Rule #6: You Can't Fall for Your Fake Summer Fling: A Standalone Sweet High School Romance (The Rules of Love)

by Anne-Marie Meyer

  I blinked as tears began to form on my lids. If I were honest with myself, I didn’t really want to have this conversation with him right now. It hurt too much to look into his eyes. To see his disappointment.

  “I’m sorry. I just…can’t be here anymore. I need to go home.”

  Dad’s gaze held mine. His frown deepened and tears clung to his lashes. “Scarlett, I know things haven’t been the best between us, but I promise to do better. I haven’t always been there for you, but I can change. I don’t want you to go.” He reached out and wrapped his fingers around my hand.

  Any other summer, I would have pulled away. But for some reason, I didn’t. Maybe it was because I was hurting so much that I didn’t have the energy to hate him anymore. I’d realized what it was like to want something from someone that they just couldn’t give.

  I loved my dad despite our past. And I had to believe that people could change. “I just need to go. Give me some time. Maybe I can make it back for Christmas.” I patted his hand with my free one. “Baby steps.”

  Dad glanced up at me. He held my gaze and then slowly nodded. “There isn’t anything I can say to change your mind?”

  I swallowed, forcing myself to be strong. “Dad, I need to go.”

  He blinked a few times and then forced a smile.

  “I get it. Well, your mom said your flight leaves at noon tomorrow.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.” And I really meant it. I knew it wasn’t what Dad wanted to hear, but that was all I could give. At least right then.

  Maybe once I got home and things returned to normal, I could face everything with a fresh perspective. But right now, I needed a break.

  Dad stared at me for a moment longer before he pulled me into a hug that squished my lungs. Then he pulled back and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

  “I love you, kiddo. I hope you know that.”

  Despite the fact that my heart was broken into a million pieces, it swelled at Dad’s words. I’d needed to hear that.

  “Love you too, Dad,” I said as emotions choked my throat.

  Dad pulled back and smiled at me. This time it was much more genuine. “We’re going to fix this,” he said.

  “I hope so.”

  He patted my knee as he stood. “Get some sleep. You’ve got packing to do in the morning.”

  I snuggled under the blankets, feeling a little lighter than I did when I went to bed earlier. Just before Dad left the room, he paused and turned.

  “I was wrong about Cayden,” he said softly.

  Confused, I stared at him. “What?”

  His expression softened. “Cayden. You were right about him.” Then he sighed and shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Good night.”

  I wanted to press him more. To ask him what the heck he meant. From what I knew, Cayden was exactly who Dad had said he was.

  But Dad slipped out of my room, leaving me lying there, wondering what had just happened.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The flight back to Chicago was quiet. If I were honest with myself, I kind of missed Michelle’s random squeals and her shaking my arm as she proclaimed that this was going to be the best summer ever.

  Having her sit next to me with her headphones on while she watched a movie on her phone made me…sad.

  I hated that I’d literally crushed my best friend’s summer romance because I was too broken over Cayden and Dad. That I’d dragged her away from a guy who made her extremely happy because I couldn’t get my crap together.

  I felt like a horrible friend.

  “Stop it, Scar.” Michelle’s voice slipped through my thoughts.

  I turned to see that she was studying me with a soft smile on her lips. I blinked a few times, feeling raw and broken. Tears seemed to be my constant companion. “But, Michelle…” My voice broke, so I just pinched my lips shut.

  Michelle linked arms with me. “It’s okay. Bryant is going to come visit in a few weeks. We’ve already talked on the phone.” She glanced over at me. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll outlast our separation.”

  I cleared my throat as I nodded. “Okay,” I whispered.

  Even though she was trying her hardest to convince me that everything was okay, I was still skeptical. But, what else could I do? We were already on the plane.

  By the time we landed and taxied to our gate, the weight on my chest seemed to lighten. Maybe it was because I was going home. A place where I could control everything. Where uncertainty and spontaneity didn’t rule my life.

  Mom knew what I liked, and she’d work hard to keep things that way.

  We grabbed our bags and deplaned, walking side by side through the airport. Mom was waiting at the luggage carousels with a furrowed brow. When she saw me, she wrapped me into a hug. The dam inside of me broke and tears flowed.

  “Scarlett,” Mom said, pulling me closer.

  I sobbed and shook my head. I wish I could say they were tears of happiness. Tears of relief.

  But they weren’t. They were tears of regret.

  Regret that I left Dad like that. Regret that Cayden ran straight to Rosalie when things got iffy between us. Regret that I’d dragged my best friend across the country because I was running from something that wasn’t ever going to go away.

