Page 102 of Fourth Wheel
She grins at me from across the table and squeezes my hand, inspiring a confidence in me that we’re on the same page and that this is going to work.
“I want to be with you, but we can take things slow. I know school is your priority right now, and I’m looking into a number of opportunities with various start-ups in the Valley. I haven’t decided if I want to work or if I just want to invest, but I’ll keep myself busy and out of your hair. I’ll get my own place—”
She holds up a hand and glares, effectively silencing me with one look.
“You’ll do no such thing,” she quips.
“Wait. What are you objecting to? Me getting a job, or—”
“You getting your own place!” she exclaims. “That won’t work, Dem. My schedule is packed as it is, and if you’re planning to work in the Valley, we’ll never see each other!”
She lowers her voice and continues.
“If we’re going to do this, then I’m all in, too. You’ll move in with me. We’ll spend every minute of free time together. If you’re gonna be here,be here. Be with me,” she appeals, squeezing my hand again for emphasis.
My heart practically leaps out of my chest.
“Get the fuck over here right now,” I demand, pulling her arm gently until she’s rising up and joining me on my side of the booth.
I can’t hold out any longer—I have to kiss her. The moment our bodies connect, sparks fly, and the connection that was forged up against a clock tower and hidden in an alleyway erupts into so much more. I kiss her like there’s no tomorrow. Then I slow my pace and kiss her like we have all the time in the world. When I finally pull away, I keep her face cupped in my hands.
“Do you know that I love you?” I ask as I catch my breath.
She bites down on that pouty lower lip that I’ve fantasized about for weeks before replying. “I do now.”
“You didn’t know before?”
She smiles sweetly and kisses me again, wrapping me in her arms before whispering in my ear.
“I knew it,” she confesses. “I just wasn’t willing to admit it to myself if we couldn’t have forever. I love you, too, Dempsey Haas.”
My insides light up at her declaration, and I’m tempted to pull her onto my lap right here in the middle of this damn coffee shop until I remember she said her place is just two blocks away.
“We can have forever now,” I vow. “It’s you and me, baby girl. We were always meant to be more than just one summer.”
Dempsey
Epilogue: Two Years Later
Ibeamwithprideas she walks across the stage. Although walk isn’t the right word, because my girl never does anything by halves. She struts past her peers like a woman on a mission, head held high, blond hair perfectly styled under her graduation cap. When she accepts her diploma, she does a little twirl.
Anne Wheeler squeezes my arm as I end the recording and lower my phone.
“I can’t believe she’s graduating with honors and a perfect 4.0.”
I chuckle before I reply. “I can. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as Maddie.”
“I don’t thinkyoueven graduated with a 4.0 for undergrad, did you, Ev?” Tori teases from farther down the row.
Rhett scowls at her before cracking a smile and shaking his head. “No,” he admits. “Maddie girl got me there. I only managed to swing a 3.89 in undergrad.”
The ceremony wraps up a few minutes later—one of the few benefits to having to wait for the majority of the alphabet to go by before they got to Wheeler. Once the dean makes her final remarks, the graduates throw their caps, and their eager families and friends swarm the green space.
I rise to stand and wait for Peter and Anne to slide out of the row, followed by Rhett and Tori. We mill about and stretch our legs as we wait for Maddie to make her way back to us.
“So New York City, huh?”
I smile. I’ve always liked Rhett, and we’ve gotten closer over the last few years. He’s sharp, intuitive, and business savvy—I love calling him up and getting his opinion on the start-ups I consider as an angel investor. I respect the hell out of his work ethic, and I admire him even more as a husband and brother.
