Hopeless For You by Hayden Hill Read Free Book Online Page B

favors and arranged for a live Mariachi band to play. On the menu were chicken wraps, mini beef tacos, amazing guacamole, and margaritas. Dessert was churros, of course. They were so good, especially with that extra thick manjar caramel slathered on top. Probably bad for the dress size, but engagement parties only came once in a lifetime, right?
    I wanted to have the party as soon as possible and my folks were happy to oblige. They wanted the wedding almost as badly as me. See, what I haven't mentioned is that Devon was the son of a shipping magnate, and heir to a staggering fortune. But for me it wasn't about the money. It never was. When would my folks understand that? My stepdad already had a lot of money, so I didn't see why it was so important to him and mom that I marry someone rich. Anyway, long story short, my folks let me roll the engagement party in with their own New Year's Eve party, so of course all my stepdad's friends and their children were here. At least I'd be spared the awkward conversations that always came when my stepdad's friends (re)introduced their sons to me—hopefully now they'd finally get the message that I was off the market.
    As for the rest of the guests, Gina and I had spent two full days putting together the event on Facebook and inviting everyone. We'd called it Ash's Kick-Ass Engagement Party . The turnout was fantastic, even a half hour into the party. Most of my girlfriends were here. I didn't see any of Devon's friends, though. I wasn't sure how many of them he'd invited—probably none, given the arguments we'd had about the party. Too bad for him.
    Devon's family still hadn't arrived yet. When I called to check on him, we ended up squabbling, this time over a drink.
    Gina and I had planned the party as best we could in the short time we had, but we'd forgotten one of the most important items: a bottle of White Gold. It was traditional for Devon and I to share a bottle of the stuff on every special occasion. It was our "couples" drink, and things like anniversaries and birthdays just weren't the same without it. Devon was usually the one who brought it. But when I called him, he told me he assumed Gina and I had already gotten a bottle so he hadn't grabbed one. Boy, did I chew him out.
    He said it was too late to pick up a bottle now and we should just have the party without it.
    I said no. I wanted everything to be perfect, remember?
    Devon finally caved. He hadn't left home yet because he was going to hitch a ride with his folks, but his mom and dad still weren't ready and most of his household had the night off so he told me he'd just go out in his own vehicle and grab the bottle. That wasn't a problem because he'd just turned twenty-one and could buy drinks legally.
    "I can't believe how he acted on the phone," I told Gina after I hung up. "He didn't even say good-bye. I mean, he was the one who was supposed to pick up the bottle in the first place. He always does. And now all of a sudden, you and I are in charge of picking it up just because we're planning the party?"
    Gina smiled sympathetically. "Well, he does have a point. We are the party planners, after all. If I were him, I would've assumed we had it covered, too. It's just too bad we didn't think of it."
    I refused to admit she was right. "I don't know... is it me or is Devon becoming a jerk now that he's asked me to marry him?"
    "Ash, I hate to say this, but it's definitely you." Gina patted me on the shoulder. "What's been eating you lately? You're definitely not yourself."
    I hadn't told her how I was feeling. How could I? I wanted to get married as fast as possible to avoid anything bad happening, which was ridiculous. Who does that?
    When I didn't say anything, Gina sighed. "Must be engagement jitters. That or too much free time on your hands."
    Gina was right about the latter. Having time off from class was definitely a bad thing because it gave me too much time to think about my situation. I'd just spent my first term