His mom thought he was gay, so she paid his childhood best friend to seduce him. This grumpy x sunshine friends to lovers romance is full of flirty tension, jealous twists, and a steamy happy ending. Read the full 2026 novel exclusively on Fiona Story Hub.
My childhood best friend’s mom paid me $1500 to seduce her son. She was convinced he was gay, and I was her last hope. I wore tiny sundresses, sent him the most unhinged flirty texts, and threw myself at him every chance I got. He never budged. Not even a little. Until I started hanging out with another guy. Then he lost his damn mind.
Chapter 1: The $1500 Bet To Seduce My Grumpy Childhood Best Friend
Mrs. Thorne all but shoved me into her son’s bedroom before I could even get a word out.
“Good luck, Wren. Don’t forget our deal,” she whispered.
Then she turned the lock with a sharp click, trapping me inside.
The bathroom door swung open a second later. Kael Thorne stepped out, fresh out of the shower, water dripping from his dark hair down the column of his throat. He only wore a pair of low-slung gray sweatpants, the waistband sitting loose on his hips, exposing the sharp cut of his abs and the faint trail of hair that disappeared under the fabric.
My gaze lingered a little too long, and he cleared his throat, his deep voice pulling me back to reality.
“What are you doing in here, Wren?”
I stepped forward, tilting my chin up to meet his stormy blue eyes, a lazy grin on my face.
“Missed you, dummy. You never text me back, so I had to come see you in person.”
We’d lived next door to each other our whole lives. I’d been his shadow since we were five, covering for him when he snuck out to skate, cheering him on at his high school hockey games, begging his parents not to ground him when he got in trouble. The whole neighborhood had placed bets on when we’d finally get together. Everyone but Kael, it seemed.
He’d never so much as looked at another girl the way I wanted him to look at me. He’d turned down every cheerleader, every sorority girl, every girl who’d ever slipped him their number at a party. That’s how we’d ended up here. Mrs. Thorne was convinced her only son was gay, and she’d begged me to test it. For $1500, and a shot at the man I’d been in love with for half my life.
I’d said yes before she could even finish the offer.
Kael’s jaw tightened, and he nodded at my phone, which was still in my hand.
“You want to talk about the texts you’ve been sending me? Are you out of your mind?”
I’d been flooding his inbox with the most unhinged flirty lines I could find for three days straight. No line was too bold, no joke too dirty.
I’d texted him that morning: I went to the doctor today, and he said I have a headache.
He’d written back: Did he also diagnose you with being a pain in my ass?
I’d shot right back: Nah, he said the only cure is kissing you. I’d rather have a headache than give that up.
Then I’d added: Or we could skip the kissing and do other adult things. No pressure.
I leaned in closer, my chest brushing his arm, my voice dropping to a purr.
“I meant every word. Whatever you want to do, I’m down. I won’t even fight back.”
His face went dark. He grabbed me by the waist, tossed me back onto his bed, and before I could even blink, he’d wrapped me up in his comforter like a human burrito.
“Kael! What the hell! We were supposed to be using our mouths, not our hands!” I squirmed, trying to break free, but he’d tucked the fabric too tight.
A sharp, light smack landed on my ass through the comforter. I froze, my cheeks burning hot.
“Be still,” he said, his voice low and rough, sending a shiver down my spine.
He slung me over his shoulder, carried me out of his bedroom, and dropped me on the living room couch. He braced one hand on the armrest, leaning down so his face was inches from mine.
“Wrenley Hart. Stop trying to seduce me.”
I stared up at him, my heart sinking.
Damn. He really wasn’t budging. Was Mrs. Thorne right? Was he actually into guys?
Chapter 2: Dinner Table Flirtation That Made Him Snap
I didn’t let up at Sunday family dinner.
Our parents sat at the head of the table, laughing and passing the mashed potatoes, completely oblivious to what was happening under the table. I’d kicked off my sneakers, slid my bare foot up the smooth muscle of Kael’s calf, and dragged it slow, back and forth.
