Page 58

Reid

I’m on my way to the arena to skate out my frustrations.

As usual, I glance toward Tobie’s dorm as I cut across the quad.

I jerk to a stop.

Tobie is back!

We’ve all been taking it in turns—at least Javier and me, with Caleb out of commission—to swing by her room and knock on her door.

No one has seen her.

Her friend, Max, like most students, must have gone away for spring break because she’s not been answering her door either.

And Tobie’s curtains have remained drawn.

Except now.

Now they’re open.

I jog toward her dorm, fumbling in my pocket for my cell to call Javier.

The door swings open, and Tobie steps out.

Tobie spots me and halts.

She jumps when the door slams shut behind her, yet at no point does she take her eyes off me as I approach.

She’s in sweats and a hoodie, wearing her thin gold-framed glasses and not a scrap of makeup on her face. No woman has ever looked so beautiful.

And when my eyes flick to her left hand, her finger is bare.

Does that mean what I think it means?

“ Tobie !” I hurry toward her.

Before I can close the distance, she retreats, her hand coming up between us. Doing something I never thought she would ever do—keeping me at a distance.

We’ve spent most of this semester falling for each other, and it fucking hurts that she’s shutting me down.

“You’re back,” I say, taking a small step back.

If she needs distance, it’s hers.

Whatever she needs.

“I came back a couple of hours ago,” she says.

“With Marc?”

He’s been missing in action as well. Not sure if he went away for spring break, but none of us have seen him on campus, and that isn’t because of a lack of trying.

I’ve been actively looking, even though I told Jay I wouldn’t. It’s not a good idea with how badly I want to wrap my hands around his throat and squeeze.

She shakes her head. “I was with my dad.”

I stare at her, struggling to believe she’s here.

She opens her mouth, probably to tell me to leave her alone.

Fuck it.

I take a step forward. “I told myself I’d keep my distance and give you space, and I will, but you can’t marry that prick. He ran Caleb over, and he never made you happy.”

She blinks.

“That’s what I wanted to say.” I back up a step. “And, I know we weren’t there when you needed us, but Caleb was in the hospital, and?—”

I grunt, staggering back a step when Tobie flings herself at me.

Her fists grip the front of my shirt, and her eyes are wide. “What did you say?”

“Your ex is a prick who?—”

She shakes her head. “The part with Caleb and the hospital.”

I cover her hands with mine. “Caleb was at the arena with his brother. We went to get him, Javier and me, so we could meet you at the hotel, but then someone hit him with a car. We took him to the hospital, and we…”

Now the part that I don’t want to say.

“You what?” she whispers, face white, getting whiter with each passing word.

“We didn’t think about you waiting until it was hours too late. Javier went to the hotel, and someone at the check-in desk said Marc proposed, and you said yes.”

She’s breathing hard as she stares up at me.

I clear my throat and keep going. “Then we couldn’t find you. Your phone was off, and I hoped you weren’t blocking us, even though Jay and Caleb said you probably were. And I tried to find Marc to kill him. Yes, I know it’s not a good idea, but I?—”

“Is he still in the hospital? Is he okay?” Her fingers tighten around my shirt, and I wince when she tweaks a nipple. Her grip loosens slightly. I don’t care. I’m not into nipple action, and that fucking hurt, but if she wants to do it again, I won’t complain. Her hands on me is her hands on me.

“Who?”

“Caleb.”

I shake my head. “No. Back in his dorm. He?—”

She releases me and dashes off.

I’m calling after her when she stops, sprints back to me, and grips my shirt again, pulling me down. “Javier? Is he?—”

“He’s okay,” I tell her, hoping this means what I think it means.

Her grip loosens slightly. “And your paper. How’d you do?”

She wouldn’t be asking if she hated me, right?

“Aced it.”

She hugs me, long and deep. “I knew you would. I’m so proud of you.”

Her hair smells like jasmine and I drag a deep breath into my lungs, holding it in.

As I give her a gentle squeeze, I tell myself this is all good. A hug means she’s not marrying that prick, doesn’t it? I have to know for sure. Is this a sympathy hug or something more? “Uh, Tobie?”

“Yeah?” Her warm breath brushes my neck, and I instinctively tighten my hold on her.

“Does this mean you forgive us for the thing with the party?”

“No.”

I flinch, and I fight not to grab onto her and keep her in my arms when she pulls away to meet my gaze. “I have a feeling I know who was responsible for you not being at the party. Marc had a picture on his phone. He said Javier was cheating, and you probably all were.”

“That fucking little shit,” I snarl. “I need to fucking end him.”

“Reid?” Her soft voice returns me to my senses.

“Sorry.” I think about everything that’s happened, and it’s pretty easy to connect the dots. “Daniela, his ex, showed up one night, knocking on his door. He marched her out of our dorm and told her to forget his number. She’s been?—”

“I believe you,” she says.

I blink. “You do?”

“Javier told me about her already, and I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out myself.” She nods. “He set it all up. That’s why he didn’t show me that picture on his phone until just before he proposed.”

“And you said no?” I hold my breath.

She frames my face. “I need to check on Caleb, or I’d stay and talk longer, but I love you. I could never marry Marc because I love you. And Javier and Caleb. Which, I know it sounds crazy, and somehow my dad understands that?—”

“You told your dad about us?” I ask softly.

“I love him, and I love you. How could I not?”

“And he doesn’t want to castrate us?”

“No. He’s happy for me.” She clears her throat, blushing. “Obviously, I didn’t tell him about the sex.”

I grin at her. “Yeah, I was kinda hoping that would be between us.”

“I have to check on Caleb.”

If Caleb and Javier didn’t need to see her as much as I do, I’d say fuck them and drag her into my arms again. But she’s ours. Not just mine. Ours. And we’ve all been hurting and missing her as badly as each other. They need to see her too.

She gives me a quick kiss, and I press my keycard into her hand.

“ Thanks !” she calls out, waving at me as she sprints away toward Reynolds Hall.

She yells at people to move, and they scatter because it looks to them like it does to me—she’s ready to go through them if they don’t get out of her way.

And I stand there. A slow smile stretches across my lips because I know what this is.

We have our girl back.

“ Yes !” I punch my fist into the sky.

People glance at me. I ignore them.

Who the fuck cares what they think? We have our girl back.