Page 43

VIOLET

Reed and I were both quiet as we drove to the other side of the river for the party.

We usually talked with such ease, but my thoughts felt tangled, and I was at a loss for what to say.

Everything had been so much simpler when all I’d seen him as was my fake boyfriend.

It was so much more complicated now, and I’d almost forgotten how to act around him.

“So, the party tonight’s at Matt’s?” I asked. It was the only thing I could think to say.

“It is.”

“You seemed awfully confident you were going to win today.”

“Because we always win,” Reed replied. “As captain, I do whatever it takes to make sure of that.”

I shook my head. “So cocky.”

“Just a little.” A grin spread across his face, and his eyes shone with mischief as he glanced at me. I wished my heart didn’t thump quite so hard when he looked at me that way, and I did my best to appear unaffected.

He was still smiling as he focused back on the road.

“So, what does a Ransom Devils victory party look like?” I continued. “It won’t be too crazy, will it?”

“Nah, not too crazy. Matt would kill anyone who trashed his parents’ place.”

“Okay, it’s just… I’m a little nervous.”

“You don’t need to be,” he said. “I won’t leave your side.”

I slowly nodded. It was comforting to hear that, especially since I barely knew anyone who went to Ransom. Jeremy had never stuck with me at parties even when I’d first started at Sunshine Prep. But I’d always had Mia and Nicole as backup, and they wouldn’t be with me tonight.

That wasn’t the only reason I was nervous.

Mia’s advice kept running through my mind, and I had no idea where this night was going to end up.

Was I going to open up to Reed about what I was feeling?

Was I going to kiss him? Was I going to flee the party with a broken heart?

Maybe it would be none of those things. Or maybe it would be all three.

By the time we arrived at the party, the street was already filled with cars. Reed drove right by them and parked in the driveway of the house that was overflowing with people.

“Best friend privileges,” Reed explained as he pulled on the handbrake. “I get to park in the driveway, but I also have to help clean up in the morning, so it’s not always worth it.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.”

A wave of nerves hit me as I looked out the window at all the people milling in the front yard. When I’d agreed to come, I knew I might feel out of place, but it seemed so much more daunting now we were here.

“We don’t have to go inside if you don’t want,” Reed said, watching me.

My thoughts must have been clearly etched on my face. “No, it’s fine,” I said. “We’ve got to show the girls of Ransom you’re a taken man, right?”

“Sure,” he agreed. “But let me know if you’re not comfortable at any point. We can just bail and go home if that’s what you want.”

“Okay.” I nodded, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. “I’ll let you know.”

Reed jumped from the truck and came around to meet me as I got out. He gave me a warm smile as he took my hand. “You really do look beautiful tonight, Sunshine. I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“Thanks.” Despite the freezing night air, I could feel myself flushing. I really struggled to accept compliments, especially when they came from Reed.

He gave me another soft smile before he nodded in the direction of the house. “Come on.”

As we made our way inside, Reed’s demeanor changed.

He seemed taller, larger, like he had grown in stature the minute he entered the building.

Everyone we saw appeared to take a step back to give him plenty of room to pass by, and while I was aware he intimidated the kids at Sunshine Prep, I hadn’t realized he was treated with a similar kind of caution by Ransom High kids too.

While the reaction at my school was caused by fear and distrust, here it seemed people had a quiet sense of respect for Reed.

The guys nodded to him as he passed, and girls swallowed nervously or shot him seductive smiles.

If I hadn’t been on Reed’s arm, would they have been throwing themselves into his path?

I missed Reed’s smile when he was acting like this.

He was always so soft and easygoing when it was just us or when he was around his family and close friends.

I’d forgotten this darker side of him existed because we’d spent so much time around people he trusted, and I had to remind myself it was mostly just an act to maintain a certain reputation.

He quickly relaxed when we made it to the back of the house, where there was a den full of people hanging out, many of whom I recognized as guys from his hockey team.

“Finally,” Matt said, slapping Reed on the back in greeting. “I was worried you were going to bail on tonight.”

“Would I do that?” Reed asked.

