Page 176 of Hot Mess
I really didn’t need my sister to know how special I already thought he was. She’d made it clear she was supportive of me hooking up with him, yes. But if she knew I was in danger of actuallyfallingfor him, hard and fast? Getting the serious feels for him? Like unicorn-level feels?
When we hadn’t even fucked yet?
I had a feeling she’d change her tune.
On that note, I hadn’t told her about the ring, either. As in, the very special ring I’d given Ashley when I barely knew him—a.k.a., one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
I hadn’t told Taylor about the ring, either. I’d planned to, but somehow, I hadn’t managed to do it yet.
Of course, I’d already told Taylor about The Dick In The Zipper. The other most embarrassing moment of my life.
We’d capitalized the event, because clearly it was one of those life happenings that would haunt me forever.
The pained non-sound Ashley made.
The look on his face.
Theblood.
Ugh.I still cringed every time I thought about it.
When I told Taylor that I’d brought him to a Vola family brunch, though, I was pretty sure that disturbed her more.
“Isn’t it kindasoonto bring him into that scene?” she asked me over our mojitos.
“It was Dani’s idea.”
“And you followed through with it,” my best friend said, rejecting my disclaimer. “You realize she may have been hoping they’d scare him away, right?”
“Maybe.”
“She wants to know what he’s made of.”
“Definitely.”
“You know she’ll never totally approve of him, even if she says she does.”
I sighed. “Probably not.”
I’d feared that, for sure. But hearing Taylor say it… Yeah, I knew.
My sister was critical as shit when it came to guys, and with the whole Alaska thing as her first impression of Ashley? She wasn’t gonna forget that anytime soon.
In her books, he was qualified to rock my world. A sexy rock star notch on my belt.
But more than that?
“Anyway… I don’t really care what she thinks of him,” I declared, and Taylor gave me a weird look. One I didn’t much like.
She knew me too well. Just like my sister did.
Betterthan my sister did.
I sighed again.
My best friend looked so damn self-assured sitting across from me. In her deep-V-neck T-shirt with all the casual cleavage, her sunglasses pushed back in her dirty-blonde hair. No one did dirty-blonde like Taylor. She actually rolled out of bed with that sex-kitten hair. All generous curves and couldn’t-give-a-fuck.
Guys looked at her all the time. And they hit on her, too.
