eleven cousins.

I didn’t have any cousins.

It felt like the smile never left my mouth for the entire night, and I seriously got a little misty when his Nana Marian kissed me on the cheek before she left.

I was terrified to put my trust in him, in this, but it was too late for me to do anything but.

My heart was already his.

I wasn’t saying I was in love with him, but I really did like him a whole lot and there was no turning back from that.

Especially after the sex.

Could it be called sex? It’d been so good, so…like nothing I’d ever experienced with another human, that I wasn’t sure it could be referred to as such.

When he’d pulled me into his arms and kissed my nose, it’d taken all my strength not to cry. Seriously. And what was that all about? It’d been hot and steamy and toe-curlingly wild.

So why had I felt a little pinch that was similar to homesickness when he’d done that?

After bowling, and after saying goodbye to his family, Declan drove us to a shopping area where we walked around.

It was a perfect fall night and the streets were all lit up; it belonged in a rom-com montage.

He told me childhood stories about the family members I’d just met, I told him stories about my favorite books while he held my hand, and when my legs got tired, he gave me a piggyback ride to the car.

It was a fantastic night.

But then he did it—he actually made me cry when we got back to the hotel.

I stepped outside on the balcony, looking out at the gorgeous night, and he followed me.

And pulled a black box from his pocket.

Now, there was no misunderstanding—we definitely weren’t in any place where I would somehow think it was going to be a ring.

But I was shocked to see him hand me a box that clearly held jewelry, with a shiny satin bow tied around it, and a soft smile on his mouth.

“What is this?” I asked, taking the box from his hand.

“Nothing important,” he said, almost looking embarrassed. His green eyes seemed brighter than usual as he said, “Just a trinket that reminded me of you.”

I pulled off the ribbon and opened the box. I felt like I’d been struck when I looked inside.

It was a gold bracelet with a tiny, delicate gold book charm, the spine covered in what looked like diamonds.

“Oh, my God, it’s so beautiful,” I said, blinking fast as I looked down at the gift. It was nicer than anything I’d ever received (aside from the necklace he’d given me), but that wasn’t what made it hard to breathe.

It was the fact that he’d seen a book charm and thought of me in particular—and felt compelled enough to get it for me—that made me feel like my legs were going to give out.

“Open the book,” he said, nodding toward the bracelet with his chin. “It’s a locket.”

“It is?” I whispered, barely capable of speaking.

Dex held the box so I could use both hands to open the book, and when I pried the sides apart, there was a tiny folded piece of paper inside.

I unfolded it, expecting a printed fortune, but instead found a book quote.

In the prettiest handwritten font.

You have bewitched me, body and soul

“Dex,” I managed, unable to say anything else when he looked at me. I was immediately crying, and I couldn’t even put my finger on why his gift made me so emotional. Was it because he remembered what my favorite book and movie were? Was it that he secretly bought me a gift when I wasn’t looking?

Was it the fact that he bought me a gift at all and was giving it to me on a balcony after a perfect night together?

Was it because he’d sucked up a scorpion for me and then proceeded to make me feel loved in a way I never had before?

“Well, I’m never buying you anything again if it makes you cry,” he said, looking a little uncomfortable. “I bought it because I wanted it to make you happy.”

“I am happy,” I said, sniffling and wiping at my eyes. “Can’t you tell?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. His eyes were all I could see when he took out the bracelet, carefully put it on my wrist, and said, “I don’t want to steal lines from your movie Darcy, but my brain can’t help but plagiarize when I look at you.

It seems that you have bewitched me, little Abi Mariano. ”