skilled players who were thinking about coming to Black Mountain to play under Coach Carter next year. I wished the team all the luck in the world, but I was thrilled to be finished with high school.
Locking gazes with Emme, I made my way back to my seat to wait out the rest of the ceremony. As soon as we tossed our caps in the air, I muscled my way out of my row and headed over to hers. She smiled when she spotted me and sidestepped the two people at the end of her row. “We did it!”
“We sure did, baby.” I brushed my lips over hers in a quick kiss. “Congratulations.”
She did a little dance, and I had to grip her arms to stop her from falling over when Sarah crashed into her from behind. “We’re graduates!”
Emily hurried over and gave Emme a hug. “I can’t believe high school is over.”
“I so can,” Sarah disagreed, flinging her arm around Emily’s shoulder. “I’ve been ready for this day for-freaking-ever.”
“Yeah, but we won’t see each other every day anymore.” Emily sniffled, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. “We’ve been going to school together since kindergarten. It didn’t hit me until right now how different college will be with each of us at a different school.”
I understood where Emily was coming from. It fucking sucked that Emme and I were going to be about a thousand miles apart from each other. I was used to having her in my bed each night, and it was going to be a hell of an adjustment to only see her on random weekends and breaks. A big part of me hoped that I’d get drafted by Boston and they’d want me to sign right away because then I’d only be a two-hour drive away from Yale, where Emme was going. The realistic side of me knew that wasn’t likely to happen since very few players made the jump from high school to the NHL. If I wanted to be a force to be reckoned with for the team that picked me up, then I needed time to mature as a player. Being drafted was a dream come true, but it was only one step in the process for most players. I needed to keep my focus on having a good season my freshman year while missing my girlfriend.
I had no doubt we’d stay strong despite the distance. Bigger obstacles had been put in my way before and none of them had ever stopped me. The stakes were higher now, and I’d bust my ass to keep the things most important to me—Emme and hockey.
“Damn, you’re right. That’s gonna suck. Maybe we should take a super-long girls’ trip this summer?” Sarah suggested, earning a scowl from me since the last thing I want is my time with Emme to be shortened. “Oh, crap. Sorry, Corby. You’re totally invited, too. It doesn’t have to be just the girls.”
“Um, yeah.” Emme bit her bottom lip, her gaze darting between her friends and me. “It would kind of need to be the other way around.”
Emily and Sarah tilted their heads to the side, looking as confused as I felt. “What do you mean, baby?”
Emme bit her bottom lip and sighed. “I’d planned on doing this later tonight when it was just the two of us, but I guess now is as good a time as any.”
“Good time for what?” I asked, taking her hands in mine and giving them a gentle squeeze since she seemed nervous.
“To share my surprise with you.” Her gaze darted to Emily and Sarah, and she flashed them an apologetic smile. “I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, so I kept the arrangements I made a secret until now.”
“C’mon, tell him,” Sarah urged.
“Yeah, I want to know, too,” Emily added with a nod.
“Do you want to get out of Black Mountain?” she asked me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
I didn’t know what she was up to, but I was down for whatever she wanted to do. “Sure. Where do you want to go?”
“Lots of places. I thought we could take an extended trip over the summer. I want to show you all my favorite places around the world and booked us tickets and hotel rooms for the first few weeks to get us started.” She grinned and wagged her eyebrows. “Starting at the beach in California, where we can hang out at a house on the beach in our swimsuits