Chapter 21

The weekend Quinn and I visited Norfolk, we became official members of the crew. When Nicole learned we couldn’t go home to Nashville for Thanksgiving because of a home game on Saturday, she insisted we drive over and spend the holiday with them. A few of the guys have to work, but she was catering to their schedule. We agreed to drive in and return to Charlottesville on Friday. With Bryce’s new living situation, coming and going was no longer a problem.

Bryce’s surprise was that he and Nate got the townhome they’d been waiting on that is furnished and could move in immediately. This means no more hotels. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to show me because we didn’t leave the room on Saturday and the leasing office closed on Sunday.

We did venture out on Sunday to watch football at a sports bar. Quinn started to complain after two hours, begging to go somewhere else. Bryce got up, went to his truck, and came back with a bag, throwing it across the booth. I peeked inside, finding stacks of bridal magazines, and started laughing. He ordered another round of beer, winked at me, and settled in for more multi-screen football action. Dean seemed to agree and handed Quinn a beer, kissed her roughly, and said something in her ear. She blushed bright and reached in the bag to grab a magazine, making a hushed comment about Bryce being ‘the most pussy whipped motherfucker on the planet’.

We thumbed through the magazines, making notes, and spent hours sending messages back and forth to my mom. That afternoon, with just the magazines, the Internet, and a few manly grunts from Bryce, we decided on colors, flowers, and invitations. Mom was working directly with the venue for set up and menu options. So, now I needed to find my and Quinn’s dresses.

When we drove away from Bryce early Monday morning, I held it together until we dropped Dean at the airport. Then Quinn and I both cried until sobs turned into laughter over our ridiculousness.

In the two weeks since Shana made the announcement about the internship program, each of the other mentors also announced their part. Professor Grant scheduled an informational meeting for anyone interested. As if by fate, Bill Tames will have his team working with him out of his corporate office, which is Atlanta. It’s a no-brainer for Quinn. As much as she’d love to work under Shana, she’s applying for Bill’s group. Dean tried not to influence her, but it’s obvious he’s happy about her decision.

Before we leave for Norfolk tomorrow, Quinn and I have one last project to finish. I’m queasy when I park in front of the restaurant. There’s no telling what Crystal’s going to do when she finds out what we’ve planned. Hopefully, this doesn’t backfire, and we demolish a friendship.

My palms sweat as I scan the room for Morgan Drake. My mouth goes dry when he gets up and gives me a small wave. His eyes lock with mine, and I’m stunned. He’s one of the most gorgeous guys I’ve ever seen. No one will ever beat Bryce to me, but Morgan comes close.

He’s tall, much taller than me, with short brown hair and deep, rich, chocolate eyes. His lips twitch a bit, and then a full smile reveals dimples on each cheek. The trimmed goatee surrounds his full lips. I never break our stare as I walk to him and hold out my hand.

“I’m Devon Harris.”

“Morgan Drake.” He shakes my hand and motions for me to sit in the booth. I purposely position us so his back is to the door, and I’m facing it.

“Thank you for meeting me. I’m sure it was a shock to get my email. I really hope you don’t think Quinn and I are meddling in your business.”

He leans back in the booth, throwing one arm over the back casually. He scans my face and then blows out a breath. “The way I figure, it’s not meddling if you bring my Crys back. I’ve waited three years, three long years, for this day.”

“You have?”

“Yeah, I was an idiot to let her walk away from me.”

“Why did you?” I blurt out.

“How much do you know about our story?”

“Only what she’s told me. And that was heart-breaking enough for me and Quinn to contact you. Even if you’ve moved on, I think talking to her would help heal her heartache.”

“Move on? I’m not sure it’s possible to move on from the love of your life. That’s what Crys is to me. The love of my life. I let her go because I was a confused eighteen-year old, grieving my dad and trying to be the man of the house. Every day, my world was getting darker, and she was my light. Anger, hurt, devastation, denial—all of it was eating me alive. I saw her trying so hard, and when she offered to give up college, I knew in the back of my mind, she had to go.”

“That’s why you let her go.” Bryce’s words pop into my head. He was right. Morgan loved her that much.

“That’s why,” he confirms.

“I know we’re strangers, and it’s none of my business, but—”

“Graduation day. I was coming for her on graduation day. Lucky for me, she busted her ass and graduated in three years.”

