wear?” she asks me.
I put on my sunglasses and push them up on my head. “Sunglasses are the new crown.”
She laughs. “Not the same.”
“Maybe not, but I will tell you a secret.” I curl my finger toward myself, gesturing for her to come closer. She leans in, and I whisper in her ear, “You can never steal a girl’s inner sparkle no matter how old she is.”
“So you don’t need a crown ’cause you’re older now?”
“Exactly. And when you get to be my age, you won’t, either.”
“Can I have your sunglasses when I get older and the crown doesn’t fit my big head?”
I laugh and nod. “Of course you can.”
She throws her arms around me and whispers in my ear, “Thank you, fairy god-Ava.”
Her words seem to make me a bit emotional. “You’re very welcome. Thank you.”
“I didn’t give you a crown.”
“No, Piper, but you gave my crown a chance to shine again.”
She smiles as if she gets it. She gets that it’s time for me to move on from my naive and childlike ways. Let’s hope I can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.
I stand up. “I’ll be back in just a minute.”
I walk through the kitchen and see Luke standing at the sink next to Harper as I make my way to the bathroom. A tinge of jealousy hits me, but I have no right. He doesn’t love me, and we are done. No do overs, I remind myself.
I look in the mirror and realize I look like hell. I need sleep, like a week’s worth of it. I love home, but right now, I would give anything to be back in the city where the idea of home makes me miss it, because this trip, home’s reality isn’t all it used to be.
When I walk out, Piper is twirling in a circle, and I watch Luke watch her. He is smiling at her, and I automatically wonder if he is thinking of when we were younger.
He looks up and nods at me then nods at her. Then Luke Lane smiles at me, and his smile breaks my heart. His smile tells me all I really need to know.
Once upon a time, Luke Lane loved a little, stubborn, delusional girl, and that little girl was me. My fairytale happy ever after always included my black-haired, blue-eyed knight in shining armor, and that knight was Luke Lane. Then I grew up and convinced myself that it wasn’t a fairytale after all. It was fate.
I twisted fate to make her story come to life, but fate fought back this week, and now I am looking at a man I still love, but who doesn’t feel the same. And now I have to walk away. Not just for me, but for him. And not for the version of him who broke my heart, but for the version who was truly a knight in shining armor to a little girl so many fairytales ago.
I turn to walk toward the door, needing another minute to myself. A moment in the cold December air to frost over the emotions that keep flooding me.
When I look up, I see T, who immediately looks away.
“Hi,” I say nervously in response to the coldness that seems to be coming from him.
“Hello,” he says without looking at me.
“Okay, then.” I walk past him.
I can’t get out the door fast enough. When it shuts behind me and then opens when I have taken the three steps it takes to get off of the back porch, I look back to see T walking toward me.
“Okay, then, what?”
I shrug and smile and then frown and curse, “Damn it.” I turn back away and start walking.
“Then my assumption is right?” he yells at me.
I wipe away the tears and keep walking.
When I feel a tug on my elbow, I look back into his angry eyes that soften in reaction to what I guess is the way I look. He shakes his head.
“Don’t be mad at me,” comes out in a beseeched sound.
“Angry, no. Upset, most definitely.”
I shake my head. “What did I do?”
“Ava, I sent you—”
I cover my mouth when the realization hits that I never sent a thank you. “I loved it.”
He rolls his eyes and turns his head. “It was childish. I should have—”
“No”—I reach up and grab the sides of his face—“it wasn’t. It was perfect.
I put on my sunglasses and push them up on my head. “Sunglasses are the new crown.”
She laughs. “Not the same.”
“Maybe not, but I will tell you a secret.” I curl my finger toward myself, gesturing for her to come closer. She leans in, and I whisper in her ear, “You can never steal a girl’s inner sparkle no matter how old she is.”
“So you don’t need a crown ’cause you’re older now?”
“Exactly. And when you get to be my age, you won’t, either.”
“Can I have your sunglasses when I get older and the crown doesn’t fit my big head?”
I laugh and nod. “Of course you can.”
She throws her arms around me and whispers in my ear, “Thank you, fairy god-Ava.”
Her words seem to make me a bit emotional. “You’re very welcome. Thank you.”
“I didn’t give you a crown.”
“No, Piper, but you gave my crown a chance to shine again.”
She smiles as if she gets it. She gets that it’s time for me to move on from my naive and childlike ways. Let’s hope I can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.
I stand up. “I’ll be back in just a minute.”
I walk through the kitchen and see Luke standing at the sink next to Harper as I make my way to the bathroom. A tinge of jealousy hits me, but I have no right. He doesn’t love me, and we are done. No do overs, I remind myself.
I look in the mirror and realize I look like hell. I need sleep, like a week’s worth of it. I love home, but right now, I would give anything to be back in the city where the idea of home makes me miss it, because this trip, home’s reality isn’t all it used to be.
When I walk out, Piper is twirling in a circle, and I watch Luke watch her. He is smiling at her, and I automatically wonder if he is thinking of when we were younger.
He looks up and nods at me then nods at her. Then Luke Lane smiles at me, and his smile breaks my heart. His smile tells me all I really need to know.
Once upon a time, Luke Lane loved a little, stubborn, delusional girl, and that little girl was me. My fairytale happy ever after always included my black-haired, blue-eyed knight in shining armor, and that knight was Luke Lane. Then I grew up and convinced myself that it wasn’t a fairytale after all. It was fate.
I twisted fate to make her story come to life, but fate fought back this week, and now I am looking at a man I still love, but who doesn’t feel the same. And now I have to walk away. Not just for me, but for him. And not for the version of him who broke my heart, but for the version who was truly a knight in shining armor to a little girl so many fairytales ago.
I turn to walk toward the door, needing another minute to myself. A moment in the cold December air to frost over the emotions that keep flooding me.
When I look up, I see T, who immediately looks away.
“Hi,” I say nervously in response to the coldness that seems to be coming from him.
“Hello,” he says without looking at me.
“Okay, then.” I walk past him.
I can’t get out the door fast enough. When it shuts behind me and then opens when I have taken the three steps it takes to get off of the back porch, I look back to see T walking toward me.
“Okay, then, what?”
I shrug and smile and then frown and curse, “Damn it.” I turn back away and start walking.
“Then my assumption is right?” he yells at me.
I wipe away the tears and keep walking.
When I feel a tug on my elbow, I look back into his angry eyes that soften in reaction to what I guess is the way I look. He shakes his head.
“Don’t be mad at me,” comes out in a beseeched sound.
“Angry, no. Upset, most definitely.”
I shake my head. “What did I do?”
“Ava, I sent you—”
I cover my mouth when the realization hits that I never sent a thank you. “I loved it.”
He rolls his eyes and turns his head. “It was childish. I should have—”
“No”—I reach up and grab the sides of his face—“it wasn’t. It was perfect.
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