Both times, I got a text back assuring me that she was fine and that she’d eaten. She was spending the day reading on her phone, so she was content to stay snuggled on the couch. But she missed me.
Fuck, I loved getting messages like that from her. It made me feel a little less sick in the head for how much I ached from missing her. If she missed me even after I’d spent the entire weekend smothering her with my presence, then she wouldn’t freak out that I had trouble breathing just being in the garage below her all day.
I did my time at the middle school with Reid, who spent the few minutes before the bell rang ragging on me for bailing on him all weekend.
“Your dick broke or something?” my cousin and best friend grumbled as I just sat on my bike. “You never turn down the chance to go to one of the sorority parties on campus and hook up with one of those spoiled little rich girls at Trinity.”
He was right. Before my treasure, I would have been all too happy to spend the entire weekend finding a different girl to get my dick wet with. But that shit was over. Knowing he wasn’t going to drop it until I at least gave him something, I shrugged. “I met someone.”
Reid barked out a laugh. “Yeah, okay.”
“No, man. Seriously.” I pulled out my phone and showed him one of the many pictures I’d snapped of Delaney over the weekend. It was one where she’d been curled up beside me on the couch. Her focus was on the book she was reading on her phone while I’d watched TV. She had one arm draped over my stomach, her head on my chest. All you could see in the picture was the side of her beautiful face, but it was all I was going to let him see of her for now. “This is my girl.”
Reid’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked at her. “Holy shit. Do your folks know?”
I shook my head, pocketing my phone once again. “I’m waiting. Giving her time to get used to my shit before I scare her with Mom and Dad.”
He snorted. “You’re more intense than either Aunt Raven or Uncle Bash, brother.”
I grinned. “True. But my little treasure likes me anyway.”
Reid coughed on his next laugh. “Damn, man. You’re already gone for this chick.”
I wasn’t even about to deny it. He was right. I was gone for Delaney, and I never wanted to find my way back. “I need to get myself an SUV or a truck. I love having that girl on the back of my bike, but I don’t want her to get sick when it rains or snows in the winter.”
“For fuck’s sake.” He shook his head at me, his amusement fading. “I’m losing you to the dark side of a relationship. Who am I going to get to be my wingman?”
“Jack. Kingston. Chance. Elias.” I started listing names as the bell rang, making him grumble in mock despair. Most of the time, my four cousins were already at the sorority parties before we even showed up. Getting any of them to be his wingman wasn’t going to be a problem, especially his younger brother.
“I know a guy two towns over,” Reid said just as I spotted Nova coming our way. “I did some private construction for him on his home office a while back, off the books. He owns a dealership. Said if I was ever shopping for a cage, he’d throw me a good deal. Let me make a call, and I’ll go with you tomorrow to check out what he has available.”
“Yeah, thanks, man.” If I got the vehicle sooner rather than later, I could take my girl shopping Friday evening. Satisfied with that plan, I helped Nova onto the back of my bike. “How was your day, runt?”
She glowered at me at the hated nickname. “I’m glad this is the last week of school. I’m so ready to go to New York for the summer.”
“Vitucci flying in for Garret and River’s graduation this weekend?” Reid asked curiously.
Her green eyes brightened. “He’s supposed to be here Saturday morning. Uncle Ciro and Aunt Scarlett as well. Maybe some of their kids.”
“Tavia and Theo are coming too,” I informed Reid, knowing from my mom’s excitement earlier in the day that my adopted sister would be coming with her husband and baby daughter for the weekend. Mom had seen them just a few weeks before at River’s birthday party, but when it came to the girl she considered her second daughter, she was always happy to spend as much time as possible with Tavia and baby Rai.
Since the whole family would be present, I figured introducing Delaney at the graduation party Saturday afternoon would work the best. What I really wanted to do was keep my treasure all to myself for a little more time, but I didn’t know if I could keep her a secret from my mom for much longer. I knew Delaney was the girl I was going to spend the rest of my life with, and I wanted Mom to know it too.
With the last parent driving out of the parking lot, I started my bike and tipped my chin at my older cousin. “Text me later when you talk to your guy.”
Reid nodded. “I’ll let you know, brother.”
--
As soon as I walked through the front door, Delaney jumped up off the couch and threw herself into my arms. I caught her around the waist, her short legs going around my hips as she jerked my head down
