Page 148 of Never Tear Us Apart

“And a lifetime in the majors,” I add. “By the way, how do you feel about New York?”

Earlier today I had a call with a scout for the Yankees. My hair stood up on my arms when they said they were interested in me joining their bullpen and the call was what they promised would be the start of many.

I hadn’t had a chance to tell Ellie yet. She was in class when I got the call, and I had to head to the game before she was back. But seeing the way her eyes are dancing now, I can tell she’s as excited as I am.

Playing for The Yankees had been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and she knew better than anyone how much I wanted it.

“Seriously?” she beams and I nod.

“I guess it’s true what they say.” I flash her my wily smile. “Sometimes, dreams do come true.”

We’ve already talked about what will happen when I get drafted and no matter where I go, Ellery plans to go with me. She’ll enroll in the college that’s closest and continue her studies.She’s got a vision for the future and I plan to support her dreams, while she supports mine.

“Oh, baby, I’m so proud of you.” She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tight. “What about the guys? How are their calls coming along?”

Ellie is such a part of my world now that I can’t remember what it was like when she wasn’t. Jake and Marcus adore her and she fits right in. She and Jake have a bond that is more brother and sister then Ellie and I ever were, and Marcus has adopted a yes ma’am, no ma’am in her presence.

I will forever be thankful Jake was there last summer. Had he not been, I’m not sure we would have made it out as well as we did. Friendships like ours are forged in blood and sweat, and I count it as one of my many blessings.

Sometimes, it all feels like a nightmare. One of my brothers betrayed me for the promise of fame and glory. Sure, someone else paved the way for Cal’s betrayal by pumping him so full of steroids he didn’t know which end was up. Still, I can’t forgive him for what he did. Drug-fueled or not, Cal had his eyes on Ellery from the moment he first saw her, and I knew his actions were driven just as much by want, as they were by greed.

Marcus is still in the dark about what really happened that night, and Jake and I plan to keep it that way. The less he knows, the better. Plus, he’s the only one out of the three of us that still talks to Cal, and knowing he doesn’t have to lie for us, makes both Jake and I feel less guilty.

I don’t know what Cal plans to do with his future. Apparently, he learned a lot in rehab, and is all about making amends. But honestly, he can take his amends and stick it up his ass. I meant it when I said he was dead to me. He is. He tried to rape my girl, and ruin my future, so in my eyes, he got what he deserved.

Speaking of getting what they deserved, Skye’s fatherreceived a thirty year sentence for falsifying records and covering up the deaths of a US senator and five minors. As for Skye and her mother, that’s a bit more complicated.

Apparently, the oaths taken by every family in Elmhurst reallydidsupersede everything. Despite their friendship, Skye’s mother knew her husband falsified the autopsy for Ellery’s father, covering up his real cause of death, and Skye, knowing this given her role in the society, decided not to tell Ellery, and instead, cut ties altogether.

Saffron says it’s better to forget and move on, than forgive and be the horse’s ass, but something tells me Ellery isn’t about to rise above their betrayal, and I don’t blame her.

Perhaps the best of the fallout was Mayor Webster’s removal from office. A few months back, shortly before the holidays, an Elmhurst city-wide poll voted to remove him from office, after theNational Enquirerran a photo of his kids caught in flagrante delicto in the stacks at Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library.

Apparently Courtney and Dex’s whole touchy-feely thing was more than twins being twins, and their relationship wound up being more scandalous than Ellery and I ever would have been.

Ellery and I sometimes wonder if any of them are really paying for their crimes, or if it’s all just a facade, and Elmhurst is behind the scenes, pulling the strings, laying the groundwork for their revenge. Considering how far their roots ran, the latter is certainly possible. But we do our best to take her mother’s advice when she says, “let the truth do its job and focus on the future.”

I, for one, can’t help but love all the fallout because it has given Ellery and I a chance to be together the way we always wanted. No one at Highland cares who we are and part of that is because we didn’t bring the drama with us. The Davenport heir is still unknown, Ellery’s father’s name has been put to rest, and our parents left Elmhurst behind.

When summer ended, they closed up the beach house, andafter packing up Oak Grove, moved to New York so they could be closer to Ellery and me. We spent the holidays with our parents, and they are planning to come to as many games as they can when the season starts. Both Saffron and my dad promise to be the biggest groupies for whatever team I do join when I do finally get drafted, and I’ll admit—it feels good to have my family’s support.

Speaking of family, Ellery and her mom are closer than ever. Once Ellery opened up to the idea of learning about her birth father, she enjoyed getting to know more about his family and their roots in Cherry Cove. Turns out his family knew Jenica’s, and her mother’s worry was never about her and their family, but the truth coming out about Ellery’s birth father.

It’s pretty awesome the way everything has turned out. We even have our own house at Highland. It took just one week of living with Jake, Marcus, and I in our apartment, before Ellery bought a place big enough for all of us, using the money from the Butler trust she inherited from her father.

The house is cool. It’s a two story brick row house, close to campus, with a state of the art security system, killer game room, and a big backyard. She and I have the master bedroom, while Jake and Marcus each have their own spacious rooms, and Jennica claims the spare when she’s in town.

She too, is doing well, considering everything, and could teach a few guys on my team a thing or two about resiliency. She comes up for long weekends and is actually going to be here this weekend and the five of us are going to a My Bloody Valentine party one of the fraternities is throwing.

She and Jake are still pretending to not like each other, but I hope they figure out their shit soon because it would be cool as hell if the four of us wound up in New York together.

I may be on theYankees’radar, but Jake is being scouted by theMets, and the possibility we could both wind up playingfor our childhood dream teams is beyond words. The only thing that would make it better is having our girls by our side, and that means Jenica for Jake. He likes her. I know he does. He hasn’t said it outright but actions speak louder than words and the number of girls he isnotbringing home these days speaks volumes.

As I carry Ellery to the Jeep, I can’t help but think about how far we’ve come and how much has changed and at the same time, what has stayed the same, like my need for her.

When we reach the car I set her down on her feet, then open the door, toss my bag in the back, and spin her around. “Grip the seat with both hands,” I whisper hotly in her ear.

“What?” She looks around and laughs. “Are you serious?”

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