Something Real

[ 24 ] I Want To Hear You Say It

Highest rank on the hot list over the last two weeks - #67 + 69 in Chick Lit! That's absolutely incredible!!

There'll be a sneak peek up on the site on Friday!

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© 2017 Shay Spencer. All rights reserved.

Something Real

[ Chapter 24 ] I Want To Hear You Say It

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Out of all the people in my life, only a few had managed to make me nervous. Hayden Pennington was now one of those people.

The man I would soon call my stepbrother had caught me by surprise that night in the Hampton's, and has continued to do so in every moment since then. There was this unexplainable attraction between the two of us that I just couldn't overlook, and I knew he couldn't either.

The first time I'd felt it was when he'd pulled me onto the dance floor that night at the club; the way he looked at me, and the way he held me made things all too obvious. But it's not like I had feelings for him back then. I knew he was attractive, but that was as far as things went.

Now when I thought of Hayden Pennington, it took everything in me not to indulge further in those thoughts. He pulled me in, and I couldn't stand it.

Despite our unforgiving circumstances, Hayden felt the same way. When he texted me earlier at the dress shop, I had to put on a brave face around my mother to keep her from looking at my phone. He missed me, and he wanted to see me. How could I pass that up?

Though now, as I stood in front of the house he'd asked to meet me at, I felt like my feet would never help me move forward.

I let my eyes gloss over the area around me, taking in every ounce of scenery that I could as I stood awkwardly in the driveway. Hayden had always managed to keep the element of surprise about him, and this so called date, was no different.

Standing in front of me was a mansion of sorts, though it could never compare to the Pennington estate, that overlooked the beaches of Los Angeles. The house loomed over a cliff that faded into the sand on the beach below. The water that rushed up onto the sand could be seen from where I was standing, and I hated to admit that I loved it here.

I forced back any restraints I had about the night ahead of me as I finally made my way up to the front door, stopping as I noticed the door had been left open a crack.

Warily, I pushed open the door and took a few steps inside. It didn't take me long to see the trail of red rose petals that Hayden had strewn across the glossy marble floor.

I let myself look around, seeing the candles he had lit up around the corner in the kitchen. I finally caught sight of him outside on the patio that looked out onto the ocean. He was rearranging the place settings as I stood here, dumbfounded by all he had planned.

This was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for me.

I walked forward, dropping my purse on the floor near the front door and wrapping my fingers tightly around the tip of the wine bottle I had bought on my way over. I pushed open the sliding glass door, getting Hayden to turn around just as I did.