AN: when this book is all over, I hope you will stick around. i have other stories (HEADLINE & KILLSHOT) that I would love for you to check out <3

new aesthetics I made and posted on twitter @ normiesandwich

When love can't be expressed out loud, it's interesting to see how powerful it can be when forced to hide in plain sight.

A testament of our strength was breaking the kiss at the first sound of Lily's distant squeals of joy, followed by Delilah's voice telling her daughter to be careful while running. I had trouble hiding my smile as I stared at Hunter.

God, I was so in love with him.

I never thought someone's heart could be captured like this - I always assumed it was something only seen in movies or written about.

Growing up, I never saw what true love looked like. My parents only loved each other as an act for their acquaintances or social gatherings. But once the doors closed, that act of love switched off. Even though I knew they weren't an example of what to strive for in a relationship, I would always fear I could never open my heart to someone the way I should.

And yet, I did it with Hunter. Not just once but twice.

Here I was, breathtakingly in love with the man standing before me.

It was almost painful to force my eyes away from him.

Running full speed into the backyard, Lily gasped as she saw the large bouncy house. "A princess party?"

Before the girl could run off to her castle, Delilah stopped her and said, "Hold on, missy! Thank your Aunt and Uncle for setting this up for you first!"

Lily looked over at the two of us, then at the castle, then back to us. A perplexed, annoyed look furrowed her brows - it was clear she just wanted to play. And to be honest, I couldn't blame her. If I were her age, I would want to do the same.

"Lily," Delilah warned.

The little girl ran over with her arms wide. "Thank you, Auntie Dylan and Uncle Fishy!" she shouted, pulling us in for a hug.

"You're welcome, kid." Hunter crouched down to be at eye level with her. "Did you have a nice breakfast this morning?"

"Yeah, I did! Wait..." Lily crossed her arms over her chest. "You weren't in your room this morning! I wanted a birthday hug before I left!"

I looked down at the ground, shielding my reddened cheeks. It wasn't long ago that Hunter was hiding in the closet of my room, and the thought of him doing so made me want to laugh. The memories also made my palms sweat, wondering how Hunter would cover this one up.

"I know, I'm sorry. But..." His head turned, taking a quick look at their surroundings. "Can you keep a secret?"

She nodded.

"I was on a top-secret Princess mission this morning for your party."

Lily gasped. "Really?"

The two continued their hushed conversation as Lily hung on to her Uncle's every word. I had to give it to Hunter; sometimes, his ability to lie so easily did come in handy. The last thing we needed was Lily prying into his whereabouts all day instead of enjoying her birthday. And, considering she was definitely her mother's daughter, I could easily see that happening.

Knowing guests were arriving soon, I assumed my sister would be frantically trying to get the last-minute details all together - and I was only proved right upon walking into the kitchen.

"Ethan! I swear to-" Delilah pressed her lips together upon spotting me in the doorway. "Oh, Dylan!" she said in a much sweeter tone. "Thank you for-"

Ethan took that opportunity to reach forward and swipe his finger into the bowl of icing.

"Ethan!"

The man tried his best to look innocent as he licked the pink icing off his finger. "What?"

"I told you this icing was for the cupcakes!" Delilah tried to keep a stern tone but fell apart the moment she saw the bit of pink left behind on her fiance's nose. "You're an idiot," she said, laughing as she cleaned the icing off the tip of his nose.

"An idiot you agreed to marry."

She rolled her eyes, waving off the remark. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're just lucky I love you."

"I know I am." Ethan leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss. "I am the luckiest guy in the world."

Good reply, I thought to myself.

Delilah's cheeks reddened as her eyes fell back to the mixing bowl. "Okay, you had your treat. Now get out! I need to finish before guests arrive!"

Taking that as his sign to leave, Ethan gave her one more kiss before swiftly exiting the kitchen.

"Need any help?"

"No, I'll be okay," she said, cheeks still flushed from the previous encounter. "You've already done so much. Besides, I still have-" Delilah looked at the clock. "Shit! Less than an hour!"

