Page 18 of Extracurricular with Mr. Abbot

He pulls me into his body and hugs me tight. “Enjoy tonight, Erin, you worked your ass off for it.”

“I love you,” I whisper, feeling my eyes sting with tears. “I can’t ever thank you enough for everything that you’ve done for me. Mom would be so proud of the man you’ve become; I know that I am.”

“She’ll be proud of both of us,” he says hoarsely. “Now, go, enjoy your night. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast?”

I nod. “Sounds perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Remember, call me if you need me.”

“I will,” I kiss his cheek and walk over to Stasi and Jacob.

* * *

The party isin full swing, and we’ve moved from bar to bar. Both Stasi and I have only had one drink. We want to keep our wits about us and make sure that nothing happens.

“Still nothing?” she asks.

I swallow hard. It’s been hours, and Jared hasn’t called, nor has he texted me. I thought for sure that he would have, he was so adamant that we’d be together once I’d graduate, and yet, I’ve not heard from him, and that is killing me.

“No, but I’m not going to let it ruin our night. We’re celebrating. We worked our asses off, Stasi. We’ve overcome a lot, and look at us now.”

She laughs. “Yeah, who’d have thought we’d be here?”

Both of us came close to pulling out of college, Stasi because she felt guilty for Jacob not working while she was getting her degree as well as the guilt of leaving her daughter while she was at school. She’s a badass, I can’t imagine how tough it’s been for her to do it all, and I’m so damn proud of her. She’s achieved her dream and done it by kicking ass. She’s a fucking role model to Theresa, and I’m going to let my goddaughter know how amazing her mom is.

I came close to pulling out after what happened with Danny. I was adamant in the hospital that I would be fine and that I could continue, but it was tough, and it took me a while to pull through the dark times, but I’m here, and I’m proud of myself for carrying on and achieving what I set out to do.

“Oh wow,” I hear Stasi breathe.

I turn to her and see that she’s staring toward the door, her eyes wide and her lips curved into a smile. My breath hitches as I see who she’s staring at. My heart begins to pound as Jared stalks toward me, his strides determined and his gaze solely on me.

“Wow, is right,” I breathe.

“Go get him, Erin, you’ve waited for this,” she whispers.

My heart constricts. “I don’t want to leave you,” I reply softly.

She shakes her head. “Jacob’s already on his way,” she informs me. “He’ll be here in minutes. Go, go and get your man.”

I laugh as I slide off my seat. My feet take me toward him, I can’t stop smiling, I’m so freaking happy that he’s here. The second I’m close to him, he reaches for me, dragging me into his body and sliding his hand into my hair. His mouth slants against mine, and he kisses me. I cling to him, loving the way he’s claiming me, it’s so much better than I could have ever imagined.

Cheers and jeers go out around the bar, and I laugh as I pull back from Jared. “How did you know that I was here?”

His grin is cocky. God, I love that stupid grin. “I spoke to your brother, he let me know where you were.”

“You spoke to Gary?” I ask, wondering how the hell that happened.

His thumb caresses against my lips. “I did, I met him after the ceremony. We got to talking, and he had a few things to say to me. He wasn’t happy, and I get it. But he’s happy that you’re happy, Erin. That’s all we want for you.”

My tongue swipes along my lip. “I thought you had changed your mind.”

His eyes darken. “Never.”

“Let’s go home,” I say a little breathlessly. It’s been too long since we’ve been together, and I need him.

“Yeah, baby, let’s go home.” He takes my hand and waves Stasi over to us. “We’ll wait outside with you until Jacob arrives,” he says, his tone brooks no arguments.

Thirty minutes later, we’ve said our goodbyes to Stasi and Jacob and are walking into his house. My heart is racing, I can’t believe that I’m here.

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