Chapter 50
Damon
Evan is amazing at what she does, so I’m not surprised when she gets the invitation to the summer internship and gets a call from Sandra Cox. I’m working at my desk on calculus homework when Evan takes the call into her room.
After fifteen minutes, she returns and straddles my lap at the desk. Her stormy eyes meet mine, and I wait.
“She wanted me to do the mentorship.”
“That’s amazing, little devil.” I run my hands over her back. “She’d be insane to pass on you.”
Evan sighs and leans back to look me in the eyes. “I told her I decided to go to college first, but that I’d love to try to work something out with her while I attend classes.”
“Evan, what happened to we don’t settle?” I search her eyes.
“It’s not settling if I choose you, Hawk, and Cam.
It’s not settling to go to a fantastic program at Crowne Mawr instead of straight into industry.
It’s not settling when I have a summer internship already that I’d have to give up for this mentorship.
” She threads her fingers into my hair. “I love directing, but I also want to get back to acting. If I do the mentorship, it will be making a choice again. I want the option to act for now. Besides, I can try for the mentorship in a few years if I still want it, but right now, I want to be with you and Cam and Hawk. My career will wait or just be different, but I want to start our lives together.”
“You won’t regret it?” I have to ask, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Do you regret this year? I know it wasn’t what you had planned. It changed how you were going to get to the NHL. Do you regret it?” She braces herself.
If I had the chance all over again and knew what I know now, would I still choose to go? Would I choose hockey over her, Cam, and Hawk? It’s not a choice I really have to make. Everything happened the way it was supposed to happen.
I grab her hips and stand. She squeaks and wraps herself around me, more fully. When I lower her onto the bed, she crawls back as I crawl over her.
“Even if I went, you still would have been under my roof when I came back, Evan. You were inevitable. We were inevitable. I wouldn’t change it because I can’t. But there’s no way in any form of this world the four of us don’t end up together.”
She cups my jaw and lifts her mouth to almost touch mine.
“I’m choosing us. But also still chasing my dream.
I earned the summer internship. I earned my spot in the freshman class and the full ride scholarship at Crowne Mawr.
Yes, Sandra Cox chose me, and it’s a fucking honor and I would spend a year earning her respect, but I’m good with what I’ve already earned. ”
“I love you, little devil.”
She smiles wickedly. “I love you. Now kiss me so we can get back to calculus.”
Cam
I sit next to Evan at the dining room table. Hawk sits on her other side while Damon sits beside me. Our parents are all here for dinner. It’s been a few weeks since we last all sat down together when Evan needed a place to stay.
The parents are chatting, but we’ve got news that we need to share. And I’ve been designated spokesman for the night.
When dinner is served, the table falls quiet, and I take this as my moment. “As you know, Damon has received offers to play hockey at Crowne Mawr and Yale.”
There’s a round of exclamation congratulating Damon and Adam.
I clear my throat and it dies down a little. “We were able to go down to Crowne Mawr last weekend to visit.” I got to go to the frat and Damon showed us the underground fighting area. We got to tour the drama department. We also looked at housing options.
“I’m going to tell you something, and some of you might be like you’re too young to make decisions like this or what if you break up or whatever trite wisdom you think we haven’t already thought of between the four of us.
We’ve weighed all the pros and cons. None of us is settling for anything less than we would want for ourselves.
But we made this decision together and intentionally. ”
I stop and look all the parents in the eyes because this is important.
“This is our future and we’ve decided to make our decision as a group. We want to stay together in college, and we believe it’s possible. We know that Damon and Evan both have careers that may pull us in different directions, but we want to spend our college lives together.”
My dad meets my eyes. “So you’re all deciding to go to either Yale or Crowne Mawr as a group?”
“Yes, and we’ve decided.”
“On?” Adam asks, looking at Damon.
“Crowne Mawr fits all of us better,” I say. “It’s always been my first choice. Damon loves the team already. Evan will be able to do acting and directing simultaneously. And the pre-law is one of the top programs in the U.S. for Hawk.”
I take Evan’s hand in mine and she gives me that smile that makes my heart feel like it’s going to explode into confetti. Damon and Hawk nod to me. We’re a team on this. We’ll always be a team.
Dad lifts his glass and nods to me. “To Crowne Mawr.”
