Page 96 of Campus Crush
I set down the sports magazine I’d been flipping through and gave him my full attention.
“It’s very serious,” I told him, maintaining eye contact so he could see the truth in my expression.
“Do you love her?” he asked bluntly.
The question caught me off guard, not because I didn’t know the answer—God, yes, I loved her more than I thought possible—but because that wasn’t something Mason should hear before Abby did. I wanted the first time those words were spoken to be special, between just the two of us.
“I haven’t had that conversation with your sister yet,” I replied carefully, “and I think that should be one I have with her first.”
He seemed to accept that answer, nodding slightly. “You won’t break her heart?”
This kid impressed the hell out of me. Given the devastating situation his family was facing, I wouldn’t have expected him to be focusing on his sister’s emotional well-being right now. But here he was, seventeen and stepping into the role of protective brother despite his own grief. It was nice to know Abby had another person who had her back—first with Sam, who’d also made frequent visits to the hospital to check on her, and now her little brother.
“I have no intention of breaking your sister’s heart,” I said, my voice dropping to match the seriousness of the moment. “She’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met. She’s changed my life in ways I didn’t see coming.”
It was true. I had never expected to meet the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life when I was twenty-one. I hadn’t really thought much about it at all except that it would happen someday in the distant future. But every day I spent with Abby, I became more certain. She was the one I wanted standing next to me for the rest of my life. I wanted to wake up with her every morning and go to sleep with her every night. I wanted to live life with her. Through the good times and the bad, I would prove that she was my person and I would always choose her. I’d prove it to her over and over for as long as it took until she believed me with absolute certainty.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him, the promise feeling weighty and significant. “She’s safe with me.”
“Good, because I really like you, Foster,” he said, his serious expression relaxing slightly. “I like your friends too. But if you hurt my sister, I’ll kick your ass.”
I let out a chuckle, but his straight expression told me he was dead serious. Despite the fact that I had at least fifty pounds of muscle on him and years of hockey conditioning, I didn’t doubt for a second that he’d try if I ever gave him reason to.
“I like you too, Mase,” I said sincerely.
At the use of his nickname, he seemed to light up more than I’d ever seen, a genuine smile breaking across his face. It was small, but it was there—a crack in the armor of grief he’d been wearing.
It felt like progress.
The sound of the door opening drew our attention as Abby returned, slipping her phone into her pocket. Her eyes darted between Mason and me, clearly sensing something had shifted in her absence.
“Everything okay?” she asked, her voice tired but curious.
Mason and I exchanged a look, a silent agreement passing between us.
“Yeah,” he said, reaching for the bag of chips I’d brought earlier. “Everything’s good.”
FORTY-SEVEN
I’d ignored my dad’s calls as long as I could, but I knew if I didn’t answer now he’d likely just show up at my house, and I didn’t need the guys dealing with that mess. When my phone buzzed for the fifth time in an hour with “Dad” flashing across the screen, I reluctantly stepped out of the hospital room, giving Abby’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before slipping into the hallway.
“Hey, Dad, I can’t really talk,” I answered, keeping my voice low. This unit was quiet except for the occasional squeak of nurses’ shoes on the linoleum and the distant beeping of medical equipment.
“What the hell is going on with you? I’ve been trying to reach you for days,” he said, his voice sharp with impatience. I could picture him sitting at his massive mahogany desk, expensive pen tapping against the polished surface like he did whenever he was irritated.
“I’m at the hospital. My girlfriend’s grandma has cancer. She’s dying, so I’ve been here supporting Abby and her brother.”
He let out a sigh—one I knew too well because it wasthe typical disappointed sigh he always gave me. “Son, Abby’s a nice girl and all, but I think it’s safe to say she’s a distraction to you. I need you at the meeting we’re having tomorrow afternoon at Holt to go over the next stage for the development. You need to be part of this process if you’re going to take over the business.”
I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the cool wall of the hospital corridor. I thought about Abby inside that room, holding her grandmother’s hand as if she could keep her tethered to this world through sheer force of will.
“Dad, I just told you I can’t. I’m not going to leave her to deal with this shit on her own. It’s only one meeting that I’m going to miss. Being here for her is more important.” My voice came out stronger than I thought it could when talking to my dad.
The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. I could imagine him straightening in his chair, his jaw tightening the way it did when he was about to lay down the law. I’d never pushed back like this before.
When he finally spoke, it was with a tone of such authority combined with malice that it made bitterness roil in my gut.
“This girl is a burden and I’m telling you right now, Foster, I will not let her destroy the future I have built for you. The same one that I am wrapping in a perfect bow for you to take over, and now you’re acting like an ungrateful little shit. First you ignore my calls, and now you’re suggesting you skip a meeting? Absolutely not.”
