"See you in second, Vi," Scarlett said. "I'll bring your sheet music."
I nodded my thanks.
"We'll see you later," Freya said, giving me a pat.
"Kiss him once for me, will you?" Lotte said.
"I'll see what I can do," I said, and then they were gone.
Dare sidled up next to me, leaned his shoulder against the wall. I had to admit he did look good in his black slacks and baby blue button-down shirt rolled up at the elbows. The shirt brought out the color of his eyes, so they were even more striking. His smile was all for me.
"Looked like you girls were having fun spying," he commented.
"Yeah, it's what we do," I said.
"Were you talking about me, flower?"
I shook my head. "Nope. They completely overlooked you, sorry."
"Didn't look that way to me," he said.
"They may have said something about the hot guy in the front row," I admitted.
He took my hand, looking down as he played with my fingers. It sent little jolts of electricity running along my skin.
"And did you tell them I was yours?"
"I may have," I said softly.
Dare looked into my eyes. "Good."
My breath caught at that, but he smiled.
"Your uncles are all staring at me like they want to rip my guts out right now."
My jaw dropped, but as I looked over I could see that he wasn't that far off. Dad was sitting there talking with his older brothers (all four of them), and they all looked ready to come right over at the slightest sign of trouble. I rolled my eyes and threw them a smile and a wave. Everything's okay guys. You can relax.
"They're just protective of all of us kids," I said. "Don't take it personal."
"Oh, I don't," he said. "So, are you ready to play and bring the house down?"
"I'm pretty nervous."
"You're going to be great, flower," he said and brushed a kiss to my hand. "I know it."
My cheeks went hot, but I gave him a nod.
"I'll try my best," I said, trying to control my pulse. "How was Professor Snape when you left?"
"Grumpy as always," Dare said with a fond smile.
He'd taken me up on my suggestion and adopted Professor Snape. Though when I asked Paris about it, she said Dare had asked her about Snape way before that, when he'd first started at the shelter. Apparently, Dare had loved Snape from the start. And now, both he and Hermione had their forever homes. Whenever I went over to Dare's or he came over to my house, they got to see each other for playdates—though Hermione did most of the playing while Snape just pretended to ignore her.
"Do you think they'd kill me if I kissed you right now?" he asked.
"I don't know," I said.
"I'm finding it pretty hard to hold back. You look so pretty, flower."
I glanced up at him from beneath my lashes. "Thank you, Mr. Darcy. So do you."
He groaned. "Man, are you ever going to stop it with that?"
"Nope, never," I said. "That's your name after all. And you insist on calling me flower, though I've asked you not to."
"You love it," he said.
I did.
I shrugged. "Plus, Varcy is a better couple name than any of the others. Don't you think?"
"Vida," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"It's our couple name," Dare said and moved a bit closer. "Vida. It means 'life'. And you definitely changed mine. For the better, flower."
"You changed mine, too," I said softly. "Oh Vida. Dare, that's beautiful."
He shook his head. "No, you're beautiful."
This one, I thought as I looked at him. This one is for you, and you should never let him go.
"So? Do you think I'd survive the kiss?"
"Let's find out."
In answer, I pressed my lips to his. I kissed Dare thoroughly, not caring if my family was watching or not. Because I had to. Because I wanted to. Because I wanted him to know that I loved him. Fiercely.
And I always would.
###
Thank you so much for reading!!!
If you enjoyed this book, I'd be so thankful if you'd leave a review. Your thoughts matter, and just a few words can really make a difference. Reviews are a wonderful way to support me and my books, and they help me find new readers! Thank you in advance, and I hope you loved WALLFLOWER! <3
Also, please check out my other books!
Adorkable
Ninja Girl
The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad
The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder
The Best Mistake (New Adult romance)
The Kissing Challenge (YA romance Novella)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book was truly a joy to write. I think I say that about all of my books, and it's true. But Viola & Dare…ah, their story has so much heart and so much of my heart. These are two characters who wanted to be on the page together. Their romance was so fun and swoony. Like I said, it was a joy to write, and I'm so thankful to everyone who encouraged me to keep writing.
To Mom for loving Viola & Dare as much as I do and for your unfailing love and support. To Aunt Colleen for your awesome suggestions and for reading my books even when I know you're busy. To Aunt Pat for being my favorite person of all time. I miss you. I so wish you'd gotten to read this one; in every character and scene that I love, in every word that makes anyone happy, I know you're there. I love all of you.
To Stephanie Mooney for this beautiful cover!!! Thank you so much! You are brilliant!
To my awesome readers! I am so very thankful to you! Every review/blog post/comment/message means so