  My heart was so full of love for Dad and Cayden, I was pretty sure it would burst.

  I pulled back and stared at Mom. She looked concerned as she stared at me.

  Then, like in slow motion, everyone around us began flocking to the left. Screams and squeals sounded as a mob formed.

  I blinked a few times and turned to see that Cayden was standing on top of one of the luggage carousels. His gaze was fixed on me.

  My broken heart took off galloping as I stared at him. Fearing that I was dreaming, I reached down and pinched my leg.

  Was he really here?

  Why?

  I glanced around, waiting to see Rosalie standing off a corner somewhere with her lips and hands pressed together as she glared at me…but no one was there.

  There was just Cayden and a few guys in suits who were warding off screaming fans.

  Why was he here? Hadn’t he broken my heart enough already?

  Fear and panic clung to my throat as I turned and hightailed it through baggage claim, hoping I could outrun Cayden.

  But from the hand that wrapped around my elbow, I knew that wasn’t a possibility. I paused, staring down at the floor as I prepared myself for whatever Cayden had to say.

  The mob of people followed him over to me, surrounding us and pulling out their phones, snapping pictures. Mom and Michelle must have gotten swallowed up in the crowd.

  Heat flushed my cheeks as I tried to push them from my mind and remind myself that this was exactly why Cayden and I would never work. He was famous, and I was a nobody.

  “Scarlett,” he said. His voice was low and intimate, like he was beckoning me to look up at him.

  And I couldn’t help but raise my gaze up to his. His bright blue eyes had darkened to an intoxicating blue. One that mesmerized me as I stared at him. I parted my lips, but no sound came out. Then, worried that I looked like an idiot, I closed my mouth.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said as he searched my eyes.

  When I didn’t answer, he glanced around and then back to me. “Can we go somewhere private?” he asked.

  “You can use a back room,” an airport employee who was standing just a foot off said.

  I glanced over at the woman and then slowly nodded. That would probably help me a lot. At least then I wouldn’t be on display.

  Cayden pressed his hand into my lower back as we followed after the woman. Thankfully, the men in suits were holding off the mob as they desperately tried to snap a few last photos.

  Once we were in the back room and the door shut behind us, silence surrounded us.

  I wasn’t sure what to do or what to say.

  Cayden seemed just as disoriented as he glanced around, pushing his hands through his hair. His gaze
kept flicking over at me like he wasn’t sure how I was going to react.

  Finally, I gathered up enough courage to meet his gaze. “Why are you here?” I asked. So much emotion coated my words, and it almost frustrated me. He was going to see through the wall I’d attempted to build up inside of me. He was going to see just how much I cared about him.

  “Scar, I…” His voice trailed off as he studied me. It was as if he was searching for something.

  “Where’s Rosalie?” I asked and then winced. I hated the bite to my tone. I wasn’t like this. I wasn’t petty. But seeing Rosalie yesterday at Cayden’s house had hurt. More than I cared to admit.

  Cayden shook his head. It was firm and curt. “I’m not with Rosalie. Bryant told me what happened—I had no idea she was going to do that. I had her over to rehearse some lines and then Mom needed something from me.” His brows furrowed as he met my gaze. “I would never hurt you like that. Ever. Rosalie is just a co-worker.”

  He stepped forward and reached out his hand like he wanted to touch me. His fingers hovered just above my skin. Then he blinked a few times and dropped his hand to his side.

  “Scarlett, there’s so much I should have told you. That I should have been quicker to tell you.” He glanced up at me. The hurt and pain in his eyes was enough to take my breath away.

  “About what?” I breathed. My emotions seemed to take control of my body. They were affecting my speech, my thoughts, the rhythm of my heart.

  “I was out with Tommy because I was worried about him. He called me, drunk at a party, so I drove to meet him.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Those articles got it wrong. The police got it wrong. I wasn’t drinking. I was there to keep Tommy from getting into trouble. But it hurt, hearing you jump to the wrong conclusion.”

  My mind swam as his words filtered through my ears. Regret filled my chest along with a sense of satisfaction. The satisfaction that I knew Cayden, knew the kind of guy he was. He’d been rushing to his friend’s rescue—that was who he was.

  “You didn’t…I mean, you weren’t partying?”

  Cayden stepped closer to me. The smell of his cologne and the feeling of his body next to mine washed over me, taking my breath away. It took all of my strength not to lean in.

  “Of course not. I knew how important your lunch was with your dad. I was so mad when they called him in. It wasn’t right, asking you to sacrifice something that I’d convinced you to do.” He reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear, leaving the tips of his fingers to linger on my skin.

