More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
August 23 - September 7, 2025
But as I thought more about it, I realized the main reason I wanted another meetup with Reed was nothing to do with our deal. I just wanted to spend more time with him, which was a clear sign I shouldn’t.
It was the perfect photo. We both looked so happy, and below the picture, Reed had shared a two-word caption: “My girl.”
Ahhhhh! I love them!
Violet seemed to really enjoy spending time with me and my family, and for the first time, I’d noticed signs that maybe she could see me as more than just her fake boyfriend. She’d called herself my girlfriend, albeit by accident, but there had also been that moment in my room. I’d been sure we were going to kiss until Parker interrupted us.
However, by Thursday, I was getting desperate, and, after school finished, I found myself standing outside Hug in a Mug. Apparently, Parker had been right about me being a stalker.
Unfortunately for both of us, I wasn’t ever going to get over the fact my first girlfriend had cheated on me with my oldest friend. At the time, I’d thought she was the one. And Jeremy knew it. That didn’t stop Natalie and him from running around behind my back for almost our entire freshman year.
OMG WHAT! That’s such a big plot twist.
My gaze went straight to Violet who was glaring at the girl. Was she pretending to be upset because that was her job as my fake girlfriend, or was she genuinely concerned to overhear a girl flirting with me?
“We should go find our lane,” I said, placing my arm over her shoulder and joining in the act. I’d take almost any opportunity to hold Violet close to me. I was hardly about to miss this one—even if it was pretend.
Grayson wasn’t having as much success. He bowled with far too much strength. I was surprised he didn’t dent the lane every time he flung his ball toward the pins. “This isn’t shotput,” I told him after a particularly bad throw. “Aww, Gray, it’s okay,” Paige said, patting him on the arm. “You can’t be great at everything.”
Haha I'm dying!
“Do you come here every Friday night to practice and play in tournaments? Is that why you’re so good?” “No.” “I bet you do.” “I swear I don’t.” “Who’s the team, Reed?” I rolled my eyes. “There’s no team.” “Ouch, I’m sure the Gutter Gang will be devastated when they hear you were too embarrassed to admit you’re part of their team.” “The Gutter Gang?”
Omg the gutter gang! Bahaha
We were both grinning brightly at one another and, in moments like these, it was far too easy to forget our relationship wasn’t real.
She was still looking up at me, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling as she smiled. I wished I could lean closer to her, and the way she was looking at me was almost urging me to do so, pulling me in like a doomed moth enchanted by a bright but fatal flame.
I let her step away from me, and I instantly missed having her in my arms.
We both watched in nervous excitement as it barreled down the lane, heading directly for the middle pin. The ball connected with a resounding crash and sent the pins flying in every direction. She’d bowled a strike. Violet’s hands shot up into the air as she squealed with excitement, and I couldn’t seem to help myself. One minute, I was standing behind her, and the next, she was back in my arms. I lifted her up and spun her around in celebration. She laughed freely as I cheered along with her.
I was back where I wanted to be, and I knew I could have stayed standing there with her forever. How could my heart be beating so fast when all we were doing was looking at each other? And how could the connection between us feel so real when this was all supposed to be fake?
I didn’t know if I would have another chance to get close to Violet tonight, but it didn’t matter to me. I just liked spending time with her. As the night went on, it felt more and more natural, like we’d known each other for years rather than mere weeks. We finished our game, which I inevitably won, but it swelled my heart to see Violet celebrating her second-place finish and have her thank me for my excellent coaching.
When she’d been in my arms in the bowling alley and was gazing up at me, there was no mistaking the look in her eyes. She’d been thinking about kissing me. I knew it.
Maybe I hadn’t completely screwed this up just yet. We still had one more week as a fake couple. But if I was going to win Violet over, I needed to make her realize some rules were meant to be broken—even golden ones.
Ever since I’d had dinner with the Darling family, I’d been doing my best to try to avoid Reed and the confusing, swirling emotions that bubbled up inside me whenever he was near. I was doing such a good job of it too, and then he had to go and ruin all my hard work. Just one fake bowling date, and the confusion was back; the line between fake and real was blurry as ever. No matter how hard I tried to hide from it or deny it, I knew I was starting to develop feelings for Reed that I wasn’t supposed to.
Finally you admit it.
The way he’d held me at the bowling alley and gazed into my eyes had felt so incredibly real.
I’d been imagining what it would be like to kiss him again ever since and recalling our kiss at the bonfire a whole lot more than I should, too. Had it really been as spine-tingling as I remembered? I tried to convince myself it wasn’t, because I knew I shouldn’t be thinking about Reed that way, but it was too hard. The kiss really was that good.
