Secret Puck (Campus Nights Book 1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  “The other night was six years of frustration coming out at once, but it shouldn’t have been you I was saying all that to. For a big part of my childhood, my mom used the words like a Band-Aid. Every time I took care of something for her—paid the bills or made dinner—the repayment I got was with a string of ‘I love yous.’ It changed how I felt about it. Her love felt like an excuse to not show up any other way.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “Trust me, I know that’s fucked up. I know she was grieving; I know she was depressed, but it didn’t change the fact that all I wanted was for my mom to act like everyone else’s. I didn’t want I love you. I wanted her to take care of me.”

  “Oh, Heath, I’m sorry.” She squeezes my hand. “I won’t pretend to understand what that must have been like. I’m certain that she loved you the best she could. That’s all anyone does. It isn’t perfect.”

  “I know. Knowing it and accepting it aren’t the same.” My heart’s beating like a drum in my chest. “The thought of my feelings for you being tainted by the past… I hate it. I don’t want anything bad to ever touch you. You are my favorite person. You’re the only person I’d skip food for or that could convince me to eat Neapolitan ice cream or… a thousand other things. You. It’s only you. And when I walked in here, I fully intended to stand firm on my stance of never speaking the words, of keeping the best thing in my life away from my worst memories, but then I saw you and I realized that it doesn’t matter what it’s meant before. If loving you is wanting to spend every day with you, laughing and having fun, supporting you, and having your back, then I do. I love you, Ginny. Of course, I do.”

  “Really?”

  “Really, really. I love you. I love you. I freaking love you.”

  She smiles and closes her eyes like she’s trying to savor the moment. When her brown eyes meet mine again, it’s such a punch to the gut I wonder how it took me so long to realize it.

  “We don’t need to use the word. Not if it bothers you. I just want to know that you’re as crazy about me as I am you. That we’re in this together.”

  “Did I mention I’d skip food for you?” Her lips part into a happy grin and my chest tightens. “One last thing.”

  I hop up onto the table and clear my throat. “Genevieve Scott, will you be my girlfriend?”

  People are staring and snickering. Ginny’s cheeks go red with embarrassment, but she nods. “Of course I will. I’d skip food for you too.”

  I jump down and kiss her again, then pull back so my forehead rests against hers. “I had no idea it was ever unclear that you were my girlfriend. I’ve always thought of you as my girl. I’m sorry that I left any room for doubt, but I won’t make that mistake again. I’ll stand on this table and ask every day if you want me to.”

  “I’ll consider that. Could be entertaining.” She laces her fingers with mine. “Speaking of food though, is that for me?” She tips her head to the bowl of ice cream.

  I push the tray toward her, a huge bowl of Neapolitan ice cream topped with gummy bears.

  “That is a lot of gummy bears. How did you get ice cream at this hour?”

  “I know people.”

  Her gorgeous smile will be the death of me. She picks up the spoon and brings a big bite to my lips. I take it and then kiss her again.

  Maverick appears at the table. “Awww, look at you two, all smiles.” He drops his tray and then drapes an arm around each of our shoulders. “Bring it in, you two crazy kids. I’m so dang happy I could cry. Way to go big, buddy.” He nudges me with an elbow and then squeezes Ginny into his massive frame. “I love you two.”

  And I know he does. Whatever it means to him, he means it with his whole heart. It’s freeing to know I get to make it mean whatever I want to, too.

  “Love you too, Mav,” I tell him.

  He gives me a toothy grin. “Damn straight.”

  41

  Ginny

  One week later

  “I have to go to class, I’m going to be late,” I protest, but make no move to actually go anywhere. Heath’s arms are wrapped around me and I nuzzle into his chest, stealing some of his warmth. “It’s so cold.”

  “This isn’t cold.”

  “It’s like forty degrees outside.”

  “Like I said, this isn’t cold. Wait until you come to Michigan sometime in the winter. You’ll need real winter clothes, not these cute accessories you have.” He pulls my beanie down farther, so it completely covers my ears.

