Chapter 12 Get 5 > Menu FOUR ! Rachel squealed . Logan lost it laughing . Like , for real ? One , two , three , four … actual four gorgeous guys ? Dylan groaned , giving me the stink eye . Why does that even matter ? Oh well , theres this thing called a four- I slapped my hand over her mouth , eyes wide like girl , NO . But from Dylan and Logans faces , they totally caught her drift . Aaaand were out . Have a nice day ! Never pushed a cart so fast in my life . My face was burning while Rachel was dying laughing behind me . Not gonna lie though her idea was … interesting . I mean , Dylan and Logan were straight up fine . But nope , cant go there . Totally off limits . They might not be blood family , but my stepmom raised them , so … Booked it through the store trying to dodge them . Kept looking over my shoulder like a crazy person making sure they werent following us . Thanks again for the ride back . Today was epic . 11 Helping Rachel grab her bags from my trunk , I smiled . Yeah , it really was . Hey , gimme your phone . Gonna add my number so we can hang . It felt good . Been forever since I had a real friend . My only friend back in Georgia was Mary , but she bounced senior year when her dad got deployed to Germany . You sure you dont want help carrying this stuff up ? I asked , watching her load up her backpack and grab about a million bags . Nah , Im good . See you Monday though ? Lets hit up that coffee shop in the middle of campus before orientation at nine . After Rachel and I said our goodbyes , I was feeling pretty good about our friendship . Drove home , parked in the garage , and grabbed this collapsible 159 3.79 % 12 wagon Id bought . Loaded up all my groceries and some small appliances , then headed for my cottage . But then I got that creepy feeling someone was watching me . Spun around to see Ethan coming down the path . Yeah , no thanks made a beeline for my door before he could start anything . So not in the mood for his attitude . Emily ! he yelled while I rushed to get my wagon inside and shut the door . But he caught it , muscling his way in , those blue eyes all intense and angry . You heard me calling you . Yeah , and I ignored you . Now get out . You need to learn you cant just take off without telling anyone . Like , seriously ? Who does he think he is ? News flash Im an adult . Ill do what I want . Now get out of my place . * Your place ? This is all my property . I go where I want . Just when I thought this guy couldnt be more of a jerk . Pretty sure this is my dads property . So bounce before you do something stupid . He legit growled , making me step back . For a second , I swear his eyes flashed gold as he got in my space . Watch how you talk to me . Would hate to have to show you who runs things around here . The way he said it sent chills down my spine . Like , yeah , he was stupidly hot and something about him pulled me in … I wasnt exactly experienced just one hookup at senior prom , and that guy knocked out after like ten minutes . Dont write checks your body cant cash . That got him going he stormed out , slamming the door behind him . No clue what his deal was , and honestly ? Didnt want to find out . 3.73 % Guys like Ethan spelled trouble with a capital T. Four years was a long time to be here . Between everything going on , I needed to play it smart . Couldnt let them think I was weak and walk all over me , but also didnt need extra drama . Trying to get my mind off everything , I dragged the wagon to the Kitchen and started unpacking . Had to make this place feel like home since I was avoiding the main house like the plague . Thank God I found that side door to the garage meant no more walking through the house to get to my car . Two days here and Ethan already had me stressed . Made some coffee and crashed on the couch with the TV on , checking my phone . Rachel was blowing up my messages about the brothers again . Her whole idea about having fun with them kept popping into my head . I mean , they were all crazy hot , each in their own way . But if I was gonna get close to any of them , Logan and Ryan seemed way more chill than Ethan and Dylan . My phone dinged thought it was Rachel but nope . Same number from earlier . Challenge accepted , little one . In "Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" by CrushReel, Zoe Hale takes a daring step by marrying Ashton Cross, a man under suspicion for her sister's mysterious demise. As their relationship evolves, hidden truths unravel, intertwining love and suspense in this captivating romance novel. Exploring the complexities of loyalty and deception, the story delves deep into Zoe's quest for justice while navigating the unexpected twists of her heart. 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