She nodded against him, too overcome by his words to articulate her own. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “But now, I really want to read the rest of your poems. You were always too shy to show them to me before.”
Stiffening, she started to pull away, but his arms tightened around her. “Not right now. When you’re ready.”
With another nod, she relaxed against him. They stayed in his bed, enjoying each other until they were both so strung out on pleasure that they could barely move. But her rumbling stomach got them up and dressed, and Evan sent a message to his roommate that they should all meet for dinner at a little twenty-four-hour diner not far from their apartment.
Sliding back into Evan’s car made Layla feel like she was sliding back into his life. For good.
Epilogue
“You should come with me.”
Layla had her back pressed to Evan’s chest, his arm across her middle, cuddling post-sex and pre-sleep. She hadn’t expected him to talk more that night. He was tired from class all day and working on a construction job in the evening. For her part, she was temping at a new office, so she’d felt frazzled and overwhelmed by the time she got home. They’d had a simple dinner together in her apartment when he got there, then climbed into bed together.
“To Wenatchee,” Evan clarified. “You should come with me.”
Layla turned over to face him, his features barely discernible in the light from the street lamps that seeped through the curtains. “Like to visit?”
He shook his head. “No. You should move there with me. I won’t be able to take the GRE until October, so I’ll need to work before I can apply to graduate programs. My parents said they have a house they’re working on that I can live in for a while. It needs some fixing up still, but it’s not in bad shape. I’d help with that while we live there, and work for my parents flipping houses to save money for school.” He propped himself up on his elbow, his body radiating belief and excitement about the plans he was spinning in front of her. “You could take the GRE too, and we could apply to grad schools together. You could get your Master’s of Library Science or go for an MFA in Creative Writing.”
The grad school thing was a fairly recent decision for him. Dr. Rankin had pulled him aside one day after World Lit and asked about his plans after graduation. He still had to get through the rest of his summer classes, but he’d be graduating cum laude in August. Dr. Rankin had suggested he consider graduate school and a career in academia. “You relate well to the subject matter and have a knack for commanding a class’s attention,” she’d said. Evan had left the conversation a little stunned, but the more he’d thought about it, the more he liked the idea, which led them to now.
Layla looked at him, at his sincere face, not even needing the lights on to tell how much he wanted this. “But …”
“Don’t say no. At least say you’ll think about it.”
“Well, okay, I guess, but …”
Sliding his fingers through hers, he gave a squeeze. “I love you, Layla. I know we haven’t been saying that to each other for long, but it’s true. I love you so much. I don’t want to be apart from you. I know your plan has been to get a job and keep writing. You can do that anywhere. You can temp or find something more permanent or just let me support us. I don’t care. As long as we’re together, I don’t care where we end up.”
She squeezed his fingers back and kissed him. “Okay.”
His mouth dropped open, then he sat up all the way and turned on the lamp beside her bed. He went back to his lounging position, with one elbow holding him up so their faces were close together, and his blue eyes studied hers, bright with hope. “Okay?”
“Okay.” She grinned. “I love you too, and I think your plan sounds good. I wasn’t objecting. You just caught me by surprise, and I needed a minute to process. But I agree. I don’t want to be apart either. I’m just temping, so it’s not like I can’t quit. If your parents have a place for us to live and a job for you lined up, it’d be stupid to turn that down.” She paused for a second, biting her lip, her eyes focusing on where their fingers overlapped. “You don’t think your parents will mind me living there with you?”
“Are you kidding?” His free hand tilted her chin up so she would look at him again. “They love you. You impressed them when they came for your graduation. And even though I told them it was Dr. Rankin’s idea for me to go to grad school, they give you all the credit for making me take life more seriously. They’d be upset if you didn’t come with me.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
After one more kiss, Evan turned the lamp off and they lay back down. Layla curled into Evan’s side, with his arm wrapped around her, her arm resting on his torso. She lay awake for a while after his breathing had evened out, watching him sleep.
They were going to move in together. In like two months. The details still needed working out, but their future seemed to be laying itself out before them. Talking about books and writing and laughing. He loved her. And she loved him. Nothing would ever make her doubt that fact again.
They would be together. Forever.