  He stared at my hair, and then he slowly met my gaze. He held it, the intensity and fire growing by the second. “Scarlett, you mean so much to me. I would never, ever hurt you.” His gaze dipped down to my lips and then back up. “I know you’re hurting. That you’ve been hurt before. But if you let me in, I won’t ever hurt you.”

  He opened his hand to cup my cheek, letting his thumb run across my lips.

  “You are the Juliet to my Romeo,” he whispered.

  I raised my eyebrows. “We both die?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, bad analogy.”

  Pushing aside my worry and fear, I leaned into his palm as I raised my hand and wrapped my fingers around his wrist. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  His hand fiddled with the fabric of my shirt before it pressed into my side and slipped to my back as he pulled me closer. “For what?”

  I glanced up at him, hoping he’d see how sorry I was. “For doubting you. For allowing other people to dictate how I felt about you.” I reached out, resting my hands on his chest. I stared at the definition of his muscles under his shirt. Reveling in the feeling of his warmth against my palms.

  He was everything I ever wanted. When I was with him, I wanted to be strong. I felt as if I could put my walls down. To let someone in.

  He’d weaseled his way into my heart and there was no way I was ever going to let him go.

  He was my person.

  Cayden dipped down, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “Scarlett, it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to not have all the answers.” He wrapped his other arm around my waist and drew me in until our bodies were pressed together.

  It felt so perfect, being wrapped in his arms. This was where I belonged.

  “But don’t ever think that I won’t be here for you.” He pulled back to stare into my eyes. “And that goes for your dad as well. He wants to be a part of your life even if he has a hard time showing it.”

  Tears brimmed my eyes as I thought about what I’d said to Dad. How I’d left things. I pinched my lips together and shook my head. “I ruined things with him. I hurt him.”

  Cayden reached up to brush an escaping tear from my cheek. He shook his head as he kissed my forehead. “I got to talk to your dad a lot over the last 48 hours. He knows he’s made mistakes, but the one thing he’s never regretted”—Cayden pulled back as if he wanted me to feel the full weight of his words—“is you.”

  My broken, slivered heart swelled at Cayden’s words. It was like he knew exactly what I needed to hear to help me overcome my fear.

  People make mistakes. People are human.

  I wanted people in my life, and no matter how much I wanted to control them, I couldn’t.

  And for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to.

  Loving someone meant taking risks. And I thought I was finally ready to do that.

  I stared at Cayden and realized I was ready to love him. Wholly and completely. With every part of my soul.

  Pressing up onto my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his. I was ready to jump, even though that thought still terrified me. But with the people I loved behind me, I could do anything.

  Cayden kissed me softly at first. Like he wanted me to know just how much he loved me too.

  I moved my hands up to the nape of his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. That seemed to be what Cayden was waiting for. He pulled me so close that it was hard to know where he stopped and I began.

  This was where I belonged. This was the man I’d fallen in love with.

  Everything else could wait.

  Right now, all that mattered was the two of us.

  Eventually, Cayden pulled away, pressing his forehead to mine. I could feel his gaze on me as I closed my eyes in an attempt to absorb everything about this moment and commit it to memory.

  He chuckled. It was soft and melodious.

  “You should call your dad,” he said as he reached behind him to pull out his phone.

  My heart squeezed as I took the phone from him and wrapped my fingers around it. “Really?” I asked.

  Cayden nodded. “He loves you, and he wants to make things better.” He pushed the phone closer to me. “It’s time.”

  I stared down at the screen and took a deep breath. He was right. Dad deserved a second chance, just like me, just like Cayden.

  So I dialed his number and waited as it rang.

  Dad answered, and after a short conversation I felt elated. Dad wasn’t mad at me—if anything, he was just worried. He still wanted to work on things. I offered to come back out until the wedding and maybe again for a few weeks after graduation.

  Dad agreed.

  By the time I hung up, I was on cloud nine. It was amazing how a person could go from the lowest of lows to this kind of high.

  I had Cayden.

  I had a healing relationship with Dad.

  I had a new lease on life. My perspective on love and happiness had changed. I was changed.

  As I snuggled into Cayden’s chest, breathing him in, I couldn’t help but smile.

  Michelle had really called it.

  Best. Summer. Ever.

  ***

  I hope you enjoyed Cayden and Scarlett’s story! I had so much fun writing it.

  I’d love for you to check out a BRAND NEW series I just started: Hamilton Prep School Series.

  I think you’ll really love it!

  The first book is Quinn and the Wrong Bo
y and it’s so much fun. Make sure to grab your copy!

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  If only my heart had understood the rules, I wouldn’t have fallen for Tyson Blake.

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