Page 48 of No Shot (The Toronto Tundra #2)

Penn

The last three days have felt like an eternity. We had two back-to-back games in Florida, so between our brutal travel schedule and Bri spending all her time prepping for her upcoming presentation, we ’ ve barely spoken. It ’ s been torture.

I seriously think I ’ m going through withdrawals.

I ’ m the first off the plane the second we touch down in Toronto. It ’ s not like I ’ ll be late, but I ’ m not going to take my chances following my slow-poke teammates as they grab their duffels and shoot the breeze with everyone they pass.

I have places to be and a very special person to see.

I practically sprint to my car, gunning it right to her school.

Man, oh, man, I ’ m nervous.

Is this how she feels showing up to one of my games?

I have anxious energy I need to burn off.

I look down at the dashboard of my car. 11 AM.

Her presentation starts at 12:30 PM sharp.

It ’ s been circled and highlighted on the fridge calendar for weeks.

Pretty hard to miss the bright red Sharpie…

Okay, so I ’ m an hour and a half early? Oh well, I can entertain myself.

I ’ d much rather have time to kill than be scrambling to make it on time. It ’ s probably why I offered to slip the pilot a hundred bucks this morning to fly as fast as he could. I wouldn ’ t miss this for the world.

Me: Good luck today, beauty. Deep breaths ,

you ’ re so brilliant, you ’ ve got this.

Bri: Thanks, Penn. Have a safe flight home.

I don ’ t want her to suspect anything, and there ’ s no way I ’ m going to lie to my girl, even if it is to surprise her, so I just heart the message.

I pop out of my car and wander down the sidewalk toward the massive campus map. Alright, Penn, act cool… blend in…

You ’ re just a normal TorontoU student…

***

She ’ s a fucking genius.

I know I ’ ve said it before, but I ’ m saying it again. I ’ m talking Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Katherine Johnson level brilliance. I cannot believe she puts up with a doofus like me every day.

I know she ’ s been freaking out about this.

The entire semester has been leading to this final presentation, a culmination of all the courses she ’ s been taking.

It ’ s supposed to be about demonstrating an application of skills in a simulated business environment, or something like that. Made sense when she said it.

Still, she looks so in her element standing at the front of the lecture hall, dressed in a matching burgundy skirt and blazer, and commanding the room like she ’ s done this a million times before.

Sure, Clark is also up there, droning on about returns and margins, but I find I ’ m able to tune him out more when I ’ m staring at my girl.

They’re only the second presentation, but they blew the first one out of the park.

From the information I actually could understand, they were a lot more successful as well.

“ So, after a very profitable fictional Q4, we ’ re looking forward to the continued success of Campbell and Denton Corporation for years to come.”

The crowd laughs because, well, my girl is a comedian in addition to being beautiful, smart, and charming. I rise to my feet, giving her a well-deserved round of applause. My cheers and woops are met with judgy stares. Geez, tough crowd.

Bri looks out into the crowd, and when she spots me, her jaw drops. I pull my TorontoU cap lower to hide my smirk. Whoops . So much for incognito.

“ How did you get in here?” Bri asks the second she bursts out of the lecture hall doors into my waiting arms. I snuck out after her presentation. My brain was at max capacity, and honestly, if my girl isn ’ t teaching me, there ’ s almost no way I ’ d retain any information.

“ Your school seems to have a little bit of a security problem.”

“ Clearly. I mean, they ’ re just letting hoodlums in now…”

“ A hoodlum?” I bring my hand to my chest, feigning shock. “ I ’ m undercover. One with the students…”

“ I can see that,” she replies with a soft laugh.

“ You look like you bought the entire campus store.” She looks over my ensemble.

It was a very well-stocked store, so I ended up walking out wearing my new TorontoU slides, sweats, and ballcap.

I even got a keychain with the school logo on it.

Okay, maybe I did go a little overboard, but what can I say? I ’ m a proud TorontoU boyfriend.

“ You were incredible,” I say, pulling her tote off her shoulder and slinging it over mine. I grab her hand and lead her to my car, ready to take her home.

“ I can ’ t believe you came.” Her face is still full of disbelief, even by the time we make it inside the car.

“ Wouldn ’ t have missed it for the world,” I reply, leaning over the center console to set her bag down in the backseat.

“ What is all that?” she asks, alarmed, like I have a closet full of stuff in my backseat.

“ What?”

Bri looks at me like I ’ m the crazy one… I follow her line of sight to the plastic TorontoU bags. “ Oh, it ’ s your books.” I face forward, turning the keys in the ignition.

“ My books?” She still sounds confused. Why? I have no clue.

“ Your textbooks? For next semester?” Earth to Bri, what are you not getting here? “ You had your course list on the counter the other day, and I was already at the bookstore, so I grabbed them for you.”

She blinks at me. Once, twice, and a third time. “ You bought my books?”

“ Yeah,” I reply casually, moving my hand to the gear shift. I ’ m about to move into reverse when I catch a glimpse of her face. Her bottom lip starts to wobble as a single tear makes its way down her cheek.

“ That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” Her voice cracks at the end as another tear falls.

I stay in park and turn to face her, gently wiping away the tears softly falling.

“ You can be so sweet, you know that?” She nudges at my torso, and I laugh. Sweet, but still feisty. “ Seriously, though, Soup. Buying a few schoolbooks should not be at the top of that list.”

“ It is,” she mumbles again, leaning her head against my arm.

“ Consider it a very minimal investment in our future, 'cus let me tell you, this body can only work for so long, and I have very expensive taste. We ’ re one day closer to you being the breadwinner of our family.” It sounds like a joke, but I ’ m so serious.

I see everything with her. A family, a future, a happy ending.

“ Our family?”

“ Yup.” I start moving again, backing out of the parking spot. “ I can see it now. You ’ re the CEO of a massive enterprise. I ’ m retired, a stay at home dad, still hot as fuck, obviously. But me and the kids will follow you around, supporting and watching you live out your dreams.”

She squeezes me tighter, and another tear lands on my arm.

I want to give her everything she ’ s ever wanted.