Chapter Thirty-Four
Beck
I finished putting the last box into Lyla’s car and then turned to face her—she had on these sexy tiny denim shorts, a lacy white top, and a bright floral scarf wrapped around her ponytail, the ends hanging over her shoulder. She was so pretty that I couldn’t help moving in for a kiss.
“Are you sure you won’t take the Land Rover?” I asked. “I can get another car sent for m—”
“It’s very nice of you to offer, but I’ll be fine.” She wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly, and I slid my hands in her back pockets.
“I just worry about you driving that far all by yourself, especially in this rust bucket you call a car. And suddenly a month seems like forever.”
She tipped up her head and pressed her lips to my jaw. “I know. But I’ve got to at least visit my parents. Hopefully the new look and new me doesn’t freak them out too much. Then I’ll be in Canterbury, and before long, you’ll probably be sick of me.”
“Impossible.”
Lyla glanced at her apartment complex. “I can’t believe my first year of college is over. It was both easier and harder than I imagined it’d be.” Her gaze moved to me. “And better in a lot of ways, too. And now it’s over, I can’t help feeling a little sad. But at least I don’t have to wait till next fall to see you—I’d never survive.”
“Right back at you.” I wasn’t sure what the future held, but I knew I was going to do whatever it took to keep Lyla. She was going to visit her parents for a month, and then she’d come live in Canterbury for six weeks while we both did internships for D&T Pharmaceuticals. She’d get job experience in the career field she hoped to be in one day, and I’d learn the ropes of the company.
We’d talked a lot about it, and she convinced me it was okay to take these next few years to figure things out—even with the company turning over to me, I could leave most of the decisions up to the board of trustees and have them fill me in on important transactions. I’d have to travel back and forth a bit, but she told me she’d come with me as much as possible. That way I could figure out if a position at D&T was the future I wanted, or if I should keep my focus on working toward the NHL.
Being in New Hampshire over the summer would also help me finish dealing with Mom and Dad’s estate, as well as spend some time with Megan and Avery, who was a dang cute kid. At first I’d suspected Karen was only after money, but the more I got to know her, the more I saw why Dad must’ve liked her. Or maybe even loved her. Didn’t mean I agreed with the way he’d gone about things, or that I was cool with him and Mom cheating on each other. Luckily, Megan was dealing better than I’d expected, despite the constant gossip, and I think a big part of that was how motherly Karen acted toward her. Aunt Tessa simply wasn’t cut out for it, even though she tried, and I could never repay her for all her help. So at least I wasn’t completely dreading going home.
Still, I knew life would be much easier to deal with if Lyla was there with us. “Megan’s so excited about moving back to our home for the summer—she never stops talking about it. Are you sure you’re ready to deal with her full time, too?”
Lyla grinned, the dimple in her cheek flashing. “We’ve already talked about how we can gang up on you when one of us needs to win an argument. Girl power and all that, you know.”
I shook my head but laughed. “I knew introducing you two was a bad idea.”
Six weeks of living with my amazing girlfriend. Then back to Boston in the fall, so we could work on finishing our degrees and I could help my team defend our championship title. With Lyla in the stands during the Frozen Four tournament, I’d played the best hockey of my life, and we’d won the championship game by three points. Taking her home with me afterward to properly celebrate had made the victory that much sweeter.
I rested my forehead against hers and sighed. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” She covered my lips with her fingertips. “But don’t say good-bye or I might cry. I keep telling myself that it’s only four weeks. Only four weeks.”
“Only four weeks,” I repeated. I pressed her tighter against me, desire instantly heating my veins. “I think I better drag you into the apartment and have my way with you one more time. Make sure number seven’s been accomplished as many times as possible before your first year of college is officially over.”
She bit her lip, and I knew I was about to get my way. I leaned down and kissed her neck to seal the deal. Her fingernails dug into my arms—man, I loved when she did that.
“But I… I still need to get Einstein,” she said. “And Whitney’s in the apartment, and…”
I slid my thumb under the waistband of her shorts, brushing the spot where her sexy tattoo was. Her sharp intake of breath told me I was on the right path.
“Once more for the road sounds good,” she whispered, her voice rough. “You know, I’ve never done it in a car before.”
“We can’t have that, can we?”
“But we’d need to go somewhere more secluded.”
I scooped her up and placed her in the passenger side of the Land Rover. I knew just the place. And since it was going to be four long weeks before we got to be together again, I planned on making every last second count.
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