“Yes. Yes, you would,” Matt replied with a laugh before he turned his attention on me. “Hey, Violet. We missed you at our game today.”

“Sorry, I had to work. Sounds like you did just fine without me though.”

“Ah, but who knows how many more goals we would have scored if you’d been there to cheer us on.” He winked. “Come on, let’s introduce you to some other victorious Devils.”

Matt threw an arm over my shoulder and led me away from Reed.

Nerves rippled through me as our hands parted, but Reed stayed close while Matt went around introducing me to everyone.

I remembered Owen from the pizza restaurant, but the names of the rest of the players went in one ear and out the other.

They seemed like a nice group of guys, and I was surprised by how welcoming they all were.

It had always felt like Jeremy’s friends simply put up with me.

I’d only been here a few minutes, and these guys were embracing me as if I were one of their own.

When we got to the far end of the room, I grinned as Paige launched from Grayson’s side to come and hug me. We’d known each other less than a week, and yet it felt like we’d been friends forever.

“You don’t have a drink,” she said, almost instantly. “Do you want to go grab one?”

“Uh, sure,” I said, nodding for her to lead the way.

She linked her arm through mine and pulled me toward the other side of the den where there was a table stacked with drinks. Reed went to follow us, but Paige waved him off. “We’ll be back in a second. Your girl will be just fine with me.” She tugged me away before he could argue.

“Took you guys long enough to get here,” Paige said as we approached the drinks table. “I swear, we left the house at the same time as Reed, and that was ages ago.”

It was no surprise Paige had been hanging out at the Darling family’s house beforehand. It seemed like she and Grayson did everything together.

“We got a little held up,” I explained. “Reed and my uncle were having a bit of one-on-one time.”

“Oh no.” Paige laughed softly. “How did that go?”

“Surprisingly well,” I said. “Reed really made an effort to impress him.”

I stole a quick glance over my shoulder at Reed. He was chatting with Matt now, but, as if he sensed I was looking, his gaze immediately drifted to me.

“You okay?” he mouthed.

I smiled back at him and nodded. He winked at me and continued his conversation with Matt. Given the animated way his friend was swinging an invisible hockey stick through the air, I had to assume they were reliving parts of today’s game.

“Well, that’s Reed,” Paige said. “He’s always happy to go out of his way for people he cares about.”

It was hard to argue with her. Reed had gone out of his way to help me a few times now. But I could never be sure if it was part of his efforts to maintain our fake relationship or something more.

“And I can tell he really cares about you,” Paige continued.

That got my attention, and I quickly faced her again. “You can?”

“Of course.” She nodded as she pulled two premixed drinks from the mini fridge. “Like, the way he fixed your car was the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

I frowned as she passed me one of the glass bottles. “You mean when he helped me get my car towed?”

“Well, that too, but no, I’m talking about how he spent hours working at his dad’s garage to get all the repairs done.”

“Wait, what?” I stammered. “Reed was the one who fixed my car?”

Paige seemed confused as she took a sip of her drink. “You didn’t know?”

“Reed said it was his dad. He told me Danny didn’t want to charge me.”

“Typical,” Paige muttered. “It wasn’t his dad. Reed worked on it himself and put in extra hours to cover the cost of the parts. Grayson told me he was there every night. He was even late to hockey practice a couple of times.”

My mouth dropped open as I stared at her. “Why didn’t he tell me? I never would have let him do that for me if I’d known.”

“That’s probably why he kept it to himself.” Paige lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “I swear these Darling boys are impossible.”

"I can’t believe he did that.”

“It’s like I told you,” she said with a smile. “He must really care about you.”

Reed wasn’t supposed to care about me, but if Paige was telling the truth about him fixing Betty, how could I deny that he did?

What could he have to gain from secretly repairing my car for me?

Why would he do that if all he cared about was scaring off his groupies?

And, after what I’d just learned, how was I supposed to keep acting like this relationship was only pretend and that I didn’t care for him too?

“My friend Bonnie just got here,” Paige said, shaking me from my thoughts. She was looking down at her phone. “I need to go find her. Will you be okay if I leave you with Reed and the boys?”