Page 157 of Finding Us

“That guy’s not even around anymore and I still hate him.”

“Hey, I didn’t know your dad went to Harvard and Yale.”

“Yeah. And everyone who knows that always asks me whyIdidn’t go to one of those schools.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“My dad practically forced me to go to Moorhurst. He wanted me close to home because he didn’t trust me and he wanted to keep an eye on me.”

“Yale isn’t that much farther away.”

“Yeah, but—” I lower my voice. “Presidents go to Yale. Now that I know what was planned for me, I understand why my dad never encouraged me to go there.”

“But back then, he didn’t know about the plan.”

“Yes, but he didn’t want me to start down a path foranytype of political career. Politicians tend to go to Ivy League schools, not schools like Moorhurst. I actually wanted to go to Harvard for my MBA but when I mentioned that to my dad, he suggested other schools. At the time I thought he was trying to tell me I was too stupid to go there but it all goes back to this political thing.”

“Did, um, Royce go to Yale?”

I need to get us off this topic. I don’t want Jade thinking about this. Every time she thinks about Royce or the organization, her mind goes back to last year and I’m trying to get her past all that. Of course, I’m not really past it myself, so I guess I can’t expect her to be either.

“Jade, let’s not talk about him.”

“I just wondered. I know Arlin went to Harvard, so maybe that’s where Royce went.”

“No, Royce went to Yale. He was there the same time my dad was. They actually lived in the same dorm, on the same floor.”

“Oh. I guess I didn’t know they’d been friends for that long.”

“I don’t know if they were friends back then, but they knew each other.”

My dad’s never admitted it, but I’m guessing he was forced to be friends with Royce. The Sinclairs are a powerful family and because of that, I’m sure my grandfather made my dad be friends with Royce, just like my dad picked my friends back in high school.

“Did your grandfather go to Yale, too?”

“Yeah. That’s another reason he’s unhappy with me. He expected me to go there. You should’ve heard him when my dad told him I was going to Moorhurst instead. It was March of my senior year. My dad didn’t want me around when he told him so I went to my room, but I could hear my grandfather yelling at my dad. He told him he was ruining my future. After that, the two of them didn’t speak again until they saw each other at my graduation.”

“Do you ever wish you’d gone to Yale?”

“No.” I kiss her. “If I’d gone there, I wouldn’t have met you. And Ihadto meet you. You’re the only person in the world for me.”

“I am?” She smiles and her serious tone turns happy and lighter. “How do you know that?”

“Everyoneknows that, Jade. You and I are meant to be together. So if I hadn’t gone to Moorhurst, I would’ve had to spend the rest of my life looking for you. And you’d be left wandering around looking for me.”

She laughs. “You really think I’d just be wandering around?”

“Yes. It would’ve been a sad, pathetic life for both of us.”

She laughs again. “Sounds like it.”

“Luckily, we found each other and everything turned out the way it was supposed to.” I kiss her again. “You ready to go to the store?”

“Yeah.” We get up and she takes the blanket and shakes it out a little. “We should go to some football games this fall. What position does Kyle play?”

“Quarterback.” I take Jade’s hand and walk toward the car.

She stops. “The freaking quarterback of the football team is trying to be friends with you?”

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