Page 32 of Finding My Forever

We joined the crowd waiting for the next ferry to board.

“So, you wanna talk about what happened back there?”

Ugh. She hadn’t said a word about it on our way over, and I was praying she wouldn’t.

“I wasn’t very…”

“Right, you weren’t very anything. Boring, maybe.”

“Hey!” I knew that I floundered but she didn’t need to be mean.

“I’m just calling it like it is. You told me how important meeting Liam is to you, so why did you shut down in front of him?”

That never really happened to me before. I was out of my element being here and on my own. I didn’t have my usual crutches here to lean on. No bubbly Katie to break the ice, no cheer uniform to hide behind. This was all too new to me.

“There’s too much pressure, alright? I’ve never really liked any of the guys I’ve dated. It’s all just been for fun. This is different and it’s stressing me out.”

“Well, you have the rest of the day to work through it. If you act like that tomorrow, it’s over.”

I looked around at the people surrounding us. They were all so blissfully unaware of the disaster I was living in. Lucky jerks.

“So, let’s work through this. What are you nervous about?”

There was a loud announcement letting us know we would be boarding soon, so I waited until it was done.

“Well, there’s the obvious.” She raised her eyebrows and leveled me with one look. “He’s the one. He also lives on the other side of the country, and I have limited time for him to fall for me.”

“Or what?”

I shrugged and bit my lip for a moment before answering. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s never happened. Every other woman in my family has met the guy, fallen in love, and lived happily ever after. Not having that happen isn’t an option.”

“So, you’d lose him, pass on the necklace, and then be stuck with whatever guy you met normally, like the rest of us.”

“Not quite. If we don’t actually fall in love within the timeframe the necklace won’t work anymore.” She looked at me like she might be thinking I was crazy for the first time. “Just trust me. My sister almost ruined her chances with her boyfriend, and if she had there wouldn’t be a necklace for me. If I blow this, the charm will be broken, and no other girl in my family will get to wear it.”

“That sucks.” She seemed genuine. At least she believed me. She had every reason to think I was crazy, but she was sticking by my side.

This couldn’t happen. I’d been dreaming of this for as long as I could remember. I’d waited years and years for my turn with the necklace, and I wasn’t going to screw this up.

“No more.”

Sophia had been looking around but she turned at my words. “Huh?”

“No more panicking. No more being shy. I’m going to fix this.”

She smiled. “That’s my girl.”

“He’s my soulmate for crying out loud. We’re destined for each other. All I have to do is show him that.” How hard could that be? Every other girl in my family had pulled it off. Even Elise, who didn’t even know for several weeks what guy had changed the charm.

At least I knew Liam was it. That should have been the hardest part. Now, I just had to be myself. Get to know him and let him get to know me. The rest should fall into place.

“Yeah.” She nodded with me, then we joined the stampede cramming onto the boat.

The Montgomery Foundation was located in the family’s original home. When Greg told us that little bit, I was expecting us to leave Manhattan, or we would be crowded in a small apartment. I was wrong with both guesses. The Montgomery's home was a brownstone that took up half a block on the upper east side. I’d been in some large houses before, but this was a new level of luxury. We were given a brief tour of the library, study, salon, and living room before being escorted into the ballroom.