“What exactly do you mean, Lexi?” I asked, my voice a bit shaky.

Mom and Lexi exchanged knowing glances.

“Sierra,” Lexi said, “you walk into a room and Jeremy’s eyes light up. Then they track your every move. They narrow and his nostrils flare if another boy so much as checks you out. And, according to Jenna, he was a grumpy toad the whole summer until you got home. You know, kinda the same way you were in Ohio.”

Even though my heart was fluttering, I protested. “That doesn’t mean anything. We’d never spent the much time apart. That’s all,” I said, waving her off.

They exchanged another look.

Mom crossed the room and sat next to me, placing an arm around my shoulders. “Oh, honey, that’s where you’re wrong. Everything your sister just said is true, and it’s not nothing. It means everything. The question is, do you feel the same way?”

My eyes shimmered with tears. All of this time, I’d been keeping my feelings to myself, and it felt so good to finally let it out.

I nodded. “I do. I have for a long time. But he’s my best friend, Mom. What if he doesn’t like me like that?”

Mom wiped away a lone tear that had spilled over onto my cheek. Then she cupped my face and brought her forehead to mine. “Sweetheart, I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about. Jeremy Banks has always worn his heart on his sleeve, and I’m pretty sure you’re in that heart. He just needs to know you want to be.”

“So…you think I should tell him?” I asked, wondering if tonight could be the start of something so new, so beautiful, with Jeremy.

She pulled back and gave me a smile. “I can’t tell you what to do, Sierra. The best advice I can give is to follow your heart. I know how scary it can be, putting your heart on the line when you don’t know how it’s going to be received, but that’s what life and love are all about. Taking risks. You may get burned a time or two, but everything worth having is worth fighting for. And the way Jeremy looks at you? It’s the way every mother wishes her daughter would be looked at. It’s how your dad looks at me still to this day.”

Lexi’s sniffling had my own tears welling up. She bounded across the room and joined us on the bed.

“It’s true, Sierra. If a man ever looks at me that way, I’ll be the happiest girl alive,” she declared.

Little did she know, it wouldn’t be long until she had that. And just like me, she’d be too blind to see it. But that’s her story to tell.

This time, it was Mom’s turn to tear up. She put her arms around both me and Lexi, and the three of us looked at our reflections in the mirror.

“When did my girls grow up?” she asked. “I swear you were just two little blondes with pigtails. Now, you’ve blossomed into beautiful young women I’m very proud of.”

“Love you, Mom,” I whispered, and Lexi echoed my sentiment.

“I love you both, too. And so does your father. Although he’s going to have a cow when he sees how grown-up Sierra is in that dress. We’re not ready for the two of you to grow up, but I guess it’s inevitable.”

Before I could respond, the sound of the doorbell filled the room. Lexi clapped her hands, Mom beamed, and my stomach was suddenly twisting in knots.

“He’s here!” Lexi exclaimed as she jumped up and ran to the door. But then she stopped and looked back at me, her face softening. “I hope you two have the best time, Sierra. You deserve it. And, for the record, Jeremy’s ten times the guy that creep Danny Moyer would ever be.” With a parting smile, she left the room with me reeling from her words.

I smoothed my dress out and checked my makeup in the mirror. Mom was watching me intently, perceptive enough to know I was stalling.

“Do you really think…?” I trailed off.

She gave me a knowing smile. “Sweetheart, I can’t tell you how the boy feels. That’s something he has to do for himself. I only know what I see, and let me say, I like it. As a mom, there’s nothing I love more than seeing the way Jeremy looks at you. And don’t think I haven’t noticed those same looks coming from you, too.”

A blush formed on my cheeks.

“From the very beginning, I’ve known that the two of you had something special. It’s up to you to decide what happens next. Now, let’s not keep that boy waiting.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

After a few deep breaths, I steeled my nerves. Even though I didn’t feel ready for this, I was as ready as I’d ever be. Mom left the room, and I followed after her, taking each step slowly and deliberately. I heard his rumbling laughter before I saw him. The sound sent those butterflies into overdrive.

This was it.

If Jeremy ever saw me as anything more than just his best friend, this would be the time.

Mom rounded the corner into the living room, and I gathered up what courage I could find and then stepped in right behind her.

The moment my eyes locked with Jeremy’s, I knew Mom and Lexi had been right. Everything else around us faded into the background. His laughter ceased as he took in the sight of me. And I did the same to him. He was dressed in black slacks that appeared as if they had been made for him. Memories of the night I’d walked in on him flashed in my mind, and I took a glance at his groin.

Yep, those slacks had been made for him.

Aware that we weren’t alone, I tore my eyes away from his package and trailed them up over the rest of his body. A slim-fitting hunter-green dress shirt molded to his firm torso, just tight enough to give me a peek at his muscles. I made a vow never to complain about all the time he spent lifting weights in the field house anymore, because holy hell, the results were more than worth the effort. A light-green tie that adorned his muscular chest somehow accentuated the brown irises of his eyes, which were wide as his eyes raked over me.

His copper-colored hair was its usual messy self. I loved that he hadn’t given in to Jenna’s prompting and gotten it cut and styled. I wanted to run my fingers through his soft hair as we danced the night away in each other’s arms, and gel would’ve ruined the experience.

As he studied me, a slow, easygoing smile spread across his lips, showcasing those dimples.

Not gonna lie.

I swooned.

My heart melted.

And I went a little weak in the knees, which I later blamed on the heels. Stupid death traps.

Jeremy had never looked more handsome than he did right then, and I’d never wanted him more. Heck, I’d never wanted anything more in my life than for Jeremy to cross the room, take me into his arms, dip me back, and gaze longingly into my eyes before capturing my lips with his.

This wasn’t Copper anymore. This wasn’t Dawson. This wasn’t my Michelangelo-loving, ninja-warrior-fighting, scared-of-sharks best friend.

This was Jeremy Banks, star football player, object of ninety percent of the affections of the sophomore class female population—and probably the rest of the school’s, too—sexiest man I’d ever seen. I no longer wanted to swap spit shakes. I simply wanted to swap spit.

And by the look on his face? I was pretty sure he wanted the same thing.

“Wow,” he whispered as he took a step towards me. He paused briefly then continued across the room until he was standing directly in front of me. He lifted a hand then ran it through his hair as he repeated his sentiment. “Wow.”

I beamed. “Wow yourself,” I replied, suddenly feeling more confident than before. Actually, I was more confident than ever.

The hand that had raked through his hair came down and he placed it on my cheek. Jeremy’s earnest eyes bored into mine. “Sierra, I… You… I…” he stammered, and my heart started beating so wildly that I was scared it was going to break out of my chest, hop onto him, and pound against his own chest until he let it in.

“Yes?” I prompted after seconds had ticked by without him saying a word.

“You look… You are absolutely beautiful,” he breathed. “You’re… You take my breath away, Sierra.”