Page 21 of The One

“No?”

“Fuck no. I told you, you’re not leaving me, so I don’t plan on ever letting you out of my sight again. I hope you don’t get sick of me because you’re going to be seeing a lot of me.” He winked.

I was sure he was just playing when he said that, but to me, that was a statement I’d dreamed of hearing for far too many years.

I still had to ask, “What about college? Will you be going somewhere to play football?”

“No.”

“Why not? You’re certainly good enough.” I giggled. “I might have checked your stats while I was in New York.”

“I like that you did that.” He brushed my chin. “If I were interested in going into the NFL, I’d play college ball. That would be my window in. But my dream is for my brother, sister, and me to take over my dad’s hotel business. I’ve worked there every summer for as long as I can remember, and I’ll go to work there full-time when I graduate college. Some of the dudes who went on to play collegiate ball have told me how muchwork it is, balancing practice and traveling and games and off-season workouts while maintaining a certain GPA to keep their scholarship. I don’t want that.” He shook his head. “I want to have fun before work becomes the majority of my life.”

“So, if you’re not going after a football scholarship that could take you anywhere in the US, does that mean you want to stay in California for school?”

“I’d like to.”

Relief finally flooded through my chest.

I didn’t know why. College wasn’t for another year. But we would need to start applying this coming fall, and with this school year ending, that didn’t feel like much time at all.

“That’s what I want too,” I said. “Stanford. USC. University of California, Berkeley. Those are my top choices for nursing school … I think.”

“Not NYU?” He smirked.

I rubbed my hands over my jeans before I rested them on his shoulders. “That’s Penelope’s top choice. She’s all about the East Coast. Me? I’m good right here.”

“Excellent decision.” He pecked my lips. “Do you know what I’m picturing right now?”

“No. What?”

“The two of us at USC, walking hand in hand to class. Moving in together after two years in the dorms. We can get a place just off campus that’s big enough for a golden retriever.”

My eyes widened. “You want a dog? In our college apartment?”

He laughed. “Out of all the things I just said, the dog is what stood out the most?”

I covered my mouth and laughed even louder than him. “Are you kidding? I’m dying over what you just said.” I dropped my hand. “Don’t you see my smile?” I paused. “But considering the way college students party and that you want to have all the funbefore you go to work for your dad, being responsible for a dog sounded kinda funny.”

“I can understand that, but isn’t that the kind of dog you want?”

I searched his eyes. “I don’t remember ever telling you that.”

“You didn’t have to. I saw it on your face way back in the day, when we were at the pet store and you were playing with the golden retriever puppies.”

My inhale was slow and deep. “Rhett …” I swallowed, my saliva only adding to the pool of mush my body was turning into. “Yes, it’s my dream dog.”

“Then, I’m going to make it happen—whether it’s our junior or senior year or when we graduate and buy our first place together.” He positioned his lips over mine. “Lainey, I’m going to make every one of your dreams come true.”

SEVEN

Rhett

Sixteen Years Ago

“It’s a good thing we only had a month left of school because I don’t think I could have waited much longer to have you all to myself.” I adjusted my arm across Lainey’s shoulders and pressed my lips against her cheek. The ocean breeze was blowing her hair into my face, tickling my skin.

When I pulled my mouth away, she turned toward me. The sun was causing her to squint, so she used her hand as a visor. “You don’t even want to share me with school?” She giggled. “For your sake, I hope the summer goes by slowly.”