Beg You to Trust Me (Lindon U #2)(88)
I peek up at him. “It’s not my decision to make. You have to figure out what’s best for you and your body.”
He stares down at me, reaching out with his good hand and cupping my cheek. When he leans down, I think he’s going to kiss me and hold my breath with the anticipation. But all he does is rest his forehead on mine and nuzzle our noses together in an Eskimo kiss. “Four years, Skylar,” he murmurs, his breath tickling my lips.
“Four years, what?”
That hand cupping my face tightens before loosening and dropping back to his side. With a heavy sigh, he steps away to put space between us. “That’s how long I’ve been waiting for something like this. Didn’t even know it until now.”
I gape at him in confusion, my chest filling with endless flutters that rise from the bottom of my tummy.
He shakes his head, scraping his hand through his hair before reaching down and taking one of my hands. The way our fingers weave together instantly feels natural. “C’mon, Blondie. You’ll love all the food options in Quincy.”
We hold hands the rest of the day.
In the market.
Finding a seat on the steps outside.
Exploring the various stores.
The only time we let go of each other is when he pays for the trinkets I find at gift stores, things I’m sure he couldn’t care less about since he’s lived in the city his whole life, or when he pays for our tickets into the aquarium so I can see the penguins.
By the time we get a cab back to Beacon Hill, I’ve got a bag of souvenirs on my lap, a full stomach, and a stuffed penguin perched between me and the boy who’s watching me with a huge smile on his face.
That’s how long I’ve been waiting for something like this.
When I meet his eye, nothing is said between us. He pecks my cheek, breathes me in, and squeezes my hand once, twice, a third time.
I can’t help but wonder, what is it you’ve been waiting for?
Sinking into the soft mattress, I prop my phone against my stuffed penguin and watch as Serena helps Sienna do her hair in a French braid through FaceTime. “Have you been to the harbor?” she asks.
“We passed by it, but he wants to take me on a boat tour before we leave.”
The girls share a look before turning to the phone they have on their hotel bathroom counter and grin.
It’s Sienna who says, “Do we need to have the safe sex talk with you, little sister? I know we gave you the condensed version when you were with that douchebag—”
“Si!” Rena chides.
Sienna shrugs nonchalantly. “He was a douche. We all thought so, we just didn’t say anything because it wasn’t up to us to decide who she dates.”
I’m gaping, honestly shocked that they didn’t say anything when I was with Ryan. It was a short-lived relationship, but still. “You all said you liked him!”
“We lied,” Sienna says.
Serena adds, “Duh.” She sighs, pausing on the work she’s doing on Sienna’s hair. “It’s not like we thought he was awful for you.”
That’s not exactly a rave review.
“Yeah,” Sienna agrees. “As far as first boyfriends go, he wasn’t bad. Remember Dylan? Between his on-again-off-again relationship with Mia Bishop, he was Serenity’s first boyfriend. That boy screamed trouble from the start, especially bouncing between two different women before finally settling down with one of them.”
I’d completely forgotten about Dylan Casanova. The famous singer is married to pop princess Mia Bishop last I knew. When he and Serenity went out, I vaguely remember him coming over and messing up my hair and trying to suck up to Dad because it was obvious that Dad didn’t like him. I don’t think he and Serenity dated very long because of his weird dating history, so I suppose I see their point.
“Oh, what about Mackenzie?” Serena quips excitedly. “He was a total dick. Remember what he did to Dad’s liquor cabinet that one time when we had that huge party?”
Sienna groans. “I thought we were going to forget about the misfortune of my first.” She looks at the phone and days, “Trust me, Skylar. Ryan was a saint compared to Mack. He was practically an alcoholic by the time he was 20. I thought I wanted a bad boy but turns out he was next level.”
Why don’t I remember him? “I don’t even know who that is.”
She looks contemplative. “In hindsight, he mostly snuck in through the back when everyone was sleeping so we could—”
“She doesn’t need to hear the details,” Serena cuts her off, swatting her arm. “It’s bad enough I had to hear the things you two did. Our poor, influential sister doesn’t need to learn all the ways you were corrupted by Mr. AA.”
“As if you’re one to talk!” her twin points out, eyes narrowed. “Who do you want to talk about first? Clinton or Watson?”
Rena gasps. “That’s not fair! I didn’t even know I was technically dating Watson when I agreed to go out with Clinton. He just assumed we were an official thing.”
I snicker, remembering how that went down when the three of them wound up at some event Mom and Dad dragged us to. “Didn’t Watson punch Clinton in the face after he found you two at that gala together?”
Sienna bursts out laughing. “Yes! I thought Mom was going to combust from the embarrassment. It wound up on one of those tabloid websites the next morning with pictures and everything. What was the headline? ‘Son of multi-millionaire defends honor of well-known investment banker’s daughter.’ What a load of shit, am I right?”