Watching her frantically resume icing cupcakes, I asked, "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"No! I'm okay! You're free from child birthday setup duties!"

Ethan reappeared in the doorway. "Don't worry, sis," he said playfully, nudging my side. "I'll help her out."

"You just want to be here so you can steal more icing!"

"No, I promise I don't." He stepped forward and picked up the spare spatula off the counter. "Cupcakes only." Ethan looked at me over his shoulder and mouthed, "RUN!"

I took that as my chance to escape, thankful that Ethan appeared to stay true to his word and was genuinely helping instead of stealing more icing from the bowl. My sister's laughter from the kitchen only proved my thoughts correct.

"Why did we get cupcakes and a cake?"

"Because Ethan! What if someone shows up that doesn't like cake and only likes cupcakes?"

Even from the other room, I could hear his confusion as he asked, "Aren't they... the... same?"

Instead of the expected panic reply from my sister, I heard a round of giggles and squeals of "Ethan, stop!"

It was clear how well he knew her; he picked the moments to act silly and unintentionally (or so, I hoped) push her buttons. But when she needed him to be there, he was - even if that meant only icing pink cupcakes for his daughter's birthday party and not stealing one for himself to eat.

Heading outside and to the garage, I noticed a lack of a particular duo outside. But I couldn't let my thoughts wander for long. I had a princess outfit to put on.

Everyone agreed to dress for the occasion, kids and parents alike. And knowing Lily had convinced herself that I was a real princess upon first meeting, I decided to use that as my inspiration.

Making my way into the bedroom, I quickly got to work since time was of the essence. I decided to work on my hair first, knowing I would have to get it up into rollers to achieve that perfect princess wave. I wondered if Lily would be a stickler for detail - but something told me I shouldn't risk the chance. After all, my adorable niece thought I was an actual princess. What kind of person would I be if I let her think any of that may not be true?

Once my hair and makeup were completed, I pulled out the dress. I loved putting on a beautiful dress - I was one never to turn down the opportunity (when I felt like it, of course). But if this was the effort it took (even in a costume) to achieve the look, I wasn't sure I was up for the lifestyle. The cinched waist and ball gown bottom looked far more... casual when hanging in the closet.

Typically I wouldn't have thought so critically about a costume. It was for a six-year-old child's birthday party, after all. But I had a sinking feeling in my stomach I couldn't get rid of. The day would include many people I had never met before who were a part of my sister and niece's life. What if I was the only one that showed up following the dress code? Would they judge me?

Stop it, Dylan. This is for Lily!

In a rare exchange, I agreed with that voice in my head - for once. This was about Lily. Not me.

However, confirmation from my sister that I looked okay was still on my to-do list.

Just a little confirmation to put the mind at ease. Nothing wrong with that.

From the moment I stepped outside, I was relieved to see I wasn't the odd one out - children and parents alike were following the theme. At least I wasn't the only one wearing a frilly gown and plastic tiara.

"I knew it!" Lily yelled, pointing her finger at me. "You are a princess, Auntie Dylan!"

I was about to speak, but the words from the person standing beside her caught me off guard.

"Holy shit."

"Uncle Fishy said a bad word!" Lily cried out.

Hunter ignored the girl beside him - his eyes fixated on mine. I could feel my cheeks flush as his gaze continued, looking at me with a sparkle in his glance that I couldn't quite decipher, but I knew it made a warm feeling spread throughout my chest.

"Do I look okay?"

"You look... beautiful," his voice spoke in a delicate whisper.

I understood that look in his eyes. The way his voice sounded. How his lips tugged into a goofy smile that only appeared to get wider the longer we stood there.

Hunter was looking at me with a look of love in his eyes. And I couldn't help but look at him with the exact same expression.

It was like our glance exchanged a secret vow that only we knew.

When the night was over, with everything on the table and no more secrets to haunt our past or scar our future, I would be ready to make it official.

He was mine.

And I was his.

Our secret promise was forever... right?

short chapter bc the next part is longer :) x

welcome to the beginning of the end <3