Bella and the Happily Ever After Read online

  I beam up at her, my fake smile shining at its full wattage. “Thanks, girlie! I’m pretty proud of myself, too.”

  “Well, see you later!” She turns and walks away.

  I exhale. Liam folds his hands over his chest.

  “What was that for, Bella? You don’t believe me? You just had to rub it in that I made a one-time mistake?”

  “Babe…” I say, holding out my hand. “Please don’t be mad. I’m sorry but… I had to do that.”

  His nostrils flare. “Why? She’s old news. She’s nothing to me.”

  I shake my head. “Of course. I know that. This isn’t about you.”

  “Then what is it about?”

  I hold up my phone and press play. The audio recording I sneakily took just a few minutes ago is loud and clear. Samantha’s voice goes on and on, repeating how she happily cheated on my brother.

  Liam’s eyes widen. “I thought of a way to make Brent realize that he should hate her, not you. And the only way to get her to say what I need my brother to hear was to ask her.”

  14

  Liam

  After that weirdness with Samantha earlier today, the rest of our day went really well. Bella won her second race, for an overall finish of first place. She got to bring home her first ever winning trophy, and because of the women-only race, the trophy is bright pink and sparkly. Even I have to admit it looks pretty cool. Bella is all smiles on the long drive home. She keeps glancing into the backseat where her trophy is laying on its side because it’s too tall to stand up back there. She grins and then looks back at me.

  “I’m glad we went today.”

  “Me too,” I say. I haven’t been to Oakcreek in years and I really wanted to see what it was like now. I can’t stop thinking about the idea of buying the track one day – or any track—and running it. It could be a lot of fun. I don’t know what Bella would think about it, though. I wanted to bring it up after the races, but then all that weirdness happened with Samantha, and I just put it out of my mind. I’ll tell her about the idea of buying the track when we’re not still breathing in the awkwardness of that talk with Samantha. I’m glad Bella did what she thought would help her brother, but I wish the whole talk hadn’t happened.

  I felt awful seeing Bella hear Samantha say those things. I don’t want her feelings hurt. I don’t want her to think in any way that I ever liked Samantha or cared about her beyond one stupid kiss.

  I try really hard to put it all out of my mind while we drive. I just want to enjoy this time with my girlfriend and not think about the past.

  We grab some dinner at a taco place on the way home and everything is going fine. The tacos are so good I almost totally forget about the Samantha thing.

  And then when I drive up to Bella’s house, she takes off her seatbelt and says, “Okay let me do all of the talking.”

  “Wait, what talking?” I put the truck in park and cut the engine. I still need to unload her dirt bike and put it in her garage, but then I figured I’d just go home since it’s been a long day.

  “With Brent,” Bella says. “I’ll do all the talking, and you just hang out next to me.”

  “You’re going to tell him now?”

  “Of course.” She nods. “How else will I get him to forgive you and move on? It needs to happen now.”

  “Just wait until I go home,” I say.

  “No, Liam.” Bella’s expression is asking me, not exactly telling me that I should stay. “I want you here,” she says softly. “This is about you. It’s about you and me and Brent. I want us all here when I settle this once and for all.”

  Whelp. I can’t say no to her.

  My nerves are on fire as we walk into her house. “Brent?” she calls out, but he’s sitting on the recliner again in the living room.

  “Yeah?” he says, not even looking up from his show on TV.

  “Can you pause that?”

  Bella glances at me and I follow her to the couch. I’m really, really, not prepared for the amount of awkwardness that’s about to happen, but I guess it’s going to happen no matter what. When Bella is determined, she gets something done.

  Brent looks at us suspiciously, like he’s about to be thrown into an intervention or something. And, I guess that’s pretty much what this is.

  “Tell me the reasons you hate Liam,” she says.

  Brent rolls his eyes. “No, I’m serious,” Bella goes on, glancing at me quickly. “Tell me why you don’t like him.”

  “He made out with my girlfriend.”

  “Any other reason?” she asks.

  He glares at me. “I guess not.”

  “Great,” Bella says. She grins.

  Brent and I are both making looks that are the exact opposite of a grin. Bella is undeterred.

  “We were at the races today and we ran into Samantha,” Bella says.

  Brent blanches.

  “I need you to listen to this.” She holds out her phone and presses play.

  Samantha’s voice is clear, and it takes over the entire room. I’m grateful that their mom isn’t home right now because the only thing more awkward would be if she was in the room listening, too.

  Brent’s expression turns stone cold, his jaw tight, as he listens to the conversation. When it’s over, Bella puts her phone down and looks at her brother.

  “You’re a smart guy, Brent. You’ve got a four point oh GPA, so I know you’re smart. You know what this means, right?”

  His eyes meet mine and I try not to flinch or back away. “It means I should forgive your boyfriend? Is that what you’re getting at?”

  “Yeah, actually.”

  Brent swallows. “It means my girlfriend was cheating on me with a lot more people than him.”

  I can sense his heartbreak, feel it cracking right through his heart again as he relives all that pain he’s been through over the years. He hasn’t dated since Samantha. This has to be hard on him. Now that I’m an amazing relationship myself, I can’t even fathom what I would feel if I walked in on Bella cheating on me with some other guy. I would hate the guy, for sure. I would be completely devastated.

