Page 102 of Between Us

I grin at him, and before I can say anything, my dad’s voice comes from behind me. “I agree.” Leaning over the back of the couch, he puts his face in frame. “I’m proud of both my kids.”

“Excuse me—I’m creating a program that could change thousands of lives, and he lost his chance at the MLB, and got his girlfriend pregnant at twenty-one. How can you even compare us?”

Grady laughs, knowing I’m joking. There was still a chance he could’ve had an athletic career after his injury, but I think the ACL tear and Stella’s conception happening so close together, flipped his world upside down.

And being a father suits him in a way baseball never did.

Ignoring me, my dad continues, “I came to say bye and that we’ll call you tomorrow. We’re going to head over to Bonnie’s for a while.”

As if she’s already in tune with her dad, Stella lets out a startled cry at the mention of the Davies family. Grady and I both can’t help but burst out laughing at the coincidence. My dad rolls his eyes and walks away.

“On that note,” Grady says and sits up now that she’s awake. “She’s probably hungry, and Arielle is with her mom in the back.”

“Okay, Grady. Thanks for calling.”

“Love you, kid.” His tone is giddy with affection and pride, and it almost feels like a gift of its own. “Adrian, it was nice meeting you. Can’t wait to do it in person.”

“You too,” Adrian nods. “See ya.”

After a quick goodbye, I hang up and turn toward Adrian. “Sooo, what should we do?”

One of his brows flicks up and he glances toward the back door before tilting his head in a way that suggests he has a few ideas.

Chapter Fifty

Adrian

Grabbingmybagoffthe floor with my free hand, I follow Blake down the hallway until we stop in front of a partially closed door.

When I stayed the night with her about a week and a half ago, I was too focused on her to really pay attention to any of the details in the low-lit room and unfortunately couldn’t linger in the morning because of classes.

The space isn’t cluttered and is pretty minimal with a queen size bed covered with too many pillows and a few soft blankets, a simple desk, a full length mirror, and chair set up nearby. There are some lights pinned to her roof along with the glow-in-the-dark stars. I noticed them the last time and remembered thinking that I hadn’t seen them since I was a kid.

She has a few shelves and prints on her walls, but the most noticeable is a collage. It caught my eye the other night, though I didn’t get to look at it. Before I even step up to it, I know what I’ll find—years’ worth of memories of Blake, Margo, and Meera. It ranges from when they met at twelve, and goes to Thanksgiving in New York City, with new ones added from the last few months.

“Margo and Meera helped me set that up,” Blake explains and wraps her arms around me from behind, peeking her head around my side to look with me. “And then I helped them put one in the apartment they share in New York.”

There’s a wistful tone to her comment, so I can’t help but ask, “Do you wish you had moved with them?”

I’m not sure why it comes out. She’s never given me the impression that’s what she wants, but now that she has a plan for college, I can’t help wondering if maybe that’s where she’d want to apply for a program.

Immediately, she puts any potential anxieties to rest when she shakes her head with certainty. “No. I miss them like crazy, and I wish they could reach their goals from San Diego, but I’ve honestly never had much of a desire to leave Amada Beach,” she admits. “I don’t know what that says about me.”

Turning in her arms so I can wrap my own around her, I assure her, “It means you care about your community and want to create a life near your family. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

Her grin grows, and fuck, it’s beautiful. The novelty of hearing those three words from each other hasn’t faded yet, and truthfully, I hope it never does.

“And it’s a good thing,” I continue. “I’m not saying you couldn’t create a program in a city like New York—but here, you have your family’s support as well as the town’s.” Running my hand down the back of her head and settling it on the nape of her neck, I add, “And me. You have my unconditional support as long as you want it, Blake.”

She stands on her tip-toes and wraps her hands around my neck, pulling us closer. “Good. Because I was kind of hoping I’d have you to build this thing with.”

Her lips meet mine, and I fall into the kiss for a while. It’s hard not to let myself get too lost in the moment, but I pull back, too focused on her words.

“Do you mean that? You want me to be a part of this next chapter in your life?” It sends a thrilling spark through me to think about being Blake’s partner in this.

She said she liked that word—partner. I’m still figuring out what that means in the context of us. And I would never have assumed that Blake would want me to be involved in this going forward.

However, if she’s asking, my answer is ‘fuckyes.’

---