All the adults lift their glasses and so do we. There’s a lot of clinking before everyone takes a sip. To a future together.
EvanAnn
It’s the first hockey game of the season and I sit in the stands with Mark and Keira. Mom and Adam are also here, but they’re over with Lisa and Alex, and Naomi and Paul. I’m wearing Cam’s jersey this game.
He caught me first last night when we went to our spot. It’s almost too cold for that kind of play, but we stayed fairly covered during it and still had fun. And more fun when we went home and spent the night together.
“Hi, is this seat taken?”
I look up in surprise at Mia’s voice. She’s wearing Fletcher’s jersey and a decidedly uncertain of her welcome smile.
I stand and for a second hesitate before I open my arms and we hug each other. Our words crash over each other.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t talk—”
“I missed you so much—”
“My parents made me stay home—”
“The play wasn’t the same without you—”
“I’m still dating Fletcher and Liam and they’ve been great—”
“Jackson kidnapped me.”
“What?” Mia pulls back. “Wait, what? Kidnapped?”
The buzzer goes off, and I pull Mia down to sit next to me. I fill her in on the whole Brandt and Jackson and even Chase drama. Our parents kept the story out of the news, but the rumor mill around school was rampant.
“You know, I forgot Brandt said to be friends with someone like you. That dirty bastard. I didn’t even remember him from auditions.
And I really didn’t fuck Chase, but we did make out a little when I was touring the school.
But he didn’t say he had a girlfriend. Not that that would have stopped me. I’m a horrible person.”
“No, you’re not. You’re my friend. And I’ve really missed you.” I hold her hand.
“You’re too nice. That’s why I love you.” She smiles softly.
“Are you coming back to Anteros?” I can’t help but ask, though I think I know the answer.
“No, with what happened with Tanner, my parents insisted I go to boarding school, Barrington Academy. There’s more security and with the trial coming up, they don’t want to have to worry about reporters asking me questions.
Brandt’s sister goes there, but I’ll stay away from her. She’s a manipulative bitch.”
I laugh, and we spend the rest of the game catching up.
When the Devils win, because they always win, we head down to meet the guys when they come out of the locker room. Liam gets there first and frowns at Mia’s jersey.
“Kitten?” He pulls her into his arms. “Didn’t we talk about this?”
She leans up and whispers in his ear. His grin widens as she speaks. When she turns to me, she gives me a wink.
Damon, Cam, and Hawk come out next. Cam grabs me and spins me in a circle. I barely notice Damon and Hawk greeting Mia stiffly. But it’s not like she was their favorite person.
Fletcher joins us and kisses Mia. “You don’t know how hard it was to break her free from that boarding school.”
“It’s called a weekend pass.” Mia rolls her eyes. “It’s not that hard.”
“It will be later,” Liam says quietly.
I turn my face into Cam’s shoulder and laugh.
“We should go get some dinner,” Cam says. “You guys want to come along?”
Surprised, I glance around at everyone as they nod in agreement. I smile at Mia, grateful to have my friend back.
Christmas break is amazing this year. Normally, I spend the holiday taking in movies or reading plays or figuring out what to work on next. This year we spent Christmas day with our families and each other, but the day after Christmas we head to Damon’s family vacation home in the mountains.
It’s just the kind of reset we need. After the semester we had...
In November, I had to testify at Jackson’s trial and then present a victim’s statement at the sentencing.
Hawk and I went over the victim’s impact statement a few times.
We argued about it. I don’t want to ruin his life the way he tried to ruin mine.
But I also know Jackson needs mental health treatment to get better.
It feels hypocritical of me to love one stalker and think the other should be punished.
Damon and I have talked about it (even in therapy), but what Damon did and what Jackson did aren’t different because I liked one of them more.
It’s why they did it. And yes, Damon did it without my knowledge at first, but now it’s just part of who we are as a couple.
Jackson wanted to control me. To make me into who he believed me to be. Damon loves me for who I am. He watches me because he’s afraid to lose me like he did his mother.
I do think Jackson should be punished, but I want him to get the help he needs. He’ll never have a fulfilling life if his philosophy clings to him.
He’s been remanded to a state facility for mental health for no less than three years. He’ll be allowed to train while there, so he won’t lose his hockey skills. It’s the best I can do for him, and I wish him well.