  “It would be fun to see snow. It almost never snows here and when it does, it’s gone too quickly to appreciate it.”

  Another chilly breeze whips through campus and I shiver.

  “Come on, baby doll,” he says. “Let’s get you to class where it’s warm.”

  As we’re crossing to the humanities building, a guy headed toward us slows and a big smile tips up his lips. Heath stops, as does the guy.

  “Heath, hey.”

  “Wes!” Heath steps forward and they hug.

  Wes is a few inches taller than Heath with lighter hair and a leaner build. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him until Heath turns to me and introduces him as one of the coaches of the basketball team and an old teammate of his brother’s.

  Heath comes to stand beside me again. “And this is Ginny, my girlfriend.”

  My insides light up every time he calls me that.

  Wes nods his head to me in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Ginny.”

  “You too.”

  “What are you doing on campus, old man?” Heath asks. “Shouldn’t you be at the gym making guys run sprints or something?”

  “Not for another hour.” His smile is big, and his eyes crinkle up at the corners. “I’m meeting Blair for lunch.” He takes a step past us and turns. “Hey, nice season, by the way. I’m hoping to make another game soon.”

  “Nathan’s coming up in two weeks for the game against Western Michigan.”

  “Yeah? I’ll have to call him and give him shit for not telling me himself. I’ll see ya later.”

  He heads off in the opposite direction and Heath and I continue across campus. I slide my glove-covered hand around his and squeeze.

  “Coming over tonight?” he asks, swinging our arms lightly between us.

  “Yeah, but I need to do some laundry first. I’ve barely been at my dorm all week.”

  “I don’t see a problem. Should just pack your stuff and bring it to my place.”

  I slow. “You’d give me a drawer?”

  “I’ll give you as many as you want.”

  I laugh lightly at how easy it is for him to share himself and his space. Although that’s not really new. Heath may not have experience in being a boyfriend, but he’s always gone out of his way to give me anything he thought I might want. But all I really want is him. No one has ever made me happier and I’ve never had more fun than when I’m with him.

  It wasn’t exactly my plan to fall for someone first semester, but I can’t wait to see what new adventures the next one will bring.

  “Mav, these burgers are amazing,” Reagan says with a groan of pleasure.

  “They really are,” Rhett adds. “I bow down to the grill master.”

  Mav waves his hand and dips his head in a mock bow.

  The guys bought a patio heater and we’re outside having dinner. Me, Heath, Adam, Rhett, Maverick, Dakota, and Reagan—we’re like our own little dysfunctional family.

  My brother is leaned back, beer in hand, smiling as everyone eats and talks. He seems happier. I know our parents’ separation hit him hard, but I think he’s coming to terms with it. So am I. Things will look different now, but at least we’ve got each other.

  It’s so weird to think that if I’d come to college with Bryan, so many things would have been different, but the thing I’m the most thankful for is how close Adam and I are again.

  Heath and I huddle under a blanket, eating and bumping shoulders occasionally since our hands are full.

  “We should play sardines tonight,” Rhett
says as he crumples his napkin and sets it in the middle of his plate.

  “We’ve got an odd number without Taryn,” Adam says. “You guys play, I’ll hang back.”

  “What, no way,” I protest. “We can have three on a team.”

  “Mav needs two people to keep him in line anyway.” Rhett nudges him. “Who’s going with Adam?”

  “Reagan,” I say too quickly, and my friend’s eyes get large as if she’s afraid I’m going to out her. “Mav helps cancel out some of Rhett’s hiding skills.”

  It’s perfectly good logic and Adam nods. “Yeah, that makes sense. What do you say, Reagan?”

  “Sure, I guess that’s okay,” she says, barely looking at him.

  We head to campus. Heath and I are slower than the others, stopping to kiss every few steps and generally being the obnoxious happy couple.

  “Who’s hiding tonight?” Dakota asks.

  “Should be Rhett and Reagan, so let’s go with Adam and Reagan,” I say.

  Everyone nods their agreement. Playing matchmaker is way too much fun.