His hand tightened around his fork so hard his knuckles went white. His jaw clenched, and he fixed me with a warning glare across the table. I just smiled sweetly, spearing a piece of garlic bread with my fork.
“Mrs. Thorne, this garlic bread is so good. You have to teach me how to make it sometime.”
Mrs. Thorne beamed at me, reaching across the table to pat my hand.
“Anything for my favorite girl. You marry my boy, and I’ll teach you every recipe I have.”
I’d heard that line a hundred times. It never got old, not when Kael was sitting right there, acting like I didn’t exist.
I pressed my foot a little higher, brushing the back of his knee. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, hard.
“Wren,” he said, his voice a low warning.
I ignored him, turning back to Mrs. Thorne.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say no to that. Kael’s pretty great. Someone’s gotta lock him down eventually.”
I’d had a crush on him since we were 12, when he’d punched a kid in the mouth for making fun of my braces. I’d followed him around like a lost puppy ever since, but he’d always treated me like his annoying little sister. I’d given up on him ever liking me back, content to just be in his orbit. Until Mrs. Thorne had made me her offer.
This wasn’t just about the money. It was about finally knowing if I had a shot.
My foot slid higher, and his hand shot down under the table, wrapping around my ankle in a vice grip. I gasped, my fork clattering against my plate.
“Wrenley,” he said, his voice tight. “Cut it out.”
Our moms looked up, confused.
“Everything okay, you two?” my mom asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kael let go of my ankle, shoving his chair back from the table.
“Everything’s fine. I’m going to my room.”
He stormed off, slamming his bedroom door shut behind him. I sat back in my chair, crossing my arms, a smug grin on my face.
He’d had a reaction. A big one. He wasn’t as uninterested as he wanted everyone to think.
Chapter 3: The Office Lunch That Exposed His Soft Side
I drove up to the Silicon Valley tech campus where Kael was interning on a Wednesday afternoon, determined to keep my streak going.
He stood in the lobby, waiting for me, in a tailored black suit that fit him like a glove. It was the first time I’d ever seen him in anything other than hoodies, sweatpants, and hockey jerseys. He looked good. So good it made my chest hurt.
He led me to the on-site restaurant, and every single person we passed waved at him, said hello, called him by name. He was popular here. Respected. It was weird to see, after a lifetime of him only talking to me and his three best friends.
We sat down at a table, and he’d barely opened his menu when a woman walked up. She was in a matching black blazer and pencil skirt, her hair pulled into a sleek bun, a warm smile on her face.
“Kael! Hi! I was looking for you earlier. Do you have a second to go over the code we were working on this morning?”
Kael nodded, gesturing to the empty seat across from us.
“Sure. Pull up a chair. This is Wren, my childhood best friend.”
The woman sat down, and her smile never faltered, but I saw the way her eyes flicked over me, assessing. She was into him. Bad.
She talked for 20 minutes straight, dropping coding terms I didn’t understand, switching to full sentences in Java like it was nothing. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I just sat there, shoving fries in my mouth, a bitter taste in the back of my throat.
Eventually, she turned to me, her smile sweet.
“You’re Kael’s little sister? That’s so sweet. You’re adorable.”
I saw the opening. I took it.
I turned to Kael, holding out a hair tie from my pocket.
“Kael, can you put my hair up? It’s falling in my food.”
He stared at me for a second, then stood up, walking around the table to stand behind me. He pulled a black hair tie off his own wrist, the same one I’d left at his house two weeks prior, and gathered my hair in his hands. His fingers brushed the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. He tied it up in a messy ponytail, then wiped a smudge of ketchup off the corner of my mouth with his thumb.
“Eat your veggies,” he said, his voice soft. “I peeled the carrots for you, like you like them.”
The woman’s smile dropped. She finished her lunch in silence, mumbled an excuse, and left.
Kael sat back down across from me, pushing a plate of peeled carrots toward me, a smirk on his face.
“Happy now?”
I leaned forward, my elbows on the table.
“Was she hitting on you?”
He shrugged, taking a sip of his soda.
“Probably.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Well, don’t say yes. Don’t date her. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
I grinned, nodding at his wrist.