“It takes incredible self-control to stay away from someone you love for so long. How’d you do it?”

He looks away and starts tapping his finger on the table. I watch him lick his lips and then scrub his hands up and down his face. When his eyes meet mine, they’re filled with the same emotion Crystal showed the day she told me about him. Torture.

“It was hell, Devon, and I almost broke my own resolve a few times. The day she drove away, I was there, watching. It killed me, but I stayed back and hid behind her neighbor’s house. It was obvious she was hurting. Mom told me they had a run in, and I felt guilty, so I was going to apologize. She left six weeks earlier than planned. I thought there was more time. My mind was hurt, but the more I thought about it, I knew the words she said weren’t her own. She never had a malicious bone in her body.

“The next day, her mom came to the shop. She asked me if I still loved Crystal. When I said yes, she made me a promise. Every week, she gave me an update on how Crys was doing—what her projects were, who she was hanging out with. In return, I agreed to stay back until she finished her degree. That is until your email. During that time, I’ve busted my own ass to build a foundation for us. If she’ll have me back, she’ll not only be hitched to a grease monkey, she’ll be hitched to a successful grease monkey who will give her the world.”

“You took a really big risk that someone wouldn’t snatch her up.”

“It wouldn’t matter. She’s was and always will be my Crys.”

“Oh my God! You sound exactly like my fiancé.”

His eyes slide to my ring finger, and he smiles widely.

“Engaged, huh? He’s a lucky guy.”

I open my mouth to refute that I’m the lucky one when Quinn and Crystal walk in the door. My eyes grow wide, and I reach across the table, giving Morgan’s hand a small pat. “She’s here. Good luck.”

He turns and stands slowly, facing their direction. When they get close, Crystal’s face goes completely white and then she freezes. Quinn tries to push her forward, but she’s glued to her spot.

“M-m-morgan?” she stutters so quietly, it’s almost silent.

“Hey, baby.” His voice is smooth as silk, but there’s a slight crack at the end.

“What’s happening here?” She looks between the three of us and sways slightly. Morgan reaches for her, but she recoils. Tears pool in her eyes as she turns her glare to me. “What did you do?”

“Please don’t be mad.”

“I thought we were meeting to discuss finals.”

“Being friends with us comes with its highs and lows. We’re nosy, we’re meddlesome, and we’re sometimes liars.” Quinn puts an arm around Crystal’s shoulders. “But we’re also loyal, fierce, and romantics at heart. And when you have a romance like yours, it’s fair play. You deserve your happy ending.”

Crystal’s face swings between Quinn and me then lands on Morgan, who has opened his arms toward her. Like a magnet, she rushes to him and lets out a heart-piercing wail. He immediately wraps her into him and buries his head into her hair. She vibrates so hard with quiet sobs that my own heart hurts.

Quinn grabs my hand, and we both soak in the beauty of this reunion. Then, in true Quinn fashion, she finds a way to ease the emotional tension.

“I know this is a life-changing moment, but can we discuss the fact that Crystal’s man is seriously fucking hot?” She tries to whisper but fails miserably.

There’s no stopping the snort that escapes. I bend over, trying to stop, but nothing works. Crystal’s cries stop and are replaced with her own giggling. Morgan’s eyes find Quinn’s, and he gives her a panty-dropping smile, dimples on full display.

Finally, I gather my composure and wave my hand between them. “Quinn, Morgan. Morgan, Quinn.”

He gives a chin jerk in recognition. Finally, Crystal turns, and I hand her a napkin. She wipes her cheeks then straightens her shoulders, focusing on Morgan. “What are you doing here?”

“Claiming back my girl. It’s been long enough.” He tugs her back to him, and she has to look up to his face.

“I was such a bitch to you. I said horrible things.”

“No, your dad said horrible things that you repeated. I know why you did.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, babe, I’ve known since about three days after you walked out of my garage. But guess what? In some ways, he was right. You needed to come to college. The experience was invaluable. Now, you can do exactly as you always wanted. But he went about it the wrong way. I’m not going to drag him through the mud, but let’s just say, I’ve used this time to build a business that even he can’t destroy by eliminating his referrals.”

“Don’t you hate me?”

“How can you hate the woman who owns your heart?”

Her breath visibly hitches at his declaration. Another tear falls down her cheek. “I thought you’d moved on.”

“Not even for a second. It’s always been you.”

