“Yes, babe?” The corner of my mouth tipped as realization slowly seeped into her expression.
“Why are you wearing that?”
“What this?” I pinched the cherry and white jersey and pulled it away from my chest. “Figured I should get used to it.”
“B- but why?”
I took a step closer. “Because come fall, I’m going to be playing for the Temple Owls.”
“You are?” The surprised expression on her face was adorable.
I nodded, fighting a grin. “It isn’t official yet, but it will be soon enough. What do you think?” Turning on the spot, I paused long enough for her to get a good look at the name printed on the back.
“Hernandez,” she whispered.
“That’s right, babe.” I faced her again, closing the distance between us. “You’re wearing my name and I’m wearing yours. Do you know what that means?”
Her lips parted but the words got stuck.
“It means,” I leaned in, hovering my lips over hers, “I’m yours and you’re mine.”
“I think I like the sound of that,” her voice quivered, but the smile on her face said it all.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “There’s just one tiny problem.”
I reared back, my brows bunched together. “I won’t be at Temple in the fall.”
“You won’t?”
What the actual fuck?
Mya shook her head. “I won’t be there… because I accepted the place at Cleveland.”
“You what? I’m not following.”
Guilt sparkled in her eyes. “After that night at Felicity’s, I knew there was no way I could walk away from you. I just needed time to figure things out. So I accepted the place at Cleveland. I was waiting for the right time to tell you.”
Cupping the back of her neck, I drew her close to me. “Well, you’re going to need to un-accept it. I want Temple, Mya. I want Temple with you.”
“You’re sure?”
“More than anything. Where you go, I go, Hernandez.” Her body relaxed against me at my words.
“But what about your dad?”
I eased back to look at her. “Who do you think pulled some strings with the administration at Temple?”
“He did?”
“He owed me, and now,” I kissed the end of her nose, “now we’re even.”
“I don’t know about this.” Mya drummed her hand against her thigh as I pulled into a parking bay at the hospital and cut the engine.
“Hey,” I said, leaning over to take her hands in mine. “Stop overthinking it.”
“I’m not... it’s just...”
“You’re scared?”
She nodded, her bottom lip trembling. Without hesitation, I closed the distance between us and captured her mouth in a deep kiss. My other hand buried into her hair, loving how soft her spiral curls felt against my skin. “I love you, Mya. Nothing will ever change that.”
“She really wants to see me?”
Emotion clogged my throat. After I’d sat and told my mom the plan I had to win back Mya, she’d looked at me with such pride, I may have shed a tear or two. Then she’d slowly uttered that she wanted to see my girlfriend as soon as possible.
“She does,” I choked out, brushing my thumb over Mya’s neck. “But if you’re not ready—”
“I’m ready.” Conviction burned in her eyes.
“That’s my girl.”
We climbed out of my Jeep and made our way inside. A couple of people stared, glancing at our joined hands, disapproval shining in their eyes, but it only made me hold her tighter.
I was done caring what people thought.
“I hate these places, so much,” Mya murmured as we stepped into the elevator.
I moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and dropping my chin to her shoulder. “Yeah, I’ll be glad when she’s finally home.” But I knew it could be a while. Mom was showing progress, but the doctors were concerned about the extent of the damage caused to her brain.
“I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself,” Mya whispered.
“Hey, don’t do that. We promised, remember? Jermaine did this, not you. If I hadn’t gone for him—”
“He would have shot you or me.”
Silence enveloped us as we waited for the doors to ping open.
“When we walk out of here, we do it together, okay? And we leave the past where it belongs.”
Mya turned in my arms, gazing up at me with so much love it knocked the air from my lungs. “Together.” She leaned up to kiss me, but all too soon the doors pinged open and the noise of the busy hospital floor cut through our intimate moment.
We walked hand-in-hand to Mom’s room. Dad had made a substantial donation to the hospital to give her the best room available. It had a couch and a foldaway bed that Dad slept on most nights. He’d even gone as far as to notify all his clients he was taking an extended leave of absence to care for Mom.
It was more than I ever expected but no less than she deserved.
It shouldn’t have taken almost losing Mom for him to step up to the plate, but I was just relieved he’d come through when she needed him most.
She stirred the second we entered the room. “Hey, Mom,” I said, letting go of Mya to move next to the bed. “I brought someone to see you.”
Mom’s eyes tracked Mya as she approached us. My heart jack-hammered in my chest, my palms growing slick. I knew Mom didn’t want me to bring Mya here for any other reason than she wanted my girlfriend to know she didn’t blame her. But there was still a seed of doubt. A tiny part of me that expected the rug to be pulled from under me at any second. Mom didn’t blame Mya. Dad has conceded and helped me with Temple University, albeit begrudgingly.
It all felt too good to be true.
But when Mom lifted a shaky hand toward Mya and my girl fell at the side of her bed, clasping her hand with tears rolling down her cheeks, I knew we were going to be okay.
The past had hurt us all, but it hadn’t destroyed us.
I watched as the two most important women in the world to me shared an intimate moment. Mom had pulled Mya close, barely saying a word, but she didn’t need to. Her eyes said everything she couldn’t yet say.
“A- Ash...”
I went to Mya, covering their joined hands with my own. “I love you both, so much. And I know we’ll get through this, okay? Because we’re going to need you healthy and happy one day, Mom.”
Her eyes widened and I chuckled. “Don’t worry we’re not making you a grandma... yet.” I winked at her, but Mya’s elbow caught me in the ribs.
“I am so sorry Mrs.... Julia. You know how he gets when he’s excited about something. But you don’t need to worry. We plan on going to college before any of that happens.”
“We’ll see,” I grumbled, wrapping myself around her and kissing her neck. I knew people would think we were too young, too irresponsible to know what we wanted in life. But I’d been looking out for myself, craving love and attention, for as long as I could remember.
And now I’d found it?