  “What’s the rule?” I ask Reagan and Adam.

  They share a look as they try to decide.

  “You pick,” Adam says to her.

  “One person has to close their eyes and be led by their partner or partners,” she says the last part looking at our group of three.

  “All right. Let’s do this.” Adam’s breath shows in the cold air, and he claps his hands together before he and Reagan head off to hide.

  “I’ve got the time,” I call as we all settle in to wait. The ground is cold, so we stay standing and form a small circle sharing our body heat. Heath’s arms wrap around me from behind and I lean back into his chest.

  “You two are annoyingly adorable,” Dakota says as Heath leans down to kiss my cheek.

  While our friends make fun of us, good-naturedly of course, Heath keeps right on hugging me and I soak it up. Him, our friends, all of it.

  “Don’t be jealous, Dakota,” Heath says, speaking near my ear. “You’ve got two. Ginny only gets one.”

  Rhett and Maverick attack her from each side, hugging her tightly between them. She squeals and bats at their chests, but she’s laughing as they bounce up and down, jostling her around.

  “Okay, okay.” She finally gets free. “Let’s go find Adam and Rea.”

  “Close your eyes, Dakota. We’ll lead you,” Mav says.

  “Not a chance.” She shakes her head, making her light red hair toss around her shoulders.

  Rhett takes a step. “Mav, close your eyes. Dakota and I will make sure you don’t run into anything.”

  Dakota gets on the opposite side of Mav from Rhett. “No promises from me,” she says before they start to guide him away.

  Heath sweeps my feet out from under me. “Close your eyes, baby doll, I got you.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck and let him carry me. I close my eyes, playing along, though I hardly see the point.

  “Are you really leading me to find the others or taking me somewhere to make out?”

  “That last one sounds real tempting, but the sooner we find the others, the sooner I can take you home and make out with you in my warm bed.”

  His lips graze against mine and I lean forward to kiss him harder. He stops, wherever we are, and his tongue sweeps into my mouth, warm and demanding.

  He pulls back way sooner than I want, but he doesn’t move.

  “Ginny, open your eyes.” His voice is filled with wonder and excitement.

  His head’s thrown back and he stares up into the sky. A tiny snowflake falls onto his nose.

  “It’s snowing!”

  The small white flurries fall around us, slowly at first. Heath sets me down and I hold my arms out to the side. “I love the snow. It always feels so magical.”

  I can just make out Dakota’s laughter and the guys shouting and know they’re excited about it too. Heath and I walk toward them in the snow, joining them at the same time Reagan and Adam have abandoned their hiding spot.

  “This is amazing,” I say as I reach Adam.

  “Right? I can’t remember the last time it snowed like this in December.”

  “It won’t last,” I say sadly. Even by morning, it’ll probably be gone.

  “But it’s here now.” Rhett smiles and takes a seat on the ground.

  One by one, we all drop to the cold grass in the middle of campus. Maverick goes into his coat pocket and brings out a bottle of Mad Dogg. “I came prepared.”

  It hits me, sitting here with my friends—people I can no longer imagine not being in my life—I found this amazing group of people in the hardest five months of my entire life when I needed them the most. And amidst my brother’s friends. Who would have thought?

  But, if I’ve learned anything since coming to Valley, it’s that we can only really prepare for the small things. What to wear, what to bring on a trip, which direction to go. The rest is fate and luck. And I feel like the luckiest girl of all.

  42

  Ginny

  June

  “Do I look okay?” I smooth a hand down my dress and turn in the mirror. Heath’s sitting on the bed waiting for me as patiently as one can while his girlfriend changes clothes five times.

  “You look gorgeous.” He stands and wraps his arms around me, meeting my eyes in our reflection. “You don’t need to be nervous. You’ve already met my family.”

  “I know, but it’s not just your family—there are a bunch of people here this weekend and I don’t know any of them.”

  “You know me. Besides, I only know half of them myself.” He brings his lips to mine in a quick kiss. “Come on, I promise I won’t leave your side.”

