Hailey’s grin softened into something real. When she slid the ring onto his finger, she leaned in and whispered, “Good. Because I’m not giving you back.”
At midnight, as they walked home past the very bridge he’d built, Leo stopped. He looked down at the dress, then at her. Hailey Makes The Boy Bride
Normally, the Harvest Festival ended with a pie-eating contest or a square dance. But this year, the mayor had lost a bet. And the mayor, a sharp-eyed woman named Hailey Cross, always collected her debts. Hailey’s grin softened into something real
Hailey shrugged. “Most men don’t make such pretty brides.” He looked down at the dress, then at her
“I do,” Leo said, his voice steady.
Leo looked at Hailey. Her eyes weren’t mocking anymore. They were soft, alight with a private joy he hadn’t expected. She wasn’t doing this to humiliate him. She was doing this because for ten years, he’d been too shy to ask her to dance. For ten years, he’d built her bookshelves and fixed her fences, all while staring at his boots.