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“Do youwantthe silverware?” I asked, focusing all my attention on our conversation. “Is it important to you?”
“I couldn’t give less of a fuck if I tried,” he admitted with a chuckle. “But it’s good craic and I have an excellent kicking game, which keeps me out of the ruck—and the hospital.” Grinning, he added, “You know I don’t care about that kind of thing, Liz.”
Yeah, I did.
Hugh had the physique of a natural-born athlete, and he was a gifted rugby player, but his heart belonged to the water, not the rugby pitch. “And swimming?”
“I came third at nationals last weekend.”
“You did?” Swallowing deeply, I reached for his hand and squeezed. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” He smiled. “Which I still don’t understand how, considering I’d been out of the pool for so long.” Hugh smiled again, but this time his cheeks flushed an adorable pink color. Because he was proud. Because swimming was his passion. “But it’s really not a big deal.”
“Yeah, it is,” I replied, shivering when he turned his hand over and entwined our fingers. “I’m really proud of you.”
“I got my acceptance letter for Tommen College in September,” he offered then, tracing my thumb with his. “The entrance examination results came in the post, too.”
“And?”
He blushed. “My results were the highest in all three participating schools in town. Mam got a handwritten letter about it and everything.”
“I knew you would.” I smiled and it was the first genuine one since, well, before. “Because you’re a genius, Hugh Andrew Biggs.”
“I don’t know about that,” he replied, looking a little uncertain. “Johnny is a fair bit of a genius himself.”
“The Dub?”
“Yeah. Aside from you, I’ve never encountered anyone with a brain like mine,” he said with a nod. “Maybe the transition to secondary school won’t come as easily to me as…”
“Everything else?” I filled in for him.
“Yeah.” Nodding, he blew out a shaky breath. “Everyone always harps on about the extreme contrast between primary and secondary-level education.” He shrugged again, looking uneasy. “It could be difficult.”
“Not for you,” I promised, attention shifting to our joined hands. Hugh’s hand was so much larger than mine now, with tanned skin and prominent, masculine veins. Jesus, he had beautiful hands. “First, you’ll take Tommen College by storm, and then Trinity College, and then the whole world.”
“I hope so, Liz.”
“I know so, Hugh.” I sighed heavily. “And then, when you’re a world-renowned heart surgeon, you can come back home and fix mine.”
Pain flashed in his eyes. “Liz.”
“It was a joke,” I mumbled weakly.
“Iwillfix your heart,” he said gruffly, pulling me onto his lap. “But I won’t need to come back home to do it.”
“You won’t?”
“No,” he replied, nuzzling my neck. “Because I won’t be leaving you behind in the first place.”
Shivering, I folded into his arms. “You’re going to take me with you?”
“First to Trinity,” he confirmed, tightening his arms around me. “And then around the world.”
“What about school?” I teased, burrowing into his chest. “I know there’s only four months between us, but I’m two classes below you.”
“You can skip fourth year,” he filled in quickly—too quickly. “That way you’ll turn eighteen the summer I leave for university and can legally come with me.”
“And if my parents say no?”
