Page 130 of Repairing the Wreckage

“Oh, okay.”

He brushes his fingers over my shoulder. “What about Thursday. There’s a hotel near campus. I could stay there, and you ride home with me after your classes Friday?” he suggests.

“That’ll get expensive.”

“I don’t care.”

“Okay.” Then I remember my promise to my roommate. “Oh, shoot. I promised Denise I’d go out for trivia night with her. She wants me to meet this new guy she’s seeing.”

I study Griff’s disappointed expression for any hint he’d be willing to go with me. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in something like that?” I hate the pitiful, hopeful rise to my voice.

Relief turns up the corners of his mouth and his eyes widen. “You’d want me there?”

“Yes. I’d like you to meet my roommate.” I shrug and drop my gaze. “But I know it’s a long drive for something silly that?—”

“Molly, look at me.” He grazes my chin with one rough finger. “I’ll go anywhere. Do anything with you.”

Excitement quickens my pulse and I lift my gaze. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” He touches a finger to his forehead, right above his fresh scar. “You sure you want your bruised up brawler of a boyfriend hanging around all your college friends, though? I don’t know if I’ll fit in with the trivia crowd.”

Underneath the teasing question, I sense something more serious or vulnerable lurking. “You’re not a ‘bruised up brawler.’ You’re my boyfriend and I want you to meet the people I spend time with when I’m not spending time with you.” My words come out sharper than I intended but he needs to know I’m not embarrassed that he’s a fighter, mechanic, or anything else he might be thinking.

“So passionate,” he teases.

“About you? Yes.” I close my eyes, remembering an important detail. “But you’re not supposed to be out in public, are you?” I can see it now. Some jackass uploading a video to YouTube titled “Stonewall from Supreme Underground Fighter Attends College Trivia Night.”

“So I’ll wear my hat.”

I raise my eyebrows. “It’s a hat, not an invisibility cloak.”

He frowns. “Maybe you’re right. Not this week, but I’ll definitely go with you when I can.”

That’s all I need for now. The promise of normal couple stuff in the future. I tease my fingers over his chest. “That’s probably wise. What if we ran into Melissa again and she wanted to give you her number?” I tease in a high-pitched singsong.

He flicks his gaze up. “This show’s like a curse that never goes away.”

“Understatement of the decade.” We haven’t talked about any of this yet and I have no idea what his plans are for the future. “But let’s face it, you’re this big reality star now?—”

His harsh laughter cuts through my words.

I smack his chest. “I’m serious.”

“It just sounds so ridiculous. And trust me when I say, that’s the last thing I want engraved on my tombstone. Black belt. Mechanic.” He leans in and kisses my forehead. “Molly’s boyfriend. Those are the only titles I want.”

One corner of my mouth tilts up. “Molly’s boyfriend should be first on that list. Just sayin’.”

He rumbles with deep, affectionate laughter. “It is. ‘Molly’s husband’ will be even better one day.”

“Oh.” My heart pitter-patters. “Really?”

“Hell yes.” His happy expression fades and his forehead wrinkles into a frown. “I need to talk to you about something.”

His grave tone raises the hairs on the back of my neck. I shift away to see his face better, but he tightens his arms around me.

“What?” I ask.

Here’s where he says it’s nothing bad. Or no big deal. Or tells you he’s moving to California to become a professional fighter and we’ll see each other during the holidays.

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