Page 6 of Aiden & Lily

Jasmine sighed. “You’re probably right. And a guy who’s interested in one of those girls is definitely not worth your time. You, little sister, deserve to be treated like a queen.”

Lily snorted, her shoulder bumping up against Jasmine’s. “We’re twins.”

“You’re still shorter than me.”

“But I’m older,” Lily reminded her.

“By less than two minutes.”

They grinned at each other just as the buzzer rang out. Christopher ran toward the edge of the arena and climbed over the fence.

Lily turned so her knees bumped against Jasmine’s. “You want to know what I heard about Mathew?”

Jasmine’s eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. “Always.”

“Mathew’s going to propose. He’s just waiting until he knows River will say yes.”

“That’s obvious,” Jasmine huffed. “He’s been obsessed with her since the first day they met.” Then her eyes rounded. “You will never guess who I saw hanging out with Rose in town last week.”

“Who?”

“Morgan Meyers.”

Lily gasped. “Dad is gonna be so mad if he finds out.”

Nodding, Jasmine smiled. “Don’t you think it might be fun if we…”

“What? No. Rose would kill you.”

Jasmine sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. And honestly, this whole feud thing is a little played out. I’m so tired of having to avoid talking about them, even in passing. Dad needs to get over this grudge he’s holding. I bet he doesn’t even remember what happened.”

Lily gave her sister a pointed look.

“Yeah, okay. I know he remembers. But it’s not like he was even around when it did. The whole love triangle with his grandparents is old news. No one involved is even alive anymore.”

“You don’t have to convince me. I think the whole thing is dumb, too.”

They watched the next competitor, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

Jasmine had never had much luck in the love department, which was the main cause of her disillusioned views on romance. Their mother had passed away, and with her, she’d taken the sort of hope all her daughters had needed for their future.

But Lily refused to give up believing that she’d find the special kind of love that was written about in storybooks. She watched every single Hallmark movie she could and read every romance she could get her hands on. As far as she was concerned, it was only a matter of time before she found a guy worthy of the love and adoration she was ready to give.

Once upon a time, she’d thought that would be Reese.

“I think Emerson likes Penny,” Jasmine said, shattering Lily’s train of thought.

Lily’s head whipped around so fast she flinched and reached back to grip her neck. “You’re kidding.”

“Well, heaven knows Dad would never let Emerson marry one of us. He’s too much like a family member.”

Lily nodded thoughtfully. “You’re definitely right about that. He’s been around for so long Dad thinks of him like a son.” Her brows furrowed. “I thought I saw him getting chummy with River when she was hired to be the mechanic.”

“I think they might have tested the waters a little, but no. There wasn’t a spark. I’ve walked in on their conversations a few times. They’re just friends.”

“That’s too bad. As much as I like Mathew for her, I think Emerson and River would have looked cute together.”

Jasmine shrugged. “Honestly, I think they would have been better for each other because they are friends. Romance makes things too messy. Hearts get broken. People get hurt.” She picked at a loose thread on her jeans. “Whatever happened to arranged marriages? I wouldn’t mind something like that.”