First and Forever (Heartache Duet #2) - Jay McLean Page 0,23
your dad say?”
“He doesn’t know.”
“What?”
He blows out a heavy breath. “I was—I just opened the mailbox and saw the letter and read the first few words and… and you were the first person I thought to call.” He swallows, his breaths short. “And I know that’s probably bad considering what we are, but—”
I cut in because I don’t want this moment to lead to questions about us, “Wait, so you only read the first few words?”
He nods.
I take the letter from him and pretend to read. “Dear Connor Ledger. We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to join our wait list—”
“Shut up! It does not say that!” He grabs the letter from me, his eyes wild as he reads it. “Jesus, Ava.” He palms his chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”
I giggle, shove his side with mine. “Go tell your dad.”
Connor shrugs. “He’s sleeping.”
“Connor!” I laugh out. “I’m sure he won’t care if you wake him.”
“I’m scared,” he says through a chuckle.
“Of what?”
“I don’t know,” he admits, rubbing his eye. “I’m nervous to tell him.” His gaze moves to mine. “Will you come with me?”
I get to my feet. “Sure.”
Taking my hand, I let him set the pace from my driveway to his. He unlocks the door and stands in the middle of the living room. “Dad! Wake up!”
“Connor?” his dad calls out from his bedroom.
“Yeah. And put on some pants! Ava’s here!”
I laugh under my breath.
A minute later, Corey appears, his eyes half squinting from having just woken up. He scans Connor’s hand linked with mine for only a moment before looking up at Connor. “What’s going on?”
Connor seems to stand taller as he gives his dad the letter. “From Duke?” Corey mumbles, then reads it aloud, “Dear Connor Ledger. We are pleased to inform you that…” And that’s as far as he gets before his eyes widen, and his entire face lights up as if sleep is ancient. “Oh, Connor!” And then his expression falls, and he covers his face, his shoulders shaking with his cry.
“Aww.” I pout up at Connor and rub his arm. “I’m going to go.”
“All right.”
I lean up, kiss his cheek. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” he says, but he’s looking at his dad. I make it to his door before I hear Connor say through a chuckle, “Dad. What’s wrong?”
“I’m just so proud of you, son. You earned this. You did this.”
Connor
Dad spends the rest of the evening on the phone to whoever will listen to him go on and on about me getting in to Duke. To say that he’s proud is an understatement, and to say that I’m happy to make him feel that way would be the same.
We sit down and have a celebratory feast together, his phone continually buzzing while mine sits stagnant. Besides Ava, I haven’t told a soul, and I think I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible. With playoffs coming up, I want to keep my focus on the team that’s helped me get noticed.
Dad’s phone sounds, and he answers on the first ring. “He did it!” he almost shouts. “He got into Duke!”…“I know, I’m ecstatic!”…“All on his own!”
I smile at his exuberance, but the fact is, he’s wrong. There was no way I could have done any of it without his support or without his final push to do it all for the girl next door.
I pick up my phone.
Connor: Hey, can I come by later?
Ava: Of course! You okay?
Connor: Yeah, I just need to tell you something.
Ava: Should I be scared?
Connor: No, just text me when you’re free.
Ava: Ok
It’s close to ten by the time Ava messages me.
Ava: I can sit out on my porch now?
Connor: I’ll be there in five.
“Hey there, Duke Blue Devil,” Ava sings as I walk up her driveway.
“Damn, that sounds good,” I laugh out. She’s sitting on her porch, a blanket around her, with her hands wrapped around a mug. “Look at you all bundled up.”
“It’s cold,” she says, sliding over a tad so I can sit next to her. She reaches under the bench and reveals another mug, handing it to me. “Hot chocolate?”
I take it from her, blowing at the rising steam. “Thank you.”
“Marshmallows?” she asks, digging in under the blanket to get a bag of marshmallows.
Holding the mug out between us, I say through a laugh, “Jesus, what else have you got under there?”
She drops a few marshmallows in and says, “I have one more thing, but it’s