  “I’m sorry, Brent,” Bella says. “I really am, but I had to show you. I couldn’t just keep this from you.”

  He shakes his head. “No, I agree. Thanks. I needed to hear it. Now maybe I can get over her for good.”

  Bella smiles. “Does this mean you’re okay with me and Liam dating?”

  He looks at me, and then at his sister. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Does this mean you’ll stop hating him so much?”

  “I don’t hate him,” Brent says. “He was there for me when I got in that wreck. He could have driven away, but he didn’t. You’re a good dude, man.”

  I give him a slight nod of appreciation. He holds out his fist toward me, the ultimate gesture of guy friendship. I reach out and bump my fist to his.

  “Yay!” Bella says, bouncing on her seat. “My brother and boyfriend are friends at last.”

  Brent snorts. “Make sure you invite me to our best friends slumber party, man.”

  I laugh and Bella rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to be sarcastic.”

  It feels good to know that the air has been cleared between Brent and me. That I’ve been forgiven. That we can move on. An old chapter in my life has been closed and a new one can begin, fresh and untainted.

  Bella stands up and takes my hand. “Let’s go find a place for my amazing new trophy.”

  I carry the pink sparkly thing into her bedroom and look around, genuinely trying to find a place for it. The door closes behind me. I turn around and see Bella looking at me with those alluring eyes of hers. She takes the trophy from my hand and places it on the floor.

  “I don’t really care about the trophy,” she says, sliding her arms up my chest.

  “Ahh,” I say, grabbing onto her waist. “You’re sneaky.”

  “Well, I’m not about to tell my brother to excuse us so we can go make out,” she says, her voice slightly a
bove a whisper. She grins up at me and I scoop her into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist.

  I lean forward and our lips touch, the kiss soft and eager all at once. With Bella in my arms, I walk her over to her bed and lay her down softly. She doesn’t let go of me, so I come with her, tumbling onto the bed in a mess of arms and legs and kisses.

  She smiles up at me, then closes her eyes. I go in for another kiss, reveling in the feel of her lips on mine. The softness of her tongue as it grazes across mine, sending a shiver down my spine.

  I drink her in, every inch of her, and I’m so grateful that she’s mine. My hands slide down her arm, and up her hip, over her clothes. While we make out, I slowly inch my fingers up under the bottom of her shirt. My heart is pounding at the closeness of our bodies, the way her hands move through my hair, tugging me closer and deepening our kisses.

  My hand slides up her side, and I feel her skin prickle with goosebumps beneath my fingertips. I lean over and kiss her cheek, then her neck, then her collarbone. Her breathing is ragged, but blissful, against my neck.

  I reach for her hip again and squeeze her close to me, our bodies moving slowly together, entranced by each other.

  When my eyes blink open, I see her staring at me, her face just inches away from mine. I kiss her softly and then smile. “What are you thinking?”

  She shrugs and runs her finger down my arm. “I’m thinking that you never push me to do anything more than just make out.”

  “Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

  Her smile is so seductive it makes my toes curl. “It’s a good thing. Most guys try their hardest to push a girl further than she wants to go.”

  “I’m not most guys,” I whisper, leaning in to kiss her neck. She gasps and then snuggles against me.

  “Don’t I know it. I’m one of the lucky ones. I somehow managed to snag a guy as amazing as you.”

  I want to say it. I want to say it so, so, badly. But would she think I’m only saying those words because we’re in the heat of the moment?

  When I tell her I love her I don’t want there to be any doubt in her mind about my feelings for her. So I hold back. I lock the words up in my heart and replace them with more kisses.

  One day soon I’ll tell her.

  15

  Bella

  Liam isn’t letting me off the job search hook for spring break. Once more, we wake up early and drive down to Houston, where he’s arranged a meeting with one of his dad’s accountants. I feel a little underdressed in my black slacks and polo shirt. I don’t have any dressy corporate attire because I’ve only recently left high school, and as I look around at all the people walking the streets of downtown Houston, I realize that clothing is yet another thing I’ll have to figure out as I find my dream career. You can’t wear yoga pants to work in a skyscraper.

  When I was in high school, all I wanted was to grow up and graduate and be an adult, but now I’m realizing that there’s so many parts to adulthood that I find stupid. Like corporate clothing.

  Of course, the idea of growing old with Liam is a part of being an adult that I can definitely get behind.

  “Did your dad design this building?” I ask as we walk up to the elaborate glass entrance of one of Houston’s skyscrapers.

  “Yep,” Liam says, letting me go first into the automatic doors.

  The lobby is made of white marble and glass, with water fountains and planted palm trees. The whole building is a little bit excessive, but I guess it’s pretty to look at. Liam has made an appointment for us with a woman named Lara Radford, and we sign in at the front desk and then take the elevators up to the sixteenth floor.

  Lara is a middle-aged woman with short brown hair, bronzed skin, and bright red lipstick. Everything about her is perfectly put together, from her designer pants suit to her hair and makeup. She’s absolutely stunning.