They stare at each other for a long while, and I nudge Quinn that we need to leave and let them talk. She nods in agreement. We start to back away, but she turns and launches herself at us. We all three hug for a few seconds, and more tears are shed. I catch Morgan watching us with a shimmer in his eye. He mouths the words ‘thank you’, and I smile.

Crystal finally has her man back.

Bryce is waiting outside when we drive up to his townhome. Before Quinn can put the car in park, I’m out and running to him. He catches me easily and steals a quick kiss before putting his head in my neck.

“Missed you.” I lean back and frame his face in my hands. “That was a really long two weeks.”

“Tell me about it. But at least now we have our own space.”

“Hey, loverlord, are you going to get our bags or what?” Quinn walks up and pinches him as he sets me down.

“Loverlord?” He raises an eyebrow at her.

“It’s a new word I’m trying out. Not sure I like it.”

I cover my mouth to hide my snicker. The last thing I need to do is encourage her. Bryce grabs our bags, and we follow him inside. Nate gets up to greet us when we walk in, and I instantly feel a sense of familiarity. They only brought a few of their personal items since the place had all the essentials, but this is more them. They’ve set up the entertainment system with their large screen TV and gaming systems similar to how it was at the apartment in Knoxville. Pictures are scattered around the room with the addition of some new ones with Tommy, Rick, and a few other guys they work with. I only saw their base housing once, but this place has one-hundred percent more personality and warmth.

“I love it here!” I declare and throw myself on the sofa. “Believe it or not, this sofa is more comfortable than the one you had. Quinn will sleep like a queen on this thing.”

“Actually, she can have my bed tonight,” Nate tells us. “I’m working.”

“Cool. What time do I need to be up tomorrow morning?” she asks.

“Nine should be fine. But if not, I’ll crash on the couch.”

Bryce reaches down and pulls me to my feet easily. “Let’s give you a tour, then we need to hit the store.”

“Is this the kind of tour where I can join, or the kind that results in the horizontal tango?” Quinn smirks then snorts at her own stupid joke.

“Horizontal tango? Really, talk about throw back. What? Are we going to start using the term bump and grind too?”

“Bumping uglies.” She rocks her hips in a piston motion.

“Get your freak on!” I thrust my own hips at her.

“Hidin’ the salami,” she shoots back.

“Banging!”

“Can we stop this crazy fucking conversation? Bad enough I have to know it’s happening. Don’t need this shit running through my mind,” Nate spews. “Swear to God, sometimes I think you two are still sixteen.”

“Touchy, touchy… Maybe Nate needs to get previsto,” Quinn teases.

“Actually, Quinn, I’m pretty sure Nate’s getting laid frequently,” Bryce informs us.

Nate’s head snaps up, his eyes growing wide. “You did not say that in front of my sister.”

“Hey, man, I was sticking up for you.”

“Who is she?” Quinn questions, and Bryce grins, shrugging.

“Okay.” I throw my hands up. “This conversation is over. No more.”

“Agreed,” Nate mutters.

My phone vibrates in my pocket with an incoming text. It’s from my mom.

Mom: Want company this weekend? Michelle and I found an incredible deal on a flight. Thought we’d make a girls weekend… Game on Saturday, dinner and drinks Saturday night… Dress shopping on Sunday???

“Quinn, think our moms are invading this weekend.” I flash my phone to show her the message.

“Tell her we’re busy,” she jokes. “See how quick she calls in a panic.”

“Babe, Karen’s been talking to my mom about dress shopping for weeks. Even pressuring me to talk to you about it. Don’t fuck with her,” Bryce says in my ear. “Besides, I like the thought of you getting the dress. It’s one more thing done.”

I nod and text my mom back.

Me: Sounds terrific. We just got to Norfolk. Let me know your flight info so we can be there in time. Nate and I will call you tomorrow. Love you!

Mom: You too, honey.

“Only our moms would want to go dress shopping days after Thanksgiving,” Quinn huffs.

“I guess instead of bringing desserts, we could make a big salad.”

Both of us scrunch our noses at the same time and shake our heads.

Bryce leans down and whispers, “You don’t need to worry about burning calories. I’ve got that covered.”

A thrill shoots through me, and I lean into him. “I’m counting on it.”

Quinn starts humming the tune to “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye, and I shoot her a dirty look.

I can’t wait until next time Dean visits. She’s gonna pay.