Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,84
it.”
I pulled it open, expecting for her to have given me a THAT B*TCH shirt, but instead I saw a photo of me with the text THAT BAD*SS.
My mouth fell open in a half-shocked, half-amused expression. “You made this for me?”
She nodded, and then I looked at Ray. “You were in on it?”
“My mom may or may not have a Cricut that we used to make it.”
Shaking my head, I reached out to Ginger and hugged her and patted Ray’s arm with my hand. “I love it,” I said, putting it on over my black T-shirt. I was never taking this thing off.
“Me next!” Rory said. She went and got a bag, and out of it, she retrieved a beautiful canvas painting of Ronan and me. It was so stunning, and so special knowing it had come from her. “Thank you,” I said, my eyes watering.
“It's amazing,” Ronan added softly.
Rory fell silent, obviously embarrassed.
“There is something in there from me,” Beckett said.
I put my hand farther in the bag and pulled out a framed photo of the vandalism I had done at the pier.
“They sanded it off,” he admitted, “but not before I got a picture.”
I smiled at the messy writing and looked over at Ronan. His eyes were still on the photo, soft, shining. I gave it to him to hold while the others gave me my gifts. Callie and Carson had gotten me a dozen sugar cookies designed to match the shirt Ginger and Ray had gotten me. Jordan and Kai went above and beyond, presenting me a custom-made sarong. I felt the ornate fabric in my hands. “It looks just like the one my mom used to wear.”
They smiled at each other, and then Jordan said, “Actually, your dad showed us a picture and we gave it to the designer.”
My eyes watered. It really was like my mom was there, like her love had found me through all of these incredible people. And now, my group of friends were growing. Even the guys from Ronan's apartment had brought little gifts of their own, from small treats to handwritten cards. They were all precious.
When all the gifts were gone from the tree, my heart sank a little. Ronan hadn't gotten me a gift. I tried not to be sad, considering just the fact that he was here was enough, but he must have caught me with a down expression because he lifted my chin with a crooked finger and nodded toward the inflated mat. “That's your present from me.”
The blood drained from my face and ran cold through my fingertips. “What?” I stammered.
“Your initiation,” he said.
“Into what?”
It seemed like everyone was listening intently to hear what he would have to say. And finally, he said two words: “Dulce Periculum.”
“The first female member,” Drex added.
Brock shook his head. “DP’s an urban legend. Definitely not real.”
Which, of course, ensued in laughing and bickering. Ronan shook his head and led me away from the arguing, toward the rope ladder they had hanging from the tree.
“I am not climbing that thing,” I said, folding my arms over my chest.
He quirked an eyebrow and gave me a challenging smirk. “Oh really? Miss Audentes Fortuna Iuvat’s afraid?”
I was already feeling frustrated by the challenge and wanting to claim it just to put his smirk in its place. “Really,” I said. “I have nothing to prove.”
He shrugged. “That's too bad, because I was really looking forward to climbing up the ladder behind you.”
My mouth fell open, and my stomach heated, thinking about the innuendo behind his words. “Is that so?”
He lifted his eyebrows, a smile on his lips.
I couldn't believe I was about to do this, but I had done a lot of things I hadn't thought I was capable of. I’d fallen in love, left everything I knew behind, moved out of the house I’d lived in with my mom for so long. This was just one more step in the incredible journey called life.
The ladder swung as I held on to each rung, and slowly but surely, I made it to the platform someone had built atop a tree. From up here, my friends seemed so small. My stomach seemed to sway with the wind, and my legs shook as fear flooded me. “This is so high,” I said. “How do you do it?”
Ronan shrugged, completely unfazed. “To enjoy the fall, you have to jump.”
My friends cheered us on from below, but my eyes were on Ronan. He took my hand, and said,