“That’s my hair tie on your wrist. You keep it, you’re mine. That’s the rules. Just admit you like me, dummy. I won’t say no.”
He looked away, taking another sip of his soda, his ears turning bright pink.
“It’s not yours. My mom found it. I keep it to tie up the dog’s hair.”
His golden retriever, Nala, had more hair accessories than I did, thanks to Mrs. Thorne. But I didn’t buy it for a second.
He was lying. He’d kept my hair tie. He’d cared enough to put it on his wrist.
I was getting to him. I knew it.
Chapter 4: The Beach House Blackout That Went Too Far
Winter break rolled around, and our moms booked a two-week trip to a beach house in Malibu. They said it was for a family vacation, but they bailed at the last minute, saying they had a last-minute work trip to New York.
They told us to head down without them. They’d meet us there in a week.
I knew exactly what they were doing. Locking us in a beach house alone for a week. It was the perfect setup. And I was going to take full advantage.
I slept the entire drive down, my head on Kael’s shoulder. When I woke up, we were pulling into the driveway of a massive white beach house, steps from the ocean. He hadn’t moved the entire drive. His shoulder was numb, his arm asleep under my head.
I poked at his shoulder, grinning.
“You could’ve woken me up.”
He rolled his shoulder, flexing his fingers to get the feeling back.
“You looked peaceful. And you snore when you’re tired. It’s cute.”
My face went hot. I didn’t have time to tease him about calling me cute, though. We walked into the house, flipped on the lights, and two seconds later, the power cut out with a sharp crack. The entire house went black.
The only sound was the crash of the waves outside, and the wind whistling through the palm trees.
I grabbed onto Kael’s arm, pressing myself into his side, my voice shaking.
“It’s so dark. Kael, I’m scared.”
It was a lie. I wasn’t scared of the dark. But I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to be pressed up against him.
He sighed, but I felt his hand wrap around my waist, pulling me closer.
“Stay here. I’ll go find candles.”
I wasn’t letting him go that easy.
I stuck my foot out, tripping him. He stumbled forward, catching himself on the couch, and I climbed onto his lap before he could even react. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers brushing the hair at the nape of his neck, feeling the heat of his skin under my fingertips.
“There’s no candles here. Just stay with me. Keep me company.”
I felt his jaw clench. His hands settled on my hips, his fingers digging into the soft fabric of my sweatpants.
“Wrenley. What the hell are you doing? Who taught you this stuff?”
His voice was rough, strained. Like he was holding himself back with every fiber of his being. I’d asked my roommate, the campus self-proclaimed maneater, for tips before we left. I’d binged every romance movie I could find. It was working.
I pressed my face into his neck, my lips brushing his ear.
“You don’t like it? I thought all guys liked this. I’ve only ever tried it on you.”
It was the truth. I’d never even kissed a guy before. I’d never wanted to. Not when the only guy I’d ever wanted was right in front of me.
His grip on my hips tightened. I felt his breath catch in his throat.
“Have you done this with anyone else?”
“Only you,” I whispered.
For a second, I thought he’d give in. I thought he’d kiss me. I thought he’d finally break.
Instead, he lifted me up, threw me over his shoulder, and carried me down the hall to the guest bedroom. He tossed me onto the bed, grabbed a rope from his hiking bag, and tied my ankles to the bed frame.
“Kael! What the hell! Are you insane? Untie me!”
He leaned down, his face inches from mine, a smirk on his face.
“You want to act like a brat? You get treated like one. You can stay here and cool off until the power comes back on.”
I gaped at him. He’d brought rope on a beach vacation? He’d planned for this? He was really going to tie me up and leave me here?
“Kael Thorne! Are you even a man? This is the best you can do?”
He laughed, a low, dark sound that made my stomach flip.
“You want to find out if I’m a man? Keep pushing me, Wren. See what happens.”
He turned and walked out, locking the door behind him. I flopped back onto the bed, screaming into the pillow.
He was impossible. But he’d been this close to breaking. I could feel it.
Chapter 5: The Shower Mishap That Changed Everything
The power came back on the next morning, but the hot water didn’t.