The End
As of the publication of this book (July, 2017), it’s been two years since I started writing this series. I had a glimmer of an idea, and saw a notice for Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest and decided I could write a full length novel in two months. And I did.
Which is crazy.
Because when I started Summer Fling (which is still the only book that I knew the title of before one word had been written), I had no idea it would be a series at all. Much less turn into a series of six books.
Things have morphed since that first draft all those months ago, and a lot has changed for me.
And for that, I have to thank you, my readers. Those of you who started this journey with me when I was just posting on Wattpad. And those of you who’ve joined in along the way, whether this is the first book of mine you’ve read or the tenth. Your support means more to me than words can say.
Thank you to Julia Heudorf and Bex Blogs for your feedback as beta readers.
Thank you to Deb Markanton and Leslie McAdam for your invaluable editing assistance, as well as for listening to me whine about everything, both writing related and not. You guys are the best.
To my Book Junkies, you guys rock. I’m glad you enjoyed my poem about tree orgies.
And last but not least, to my husband, who’s believed in me from the beginning. Thank you.
Here’s my own personal soundtrack for this book. Enjoy.
Riptide by Vance Joy
Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford and Sons
The Gambler by fun.
Not With Haste by Mumford and Sons
Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons
We Are Young by fun.
Cecilia and the Satellite by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
Wake Me Up by Avicii
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Fine By Me by Andy Grammer
Avalanche by Walk the Moon
Poet by Bastille
Shape of You by Ed Sheeran
Look How Far We’ve Come by Imagine Dragons
I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift
Brave by Sarah Bareilles
Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson
The Silence by Bastille
All Alright by fun.
Flaws by Bastille
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
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Jerica MacMillan is a lifelong reader and lover of romance. Nothing beats escaping into a book and watching people fall in love, overcome obstacles, and find their happily ever after. She was recently named a semi finalist in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write 2015 contest.
Jerica is living her happily ever after in North Idaho with her husband and two children. She spends her days building with blocks, admiring preschooler artwork, and writing while her baby naps in the sling. Sign up to receive updates on her reading and writing life at www.JericaMacMillan.com.
Other Titles
Players of Marycliff University
Summer Fling, Book 1
One summer is all they have ...
Lance is a notorious player on and off the football field who never sees a girl more than twice. But with graduation now behind him, his days of carefree flirting are numbered. As soon as his summer internship is over, his parents expect him to return to Texas to take his place in the family business. He’s done everything he can to delay the inevitable, and he’s determined to live it up his last summer as his own man.
Abby comes from a world where men don’t stick around. Lance’s interest does nothing but put her on guard, especially when she finds out he’ll be leaving in less than two months. With two years left of college and a mom who relies on her for everything, Abby doesn’t have the patience for relationships that are doomed from the start. But Lance's persistence wears down her defenses. Abby convinces herself they’ll just have a summer fling, and she’ll be able to come through unscathed.
Will Abby be able to maintain her distance? Or will they both be heartbroken when the summer ends?
If you love steamy college romance featuring hot athletes and sassy heroines, check out this first installment in the hot new series everyone is raving about!
Convenient Fall, Book 2
Sleeping with your roommate is a bad idea, right?
Megan Davidson is scrambling to find a new place after Abby, her roommate and best friend, decides to move in with her boyfriend Lance. With just a week until classes start, the open spot left in Lance’s old house looks like her best option. She moves in with Matt and Chris, hot football players who are shameless flirts and notorious players.
Chris Watkins is playing his final season of college football before life as he knows it is over. He’d dreamed of going pro, but the NFL never scouted him and now he’s in self-destruct mode—not bothering to go to classes or even try to graduate. With everything falling apart, he can’t even lose himself in the jersey chasers that are always hanging around. Megan caught his attention over the summer, and with her constantly under his nose, he can’t get her out of his head.
Sparks fly when these two finally give in to their attraction. Will these roommates turned lovers manage to keep things light and easy like they planned? Or will their flame burn hotter than anyone is ready for?
If you love steamy college romance full of hot athletes, fiery heroines, and chemistry that melts the pages, get Convenient Fall now!
Opening Hearts, A Players of Marycliff University Novella
Hannah Glover spends the summer before her senior year of high school with her best friend’s family in Westport, Washington. One fateful day on the beach, she meets Matt Schwartz, a sexy surf instructor who catches her eye and sends electricity zinging through her body.
