Colt lifted his hand and gently brushed the back of it down my face. “I’m scared too, Lauren. You’re the only woman I’ve ever dreamed of being with.” Closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, he whispered, “I’ve never been with anyone, Lauren. My first time I wanted to be with someone I cared about, someone I loved.”

Oh. My. Glitter. Swoon alert! We have a major swoon alert. My legs gave out, and Colt grabbed a hold of me. “Lauren, are you okay?” Colt asked as concern swept over his face.

“You waited for me? I mean, you’re . . . a . . . um? Wait, someone you love?”

Colt pulled me closer as he nodded. I felt his desire pushing into my stomach. Something washed over me, and I found my senses. Grabbing onto his arms again, I smiled. “I’ve waited for you too, Colt. Every time I dreamed of being with someone, I dreamt it was you.”

Taking a few steps back, Colt winked at me as a wicked grin grew across his face. “Follow my lead.”

Turning quickly, he walked off. As if nothing amazing had just happened between us. He just said he loved me. Well wait. Did he say he loved me? He didn’t come right out and say it, but he implied it. Didn’t he?

Looking back, Colt motioned for me to come on. Snapping out of my stupor, I quickly followed Colt. He was headed over to Gunner and Ellie. Grinning, Gunner looked at Colt, then me. I wondered if my face looked like it felt. Hot and on fire.

“Hey, buddy, enjoying yourself?” Gunner asked as he reached out his hand for Colt.

Shaking his father’s hand, Colt answered, “Yes, sir, I am.”

Ellie turned toward me and gave me the sweetest smile. “Lauren, sweetheart, how is school going?”

As much as I would have liked standing there and chitchatting with Gunner and Ellie, I really wanted Colt to take me home and make me his. “Good. It’s going good. Busy, but I’m really enjoying my second year.”

“That’s wonderful. Your daddy was talking about you the other night. He’s so proud of you.”

Ellie mentioning my father right then was kind of putting a damper on things. Nodding, I gave her a weak smile in return.

“Dad, I’m going to head back to A&M and bring Lauren. There is a project she’s never done before, and she needs my help.”

Snapping my head over to Colt, I felt my face turn red. Gunner glanced at me and then back to Colt and gave Colt a wink. “Y’all aren’t going to kill each other on the way there, are you?”

Colt and I both let out an awkward laugh. “We’re gonna try not to,” I said as I peeked over to Colt.

Feeling them before I saw them, I turned to my parents who had walked up and stood before me. “Hey, sweetheart. Are you coming back to the house with us or staying with the girls?” my mother asked as she reached over and pushed one of my blonde curls from my eye. I looked just like my mother. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Everyone said I was a mini version of my mother on the outside, but inside I was all my dad.

“I’m actually going to head back to A&M with Colt. I’ve got a . . . um . . . a project I’ve got to get done.”

Nodding, my father looked over to Colt. “Y’all have to leave now? You don’t want to wait until tomorrow morning?”

Remembering I had a class first thing Monday morning, I quickly said, “No! No, I can’t because I’ve got a test first Monday morning, and I missed Thursday’s class for the wedding.”

“All right, well let me have a kiss and a hug. We’ll see you in a month for spring break, right?” my father asked as he pulled me into his arms.

Giving my father a hug and kiss good-bye, I turned to my mother and repeated the process. “Yep, as of now, I’m still planning on spring break at home,” I said with a smile.

Daddy reached for Colt’s hand and shook it as he said, “Be careful driving, Colt; that’s a long drive back.”

Nodding his head and giving that damn smile of his, Colt said, “Always, sir.” Turning to his parents, Colt kissed his mother good-bye on the cheek and told her how much he loved her, as he shook his father’s hand. Glancing over at me, Colt asked, “Shall we, Lauren?” as he began leading me away from our parents.

Oh my glitter. Oh my glitter. Oh my glitter. I’m leaving with Colt. I’m heading back to A&M with Colt. Breathe in through the mouth. Out through the nose. Looking down at my hands as I wrung them together, I took a deep breath. What am I, in junior high? This was insane. I needed to chill the hell out.

Colt placed his hand on the small of my back and butterflies ignited in my stomach. “We need to find Luke and Libby and . . .”