I was halfway through a shower, my hair full of shampoo, when the water cut out completely. I yelped, jumping back from the ice-cold stream, soap burning my eyes. I couldn’t see a thing.
I wrapped a towel around myself, fumbling for the bathroom door.
“Kael! Kael, help!”
He burst into the bathroom two seconds later, his voice sharp with panic.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I can’t see! The water cut out, and I got shampoo in my eyes. It burns so bad.”
He was next to me in an instant. He turned me toward the sink, grabbed a bottle of water from the counter, and gently tilted my head back.
“Keep your eyes open for me. I’m going to flush it out. It’ll be okay.”
His voice was soft, calm. His fingers brushed my cheek, holding my face steady as he poured the water slowly over my eyes. The burning faded, and I blinked a few times, my vision clearing.
I looked up at him. We were inches apart. The bathroom was full of steam, the air thick and warm. His eyes were dark, fixed on mine. I could feel his breath on my lips.
I didn’t think. I just acted.
I leaned up, pressing my lips to the soft skin behind his ear. I felt him freeze. His entire body went rigid. A shiver ran through him, from his head to his toes. His skin turned bright pink, from the tips of his ears all the way down his neck.
He stepped back so fast he almost tripped over the tub. He shoved the water bottle into my hand, his voice rough.
“Get out of here. Dry off. Now.”
He turned on the shower, stepping under the ice-cold water, and slammed the bathroom door shut behind him. I heard him curse under his breath, loud and clear, through the door.
I leaned against the wall, my hand pressed to my chest, my heart racing.
I’d done it. I’d broken through. He wasn’t as unaffected as he pretended to be.
But after that, he shut down completely. He wouldn’t look at me. Wouldn’t talk to me. Wouldn’t even be in the same room as me if he could help it.
I’d pushed too hard. Or maybe he really just didn’t like me.
Chapter 6: The Night I Ran Off To The Beach Bar With A Hot Senior
I was sick of it. Sick of being ignored. Sick of throwing myself at a man who acted like I didn’t exist.
I changed into a tiny black sundress, slipped on a pair of sandals, and walked out of the beach house without a word. I didn’t tell Kael where I was going. I didn’t care if he noticed I was gone.
The sun was setting over the ocean, painting the sky pink and orange. I walked along the beach until I found a little open-air tiki bar, packed with people my age, music blaring, the sound of laughter mixing with the crash of the waves.
A group of guys waved me over, yelling for me to join them. I grinned, walking over, and they handed me a bright orange cocktail in a coconut cup.
“Try this! It’s the house special. Tastes like sunset.”
I took a sip. It was sweet, tangy, and strong. I laughed, leaning against the bar, and for the first time all week, I didn’t think about Kael. I just had fun.
That’s when I heard a voice behind me.
“Wren? Wrenley Hart? No way.”
I turned around. Eliot Hayes. A senior at UCSB, the president of the fraternity my little sister was rushing. We’d met a handful of times at campus events. He was tall, tanned, with curly brown hair and a bright smile. He was gorgeous.
“Eliot! Hi! What are you doing here?”
He leaned against the bar next to me, grinning.
“Family vacation. What about you? You here alone?”
“With my friend. He’s being a total buzzkill, so I bailed.”
He nodded at the empty seat next to him.
“Well, you’re welcome to hang with me. We’re heading out on my family’s boat tomorrow morning to watch the sunrise. You should come with us. It’s insane. You can see the dolphins swim right next to the boat.”
I hesitated for half a second. Then I thought about Kael, ignoring me in the beach house, and I smiled.
“Sure. I’d love to.”
We talked for hours. We drank, we sang along to the music, we laughed until my sides hurt. He was funny, sweet, and he paid attention to every word I said. It was nice. For the first time in a long time, I felt seen.
I didn’t get back to the beach house until midnight. My phone was dead, I was barefoot, carrying my sandals in one hand and a coconut that Eliot had carved my name into in the other.
Kael was standing on the front porch, leaning against the railing, his face dark with rage. His arms were crossed over his chest, his knuckles white.
“Wrenley Hart.”
