Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
“I am. I really am, and listen, I’m handling things on this end with your mom. You don’t need to worry about anything. Okay? I really want you to know that. I know things are a mess with your mom. They always will be, but at the end of the day, your mom is never going to leave you. I’m never going to leave you. I’m only saying that because sometimes I think you worry I’ll go away. I won’t. I never was. Right now, you go to college and focus on yourself. Be happy yourself. Be a kid, Mara. Within reason, of course. Don’t drink or drink and drive. Don’t have sex. Don’t get an STD. Don’t cheat. You know, the normal things a dad is going to worry about their daughter doing in college. I just want you to be a kid right now.”
“Thanks, Dad.” A pressure lifted off my shoulders.
“Let me know when is a good time to visit you. I’d love to bring Gabby up with me.”
“Maybe next week?”
“Sure. Next week! We’ll come for the weekend, and I can meet your boyfriend. He plays hockey, right?”
I smiled, remembering how Cruz had handled everything for me, calling my dad, telling him what my mom did. “Yes. He has a hockey game here. I’ll get us tickets.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll get us tickets. You just tell me what day. I’ll handle all of that.”
We ended the call not long after, and Cruz pulled me closer to him. He rested his chin on the top of my head. “Your dad’s got a new woman?”
“You heard?”
“Hard not to. He sounded happy.”
“He did.”
He did. He really did, and standing, half resting against Cruz, I went down the checklist and realized something.
Life was good. I turned in to Cruz, my arms sliding behind his back as I hugged him. I held him as tight as I could, and after a beat, his arms went around me too. Both of his arms.
We stayed there, just like that for a bit.
Life was really good.
“Cruz,” I murmured, my heart pausing because did I want to say this? Did I want to push this and risk going too far? But I was feeling it, and I was done with holding back. I’d held so much back all my life. I looked up at him.
He gazed down at me. “What?”
I held my breath and then said, “I love you.”
His eyes softened. His smile turned tender, and he touched a finger under my chin. “I think I’ve always loved you.” Then his lips touched mine.
So, this was what love felt like.
EPILOGUE
MARA
“Babe!”
I hated skating. Hated it. I was horrible at it, but you know who loved it? My man. And because of that, because it was our four-year anniversary, because we’d been through hills and valleys and we were still shining, hell yes, I was about to put on some skates and slowly move around the rink with Cruz.
He was already out there. I was taking my time, because hello, the definition of the word stall. I was doing it. The less time on ice, the better for my safety.
But at Cruz’s shout, the procrastination needed to end. I sighed, stood from the bench, and went over to step onto the ice. After that, wobbly knees, legs, and lots of prayers were being said. But I was out there, and Cruz whipped around me, until he was in front of me, and moving backwards. “You’re doing good.”
I growled, giving him a look.
He just grinned. “You’re cute when you’re growly.”
I did it again because his eyes got that look, and yeah, I’d rather be doing what we were doing in the bed before we got up to do this mid-morning skate.
He chuckled, but turned and knelt down. He patted his back. “Hop on. I’ll show you how I move.”
I frowned. “On your back?”
“Yep. Come on.” He gave me another nod, and with a deep breath, I climbed on, but I didn’t need to worry. He reached back, grabbed my legs, and hoisted me up himself, moving me so I bounced higher up. He clamped me to him, bending forward a little, and then we were off.
He was easily holding me in place, and I stopped worrying, wrapping my arms around him so I wouldn’t accidentally choke him if I got scared. He was whipping around the ice, and I got it. This was fast, and fun. Racing. My heart was pounding. I felt like I was flying, but I was being held on my man’s back, a back that had gotten a little harder as he joined the pros. He was in way better shape than college, and I thought he’d been in amazing shape back then. It was nothing since he joined the Arizona Javelina team.
And that’s where we were, moving down here after last year’s graduation. The party had been epic with all of Cruz’s hockey teammates and roommates. Except Labrowski. He went pro a year earlier, but Cruz waited until he graduated. My roommates were there, with Wade and Darren coming back. They both moved to New York City for different jobs, sharing a tiny apartment. Gavin came as well, and he’d come with his arm around Sabrina Burford. I didn’t know how I felt about that relationship. It was new at the time. He’d changed over the last two years once Flynn Carrington was found guilty on criminal charges for assaulting Angela. He pled out, and paid mostly a fine with community service for a year, but it was the civil suit she filed against him that really hurt. The rumor that he paid her was of a significant sum. I had no idea if it was true or not, but he had to attend intensive counseling. He also lost his fraternity and was expelled from Grant West. Ironically, his brother stepped into his shoes, and Leander had them volunteering at a local shelter. I stopped partying at the Alpha Mu house, but I heard once Leander had them doing that volunteering, it changed a lot of the other guys.