It was Violet and me at our senior prom. She’d coordinated my bowtie to her dress color and given the florist strict instructions for the corsage and boutonniere. Everything looked perfect from the outside looking in. But we’d gotten in a huge fight that night. I’d wanted her to consider going farther away than Seattle for college, and she’d refused to even entertain the idea. She’d ended up crying in the bathroom, and I’d felt like a grade-A jerk. “Nothing is as perfect as it seems.”

I set the photo on the coffee table and pulled out the first yearbook. “Here we go.”

Bell settled back on the couch, and we began flipping through the pages. I stalled on one that held a picture of Bell, Kenna, and Caelyn, their arms wrapped around each other and their faces dotted with paint. Bell looked adorable, and something more. She just had more life in her eyes than anyone I’d ever seen before. I couldn’t explain it.

“That was community service day. We were on the team that painted benches at the park, and I’m pretty sure we ended up with more paint on us than on the benches.”

I grinned. “I remember. I had to wrap you in two beach towels before putting you in my SUV.” My gaze caught Bell’s. “You looked like an adorable burrito.”

That gorgeous shade of pink was back in her cheeks. “All the girls were jealous that you came to pick me up. If only they knew you saw me as a burrito.”

“An adorable burrito, there’s a difference.” Something shuttered over Bell’s gaze. I pushed on, trying to get through it and back to those gorgeous greens. “And I don’t see you as adorable now, Trouble. You’re so much more than that.”

Something that looked a lot like hope flared in her eyes before she tamped it down. “What’s next?”

I bit back a growl and turned the page. A strangled laugh was startled out of me. On this one was a photo of Hunter and Ethan dressed in full cheerleader garb, complete with wigs, pom-poms, and skirts. Their arms were wrapped around Violet, who was caught in mid-laugh.

“Ohmigosh, the powder puff game. I’d totally forgotten about that.”

Once a year, the cheerleaders and football players switched places for a round of flag football. Hunter had made sure he and his friends had gone above and beyond, and everyone had lost it when they’d seen the boys all decked out. “You know he had Mom sew those uniforms for them.”

“No, he didn’t.” I nodded, and Bell shook her head. “Kara is such a trooper.”

“She loved it. But Hunter drew the line when she offered to share her lipstick.”

Bell dissolved into laughter. “I would’ve paid good money to see that.”

“Me, too.”