“Do you miss me already?” she greets me.
“Yes.” I don’t think about my answer or how desperate it might make me sound until the words are out of my mouth. Oh, well, honesty is the best policy.
“It hasn’t even been an hour.”
“Too long, Peyton.” I’m smiling, knowing I’ve caught her off guard. “What are you doing?”
“I was sitting out in the living area talking to Holden, Cameron, and Parker, but when you called, I came to my room.”
“Do you want me to let you go?”
“Do you want to let me go?”
“Never.”
“I’m good,” she says softly.
“So I was talking to my parents, and they’d like to meet you.”
“Really?” she asks, surprise evident in her tone.
“Yeah. I thought maybe they could join us for dinner tomorrow night.”
“I’m leaving, Griffin.”
“I know.” We’re both quiet, and I finally speak again. “Did you know that it’s a twelve-and-a-half-hour drive from here to Nashville?”
“How do you know that?”
“I told you I had a hard time sleeping last night. I looked it up.”
“That’s a long drive.”
“But a short flight,” I counter.
“What are you trying to say, Griffin?”
“I don’t really know, to be honest. I know that I like you more than any girl I’ve ever met, and the thought of you leaving in two days and never seeing you again doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Long-distance relationships rarely work.”
“You have to want it.”
“Do you? Want one, I mean?”
“Yeah, Peyton. I think I do.”
“This is crazy. We just met.”
“I know. And I’m not proposing marriage. But I think we should at least consider it.”
“Consider what exactly?”
“Seeing each other again.”
“We have school and ball. I’m not sure when that would be.”
“I know.” I sit up, resting my elbows on my knees, running my hands through my hair. “I’m aware that it sounds like I’ve lost my mind. I am. I just… my gut tells me that if I let you leave without a promise of at least keeping in touch and seeing what might happen with us, I’d regret it.” She’s quiet, but I can hear her breathing. I don’t push her to answer me. I know that this is intense and crazy as hell. We barely know each other, but my gut never steers me wrong.
“Let’s just take the next two days and see what happens. I don’t want expectations or plans for what could possibly happen in the future hanging over our heads. I just want to spend some time with this great guy I met and make some memories with him.”
“Done.”
She laughs. “That was easy.”
“I didn’t even mean to have this conversation with you tonight. It just kind of happened.”
“You can’t take it back, Anthony,” she teases.
“I don’t want to take it back, Monroe. In case you missed it, I’m trying to keep you tethered to me.”
“I caught that,” she replies.
“About tomorrow?”
“If you want me to meet them, I will. It’s fair after the interrogation my family gave you.”
“I want you to meet them. Dinner, and then we can leave, or go down to the basement and watch a movie, or whatever you want. I can take you back to the hotel, but I’d really like for you to meet them.”
“Then I’ll meet them.”
“Thank you.” I don’t know why it feels as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, but it does. I guess I wanted her to meet them more than I thought I did.
“So, you ready for the season?” she asks.
“I stay ready,” I quip, and she laughs. I love the sound. “What about you?”
“Definitely. I’m a little nervous, this being my first year playing in college. Both of my sisters did it, so I can too.”
“Of course you can.”
“I appreciate your faith in me.”
“You’re welcome. You’re going to have to send me your schedule, and I’ll see if I can make it to a game.”
“I thought we weren’t talking about the future?” she jokes.
“I can’t seem to stop myself where you’re concerned.”
“What are you doing tomorrow during the day?”
“I have steaks to marinate.”
“Yeah, right. Your parents are going to be there. You’re going to get your dad to cook them.”
“Nope. I have already told him what I promised you. I don’t break my promises, Peyton.”
“Well, I’m ready to cut this steak with a fork.”
“You’re going to love it.”
“We’ll see.”
“What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure yet. I know that Cameron and Holden have the day off from training. Well, kind of. They have to go in early in the morning, and then they said they’ll be done by noon or so. I think Karina is going to visit family. She has an aunt and uncle who live here.”
“You’re not going?”
“She invited me. I don’t want to risk not being back in time for our dinner.”
“Date number two.”
“For date number two,” she amends.
“This is where I should be the nice guy and tell you we can move the date to the next day, but you’re leaving the day after that, and I want to be selfish. I want all the Peyton time you’re willing to give me before you head home.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “I’m growing kind of partial to Griffin time as well.”
“My work here is done.”
Her laughter flows through the line, and I’m surprised that I can see her eyes sparking in my mind and the long slender column of her neck as it tilts back. Two days with her, and I have her features memorized. I’m in trouble. Big trouble. I’m falling for this girl, and I should stop it. I should walk away, but instead, I’m running toward her, holding on to her with all that I have.
She yawns, and I know I need to let her go. “I guess I need to hit the hay. I have a big date tomorrow.”
“Sorry. I know I keep yawning. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Me either, and I doubt I will tonight either.”
“I hope that you do.”
“Sweet dreams, Peyton.”
“Good night,” she says, and the line goes dead.
So. Much. Trouble.
CHAPTER 7
Peyton
For the second night in a row, I barely slept. I have too much nervous energy and excitement to sleep. That’s why it’s eleven, and I’m just now dragging my tired ass out of bed. I heard Parker up earlier, but I just rolled over and went back to sleep.
I take my time in the shower. I don’t know what’s going to happen tonight, but I want to be prepared for anything where Griffin and our date are concerned. His parents are going to be there, so I doubt I needed to even worry about it, but I’m not going to get caught with my panties down when it comes to being groomed. No pun intended.