Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head.
Skylar giggled. “Is your mom okay?”
“No. She’s been crying all morning. At one point, she tried to see if there were any empty seats on our flights.”
Skylar’s eyes widened in horror. “To Italy?”
Laughing, I nodded. “Thank goodness there was none.”
She covered her mouth. “She checked? Like, she called and checked?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. I would have put my foot down, especially since we both paid for this on our own.”
Skylar had been saving up every one of her paychecks from Pizza Mia for a trip to Italy. I had an inheritance from my grandparents for college, but my grandfather had left a good chunk of it out for me to explore the world before college, much to the disapproval of my parents. With football season and all of that, there was no traveling. So, when Skylar had mentioned Italy, I had been all over it. I’d handled the hotel we were staying at in Venice and Skylar and paid for the flights.
“I can’t wait for you to see my surprise tomorrow.”
Lifting my eyebrows, I asked, “Do I get a hint?”
“Will you tell me what hotel we are staying at in Venice?”
“Nope,” I said with a wink.
“Then, I’m not telling you what surprise I have.”
The way she scrunched up her nose and smiled was so damn adorable.
“I guess we’ll both be surprised then.”
Mrs. Richardson started rounding everyone up and having us line up.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Skylar. She was talking with two other girls, and the smile on her face said it all. This was the moment she had been praying for. This was the moment she would walk across the stage and leave her past behind her. It could have been very different. Those two girls would have shunned her six months ago, not uttered a single word to her, maybe even made a snide comment. But today, they were smiling and laughing with her.
My heart felt as if it would burst as I looked at the girl I loved.
When her eyes caught mine, she smiled bigger.
The music started, and we each made our way out. We walked across the stage to cheers and listened to speeches being made. All the while, I daydreamed about my future with Skylar.
If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn I was dreaming. Life was starting fresh from this point on, and I couldn’t wait.
***
Skylar and I skipped the parties and opted for our own private party at our spot. With a picnic basket and blanket in hand, we set it all up at our weekly spot.
“So, we’re going to have to come up with a spot in Waco for our weekly picnic date when we start Baylor.”
Laughing, I nodded my head. “I think that should be on the list of things to do when we head up there in a few weeks.”
“Agreed. First, find a place to live. Second, a new spot.”
I looked out over the water and sighed.
“Is everything okay?” Skylar asked.
Reaching for her, I pulled her onto my lap. “Everything is perfect. I’m excited about tomorrow. Are you?”
She nestled her head into my neck. “So excited. I can’t believe we’re going to Italy. I can’t believe my parents are letting me go to Italy.”
With a chuckle, I agreed.
Lifting her head, she looked at me with a serious look. “Something is on your mind.”
With a nod, I looked back over the river. “Does Michelle ever talk about her future with Mitch?”
“Yeah, all the time.”
Focusing my attention back on her, I asked, “Like, what does she say?”
Skylar shrugged. “I don’t know. Just that she is looking forward to heading to college with him. Being able to not live under her parents’ iron fists. She did mention she was a bit taken aback when Mitch said for her not to get an apartment. With him living in the dorm for the first year and all he told her, he wouldn’t be spending much time there so she might have more fun in the dorm.”
I nodded.
“I mean, you’re all right with me getting a place, right? For us to be alone?”
“God, yes! I mean, I get what he is saying, especially during football season, but I still want us to have a place that’s ours and is private.”
She frowned. “I agree. Wyatt, do you know something about Mitch and Michelle that you’re not telling me?”
Blowing out a frustrated sigh, I regretted even bringing it up, especially with us leaving for Italy tomorrow. The last thing I wanted was for her to worry.
“Wyatt? Do you know something?”
I softly replied, “I’m not sure. Maybe.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
* * *
Skylar
MY HEART WAS racing as I looked at Wyatt. I shook my head and asked, “Maybe?”
“It’s just, Mitch doesn’t seem to be very sure about his future with Michelle.”
Pulling my head back in shock, I gasped, “What?”