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I pull a blanket out of the trunk and walk around to where she’s waiting at the front of the car, looking out at the water.

“Ready?” I ask.

She turns her head slowly, a grin spreading across her face. “Yeah!” Slipping her sandals off and picking them up, she runs straight for the water, her hands high in the air. I laugh as I watch her throw her sandals on the small patch of sand that surrounds the lake, right before she dives into the water.

Making my way to where she’s thrown her sandals, I place the rolled up blanket down and stand with my hands on my hips, waiting for her head to pop back up.

“Ahhh! Shit... It’s so cold!” she shouts when she breaks the surface.

“Well, yeah.” I smirk, then grab my t-shirt at the back of my neck and pull it over my head, running and diving straight in after her. I hear her scream as I hit the water and I can’t help but chuckle as I surface.

“Goddammit, it’s fuckin’ freezing,” I grunt and tread water, my jean shorts weighing me down.

“I told you,” she says, her teeth chattering.

We both stay in the water just staring at each other, even though it’s beyond cold.

“Tell me what you’ve been up to,” she says a little while later when we’re back on dry land and both wrapped in the blanket.

“Just working.” I shrug. I’m not going to tell her what I’ve been doing over there, not only because it’s top secret but because I hate to think about it.

It isn’t something that I dwell on, I’ve seen too many men think about it too much and all it did was send them into a tailspin. Sometimes I wonder whether it’s a good or bad thing that I can separate it so easily.

Does it make me cold? Or will it catch up to me at some point?

“Okay.” She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip and I nearly groan out loud. The worst thing is, she’s not even aware that she’s doing it. “If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?”

I scan her whole face as she watches me with those blue eyes, wondering why she’s asking such a random question but having no doubt in my answer. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here.”

“Me too,” she whispers, looking back out at the water.

I have a feeling that we both mean it for different reasons though.

“What’s it like having three big brothers?” I chuckle, trying to get my mind off her lips.

“Ugh, it can be a nightmare at times.” She turns to face me. “But I love how they’re always there for me, no matter what, and now that I’ve met Jackson,” she sighs. “I feel more at home at college now.”

I don’t want to think too much into the sigh that she just did. Either way, it’s none of my business so I ignore it.

She shuffles closer to me as the sun starts to set and leans her head on my shoulder.

“I really did miss you,” she says on a yawn.

“Yeah, birdie, so did I.”

Saying bye to everyone is so much harder this time around. This place really is home and last time when I left to go to college, I didn’t realize how much it meant to me but this time around I do.

I almost don’t want to go back but I have classes to attend and a job to work so I hug Elena and Trevor goodbye and try to hold back the tears that are trying to surface.

“You need to come home more often,” Elena says, wiping a tear off her own cheek.

“I will,” I promise.

I step into Ty’s arms next and close my eyes. “Gonna come down and see you real soon.” He grunts as I pull away. “Gotta make sure people know who they’re dealing with, right?”

I chuckle, knowing that he will most probably make some big entrance. I’ll have to talk to Kay about that, she’s the only one who can change Ty’s mind; there’s no point in me even trying.

“I’ll call you on Saturday,” Charlie tells me as he wraps his arms around me.