The prequel to Matt and Hannah’s story in Managed Hearts, this sweet and sexy story of firsts originally appeared in the anthology Because Beards. Now available as a standalone novella, read the full story of Matt and Hannah’s first summer together.
Managed Hearts, Book 3
Do you choose your dream job—or the guy you’ve always wanted?
Three years ago Hannah met a sexy surfer while on vacation in Westport, WA. After a whirlwind summer romance, he ghosts. She’s tried to move on, but no other guy has ever measured up. And now she comes face to face with him on the first day of her new internship. To make matters worse, he’s one of her managers, and he has no idea who she is.
Matt graduated in December after his final football season, and is now working a desk job. Having spent his whole life as an athlete, the day to day grind chafes at him. All his friends are moving on with relationships and pursuing their goals while he’s left as the third wheel. And despite his reputation as a player, he’s the only one who ever wanted a girlfriend.
And then Hannah Glover shows back up in his life—the girl who simultaneously made him want a relationship and ruined him for anyone else without him even realizing it. He wants her now more than ever, but she doesn’t trust him after the way he ended things before. Which should be fine since he’s her manager at his first job out of college, and their company has a strict no fraternization policy. But Matt just can’t seem to help himself where she’s concerned. And she won’t be an intern forever, right?
Will he be able to convince Hannah to give them another shot? Or will their past and their present conspire to keep them apart?
If you love steamy new adult romance featuring hot college athletes with a hidden dominant side, heroines who stand up for themselves, and a hard-won happily ever after, check out the third installment in the Players of Marycliff University series now!
Unsaid Things, Book 4
Christmas. An engagement ring. An unexpected reappearance.
After a romantic six months, Lance and Abby's relationship feels solid, and he's excited to have her spend Christmas with his family in Texas. She doesn't know he has a diamond ring stashed in his suitcase, along with a plan to propose to her on Christmas morning.
He's forced to scrap the proposal, however, when Abby’s dead-beat brother shows up at her mom's house two days before Christmas. Abby, worried about her brother's sudden reappearance after more than a year of silence, insists on going home.
Just when Lance thought he'd broken through Abby's defenses, she puts up another one in his path. Pushing him away, she insists on dealing with her family herself, a bad idea in his mind. Will proposing reassure her that he’s in it for the long haul? Or just make everything exponentially worse?
The fourth installment in the Players of Marycliff University series follows the developing relationship of Lance and Abby from Summer Fling. It’s a story about family, trust, and where you should turn when life gets messy. If you’re looking for a hero you can swoon over and make your next book boyfriend, one-click Unsaid Things now!
Coping Skills, Book 5
Learning to deal ...
Back at Marycliff University for her senior year, Elena Martinez is still reeling from her father’s devastating car accident over the summer. Awash in anger and guilt and shouldering ongoing family responsibilities, she tries to pretend that everything's fine, even though it’s anything but.
Daniel Carter has been looking forward to seeing Elena again all summer. Sexy and energetic, she’d captured his attention on the surf trip they’d both gone on in early June, and he’s eager continue what they started on the beach. But when he runs into her the week before classes start, she’s subdued and carrying the obvious weight of emotional pain. Determined to help her, he becomes her refuge from the stress and grief pulling her under.
Will Daniel’s persistence be enough to break through Elena’s emotional barriers? Or will her fears and hangups be the end of their relationship before it can really even start?
Gripping and emotional, Coping Skills will hook you in and not let go until the very end. If you love strong and stubborn heroines, dominant and caring alphas, and stories that hit you in all the feels, one-click this book now!
False Assumptions, Book 6
First impressions aren’t always right.
<
br /> Layla Caldwell is finishing her senior year, intent on keeping her head down, acing her classes, and getting a job after graduation that allows her time to write. The last thing she has time for is a playboy football player who flirts with any and every female. But he's just who she gets paired up with in class.
Evan Coopman has seen Layla around and been intrigued by the quiet, pretty girl who keeps to herself. Now’s his chance to get to know her. Except she wants nothing to do with him, treating him with disdain since she thinks he’s a dumb jock who couldn’t pass a class without a lot of help.
False Assumptions (Players of Marycliff University Book 6) Page 19