I stopped in my tracks, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, you’re talking to me now? I thought you’d forgotten I existed.”
He pushed off the railing, walking toward me. His chest was heaving, like he’d been running.
“Where the hell were you? I’ve been looking for you for four hours. I called every bar on the boardwalk. I drove up and down the beach. You didn’t answer your phone. You didn’t leave a note. What the hell is wrong with you?”
I rolled my eyes, walking past him into the house.
“My phone died. I was at the tiki bar down the beach. I met a friend from school. We had fun. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl.”
He grabbed my wrist, spinning me around to face him. He was furious. His eyes were blazing, his jaw tight.
“Don’t you get it? You’re a 21-year-old girl, alone on a beach at midnight, drunk. What if something had happened to you? What if someone had hurt you? What was I supposed to tell your parents? How was I supposed to live with myself if something happened to you?”
I pulled my wrist out of his grip, my own anger flaring.
“You don’t get to yell at me like this! You’ve ignored me all week! You haven’t said two words to me since the shower! You don’t get to act like you care now! You don’t have to! I’m not your problem!”
He snapped.
He grabbed me by the waist, threw me over his shoulder, and carried me down the hall to my bedroom. He tossed me onto the bed, and before I could even react, he’d flipped me over onto my stomach. His hand came down on my ass, hard. Once. Twice. Three times.
I froze. I couldn’t believe he’d just done that. My face burned hot, a mix of shame and something else, something I didn’t want to name, pooling low in my stomach.
“Kael! What the hell is wrong with you! You’re such an asshole!”
He froze. I heard him curse under his breath. He stepped back from the bed, and I heard him walk out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.
I buried my face in the pillow, my eyes burning with tears. I didn’t know if I was mad at him, or hurt, or something else entirely.
I fell asleep a few hours later, and I woke up to the feeling of someone brushing the hair off my face, wiping the tears off my cheeks. I felt his lips press softly to my forehead, and heard him whisper something I couldn’t make out.
I rolled over, and he was gone.
Chapter 7: The Sunrise Boat Trip That Sparked A Jealous Rage
I woke up to my phone ringing at 5 a.m. It was Eliot.
“Hey! I’m outside the beach house. You still coming?”
I jumped out of bed, throwing on a bikini and a cover-up, and ran out the door.
“Sorry! I’m coming! Give me two minutes!”
I ran into the kitchen to grab a water bottle, and Kael was standing at the counter, leaning against the fridge, watching me. He was wearing a black t-shirt and swim trunks, a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose.
“Where are you going at 5 a.m.?”
I didn’t answer him. I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. He followed me out to the driveway, right on my heels.
“Wren. Answer me. Where are you going?”
I turned around, glaring at him.
“With Eliot. We’re going on his boat to watch the sunrise. You don’t get to know where I’m going. You don’t care, remember?”
He laughed, a cold, bitter sound.
“Still sore about last night? You really want to go out on a boat with a guy you barely know, after what I said about being careful?”
“I’m not a kid, Kael. I can take care of myself.”
Eliot pulled up in a black Jeep, waving at us from the driver’s seat. He looked between me and Kael, a curious smile on his face.
“Hey. You must be Kael. Wren’s talked about you a lot. You want to come with us? We’ve got plenty of room on the boat.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. He opened the passenger door of the Jeep, climbed in, and slammed it shut.
“Sure. Why not.”
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. What the hell was he doing?
The boat ride out to the open ocean was quiet. I sat on the bow, watching the sky light up, the pink and orange sunrise bleeding over the water. Kael sat next to me the entire time, his hand wrapped around my wrist, holding me steady as the boat rocked over the waves.
I tried to pull my hand away, but he held on tighter.
“Stop moving. You’ll fall.”
I froze. I’d held his hand a million times when we were kids. But this was different. His thumb brushed the back of my hand, soft and slow, sending a shiver down my spine.
I’d missed this. I’d missed him. Even when he was being an asshole, even when he was ignoring me, I’d missed him.