  The hotel is huge and right on the beach in California where Nathan’s fiancée Chloe is from. Later tonight, we have the rehearsal dinner and tomorrow they’ll say I do.

  Down in the lobby, Heath guides me to a long table where his brother Nathan sits with a group of guys. Nathan and Heath look a lot alike, same nose and same eyes. Heath’s hair is darker, and his build is bigger, although Nathan is a little taller. Nathan stands when he sees us, and he and Heath hug.

  “You guys made it,” Nathan says and smiles at me over Heath’s shoulder.

  When they separate, Heath comes back to my side. “We got in about an hour ago.”

  “This is gonna be fun.” Nathan looks around at all the people and grins.

  “Are weddings allowed to be fun?” Heath asks, earning a playful glare from his brother. “We’re going to grab a drink.”

  “Baby Payne!” one of the guys calls as we start to walk off. “Grab me one too.” He holds up his empty glass. He has deliciously dark hair and a cocky smirk. He turns that smirk on me and I go stupid.

  “Who is that?” I whisper as we get to the bar.

  “Hey now, no creeping on my brother’s friends.”

  “I wasn’t creeping, but damn. Is he a model?”

  “He is happily married, young lady.”

  “I wonder if his wife gives him hall passes.”

  Heath chuckles. “Well, your boyfriend does not.”

  I bite back a laugh as he pulls me into his side possessively. Heath and I grab a drink and head back to the table where I meet Nathan’s friends, Joel, Wes, and Zeke.

  Watching Nathan with his friends reminds me a lot of Heath and his. They have the same easy way about them with all the teasing and competitiveness I’ve come to love. When their wives and girlfriends join us, I sit next to Heath, his hand around the back of my chair, missing our friends and wondering what we’ll look like in five or ten years when the whole group of us gets together. I hope it looks even half as happy as this.

  Nathan and Chloe are the picture of excitement and love as she sits on the edge of his lap and absently plays with the hair at the nape of his neck. I don’t think she’s stopped smiling since she sat down.

  Joel, the one I’m pretty sure could have a second career in modeling, looks at his wife Katrina
like she’s the center of his world. And she looks at him the same way. Every time he looks at me I blush, I can’t help it, he’s stupid hot.

  Zeke and his oh so very pregnant wife Gabby are possibly the cutest couple I’ve ever seen. She’s all big, blonde hair and tiny body except for her bump. Zeke’s at least twice her size and keeps reaching over and touching her stomach. I don’t even think he realizes he’s doing it.

  Wes, who I’ve met before, and his girlfriend Blair are currently in the hot seat. They’re the only couple of the group that isn’t married and their friends are poking at Wes to get on the ball. Blair doesn’t seem to mind. She leans over and kisses Wes, and they share some sort of private exchange.

  I’m fighting a yawn and Heath notices. He sits forward. “I think we’re going to take a nap before the rehearsal. We were up at dark-thirty this morning to get here.”

  Heath takes my hand and we start toward our room.

  “Don’t be late,” Nathan calls after him.

  Heath rolls his eyes and yells back, “I know how to tell time and work an alarm.”

  I pull him to the elevator and up to our floor.

  “How long do we have?” I ask, climbing into bed and grabbing my phone to set an alarm.

  Heath takes the device out of my hands and places it on the bedside table. He pulls his dress shirt out of his pants with a wicked glint in his eye.

  “I thought we were napping,” I say as I unbuckle his pants.

  “We will, but first…” He shrugs out of his shirt and my hands slide up his abs, enjoying the way the muscle cords and dips. Yeah, I’m suddenly not tired either.

  His body covers mine and he kisses me hard. He rolls us so I’m on top. Making quick work of undressing me, his hands come up to palm my breasts. They ache. My entire body does. That’s the way it is with Heath. One touch is never just one touch. He touches me and I feel it in my soul. It’s all foreplay, he said once and I think he was right. My body sings when he’s near. I keep waiting for the newness to wear off, but the more time we spend together, the more convinced I am that what we have is a once in a lifetime type of love.