Page 122 of Wild Love
“Okay. Sure. I can do that.” Really, what is my other option, go home and sulk? Pass.
“Thank you, Dakota.” She hands me a tablet. “I labeled it Dakota Preview.”
“Should be easy to find,” I say with a small laugh.
I punch in the code to get in the hype room, and the door slides open. It’s a little weird being in here by myself. I’ve done it before when we were testing something or working out kinks, but usually, we just preview the videos on the computer. Or maybe Regina does this, and I’ve just never had to.
Whatever. I select the Dakota Preview video. I didn’t even ask her which sport it was for. They’re all pretty great. These hype videos could make a sports fan out of just about anyone.
The music comes on first. It’s a slower beat than the others, but with the heavy bass. I’m digging it. Also, it’s familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.
When the first image fills the wall of screens, I gasp. It’s me. I’ve never seen the photo before, but it’s from the summer. I’m sitting on the pink couch with a playful smirk aimed at the person taking the photo.Oh Johnny, what did you do?
Photos from our summer together, so many that I’m shocked by how many he took, display before me. They’re more than just random images of two people over eight weeks of their lives. They’re a montage of two people falling in love. It hits me seeing it like this that I never stood a chance. I would do it all again, even knowing the heartbreak that was coming. I’d risk everything for him. No, Ididrisk everything. And sure, I can blame him for the way it ended, but I knew what I was doing, and I decided he was worth it. Why was that so hard to remember when everything I feared would happen did?
Three minutes and twelve seconds. That’s how long it takes for me to fall in love all over again. Tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, I have to punch in the code twice because my fingers are trembling.
I already have my phone to my ear to call him as I exit. I come up short when I spot him. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that he might be here, but I’m so glad he is. Johnny stands alone in dark jeans and a white T-shirt, hair combed and styled. His jaw is tight, and brows slanted with nerves as he watches me.
I spent a summer seeing him in so many different ways—dressed up, casual, shirtless, at home, at work, out with friends, playing with Charli, and just the two of us. I’ve seen him mad, sad, happy, serious, content, playful, tired, hurt, and a million others. He gave me all of him, always. He never holds back.
So neither do I. I run to him and throw my arms around his neck, breathing him in. “Johnny.”
“Kota.” His arms wrap around my back, and his mouth covers mine. He apologizes over and over again as he kisses me softly, hands roaming over my back and my hair, and then framing my face. “I am so in love with you. Tell me I didn’t blow my only chance. I need you too much.”
I need him too. I need him despite his ridiculousness and because of it.
“I love you too. Like a really crazy, wild, ridiculous amount.”
He grins. “And all the rest?”
I don’t have the answers, but I know I’m not giving up on us without a fight. “We’ll figure it out, but right now, take me home, Johnny Maverick.”
* * *
We don’t comeup for air until the following afternoon.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, tracing the outline of a new tattoo on his chest. A pink sofa and my name in cursive along the edge. His first colored ink.
“For what?” He threads his fingers through my hair.
“I shouldn’t have left. It wasn’t just because of everything with the Wildcats. I was scared. It all felt too fast, and I wasn’t sure how much was real and how much was this Maverick-induced, crazy, fun lifestyle.”
His deep laughter shakes his chest. “I know. I’m a lot.”
I lift up so I can stare into his hazel eyes. “I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t give you more credit. You might be a lot to handle, but you’re also the most genuine and reliable person I know.”
He places a hand on my forehead as if he’s checking my temperature. “Do you have Maverick fever? Did we have sex so much you’ve overdosed on the D?”
“I’m serious,” I say when he pulls me down onto him and cinches his arms tighter around my waist. “The things you do for people, the way you make them feel, it’s big, and it’s important. You are a good man. The best, actually.”
I angle my face to his, and he kisses my already swollen lips.
Eventually, I fall back on his chest, head resting over his heart. “When do you have to go back?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Let’s stay here all day then.”