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” she says, shaking my hand. “Let’s go in my office.”

  Her office is twice the size of my bedroom, and it’s fancier than any room in my house. She has a window wall that overlooks Houston, and a massive imposing wooden desk with leather chairs. Her diplomas hang on the wall, and I see she has a bachelor and master’s degree in accounting.

  Lara tells me all about her job, which is comprised of handling all the finances for Mosely International. It sounds absolutely terrifying. She’s dealing with a multimillion-dollar business and all the financial work rests on her shoulders. But you can tell she loves her job with the way her eyes light up when she talks about it. This is a highly educated woman with some massive skills.

  Skills I know I don’t have.

  After about an hour, our meeting is over because she’s a busy woman with multiple appointments on her schedule today. I thank her for talking with me and I try to act all enthusiastic until we’re back in the elevator.

  “What’d you think?” Liam says.

  “No. Way.”

  He laughs. “Yeah, her job sounded intense.”

  “Not only do I not want to spend that many years in college, there is no way I could handle a company’s entire financial portfolio,” I say, using the terminology I just learned from my meeting. “That’s terrifying.”

  “For sure,” he says, reaching for my hand. “Oh well. We can strike accountant off the list.”

  I frown. “I’m starting to think I’ll never find a job I want.”

  “Nah, we’ll find something.”

  The elevator doors open and Liam and I are now facing a dozen men in business suits. They have briefcases and stern looks on their faces and everything. Ew. There’s no way I could work in a place like this. I appreciate that these jobs are meant for some people, but I am not one of those people.

  Back in the warm spring sunshine, Liam and I walk hand in hand down the streets of downtown Houston. Our state’s biggest city isn’t as glamourous as NYC, but it’s still pretty cool being down here. I wonder if Liam misses his old home in the high-rise condo he used to share with his dad. I don’t ask, because I’m not sure I want to hear the answer. He seems happy in Roca Springs with me and his mom’s side of the family. I don’t want to rock the boat by making him question that.

  We follow our noses to the smell of food. There’s some kind of popup food truck festival just a few blocks over, and Liam looks at me with his eyes wide. “You hungry?”

  “Always,” I say, grinning back at him.

  We check out the lineup of food offerings and settle on a place that only sells baked potatoes. They have every possible potato you could imagine, from the ultimate bacon lovers, to the pizza lovers, to even a chicken alfredo potato. Liam and I each order something over the top because, why not, and then we find a picnic table at a nearby park to eat.

  This little park is only the size of one city block, but it’s well taken care of. Greenery stretches from one side to the other, and the air smells like freshly mown grass, even though all around us are the sights of massive buildings. There’s a playground nearby, and the sounds of children playing almost make you forget you’re in the middle of a city where people like Lara are working their butt off while wearing fancy suits.

  “If the food industry wasn’t so scary, I could see myself running a food truck,” I say as I stab my fork into my baked potato.

  “Why is the food industry scary?” he asks.

  I list off the answers on my fingers. “Food inspectors, hot sweaty food trucks, mean customers, bad reviews online…”

  “That sounds like you’re describing a bad food truck,” he says with a laugh. “Just run a good food truck and you’ll have good reviews and good food.”

  I shake my head. “There are mean people everywhere. It’s impossible to have totally perfect reviews. Plus, most people only leave a review when they’re mad.”

  “Strike one for the food truck idea,” he says. “That’s a shame. If my girl ran a food truck, then I’d always have a place to take free food.”

  I throw my straw wrapper
at him. “Dork.”

  “Why don’t you just buy a bunch of food trucks and let other people run them, and then you can get all the free food you want?”

  “How would I make money off that?”

  Liam shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve got free food on the brain.”

  I laugh and take another bite of my potato. It’s pretty amazing, especially with all the extra cheese and butter I ordered. “I do like the idea of having my own business though.” I think on it as I eat. “Not having some boss lording over me sounds good. Getting to wear whatever I want and not being stuck in corporate clothes… making up the rules… that could be fun.”

  “Yeah, it would be,” Liam says. “I think I want to be my own boss, too.”

  “Now I just need to figure out what my business would be… which puts me right back in the same problem,” I say, stabbing my fork into my food with more force than necessary. “I can’t own a business unless I’m passionate about it and I’m not passionate about anything!”

  “I think we can still count this day as a win,” Liam says. He reaches over and steals a bite of my food, so I steal a bite of his in return. “We both want to be business owners. We’re one step closer to figuring out this lifelong career thing.”

  I tilt my head and watch him. “I wish I had half of your optimism and positivity,” I say longingly.

  He grins, and it reaches all the way to his eyes. “You have me, and that’s pretty much the same thing.”

  My heart floods with warmth. He’s right, in a way. I have him. I have my little, perfect, happy life in Roca Springs. I may not have all the answers, but I have enough to get by. Maybe I don’t need them all. Maybe happiness is all that really matters, in the end.

  And with Liam, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

  16

  Liam

  The local motocross shop hasn’t changed at all since I first came here. That’s a comforting part of small-town living. The big city is constantly changing, evolving, and growing into something different. But Roca Springs is home. It’s slower here. More friendly.