A Life Unexpected: Holly Nather Book One (Holly Nather Series) by Sara Daniell

pulled to the side with big curls in it. She has eyes that are as blue as the sky. She is wearing a dress that is pink, shiny and long. Damnit why does she have to be beautiful?!
    “Natalie. This is my soon-to-be-wife, Lana.” He puts his arm around her waist and kisses her on the cheek. Yuck . She nudges him away and wipes the kiss off her cheek.
    “Luke, don’t do that in front of your cousin!” She is obviously against PDA. I laugh out loud, which causes her to look annoyed with me. Anyone else want to slap her in the face right now? I don’t like Luke being this close to her.
    “Well, hello, Natalie. It is nice to meet you.” She stretches her hand out to mine, and I hesitantly shake it. She steps back and looks shocked. “Luke, why can I not sense her magic?!” She asks with an extremely pissed look on her face. I hope he has an explanation for this one, because I sure don’t.
    He shrugs his shoulders and tries to act like it is no big deal. “I don’t know. Everyone else has been able to.” He lies.
    She looks back at me with intense, knowing eyes. “Odd,” she says tilting her head to the side. I feel like I’m going to puke from all my nerves.
    “It was really nice meeting you. I should probably start getting cleaned up for dinner,” I say as I turn around and walk to the bathroom. Okay. That is clearly not a bathroom. It is a closet. I hear Luke laugh. I turn around and smile sweetly at them. I then find the “ correct” door to the bathroom. I close the door and lean against it. I place my palm on my face and sigh. I feel like such an idiot right now.
    After I am sure they have left the room, I start the bath water and sink down in the bathtub. Crap. I don’t have a change of clothes. All of a sudden, there is a knock at the bathroom door.
    “Who is it?” I ask as I put soap in the water to make a bunch of bubbles.
    “Me, can I come in? Are you decent?” Luke asks in a whisper.
    I cover myself with bubbles and sink lower into the tub. “Ummm….I guess.” He comes in and stares at me. He can’t see anything except my bare shoulders because I am in a ton of bubbles. I turn the water off so I don’t cause a flood.
    “I can come back later. I thought you said you were decent,” he says with strain in his voice. I didn’t think about this being a major turn on. Oops.
    I laugh. “You can’t see anything.” I blush a little. I’ve never been this comfortable with a guy.
    “But my imagination is going crazy right now.” He hesitates before coming and sitting beside the bathtub. He smiles. “You are horrible.”
    I roll my eyes. “You’re the dumbass who wants to wait.”
    “And you are the dumbass who won’t tell me you love me.”
    “So, where is your little wifey?” I ask with a smirk on my face.
    “Shut up!” He says while splashing some of the water from my bath in my face.
    “I’m just joking….Seriously, what is the plan? Oh and you chose Natalie to be my fake name?”
    He laughs. “I’ve always liked that name. Anyway, that’s not important. My dad is spending a lot of time with Lana’s dad to try to figure things out. Hopefully, I can convince them we are right.”
    “And if you don’t?”
    “We run away. I am not marrying Lana.”
    “And go where, Luke? I don’t want people chasing me for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong, you are worth it, but this has to end sometime.”
    “We could get married and create peace.” I can tell by the look in his eyes he is being serious.
    “Is that you asking me to marry you?” I know my eyebrows have become one with my hairline from pure shock.
    He takes my soapy hand from the bathtub and his eyes become intense. “Only if you accept.”
    “I…” I don’t know what to say. Am I ready for marriage? The answer is easy. No. No I’m not. I don’t even love him. But we could create peace. I’ve been so useless this whole time and now I could actually do something. “Luke maybe we should get everything