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“I will.”
As I walked out to my car and drove home in the dwindling evening light, everything about life seemed better. The grass was greening up in everyone’s lawns. Some people even had their hanging planters out with fresh new flowers, making the whole town look brighter.
Or maybe that was just me seeing life through love-colored glasses.
I was excited about the future for the first time in a long time. And that was all thanks to Hayes.
47
DELLA
Once I got home, I showered and changed into pajamas, tired from the emotional toll of the day. But I still couldn’t wait to call Hayes and hear his voice again. It was hard to leave his house when his bed was just big enough for the two of us.
So as soon as I was under my covers, I did as promised and called Hayes. Leaning back on the pillows, I listened to the phone ring until his voice came over the line. “Hey, beautiful.”
I smiled at the greeting. “Hey there.”
“How was the drive home?”
I chuckled at the comment. “Short. Is the guest room all empty now?” I asked him, lying down and looking up at the ceiling.
“Completely. I think these dust bunnies are at least fifteen years old. They’re practically sending their baby dust bunnies off to college.”
I giggled at the visual. “They must be so proud.”
“Nah, college is a waste of money.”
I sat up on my bed, surprised by the statement. “What? Your brother’s a literal doctor.”
“I think it’s fine for something like that,” he explained. “Like if you have to get a degree to do your job. But let’s be honest—most people don’t.”
My eyebrows rose. “You know I have a degree, right?”
“And could you do your job now without it?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my bed. “Probably, but I wouldn’t be the same person. I learned a lot at college.”
“Like how to do a keg stand?” he needled.
“I’m glaring at you,” I replied.
He laughed. “I’m just saying, I don’t like the thought of going into debt to do something you could learn another way, like through an apprenticeship or at a trade school. Or hell, even YouTube.”
I thought about what he was saying, and it made sense from his perspective. He’d taken on an entire business with a trade school education. “But what if you had kids one day? What would you tell them?” I always thought I’d encourage my children to go to college. I even kept a savings account for that purpose.
“I want my kids to do whatever the fuck they want after graduation, but they also need to handle the consequences of their decisions either way.”
I chuckled at his answer—it was totally in character for him. “Well, I’d want my children to go to college. I feel like you learn so much being on your own and keeping your own schedule, being accountable to your professors.”
“You learn a lot living on your own and being accountable to a boss too,” Hayes countered.
“True.” I lay back in my pillows. “You have a lot of opinions, you know.”
He laughed at that. “I guess that makes two of us.”
I smiled, knowing he was right, but I wouldn’t admit it. I bit my bottom lip, gathering courage to ask my next question. “What does your family think of us being together?”
“My family? They all love you, but that was before we even started dating.”