Page 531 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11
He slowly pulled back. “Nothing about this was ever fake to me.”
“But you said you didn’t like me anymore.”
“Well...I lied.” He shrugged.
“You’re an asshole.”
He laughed. “So you’re in love with an asshole?”
“I never said I was in love with you.”
“You kind of did though.”
“I’m drunk,” I said.
He smiled. “I don’t think you’re drunk.”
I slowly shook my head. “You’re right. I’m not.” But I wasn’t ready to say those words again right now. “Wait, what about Olivia?”
“What about her?”
“You seemed so excited that she was in our limo. And you told her we were fake dating. And you danced with her during the couples’ dance. And she was bent over grinding on you just a minute ago.”
“I could tell you were jealous of her, so I thought I could use that to my advantage.”
“Psh.”
He smiled. “So I asked her to come over and interrupt us and say all that. You’ve been torturing me all night, Scarlett. Dancing with everyone but me. I couldn’t wait any longer for you to wake up. So I used my own Operation Too Hot to Handle against you.” He frowned. “That sounded weird. But you were trying to make Axel jealous. So I decided to make you jealous instead.”
“So you don’t like Olivia?”
“No. I likeyou.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. “I can’t believe you used that operation against me,” I said. “I...I can’t believe you lied to me.”
“I knew I just needed some time to make you realize what was right in front of you.”
He was right. I think I’d needed to be jealous to finally wake up. He was right about all of it. I slid my hands to the back of his neck. “I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“I would have waited my whole life for you, Scarlett.”
I felt tears welling in the corners of my eyes. I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his.
How on earth could I have ever thought this was fake? I looked up at the stars above us. They reminded me of the glow in the dark one he’d given me for my ceiling.
He followed my gaze. “You know, my dad always used to say something to my mom when I was little.”
“What did he used to say?”
He was staring down at me instead of at the stars above us now. “That they were written in the stars.”
His words made my chest feel tight.
“I know I wasn’t your first choice, Scarlett. But my mom dated Coach in high school. And my dad wasn’t her first choice either.”
“I’m sure that’s not true...”
“I’m not sure it matters whether it is or isn’t. What matters is that they had an amazing life together. All I remember from our lake house was...happiness.”