The sun was fully up by the time we anchored in a little cove. Eliot pulled his shirt off, tossing it onto the deck, revealing a tanned, toned torso. He nodded at Kael, a smirk on his face.
“You coming in? The water’s perfect. We can race to the buoy and back.”
I leaned back in my seat, grinning. I wanted to see this. I wanted to see them compete. I wanted to see Kael lose his mind.
Kael stood up, pulling his t-shirt over his head, and my breath caught in my throat. I’d seen him shirtless a million times, but this was different. The sun hit his skin, highlighting the sharp cut of his abs, the broad span of his shoulders. He looked like he’d been carved from marble.
He stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Eliot, and raised an eyebrow at me.
“Eyes up here, Wren.”
I rolled my eyes, but my face burned hot.
They jumped into the water, and Eliot took off like a shot. Kael was right behind him, his long strokes cutting through the water like a knife. They were neck and neck the entire way, and Kael touched the buoy first, turning around and swimming back to the boat before Eliot could even react.
He pulled himself up onto the deck, water dripping off his body, and I couldn’t look away.
Eliot climbed back on board a minute later, laughing, clapping Kael on the back.
“Dude! You’re fast! Where’d you learn to swim like that?”
Kael shrugged, grabbing a towel to dry off.
“Hockey goalie. Endurance training.”
Eliot pulled me aside a minute later, while Kael was grabbing a beer from the cooler. He leaned in, his voice low, a grin on his face.
“Hey, quick question. Does your friend have a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend?”
I froze. I stared at him, my mouth hanging open.
“I’m sorry. What?”
He laughed, scratching the back of his neck.
“Yeah, I’m gay. I thought you knew? I saw the way he was looking at you, and I figured you two were together, but I had to ask. Dude’s gorgeous. And that competitive streak? Hot.”
I couldn’t believe it. I’d thought he was hitting on me this whole time. He’d been checking out Kael.
I grinned, leaning in.
“He’s single. As far as I know. He’s never dated anyone, actually. His mom thinks he’s gay. That’s why I’m here, honestly. She paid me to seduce him, to test it.”
Eliot’s eyes went wide.
“No way. That’s insane. If you don’t lock him down, I will. Help me out here, and I’ll hook you up with free tickets to every fraternity event for the rest of the year. Deal?”
Before I could answer, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a hard chest. Kael’s voice was low and dangerous in my ear.
“What are you two talking about, standing so close?”
Eliot’s eyes went wide. He held up his hands, backing away slowly, a grin on his face.
“Nothing, man. Nothing at all. I’m gonna go check the anchor. You two have fun.”
He turned and walked away, leaving me alone with Kael. His arms were wrapped tight around my waist, his chest pressed to my back. I could feel his heart beating fast against my spine.
Chapter 8: The Confession That Blew My Mind
I turned around in his arms, staring up at him. The sun was shining down on us, the ocean crashing against the side of the boat, and it was just the two of us.
I took a deep breath, and I asked the question I’d been dying to ask for years.
“Kael. Are you gay?”
He stared at me, like I’d just grown a second head. He blinked a few times, then laughed. A loud, genuine laugh, the kind I hadn’t heard from him in weeks.
“Where the hell did you get that idea?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him.
“You never date anyone! You never look at any girls! I’ve been throwing myself at you for weeks, and you haven’t so much as kissed me! What else am I supposed to think? Either you’re gay, or you just don’t like me.”
My voice cracked on the last word. I looked away, my eyes burning with tears. I’d finally said it out loud. The fear I’d been carrying around for years. That he just didn’t want me.
He sighed, tilting my chin up with his finger, forcing me to look at him. His face was soft, his eyes gentle, for the first time in a long time.
“Wren. Have you ever seen me hang out with any girl that isn’t you? In my entire life?”
I shook my head. No. He hadn’t. It had always just been me.
“Have you ever seen me say yes to a single girl who’s asked me out? Who’s slipped me their number?”
I shook my head again. He hadn’t. He’d turned down every single one.
“Then what do you think that means, dummy?” he said, his voice soft. “I’ve only ever wanted you. What else could it be?”
My breath caught in my throat. I stared up at him, my eyes wide.