But each time I saw Reed, my feelings seemed to grow and intensify.
But it could get confusing when we were together, sharing laughs that felt as easy as breathing and smiles that made my heart glow warm with happiness. Sometimes when we held hands, I could feel his skin sparking just like mine. And then there were a few moments, like in his room and at the bowling alley, when it had seemed certain we would kiss. All of this pointed toward Reed returning my feelings. But I couldn’t tell if these moments were just a part of our arrangement or the beginning of something real.
Reed jumped up from his chair as soon as he saw me enter the room. His eyes lit up, and he gave me a warm smile. He started to walk toward me but bumped into the coffee table and almost tripped. I spluttered out a laugh. He was blushing, and it was actually really cute. “Hey,” he said, his deep voice rumbly and all too familiar as he came to stand before me. “Hey, yourself. Are you okay? That coffee table nearly took you out.” “I’ll survive,” he said, still slightly red in the cheeks. “You look gorgeous.” My cheeks flushed just as bright as his at the compliment.
“Understood. I’ll be the perfect gentleman.”
“And say that there’s nothing for him to worry about. Because I really care about you and I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
I was more nervous about this party than ever before because maybe Mia was right. Maybe it was time to take a risk on Reed.
“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 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.”
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.
“Well, that’s Reed,” Paige said. “He’s always happy to go out of his way for people he cares about.”
“Like, the way he fixed your car was the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“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 heart swelled with a mixture of nerves and excitement when I caught sight of Reed. He was still talking to Matt, and he looked so handsome as he released an easy laugh. Whatever happened going forward, I felt lucky I’d gotten to be his girlfriend these last few weeks, even if it was all for show.
As I approached, his smile seemed to get brighter, and I found myself wondering how I’d managed to keep such firm boundaries between us for so long. How I hadn’t fallen deeply in love with this boy the moment I met him. I wondered if perhaps I had and I’d just been too stubborn to recognize my feelings for what they were.
I’d already given in to my feelings for him, and I hoped he was feeling the same thing. There was no going back now.
“Do you want to go dance?” I suggested. “Reed doesn’t dance,” Matt laughed. But Reed ignored his friend, keeping his focus on me. “Maybe I was just waiting for the right partner.” He held out a hand toward me, and as I slipped my fingers into his grasp, my world felt complete.
I slowly peered up at him, and as our gazes locked, a familiar warmth spread through me.
Reed: All good here. There were no cops. It was a prank by some Saints players. They even brought their own fake siren.
It humbled me to know how easily Parker, and all Reed’s family and friends, had accepted me. But it also filled me with guilt knowing we were deceiving them all. I desperately wished what Parker had said was true. That I really was Reed’s girl.
I continued to watch as Reed gave the small children pointers, supporting them when they needed it and praising them when they’d done well. His gentle gestures and kind words radiated a sense of genuine care that would have surprised anyone who didn’t truly know him.
My heart was already racing with adrenaline from slipping, and the feel of his strong arms keeping me upright only made me more breathless.
Reed was sweet as we skated and kept trying to encourage me. But I was a terrible student and constantly on the verge of pulling the two of us down. The only plus to the whole experience was the fact he didn’t let go of me once. That was definitely something I could get used to.
“The story behind my scar is a little embarrassing,” he said. “I don’t like to talk about it. And if you ever tell anyone, I’m not sure I’ll be able to forgive you.” He was speaking quickly, and his usual confident demeanor was replaced by a hint of hesitation. Was he nervous? “Is it really that bad?” I asked. “It is,” he muttered. “But I guess I should just rip off the Band-Aid.” I was genuinely beginning to worry. “So, you were right, the scar was caused by an ice skate,” he began. He’d told me as much last night, and I instinctively gripped the boards beside me a little tighter as I
...more
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Rumour number 4
It was only now I’d tried ice-skating myself that I could really appreciate just how talented Reed must be. He made it look so simple. As easy as if he were walking or running but with infinitely more power, speed, and grace. It reminded me of the first time I’d seen him skate when I’d showed up to the wrong game.
He might have been embarrassed, but if the full routine was half as impressive as that one single jump, I imagined it would be pretty spectacular.
“Violet.” His voice lowered, and a shiver went down my spine as he said my name. “Despite what everyone says, I’m not some player. There’s only one girl I care about, and she’s standing right in front of me . . .”
I hesitated. Not because I was terrified of falling on the ice but because I was terrified I was falling for him. Every moment I spent with him, I could feel the protective barriers I’d erected around my heart slipping away.
“Don’t let me fall,” I said. “Never,” he replied.
The longer he held me, the more I began to wonder if perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to fall after all.
Reed kissed me like I was as essential to him as the air we breathed.
