Adore Me

“See how these lines are co

“Yes.”

“They mean you developed your aspirations early on in your life.” She looks up at me. “Based on all the plays you and Damian have done here in the past, I’m assuming that means you belong in the entertainment industry.”

“Uh, that’s interesting.” I don’t want to talk about that, so I try to get her to move on quickly. “What else do you see?”

“Based on the shape and length of your palm and fingers, I’d say you’re very perceptive, sympathetic, and quite creative.”

I smile. I love being those things.

“On the downside,” she says, “you can be moody, emotional, and inhibited.”

Damian and Aiden both start laughing. Damian says, “Emotional is right. I never knew a person who could have so many emotions at once.”

Inga chastises Damian. “That’s because she’s perceptive, Damian. They go hand in hand.”

I give Damian a smug smile but then squint my eyes at Aiden. “Why were you laughing?”

“Because you are the least inhibited person I know.”

Inga also gives him the eye then says, “Inhibited can have many meanings, young man. Possibly she is emotionally inhibited, as I would suspect is the case based on what I see.”

“Uh, oh. I didn’t think of it that way,” Aiden replies respectfully.

“The universe is a mysterious place and there is meaning in everything,” she says confidently. She lets go of my hand to stir the caramel sauce and then returns to the island and grins at me. “Now for the fun part.”

“What’s the fun part?”

“How many children you will have, of course. You know that your mother’s hand was very clear on that. She didn’t believe me when I told her she would have five more children after you.”

“Five?”

“Six total. One, which is you, then a large space, which meant the age gap between you and her second child would be large, then five lines close together.”

“I’d love to have another sister,” I say happily. But then reality hits, and I want to cry at the thought of not being there.

Just another reason to get my life back as fast as I can.

“So how many kids will Keatyn have?” Aiden asks with a sparkle in his eye.

“Hmmm. You will have four children very close together. See how these lines touch at the bottom?”

“Yeah,” Aiden says, studying my faint lines very intently.

“Twins.”

“That’s really cool,” Aiden says. Then, turning to Peyton, “I always wished we had a bigger family.”

“Not me,” Peyton says. “I only want one kid. And I want to spoil her rotten.”

“Rotten, is not good, Miss Peyton. Let me see your hand.”

Peyton hold her palm up.

Inga shakes her head. “You should start mentally preparing. You are destined to have three boys.”

We all laugh as Inga stops the entertainment and pulls our waffles out of the oven.

Obsession with fairy tales.

11am

After chowing down breakfast, we head back to the beach. We all play around on our surfboards and Peyton manages to get up on hers. She and Damian are constantly flirting and looking for any excuse to touch each other.

Aiden says to Damian, “I noticed you have a wakeboard in the shed.”

“Yeah,” Damian replies. “We can get the wave ru

“That’d be awesome!”

“I think that’s my cue to put my board away and spend some time ta

“That’s what I want to do too,” Peyton says. “I’m really wet.”

I see Damian lick his lips. He so just thought something naughty. He grabs her around the waist and pulls her in for a kiss. “I’ll miss you,” he says in a lovesick way.

Oh, he’s got it bad.

Peyton giggles uncontrollably. In fact, she’s still giggling when we lie on two of the cushioned chaises that line a small portion of the beach.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you giggle so much.”

She giggles again. “I’m, like, giddy and having so much fun. Damian is sweet.” She stops and studies me. “Is he sweet? Please say he’s sweet.”

“Yeah, he’s super sweet.”

“It's silly isn't it? He’s practically a rock star. Travels all over. I’m still in school. He’s younger than me. And probably into groupies.”

“He looks really good in a suit,” I say with a smirk.

“He has pretty much everything on my list and the things he doesn't have I don't care about anymore. I'm falling way too fast. Hell, who am I kidding? I’m not falling, I’ve fallen. I need to stop it. Stuff like this only happens in the movies. But he’s so hot. But in a different way. Like his face is beautiful but it’s more classic. Have you ever noticed how perfectly proportioned it is?”

“Uh, I don’t think so.”

“He’s just as hot as Cam, only I don’t think he realizes how hot he is. Like Cam works it. Uses his looks.”

“Damian uses his words,” I say softly. “His music. His voice, like when he whispers or sings you to sleep, it’s completely dreamy.”

“Great. So everyone that he whispers to falls in love with him?”

“I think anyone that hears him sing falls a little in love with him. With both his voice and his passion. He’s also really mature. He never acted like a kid even when we were kids. He’s always been, like, an old soul or something. He doesn’t make the kind of mistakes I always seem to make.”

“So he is perfect.” She sighs sadly. “And he’d probably hate me if he knew all the mistakes I’ve made.”

I know that I should tell her she’s right. I know I should stop this relationship before it catches flight, but I can’t do it. I can’t crush this. I mean, Damian is the one who suggested Eastbrooke that night. Maybe fate sent me there for him. So that he could meet his dream girl. And if I’m not going back anyway . . .

“Peyton, what was your plan when you met Mr. Dreamy?”

“What do you mean?”

“What was your plan? After your eyes met and you determined he was the one, then what?”

She rolls her eyes. “We lived happily ever after, of course.”

“What else?”

“You mean in between that? I guess I always imagined being courted in that old fashioned way. Wooed. Flowers. Romantic dates. Wondering when I’d get that next kiss.”

“Did you ever think you’d sit around trying to come up with excuses why you shouldn't be with him?”

“Of course not.” She smirks. “Oh, I see what you're doing there. You're right. I should enjoy it. Speaking of that, I’m go

I glance out at the ocean and see Aiden doing a flip on the wakeboard.

He tries another one, crashes, then gets pulled back up. He jumps the waves, getting a ton of air, and doing tricks. Turning around backwards, grabbing his board as he jumps, kicking his board up behind his butt, and doing more flips.

After showing off for a long time, he strides out of the water, plops his wet, glistening body on top of me, and gives me a steamy kiss.

“What's that's for?”

“I want you to know how I feel. And right now, I feel exhilarated.”

“Showing off exhilarates you?”

He grins. “Jumping the wakes and getting all that air is kinda a rush.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Speak French.”

“Besides that?”

“I can’t read your mind. You need to start telling me what you’re thinking. Even if you think I can’t handle it.”

“I think you could handle anything,” I say dreamily.

Although the feel of his hard, wet body on top of mine makes me want to pretend to be an evil queen and banish him to my turret room.

Forever.

“So tell me what you’re thinking right now,” he says, killing my daydream of him tied to the bed.

“I don’t think you want to know what I’m thinking.”

“But I do.”