“What?”
He brushed a strand of hair off my face, his thumb brushing my cheek.
“I’ve been in love with you since we were 12. Since I punched that kid for making fun of your braces. Since you brought me cookies every day after I broke my arm playing hockey. Since you stayed up with me all night when my grandma died. It’s always been you. Only you.”
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Then why did you push me away? Why did you ignore me? Why did you act like I didn’t exist?”
He sighed, resting his forehead against mine.
“My mom told me that guys who are too easy to get, girls don’t want. She said you have a three-second attention span. That you get obsessed with something for three days, then drop it and move on to the next thing. I was scared. Scared that if I gave in, you’d get bored of me. That you’d leave. I didn’t want to lose you. I’d rather have you as my best friend than not have you at all.”
I thought about all the times I’d picked up a new hobby and dropped it a week later. The skateboard I’d bought, used once, and left in the garage. The guitar lessons I’d quit after two weeks. The K-pop boy band I’d obsessed over for a month, then forgot about. He was right. I was flighty. Impulsive. But never with him. Never.
I grabbed his face in my hands, staring up at him, my voice shaking.
“Kael Thorne, you are the most idiotic man I have ever met in my entire life. I have been in love with you since I was 12 years old. I have followed you around like a lost puppy for 9 years. I took this stupid bet with your mom because it was the only excuse I had to throw myself at you without being scared you’d reject me. I don’t get bored of you. I never will. You’re my favorite thing in the entire world.”
He stared at me for a second, then he laughed. A bright, happy laugh, the kind that made my chest feel light. He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine.
It was soft at first. Gentle. Like he was scared I’d break. Then it got deeper. Hotter. He wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up so my legs wrapped around his waist, pressing me against the railing of the boat. I tangled my fingers in his wet hair, pulling him closer, like I never wanted to let him go.
When he pulled away, we were both breathless. He pressed his forehead to mine, a grin on his face.
“Still think I’m gay?”
I shook my head, laughing, pressing another quick kiss to his lips.
“No. Definitely not.”
Chapter 9: The Parents Walked In At The Worst Possible Moment
We couldn’t keep our hands off each other after that.
We spent the rest of the day on the boat, wrapped up in each other, kissing, talking, finally saying all the things we’d been too scared to say for years. Eliot winked at me every time he walked past, giving us a thumbs up. I flipped him off, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
We drove back to the beach house that night, and the second we walked through the front door, Kael pushed me up against the wall, kissing me like his life depended on it. He lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his waist, and carried me down the hall to his bedroom.
We didn’t hear the front door open. We didn’t hear the sound of our moms’ voices, laughing and talking as they walked into the house. We didn’t hear them walk down the hall, until Kael’s bedroom door swung open.
We jumped apart so fast we almost fell off the bed. Our moms stood in the doorway, staring at us, their mouths hanging open.
Mrs. Thorne was the first to recover. She grinned, grabbing my mom’s arm, bouncing up and down.
“I told you! I told you they’d get together! I told you the beach house would work!”
My mom rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
“I know, I know. You win the bet. Now get out of here, let them put some clothes on. We’ll talk about this over dinner.”
They turned and walked out, closing the door behind them. I buried my face in Kael’s chest, screaming into his shirt.
“Oh my god. That was so embarrassing. They knew. They planned this the whole time.”
Kael laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“Of course they did. My mom has been trying to set us up since we were 10. She’s been placing bets with your mom for years on when we’d finally get together.”
I looked up at him, a smirk on my face.
“Speaking of your mom. She paid me $1500 to seduce you. To test if you were gay. I think I earned that money, don’t you?”
He rolled his eyes, flipping me over onto my back, pressing a kiss to my neck.
“You’re ridiculous. I’ll pay you double if you never mention that bet again.”
I grinned, tangling my fingers in his hair.
“Deal.”
Chapter 10: The Secret Plan We Thought No One Heard
The next morning, Mrs. Thorne cornered me on the back porch, while the rest of the family was making breakfast inside. She pulled me behind the outdoor kitchen, a huge grin on her face.
