Max wasn’t home when we got there, so Chloe and I hung out in her room until I couldn’t handle her pestering anymore.

“Go and find him… Go and find him.”

That girl knows how to go on!

And people think I’m strong-willed.

“Fine!” I lurch off her bed. “But he’s probably still at the station.”

Chloe looks at her watch and giggles. “It’s been nearly four hours. We’ve watched a movie and eaten enough chocolate and caramel corn to turn us into blimps. It’s time.”

I rub my stomach and cringe, feeling the effects of the sugar kicking in big-time. “Maybe I should wait until tomorrow.”

My little sister rolls her eyes. “You’re only feeling sick because you’re nervous. This isn’t just about you, Mads. He’s probably had one of the worst days of his life. Don’t you want to find him and make it end on a sweet note?”

I squeeze my eyes shut, my nose wrinkling as once again Chloe’s words unravel me.

“Okay, fine,” I murmur softly, going to pull out my phone and remembering it’s smashed to pieces. I’ll replace it tomorrow. “Can I borrow your phone?” I hold out my hand.

“Ugh! Don’t be so unromantic. Just show up on his doorstep.”

I squirm in my shoes. That’s so not my style.

“Go on.” Chloe jumps off her bed and starts pushing me towards the door. “I swear, if you don’t leave this house in a second, I’m revoking my blessing.”

I turn to her with a sharp glare and she just smiles sweetly back at me.

“All right!” I mutter, reluctantly walking through the door and begging my heart to stop hammering at such a pace.

Part of me is desperate to see Holden, but another part is scared.

I’m really doing this. I’m about to make my big statement, which feels so right, but after so much angst today…what if it doesn’t fly?

I basically threw his best friend under a train.

What if Holden hates me now?

Swallowing down my doubts, I slip out the front door before Mom can see me. She’s been hanging out in her room all afternoon, trying to perfect her résumé, which makes her oblivious to the rest of the family. It’s working in my favor…and Max’s.

I frown, wondering again where my sister is.

She hasn’t replied to any of my texts. Her phone’s probably run out of battery.

I roll my eyes, shoving my phone into my pocket and sliding into the car. It’s getting dark out. Clenching and unclenching the wheel, I bite the inside of my cheek and wonder where I should start looking for Holden.

He could be at home…or at Cresthill…or maybe even the water tower.

Wrinkling my nose, I think through the options and decide to start with the tower. If I were in his position, that’s exactly where I’d want to go—a private place where no one can find me.

Reversing out of the driveway, I make my way there, hoping he won’t mind being discovered.

Words dance through my head as I hash out the perfect speech to win him over.

My lips twitch with a smile. Excitement swirls through the nerves massacring my stomach. I’m seriously nauseated by the time I pull up beneath the water tower. Holden’s red Mustang is parked exactly where it was last time.

This is it.

This is our moment.

I pull in a shaky breath and get out of the car. My legs feel like silly string as I gently shut the car door and gaze at the ladder.

Exhaling, I wipe my hands down my thighs and walk towards the tower. It’s an easy climb but my heart is hammering in my throat by the time I reach the top.

Holden’s sitting in his spot, gazing over Armitage with this sad anguish on his face. My heart aches and expands for him.

“Hey,” I whisper.

He flinches and turns towards me, his eyebrows popping high. “What are you doing here?”

I shrug and take a seat beside him, dangling my legs over the edge. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh.” He kind of grunts and shrugs, looking disappointed and lost.

Biting my lips together, I tentatively reach forward, gliding my fingers over the back of his hand and threading them between his digits.

He glances at me, his burning question so easy to read.

I smile. “I also figured something out, and I wanted to tell you in person.”

“Oh yeah?” He studies me with slightly narrowed eyes, but his lips are twitching at the corners. “What’s that?”

“Well, um…” I smile and let out a soft laugh. “I figured out that you’re a really good guy.”

He gives me an odd look. “Right.”

“I mean, you’re a really, really good guy.” My cheeks start to heat and I dip my eyes to the floor. “A really, really, really good one.”

He doesn’t say anything, just squeezes my fingers between his.

Crap, this isn’t working.

And if I say really one more time…

My gaze creeps up his arm until it’s resting on his face again.

“Do you know the thing about good guys like you?” My voice is husky, making it hard to speak.

Holden shakes his head, the look on his face turning my heart into a blob of putty.

“They make amazing boyfriends.”

He goes still and then his lips slowly curve into a smile. “You want me to be your boyfriend?”

My laughter is so shaky and pathetic, but I can’t help it. Giddy bubbles are popping in my stomach, making me act like an idiot. I’ve never felt this way before.

Biting my lips together, I try and hamper the humiliating sound before whispering, “Yeah. Like maybe more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

His eyes glimmer with wonder as he places his hand on my neck and starts gently playing with my hair. “What about Chloe?”

He feels so amazing I can barely concentrate to speak. “She’s…she’s cool with it. Really. She basically forced me out the door to come and find you.”

He snickers. “Stronger than she looks, right?”

“Oh yeah.” I laugh with him, but nerves swallow the sound quickly.

Holden runs his thumb down my jawline. His touch is soft and intoxicating, drawing me in like no one ever has before. I lean towards him, my lips desperate for a taste, but he pulls back before they can be satisfied.

“What made her change her mind?”

I brush my teeth over my tingling lips and smile at him. “She saw the way I was looking at you today. You were so amazing. You did the right thing even though it was really hard. You showed up and you saved me, and you made a choice.” My throat is growing thick as I deviate from his question, but these things need to be said. “If you hadn’t already won me over, you would have this afternoon. Not to sound like a girly sap, but you seriously were my hero.” I laugh and rest my forehead on his shoulder. “I’m so embarrassed that I just said that, but it’s true. You’re a really good guy, Holden. And I’d be an idiot to pass up any kind of chance to be with you.”

Kissing the side of my face, he cups the back of my head and whispers, “Oh man, I so needed to hear that.” His voice is husky, which makes the giddy bubbles pop ten times faster.

Nudging me off his shoulder, he holds my face in his hands and looks at me like he loves me. I could drown in that gaze right now and happily submit to the power of it.

With a smile, I lean towards him, resting my lips against his before being pulled into the vortex that is Holden Carter. My insides are going crazy as he wraps his arms around my waist and inches me that much closer. Hooking my leg over his knee, I let him pull me onto his lap and I straddle him. He runs his hand up my back and melds us together. It’s a tight squish between the tower and the railing, but I’m not moving for anything.

Pulling back for air, Holden leans away to look at me. His smile is dreamy and adorable.

“So can I call you my girl now?”

“As long as you promise to never tell anyone that I called you my hero.”

“Aw, come on.” He tickles my side and I yelp, nearly falling off his lap.

He holds me steady and wraps his arms around me. Resting his chin on my shoulder, he hugs me tight and whispers, “What’s said on the water tower stays on the water tower.”

“Okay.” I slide my arms around him until we’re fused together.

“You know the real me.” He squeezes a little tighter and I meet his hold strength for strength. His voice is husky with emotion, and I feel like there are more secrets to tell on this water tower.

Nestling my head against his, I stroke the back of his hair and murmur, “You can trust me with anything.”