Bender (The Core Four #1)(87)

When the final speech was given and the ceremony ended, I made my way through the crowd to my man. As soon as I met Camden’s eyes he started moving toward me, plowing through groups of people that were keeping me from him. It was like he was making a path for me to walk. People saw him coming and got out of his way. I leapt into his waiting arms, and he lifted me off the ground in a crushing hug. Even just the smell of him, that clean soapy scent of his skin, made me feel like I was home and gave me comfort. Lifting my head I placed my forehead against his.

“Congratulations Blue.”

“Thank you.” I smiled.

He held me in the air, my feet dangling for some time as people walked around us. We were having a moment and nobody was going to interrupt it. He kissed me on my nose, then tenderly on my lips. It was a sweet lingering one that made me all melty.

“You finally have your degree that you’ve worked so hard for, what are you going to do now?”

I pulled my head back and put my finger on my chin. “Hmmm…join the circus?”

He chuckled. “Always the wise ass.”

“Always.” I grinned at him. Kissing him quickly I squirmed for him to set me down when I noticed the rest of the family was coming to greet me.

When I was placed on my feet, I was quickly lifted back up in another suffocating hug by Dodger… and then another by Turner. Poor Wrigley didn’t stand a chance when Camden stepped in front of him and simply stated, “No.” I giggled and slapped his arm.

Macie shouldered her way through all of the boys like a boss. “Move it y’all, she was my friend first.” We embraced, and I soaked in every ounce of love and support I was being given. Seriously, could a girl get any luckier?

“Oh man, I’ve gotta stop or I’m going to cry.” I spoke into her hair.

“Suck it up ya big baby!” She slapped my ass, and I heard Wrigley give a whoop. “I’m proud of you Keegan. You deserved this.”

Sniffling I said, “Thank you. Love you Mace.”

“Love you too.”

The rest of the family came up, giving me words of wisdom and expressing how amazing they thought I was. Just when I thought my heart would explode from happiness, my mom approached me. We have, for the most part, worked out our differences. Sarah was content and getting the attention that she deserved, and that was all that really mattered to me. The strain on our relationship was slowly diminishing, and I could see that she was making a genuine effort to make things right. I didn’t know if it had been my words, or Camden’s that gave her the wake-up call that she needed, but I was just pleased that she was trying. Looking at her now, I knew that everything would be alright. We would be alright.

Mom cupped my face in her hands and smiled at me. It was the same smile that was my own. “You did well baby girl. I can’t believe that I was blessed to have a daughter like you.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady, Keegan. I’m proud of you.”

The dam was opened, and my eyes shed tears. “Love you Mom. It’s always you and me, always.” I hugged her, knowing that I would remember this moment for the rest of my life.

Camden placed his hand on the small of my back indicating that it was time to go. We were heading over to his parent’s house for a lunch celebration and then play a round of baseball. What would a gathering at the Brooks’ house be if there wasn’t baseball? I walked over to one of my classmates that I’d grown closer to throughout the year, and let her know we were leaving. I’d found out that Annabelle Keaton was a loner. Not that she didn’t have friends. In fact she had a lot of friends, but halfway through the semester she told me that her parents had passed away in a car accident and that she’d been on her own since she was sixteen years old. Maybe that was why we got along so well. We both had to be independent long before a child should have to be. Either way, I wanted us to celebrate our day together, with a family that I knew would welcome her. Annabelle told me that she was going to grab her bag, and she would follow all of us over in her own car. I nodded, and we left for the house.

Donna had food all ready to go by the time we got there, so we loaded up our plates and sat down to eat. Chit chat was in full swing, and we were all having fun talking and teasing each other just like we normally did. I smiled that Annabelle was chatting away with everyone like she’d never missed a meal with this group.

“So Annabelle, what sort of nursing are you interested in?” Turner asked.

She looked up at him as if she were confused. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since I introduced them, and his sudden interest took her by surprise. Clearing her throat she said, “Possibly sports medicine, or labor and delivery.”

“Those two couldn’t be any more different ends of the spectrum. Which one are you leaning toward?”

For some reason she looked over at me before she answered. “Uh, I’m not too sure actually. I was kind of hoping to apply wherever Keegan was.”

The side of his mouth tilted up, and for the first time since knowing Turner, his eyes sparkled. “It’s not like two girls getting up and going to the bathroom together. You don’t have to work in pairs, so tell me which one would be a better fit?”

Annabelle frowned at him, obviously frustrated by his question. “Well if you’re going to hold a gun to my head and tell me which one to choose I’d say sports medicine. But I’ve heard there will be several openings in L&D so that’s likely where I’ll go.”