Of course Sam wouldn’t come all that way for graduation. I should’ve known. Or maybe he would have. Ugh, my thoughts flew in so many directions I didn’t even know what I knew anymore.
Finally, I climbed the four steps to the stage. My hands were vibrating when they made contact with his.
“What’re you doing?” I whispered. He gave me his trademark Cain smirk and pulled me over within the range of the microphone. Although someone, no idea who, acted as sound guy, pulling it out of its stand and holding it near us making sure everyone could hear every. Single. Word.
“A week or two into that communications class I gave you my coffee. You said, and I quote, ‘I think I need to marry you’. So, now it’s my turn. Flannery, I need to face this world with you as my wife. It won’t work otherwise.” He dropped to a knee and pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was so me. A little flashy but still understated. A large-ish single diamond, princess cut and perfectly clear. “Baby, I love you so much. I’m gonna need you to say you’ll marry me.”
Swallowing hard, I somehow managed to speak, although it’s a good thing we had the mic there because otherwise, Cain might not even have been able to hear my answer.
“Um, I don’t really like being told what to do.” His smile spread a little. “But in this case, I’ll make an exception. I’ll marry you.”
His lips were on mine before I finished the last word and he pulled me tightly into his arms, my feet no longer touching the floor. The audience clapped and Adam whistled louder than necessary since we were inside. Once he pulled away, he slipped the beautiful ring on my finger. It fit perfectly.
Cain’s mouth pressed to my temple as I tried to let it sink in. Porter started talking about the promise of the future or something like that. I had no clue.
“I’m glad you said yes,” he murmured.
“As if there were any doubt.”
Outside the stadium, we waited for the others off to the side. I never did go back to my seat, not that it mattered. Graduating from college wasn’t like high school. They didn’t call us all out individually. We stood with whatever college our major fell under, for Kendra and me it was Art, and were declared graduated. We’d get our actual paper degrees the next week.
“All right, let me see,” Kendra said, grabbing my hand. I’d been focused on Cain and didn’t see her or Adam approach. “Yikes. You did good kid.” She playfully punched Cain’s shoulder. “And I told you I could keep a secret.” Of course she’d known.
“Yeah, don’t get any ideas, Kendra,” Adam snaked an arm around her waist.
“Please. I’m just keeping you around until I find someone better.”
I laughed with them but in several heart-to-hearts with Adam I already knew that he completely intended to marry the woman one day. In the future.
Then the mother’s descended, full of tears, theirs not mine, and hugs. Along with a million tugs on my hand to see The Ring.
“I’d say welcome to the family,” his mom started. “But you’ve been part of this family since Florida.”
I felt that way too. They’d always made me feel like one of them. The second year I’d gone they didn’t make us sleep in separate rooms.
“So, Flannery Dorsey or Flannery Tate-Dorsey?” Mom smirked in my direction.
“Ah, I haven’t thought about it but I’d have to say Flannery Dorsey. I mean you’re not even a Tate anymore.”
“I tried to talk him out of it, Flannery.” Sam hugged me tightly. “I wanted you all for myself but he couldn’t be swayed.”
“Seriously, don’t make me kill you,” Cain growled.
We let the group get ahead of us when it became time to leave campus. Everyone had been talking at once and he and I needed to catch our breaths. And we’d be stuck with them back at his place.
“Mmmm…what I wouldn’t do for some alone time.” He pulled me to his chest.
“Well, next time do this more privately and you won’t have to worry about it.”
“Next time? Please woman, you’re not getting rid of me.” A quick kiss hit my lips.
“Besides, what would we do with alone time?” My voice turned playful, a little evil even as I turned and started walking again.
“I have so many thoughts right now that I can’t even organize them.”
My giggles made him growl.
“Well, don’t wait too long. Otherwise I might sell myself on the internet.”
“You know.” He yanked me to a stop. “That’s never gonna be funny.”
Trying to keep the smile off my face and my laugh silent, I watched the corners of his twitching. Over the years, I’d made more than one joke about what had happened between us. And each time he made sure I knew he didn’t appreciate it.
“Not trying to be funny. I still owe you twenty thousand dollars and have no job with which to pay you back.” Thankfully, I’d gotten financial aid for my last year of school. It had been a tight squeeze and Cain made sure, much to my chagrin that I didn’t want for anything. But I’d made it.
“How about as of our wedding day the debt is forgiven?”
No way was he getting one over on me. I knew why he said that. “Hmmm, could that be incentive to get married sooner?”
“Maybe.” His hands gripped my hips tightly.
“Cain, I’d marry you today if I could but our mothers would murder us in our sleep.”
“Fine, Next week.” The way he looked at me made me think he might’ve been able to pull it off. It’d be fine with me. Some huge circus with people I didn’t know and details I couldn’t care about didn’t sound like anything I’d want to be a part of.
We stood there, crowds of people making their way to their cars and us not noticing or caring. Our lips fit together perfectly which made it easy to get lost in the moment.
Even though lost was one thing we weren’t.
About the Author
Heather Young-Nichols is a multi-published YA and contemporary romance author and a native of the great and often very cold state of Michigan. She is better known at home and to her friends as the Snarker-in-Chief, a job she excels at beyond anything she could have imagined. She loves many things, but especially cold coffee, hot books, and baseball. But not necessarily in that order.
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Up for Grabs (Up For Grabs #1) Page 20