Page 74 of Keeping Score

“Thank fuck, we are never fighting again.” I frown.

“Uh, we’re not fighting,” I tell him.

“Well if we do fight, we are never sleeping apart again. I fucking hated rolling over and not having you next to me.” My heart fucking bursts inside my chest.

“Agreed. I hated not waking up next to you,” I whine like a petulant toddler.

“I make ew better, Lee,” Dawson calls out from the back. I peer around my seat and shoot the little guy a wink.

“Shit, I forgot about the kid. No screaming for you then,” Darius quips. I laugh, unable to keep it in.

“There will be none of that!” I hear Corvin shouting in the background.

“I better go before he starts getting big mad,” I tease.

“Okay, baby, drive safe and I’ll see you tonight, beautiful.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, Goldie.” I’ll never tire of hearing him say those words to me. I end the call smiling, while excitement thrums through me. I never thought Darius and I would ever find our way back to each other. We have gone through some tough shit but I believe it has made us stronger. He continues to tell me daily how much he loves me and promises to never hurt me again. I believe him and tell him that, except each night he says he has to show my body he means it. If this is what I get for the rest of my life, I won’t be mad about it. I’ll drop to my knees and thank G.O.D himself.

“You two are so cute it makes me sick,” Cody mocks.

“And seeing you and my brother together doesn’t make me ill?” I jibe, causing her to shake her head and shrug.

“We’re just… hanging out.” The longing in her voice has me feeling sorry for her. Corvin won’t commit to her and I have no idea why. Cody is amazing and I can tell she really does care about my brother, but she is constantly getting hurt by him. She won’t tell me what he does to make her cry, but the girl also can’t seem to stay away from him.

“Are you sure everyone doesn’t mind spending the holidays with a random girl and her kid?” Val asks shyly.

“Of course not,” Katie reprimands.

“They’ll love it. Nathan is excited to finally get to meet you and Dawson,” I say. “Plus, it will finally stop Darius from thinking I made you up.”

“Why would he think you made me up?” Val asks, confused.

“Darius is jealous of the toilet paper for touching her hoo-ha,” Cody mocks, earning an eye roll from me.

“What’s hoo-ha, Mommy?” Dawson asks. I cringe and shoot Val and apologetic look that she just waves off.

“Nothing, sweetie,” she says as she places a kiss to his head. We spend the next few hours listening to music and singing along until Dawson falls asleep. Not wanting to wake the wee man, we cut the music and fill the car with conversation. Val asks about me and Darius. I tell her our story which has her swooning and claiming that we have an epic love story. Katie and Cody fill her in on their friendly relationships with Crue, Saint and Corvin.

“What about you?” I ask Val. She sighs and looks over at her son with a sad smile on her face.

“There isn’t much to tell. I was sixteen and thought I was in love. He left, I found out eight weeks later I was pregnant. I tried to find him, even went to his house only to find it vacant. He disappeared from my life and broke my heart.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say quietly, feeling sorry for her. Darius ghosting me hurt but I can’t imagine how hard that would have been if I was pregnant like Val.

“It’s okay. I mean, he may have vanished but he left me behind the best gift I could have ever asked for. Dawson makes all the heartache worth it. I wouldn’t change a thing.” How she can be so upbeat and positive given her circumstances is admirable. I don’t think I would be as strong as her if our roles were reversed. Being a single parent must be so tough, that thought has me thinking about Jenny Lockhart. Darius refuses to seek her out. He says he isn’t ready and I respect that. I just hope one day he changes his mind and actually speaks to her so he can get the closure he needs from her.

He’s had so much on his plate lately. He’s busting his ass to train for football, studying, and learning the role of CFO of Saint Hart Holdings. He has now refused to go to Chicago, saying that he wants to go with Beck to Alaska. He’s done that for me. He knows that I loved it there and said he would run shit from there and he and Beck would both learn the ropes of the resort and the daily running of the company. He and Beck both have been up late most nights working, their dedication awe inspiring. Darius leaves with Beck after the New Year—he’s been asking me every day to go with him. I haven’t decided what I want to do yet. After spending one night without him, I know there is no way I can go six months without seeing him every day. I grab my phone from the cup holder and text him.

You win! Book me on that flight, baby, I’m coming with you Xx

I cringe when I think of having to switch back to online classes, again. I think if the guys weren’t on the board I would have been kicked out already for fucking the administrationaround so much. My phone pings with his reply almost immediately.

Big D

Don’t play with me, Goldie.

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