The Keatyn Chronicles: Adore Me (21 page)
I see Aiden walking toward us and say, “I wish none of us had to leave.”
“I’m all packed,” he says, sitting down next to us.
Peyton’s phone dings. “Oh, I have to go,” she says and then rushes off.
Aiden seems lost in thought. He keeps tilting his head like he wants to ask me a question but doesn’t know if he should.
“What?” I finally say.
“Can I ask you a question about your ex?”
“Uh, sure.”
“If he loves you, why aren’t you together? Why doesn’t he come see you at school? Why aren’t you at his competitions? Like, this weekend. You were off school. Why didn’t you go watch?”
“Uh, well, because I’m not allowed to see him.”
“But yet you have. You saw him on Labor Day break before you went to the Hamptons. And then again when you went to the birthday party.”
“Yeah, but we weren’t supposed to see each other.”
“Do your parents not like him?”
“No, my family likes him. It’s complicated, Aiden.”
“I’m sure it is, but I need to understand.”
“Maybe it isn’t my parents that don’t want us to see each other.”
“So, his parents?”
“His dad.” I don't want to flat out lie to Aiden, but B’s dad did play a big role in his leaving the way he planned to, even before Vincent happened. He was afraid I’d hold him back.
“But you said he’s older than you. Why would he even have to listen to his dad?”
“Because even though he has sponsors, he still needed his dad’s financial support to do it. He has a trust fund, but he doesn’t get it until he’s, like, thirty or something. The deal was that he’d try it for a year and see if he was good enough. And if he turned out to be good enough, he’d probably get full sponsorship, and then could do whatever he wanted.”
“So, after a year, he’s coming home? To you?”
“In theory, yes,” I say, because that was the original plan. Sort of.
“When’s that year up?”
“On my birthday. August.”
He reaches out and grabs both of my hands in his. “I’ll take it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Boots, I may not be out winning tournaments for you, but I’m with you every day. I’d much rather have that. And if in August you wanna go see him, then go. I'm up for the competition. By then, we’ll have built such a strong foundation that no one could tear it down. So your choice will be easy.” He gives me an adorably cocky smile and points to himself. “Me. Speaking of that, why haven’t you packed yet? Don’t we have to leave for the airport soon?”
Oh gosh. This is it. This is where I finally have to do it.
I’ve been dreading this moment since we stepped off the plane.
“Yes, you do have to leave for the airport soon.”
“What do you mean,
you
? And why do you look sad again?”
“Because I’m not going with you. I’m not going back to Eastbrooke.”
“Why not?”
“Family stuff, kinda.”
“Then why did you let me come with you? Give me hope? Why didn’t you kick me off the plane?”
“Because I didn’t handle it well when we were at school. Things felt unsettled, and I wanted to give you closure. Give us closure. I didn’t do it to hurt you, Aiden. I just wanted to be able to say goodbye.”
Aiden stands up quickly and paces in the sand in front of me. “Where are you going?”
“Probably France,” I say, pushing back tears.
Aiden pulls me off the sand and into his arms. The wind blows my hair across my face in front of me. Aiden pushes it behind my ear, gets close to me, and says softly, “Then I’m moving to France too.”
“You’re what?”
“Wherever you go, I go.”
“What? No. What about your sister?”
He looks over my shoulder, so I glance behind me to see Peyton happily laughing and swinging her feet off the edge of the pool, Damian sitting next to her.
“I think it's time I start living my life for me,” he says.
“But, Aiden, it’s not that easy. You have school.”
“School is overrated. Let’s stay here.”
“But—”
He kisses me, effectively stopping me from speaking.
When the kiss ends, he gently pulls away and looks at me seriously. His eyes tell me everything I already know. “Keatyn, I mean it. Wherever you go, I go. I don't have a choice.”
“Sure you do—”
He pulls my hand up and places it on his chest.
“You have my heart and I kinda need it to survive.”
“But—”
He kisses me again. A good, long, powerful tongue kiss. Either I’m becoming weaker or he’s definitely becoming more powerful.
“Do you trust me?” he says, still holding my hand against his chest.
“Yes.”
“Good. Because when I said we’re going to be together forever, I meant it.”
Tears run down my face because this is exactly what I dreamed a boy would say to me.
But my life isn’t a dream.
He sweeps my hair behind my neck and kisses it.
He must think he needs to infuse me with more love potion.
But I never really needed it.
He's had a piece of my heart since the moment I laid eyes on him.
“Forever is a really, really long time, Aiden,” I say softly.
“And I was thinking just the opposite, Boots. Forever isn’t going to be nearly long enough for us.”
The
End
Thanks so much for reading Adore Me.
And, as usual, I’m going to ask you to write reviews without spoilers.
I want all readers to be as surprised as you were at the events that unfold.
Thanks so much for understanding <3
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Acknowledgements
Like this book, the acknowledgements are going to be short and sweet.
Thank you.
Thank you for reading this series. For telling your friends about it. For your crazy theories. For your addiction to Keatyn and her life.
I’m so excited for you all to read the next chapters in Keatyn’s story!!!!
About the Author
Jillian Dodd grew up in Nebraska, where she developed a love for
storytelling, Husker football, and Midwestern boys.
She currently resides in Texas with her family.
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hoto by Natalie Knabe of Natalie K Photography.
Flower Mound, Texas