“Tell me everything. Is he straight? I need to know. I’ve been losing sleep over this.”
I laughed, leaning against the counter.
“He’s definitely straight, Mrs. Thorne. I promise you. Your son is very much into women. Specifically, me.”
She squealed, clapping her hands together.
“Thank god. I was so worried he was gonna bring home a boy and give me a heart attack. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love him no matter what, but I’ve been planning your wedding since you were 5. I can’t throw that all away now.”
I stared at her, my mouth hanging open. She’d been planning our wedding since we were 5? That explained so much.
She pulled out her phone, showing me a folder full of wedding inspiration photos. She’d been saving them for years. I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Mrs. Thorne, we’ve been together for 24 hours. Can we at least go on a first date first?”
She waved me off, tucking her phone back into her pocket.
“Nonsense. You two have known each other your whole lives. You’re basically already married. Now, tell me, how did you do it? How did you seduce him?”
I told her everything. The texts, the dinner table flirtation, the beach house blackout, the shower mishap. She cheered the whole time, like I was telling her a story about winning a championship.
We didn’t know Kael was standing in the doorway, listening to every word.
I heard him clear his throat, and we both turned around. He was leaning against the doorframe, a smirk on his face, his arms crossed over his chest.
“So. The $1500 bet. My own mother hired my girlfriend to seduce me. I feel so loved.”
Mrs. Thorne didn’t even look guilty. She grinned, patting his shoulder.
“You’re welcome, son. If I hadn’t done it, you two would still be dancing around each other for another 10 years. You should be thanking me.”
She walked back into the house, leaving me alone with Kael. He walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“You know, I heard every word of that. You didn’t even try to seduce me. You just acted like your normal, annoying self. And I still fell for it.”
I rolled my eyes, pushing his chest.
“Hey! I worked hard on those texts! I asked my roommate for tips!”
He laughed, leaning down to kiss me.
“I know. They were terrible. It was adorable.”
Chapter 11: The Wishing Tree That Sealed Our Fate
Our parents dragged us to the old Spanish mission in Santa Barbara on our last day in Malibu. It was a historic site, with a massive old oak tree in the courtyard, covered in red ribbons. People wrote their wishes on the ribbons and tied them to the branches, for good luck.
Our moms immediately ran off to the gift shop, chattering about wedding venues, leaving me and Kael alone by the tree. He grabbed two ribbons from the box at the base of the tree, handing one to me, along with a marker.
“Write a wish.”
I sat down on the stone bench, covering my ribbon with my hand so he couldn’t see what I was writing. He laughed, leaning against the tree, writing his own wish on his ribbon.
“Paranoid much, little potato?”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“You can’t look! It won’t come true if you see it!”
When I was done, I turned to him.
“Crouch down. Give me a piggyback ride. I want to tie mine up high. So it’s more likely to come true.”
He rolled his eyes, but he crouched down anyway, letting me climb onto his back. He stood up, lifting me high enough to reach the thick branches of the tree. I tied my ribbon tight, right next to a hundred other wishes, the words Kael + Wren, forever written in black marker.
I jumped down off his back, grinning.
“What did you wish for?”
He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Nothing. I already got everything I wanted.”
The church bells rang out across the courtyard, loud and clear. The sun was shining through the leaves of the oak tree, dappling the ground with light. I leaned up, pressing my lips to his, soft and sweet. He tasted like the mango lollipop he’d been eating earlier. Sweet. Perfect.
When we pulled away, our parents were standing in the doorway of the mission, staring at us. All four of them. We froze, like deer in headlights.
Mrs. Thorne grabbed my mom’s hand, sprinting back into the mission before we could say anything.
“We need to go light a candle! This is a sign! The wedding is happening! I told you this place was magic!”
My mom laughed, calling over her shoulder.
“Welcome to the family, Kael! Finally!”
They disappeared inside, leaving us alone in the courtyard. Kael wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up off the ground, spinning me around. I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing kisses all over his face.
We’d spent 9 years dancing around each other. Scared. Nervous. Too stupid to say what we really felt. But we were here now. Together.
And we’d never let go.
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