Falling for the Ghost of You(90)

“Oh, no problem! So little Rosie’s going to be okay?”

“Yup!” I brighten. “Lauren finally got to take her home from the hospital last week. The doctors don’t think she’s going to have any problems from being so premature, so we’re all relieved.”

“Thank goodness.” Kim gestures for me to sit on her bed. “She looked so cute and tiny in the pictures Lauren sent. How’s Lauren doing, anyway?”

I shrug. “She’s good. Her mom and cousin are helping out with the baby, and it looks like she can start Stanford in the fall.”

“That’s great! I’m so happy for her. And you.” Kim changes the subject slyly. “So what’s it like living with Aiden Cross? Dude, I’m so jealous!”

I can’t help the huge smile that comes to my face. “It’s going really good. Better than I thought. But how are you doing?”

“Oh, no,” Kim says swiftly. She plops down in her beanbag chair and points to me. “You’re going to tell me everything about your fabulous life first. Have you gone to any parties yet? Met any other famous people? I saw pictures of you guys at the ‘Deep Ones’ premiere! How was it?”

“It was fun,” I admit. “It was kind of scary on the red carpet, though. All these people telling you where to go, and all the fans screaming and cameras flashing. It made me nauseous. I kind of threw up.”

“Oh, no! Right there?!” Kim is horrified for me.

“Right on Alaina Skye. She was behind us.”

We look at each other and burst out laughing. I’ve met Alaina Skye, and turns out she’s a bit of a bitch. I don’t know why Zane is friends with her, but whatever. And I didn’t try to aim for her like she claims. How can you aim vomit? Silly bitch.

“So, are you gonna go on tour with Aiden—I mean, Zane—in October?”

I nod, playing with the chain of the necklace hidden under my shirt. “Yeah…I’m going to put off college while I work on my books. And I can do that anywhere, so why not do it on tour with him, right? I’m really excited, too. I’ve never been outside the U.S.”

“And you’ll be with your honey,” Kim teases. “You are so lucky!”

“I know!” I can’t help but giggle with her.

“Be sure to invite me to the wedding,” she jokes, her eyes sparkling with amusement at my flushed cheeks.

“Yeah, funny you should mention that. I wanted to tell you in person…”

I pull out my necklace from my shirt. Kim’s eyes grow huge as she spots the ring dangling from the end of the chain, She rushes over to me to inspect it, and her screams are so loud, I worry the neighbors are going to think I’m murdering her, or something.

“Oh, my god!” she squeals, taking hold of the ring, and slightly choking me in the process. “It’s gorgeous! When did he ask you? How did he ask you?”

“Like, a month ago, when we were in Maui.”

I smile to myself, remembering that most perfect moment under the waterfall. Just the two of us.

I watch as Kim admires the flawless square cut diamond set in platinum. I can tell she’s wondering how much the ring costs. I wonder that too, but I’m too afraid to ask Zane. I have a feeling it’s worth a small country.

“C-congratulations!” she sputters, giving me another hug. “When’s the wedding?”

I stick the ring back under my shirt. “Um…we’re not sure. Zane wants to do it soon, but I kind of want to wait. I haven’t even told my mom yet! I’m waiting until after she gives birth. Don’t want to send her into early labor,” I joke feebly.

“Do you think she’s going to freak?”

I suck in a breath through my clenched teeth. “Probably,” I say, picking nervously at my nails. “I think she’d want us to wait until after college, but…neither of us want to wait that long.”

Of course, our definition of waiting is vastly different. Zane says he wants to do it before we go on tour in October; I want to wait a year. I don’t know. He did promise that if we got married right away, he would draw up a prenup in my favor—where if I ever catch him cheating on me, he would have to gain—and keep—a hundred pounds, plus tell every woman he meets from then on that he has a raging case of head lice. I don’t think these stipulations would be legally binding, but it’s a nice thought.

Kim and I chat for a few minutes longer. She tells me about a college guy she met at the beach last week, and shares some local gossip. Oh, Matt and Rachel broke up! Kim says Rachel caught Matt cheating on her with an out-of-towner. I find myself feeling sorry for Rachel. After the way things turned out, I kind of feel grateful to her. No, that’s going too far. Let’s just say I’m happy with the way things turned out.