Chapter 15 #2
“You two want to leave Summerhaven,” Roe said as he looked from Wyatt to Reid.
“I liked the idea of something new, so I was all for it. Yes, I’m kind of smart.
But I didn’t try for the Kendry scholarship four years ago because it was something I dreamt about.
I knew that wherever we ended up, it would be great to have a lucrative career.
So we can have a nice life. Everything I have done has been for us.
Because we promised to stick together wherever we decide to go and whatever we decide to do.
” He dragged his hands through his black hair.
“But Lottie is something—someone I wanted. My want with my whole body and fucking soul. I share her with you two because it’s what she wants and because it keeps us all together.
Don’t sit there and ask me to do nothing if that bastard tries to touch her.
I’m tired of hearing that when it comes to her, I have to choose one thing or the other.
Not joining the club and leaving Summerhaven was the main goal.
It doesn’t matter how it’s done. We’ve been saving money for years.
When school ends, we pack up and just go.
We can go where Lottie wants. I don’t fucking care. ”
“What about MIT or Stanford?” I asked.
He shrugged. “If I get into them, great. If I don’t, there are other colleges. There is more than one way to do things in life. The end goal is to be happy, and I’d be happy with just being your assistant.”
I tried not to smile. “You just want me to sit on your face.”
“Sounds like a fulfilling career to me,” Wyatt said, lightening the mood.
I rolled my eyes, smiling.
Reid ran his hands down his face. “I do want to leave. All we’ve known is the club and I want to experience life away from it.”
“I do, too,” Wyatt said. “Plus, I prefer cars.”
“We know,” Roe and Reid said at the same time.
“And I wasn’t asking you to not protect Charlotte,” Reid said. “I just wanted you to be aware of what you might be giving up because I thought it was your dream to go to Kendry and get into a fancy college. I asked because I want you to be happy, too.”
“Sounds like you three were butting heads for the same reason,” I pointed out.
“I wasn’t butting heads with anyone,” Wyatt said. “I was just waiting for them to figure out what the fuck we were doing and tell me.”
Roe and Reid both flipped Wyatt off.
“May I express my wants and don’t-wants, since it’s the topic of discussion?” I asked.
“You never have to wait for it to be the topic of discussion to tell us things, Lottie,” Roe said.
“After last night, I don’t want any of you to join the club.
You three, shockingly even Reid, are too polite when turning down other women for my liking.
Although I am proud of you two—” I glanced from Roe to Wyatt.
“—for accidentally implying that you were in a relationship together to keep those ladies away, I still would have preferred a more direct, or if the lady is persistent, a downright asshole-ish approach. Like walking away. Bash did it. That makes me seem awful, I know, but I’d prefer not to punch anyone else. ”
Reid turned a confused look on his best friends. “You did what?”
Roe just shook his head, smiling, and Wyatt just shrugged.
“Despite what Roe just said, I don’t want him to jeopardize all the hard work he put into Kendry. I know it’s my hang-up. I’m just pissed off at that shit you went through. Maybe it would be best that I deal with Brandon if anything happens,” I said.
“No,” all three of them said at the same time.
I knew it’d be a waste of time arguing with them, so I just said, “Fine.”
“That was all don’t-wants. Are there any wants?” Wyatt asked.
I thought about it for a moment. I had given them a desperate list of wants once.
Since then, I had fulfilled nearly everything on it.
There was one item on that list, though, that I would never get: a mother who didn’t hurt me.
I supposed I’d gained a father who would protect me instead.
Thinking of that father, I figured I probably should get home soon.
“For right now, I want to focus on us. Take me on a date or something. I don’t want anything fancy.
We could go see a movie and I can actually eat the candy and buttery popcorn.
Or go to a restaurant and I can eat the food instead of pushing it around pretending to eat it the entire time.
Or do something cheesy that you see in all the romantic movies.
” I stood, unable to eat anymore. “While you three think on that, I need to get dressed and go home before Bram comes looking for me.”
As I walked toward Roe’s room, Noble came out of the farthest door down the hall. He froze when he saw me, then closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose after seeing what I was wearing. “Does your dad know you’re here or am I going to need to hide my boys?”
“Yes, he knows.”
He sighed with heavy relief as he opened his eyes. “Okay. That’s good.” He continued down the hall, and I went into Roe’s room to get dressed.