Alana shivered slightly as we stepped onto the patio, the cool February night air once again hitting us like a tidal wave.
The backyard was transformed into a magical wonderland with twinkling fairy lights strung between trees and a canopy tent set up with tables adorned with elegant centerpieces.
My parents stood near the patio, surrounded by friends and family, their smiles radiant. Every time my dad looked at my mom, his smile grew bigger and the love in his eyes became palpable. And each time my mom took a step, Dad pulled her closer to him, as if unable to be apart from her for longer than a millisecond.
It was sickening, yet I couldn’t help but wonder what it must feel like to have someone look at you with that much love and adoration. I wanted to know what it felt like to love someone so much, you couldn’t imagine leaving their side for a single second.
But I’d given up expecting it to ever happen to me.
I led Alana toward my parents, my nerves almost skyrocketing at the thought of them disliking her. Even though she wasn’t going to stay in my life forever, if my mom disliked her, I wouldn’t have known what to do anymore. Mom liked everyone.
“Mom, Dad, this is Alana,” I said, drawing their attention to us.
Alana offered a warm smile, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. She seemed a bit nervous, but that was to be expected. Hopefully, she was going to get more comfortable as the night went on.
Also, I kind of needed her to relax, because I fully planned on using the jacuzzi with her once this party was over. I mean, if I was already back home, Ihadto use every chance I got to use the jacuzzi.
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Alana said politely, extending her hand toward my parents. For whatever reason, I felt a ping of pride when I realized she didn’t stutter as she spoke. It might’ve been a minor thing, but fuck if that didn’t make me happy.
My mother beamed a smile at her, clasping Alana’s hand warmly. “The pleasure is all ours. Thank you for coming.”
My father nodded in agreement, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he added, “Any friend of Eden’s, is a friend of ours. Make yourself at home, Alana.”
I shot my father a look, silently begging him not to embarrass me in front of Alana. Thankfully, he seemed to pick up on my unspoken plea and refrained from saying anything else that could’ve potentially mortified me. Or so I thought.
Just as I began to relax, thinking my father would behave himself, he turned to Alana. “Hey, did you already know that Eden’s a hopeless romantic? He always gets these urges to… no,you probably know that already. But did he use all his words on you yet, because he sure loves to talk. And?—”
Mom nudged him in the side to make him stop, but it was too late.
A flush of embarrassment crept up my neck as Alana turned her gaze on me, a playful smile on her lips. “Is that so?”
Before I could tell her that my father was just messing with her, the sound of loud laughter erupted behind us.
“Well, well, well,” Jamie chimed in, looking between Alana and me with knowing looks.
Seeing as I’d known Jamie my entire life, I knew exactly what idiotic words could come out of his mouth.
I braced myself for whatever Jamie was about to say, knowing he had a knack for stirring up trouble. Alana shot me a curious glance but said nothing, waiting for Jamie to continue with a small, mischievous smile.
“Look who we have here,” Jamie drawled, his eyes sparkling with all the ideas he had to embarrass me. “It if isn’t Eden and his… date?”
He wasn’t a bad person, and he never purposefully insulted anyone, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like to embarrass me in front of my dates all the time. Okay, he only recently began doing it, and I kind of understood why… it was still embarrassing, though.
Before I could come up with a response, Alana stepped in smoothly. “Yes, I’m Alana,” she said calmly, offering her hand to Jamie, who took it with a smirk.
“Jamie,” I interjected, shooting him a warning look. All these other girls deserved to be taunted just a little bit, seeing as they turned out to be frauds, but not Alana. “Don’t start.”
He merely chuckled, his gaze flicking between Alana and me. “Relax, Eden. I’m just messing with you.” He turned to Alana. “You should watch out for this one. He’s a real heartbreaker.”
I wasn’t a heartbreaker as much as I was the one getting his heart broken. Being a hopeless romantic in a world filled with women who wanted nothing but to fuck someone with money and who could make them a little known on campus was a curse.
29
ALANA
“Sorry, Reece tookforeverto get dressed,” someone called out as soon as they walked out of the house.
My head turned almost immediately, and if I hadn’t forced my jaw to stay in place, it would’ve been on the floor.