Page 130 of Touchdown, Tennessee

“You’re thinking about it again,” Gray said, glancing over at me.

“Guilty.”

“It’s okay. Makes sense. I want it all to work out next year, too.”

I sighed, leaning back in the chair and looking up at the ceiling for a minute. “You want to know something? I know it’salready out of my hands. I know all of my anxiety about it isn’t going to change anything. But I want tohave it all, you know?”

He rubbed the top of my back. “No matter what happens, it’ll be okay. Even if I end up going to law school in freakin’ Timbuktu, we’ll fly to see each other as much as possible.”

“I need you every day, though. I’m addicted.”

“God, I know you are.”

His eyes glimmered. “Well, for now, we’re still in the same city. In the same room, even. Let’s make the most of it.”

On Saturday, I was certain that nothing was going to happen.

Gray had heard nothing so far throughout the week, and when he drove up outside the frat house to pick me up, I walked out into the rain, coming to terms with the fact that I had no control of the situation.

“Hey,” I said, dipping into the passenger seat of his car.

He leaned over and kissed me.

“I love you. And also… I heard back,” he said.

My eyes went wide. “Law schools? Why didn’t you tell me? Where’d you get in?”

“I received results from three of them within the last hour.”

My heart dropped like I’d just leaped off a cliff.

Gray had applied to about fifty thousand law schools, or at least that’s how it had seemed to me.

“And?”

“I got in. To all three so far.”

“Fuck yes, Gray Gilman,” I said, squeezing his hand and smiling wide. “Holy shit. Which ones?”

“Chicago, and one of the Florida schools,” he said.

My heart was beating fast now.

I swallowed, nodding at him.

“And the last one?”

He pulled in a slow breath.

“Texas Austin.”

I swore I felt tears stinging at the corners of my eyes even more than when I’d been invited to the draft.

“Holy shit.”

“Yep.”

“That’s not too far from Dallasat all,” I said, relief flooding me like I’d never felt before.