Page 83 of The Love Dare
She’s not afraid about showing up with him—she’s afraid of showing upat all. She’s afraid of getting into trouble. Because even though she’s a grown woman who spent the past five years fending for herself in New York City, at heart, she’s a good girl. And really, he should have been expecting this, but he was too in his own head to notice.
“It’s not funny,” she says, but now she’s laughing too.
“You’re twenty-five,” he gently reminds her.
“Stop.”
“And you jumped in a bush.”
“I know, but, Ty, this is serious.”
“Serious?”
They’re holding on to each other to keep from falling over they’re both laughing so hard.
“It is,” she tries again and straightens her spine with a determined inhale, but her nostrils flare as her lips purse, and it’s only about five seconds before the switch flips and she’s hysterical. “I quit my job,” she strains to explain, barely able to breathe. “I told them I was going on an artist retreat, but really, I quit my job and moved out of my apartment to chase some guy?—”
He scoffs. “Some guy?”
She rolls her eyes. “To chaseyou. Same difference. To chase a boy all around the world. And I made my best friend send them fake emails. And, oh my god, I orgasmed in public! In front of cameras! And now I just admitted it! And they’re going to see everything!”
“They won’t show that,” he quickly says, then turns to Nina. “You won’t show that, right?”
“Not all of it,” comes the cryptic reply.
“Oh my god!” Winnie wails. She shakes her head. “What am I going to do, Ty? What am I going to do?”
“Win.” He takes her cheeks in his hands, forcing her to look at him.
“They’re going to be so mad,” she whispers, threading her fingers around his. “Worse. They’re going to be sodisappointed.”
“They love you.”
“I know.”
“I love you.”
“Still?”
“Yes, still.Always,” he says, his own trepidation melting away in the face of her insecurities. “They’re going to be happy for us.”
“You think?” She smiles through her fear, beaming like a ray of sunlight through a cloudy sky.
“I do,” he urges, not realizing it’s true until the words are out there in the open. But he does. He believes it. He knows it in his soul. Even if nothing is the same after today, it will be agoodnew. For maybe the first time in his life, he really, truly trusts it’s all going to turn out okay. “Now, I’m going to ask this one more time. Are you ready? Or are you going to bolt on me again?”
She takes a deep steadying breath, sniffling just slightly as she squares her shoulders. “I’m ready.”
They lace their fingers together and, as one, open the door.
Her father spots her first. “Uldwyna?”
“Uldwyna!” Her mom spins mid-conversation with a production assistant, excitement widening her eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought you were at a retreat? Did the producers call you?”
“About that…” Winnie clears her throat and tightens her grip on his fingers.
Alex clocks the move immediately. Tyler knows his best friend like the back of his hand. They’ve been through everything together. One glance is all it takes for Alex to read the truth in his eyes. “Ho. Ly. Shit.”
“Language,” Alexandru orders.
