Wild (The Ivy Chronicles #3)(72)

During the year, he lived in the dorm, which was covered by his scholarship, but spent weekends and a couple nights a week with me—when he didn’t have baseball practice or a game. Occasionally, he still worked at Mulvaney’s, catching a shift here and there. Over the holidays I worked downstairs, too, helping Cook in the kitchen.

I didn’t have money for pedicures anymore or extravagant shopping trips, but what I had was enough. It was more than enough. I was happy. I had Logan and my friends and a future I was excited about.

Mom and I had talked a few times. We were getting there. She was still struggling with the choices I was making, but she had stopped trying to bully me into her way of thinking. Mostly because it wasn’t going to change anything, and she knew that now. It wasn’t going to change me. She had agreed to let me keep my car and even covered the insurance. I’m pretty certain my father had a hand in this—he’d mailed me a check at Christmastime, which went a long way to cover my bills. I wasn’t too proud to accept the help.

On our last call, she had mentioned coming to see me. I told her that would be nice. I looked forward to her getting to know Logan. She had started to ask questions about him. His baseball career interested her. Knowing Mom, she was readjusting her fantasy for me, envisioning me being married to a Major League baseball player.

“Thirty minutes,” Logan repeated, his blue eyes beyond inviting as he unknotted my belt and slid the robe off my shoulders. The terry cloth pooled at my feet.

I shook my head and used my sternest voice on him. “Logan, this isn’t happening.”

He stopped and sighed. “All right.” Bending down, he picked up my robe and handed it to me.

I plucked it from his hands and tossed it across the bathroom. “Thirty minutes isn’t going to cut it.”

He laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me off my feet, bringing our naked bodies flush with each other. He walked me out of the bathroom, my toes not so much as grazing the floor. I didn’t need to see to know he was carrying me toward our bed.

“So . . . forty-five minutes?” Grinning, he came down over me on the bed, his arms bracketed on either side of my head.

I cupped the side of his face, reveling in the love for me shining in his eyes. Reveling in touching him, having him, loving him. A pang punched me in the chest. Love was this. Exhilarating and lifesaving. I could never give it up and never place a time limit on it.

I kissed him, whispering against his lips, “We have all the time in the world.”

IT WAS MORE LIKE an hour later when we left the apartment and another thirty minutes before we walked into Reece and Pepper’s house. Happy shouts greeted us. We hugged the bride-and-groom-to-be and endured the friendly jibes for being late. Em eyed my still-damp hair with a knowing smirk. I blinked innocently.

Pepper and Emerson cornered me in the kitchen as I was getting a drink.

“Um. Did you miss the start time on the invitation?” Em teased, munching on a chip.

“Sorry,” I said unapologetically, searching for Logan and finding him standing across the living room with his brother and Shaw. My chest fluttered at the sight of him.

Pepper grinned. “There’s something about being in love. It suddenly makes you chronically late.”

Em sighed and stared at her boyfriend. “Tell me about it. I don’t think I’ve been on time to anything since that man walked into my life. Suddenly other things seem vastly more important than showing up on time.” From the glazed look in her eyes, I had a good idea of what she was talking about.

“It’s a small price to pay.” Pepper nodded in agreement. “But I don’t plan to be late to my wedding.”

“Yeah. We’ll make sure of that.” Emerson held up her hand. “Bridesmaids’ oath.”

“Thanks, guys. I promise to do the same for you when it’s your turn.”

Our turn. My turn.

I didn’t expect it to happen anytime soon for me—not until Logan and I both finished school—but the idea of it felt natural. So right. We already spoke in terms of forever when we were together, and nothing about it felt forced or uncomfortable. We just knew. This was it. I’d found with Logan what my best friends had found.

As if sensing my stare—or maybe even my thoughts—Logan’s eyes found mine. He smiled a slow, devastating grin and mouthed the words across the distance: I love you.