We can’t wait to share this friends to lovers, fake dating romance with y’all!
Here are some things you can expect:
๐ Childhood friends to lovers
๐Fake engagement
๐Mutual pining
๐Small-town drama
๐ย Big family dynamic
Keep reading for a little sneak peek!
ETHAN POV:
โWhat does your hat say?โย Elle asks and continues as she reads it aloud, โSingle & Searchinโ?โ
I immediately look for myself because I hadnโt noticed it said anything.ย
Harper snorts. โNo it doesnโt. It says โHello Sunshine.โโย
Elle looks at me with a raised brow. โYour reaction though told me everything I need to know. The classic I wish Harper was my girlfriendย panicked look. When are you two finally gonna admit it?โ She crosses her arms over her bump, and I scowl at her lack of filter.
โAdmit what? That weโre best friends?โ I keep up with my denial. For years, Elle has consistently teased about how Harper and I act when weโre together. Iโm sure my sisterโs hoping one day weโll confess our undying love and sheโll gloat about how she was always right. Sometimes itโs easier to just bury my feelings than to actually confess being in love with my best friend, especially since she doesnโt feel the same and itโd just make things awkward.ย
โMmhmm,โ Elle says, pointing between us. โYou two ainโt foolinโ me. Just wastinโ time when you could be makinโ me an aunt. Youโre my only chance to become one, ya know?โ
I scoff. โNo pressure.โย
Wishing we werenโt having this conversation right now, I glance over and notice the water balloons, and my eyes widen in panic.
โWhat?โ Elle and Harper ask at the same time.ย
โDad told me to tell Uncle Jackson absolutely no water balloons this year.โ
Elle grunts. โDad canโt control him. No one can. But damn, heโs gonna be pissed when he sees these special ones he got. I heard Kane say they ordered them months ago.โ
โAre they super sized?โ Harper asks just as Jackson holds up a water balloon thatโs five times the normal size. His gaze zeroes in on usโhis targets. Seconds later, heโs running with it.ย Elle puts her fingers between her lips and releases the loudest whistle Iโve ever heard.ย
Conversations stop and everyone focuses on her.ย
Elle clears her throat and points her finger at our uncle who looks like he just got scolded. โI am pregnant. And Iโll kill you. So save it for someone else.โ
โDonโt do it, Dad,โ my cousin Kaitlyn adds. Soon everyone in the family is running off and begging Jackson not to throw it at them.ย
My eyes go wide as Jackson takes four steps forward before lifting his arm and throwing the balloon straight toward us. Elle screams at the top of her lungs moments before Connor blocks her and takes a direct hit. When Connor turns, heโs soaked. Olivia bursts into a fit of laughter, then everyone else does too.ย
Minutes later, Grandmaโs hurtling through a crowd toward us.ย
โJackson Joel Bishop!โ No matter how old grandmaโs children get, theyโll never be too old to get yelled at.
โMama, calm down,โ Uncle Jackson says, chuckling when Grandma takes off her boot and acts like sheโs gonna whip Jackson with it.
โYou never irritate a pregnant woman in her third trimester!โ Kiera, Jacksonโs wife and love of his life, scolds just as she throws two balloons in Jacksonโs face.ย
Harperโs laughter fills the air just as I hear a groan from behind us.ย
โUh-oh,โ I say, seeing the irritation written all over my dadโs face.ย
โDidnโt you tell him what I said?โ he asks as he passes me. Next thing I know, thereโs a full-blown water balloon fight between them allโone that Uncle Jackson starts. It ends with Grandma threatening to kick all their asses if they donโt stop acting like children.ย
โEvan Tyler, youโre supposed to be the responsible one,โ Grandma scolds as she picks up the balloon scraps.
โYou mean the old, boring one,โ Jackson taunts, shoving my dadโs chest.
โAhh yeah.โ Alex sighs with a smile. โItโs a good day to be the youngest sibling.โ
John snorts, shaking his head as he helps grandma with the trash. โSays the first one to become a grandpa. Youโre the old man โround here.โย
At that comment, Alex chases after him but John speeds up, weaving around the food and nearly knocking over the dessert table. The fact that theyโre in their fifties and can still run without getting a cramp shows how hard and long theyโve worked on the ranch.
โNo one better ruin my pies,โ Maize chimes in as we watch our fathers act like idiots. Though this is nothing we havenโt seen before. Itโd be a rare event without their antics.
โJohn Joseph Bishop, you stop it!โ Grandma shakes her head as Grandpa joins the party, barely phased by what heโs stumbled into.
โAlexander Scott, get back here and clean up this mess,โ Grandma demands.
You know itโs serious when sheโs whipped out all four of their middle names.
