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She pushes off the door and steps over to me by the desk. “He loves you. He loves the Bearhawks. I don’t think his thought process went very far beyond that.”
“He loves himself,” I mutter.
“All can be true at the same time.” She touches my shoulder, flattening my wrinkled shirt. “He won’t treat you differently than anyone else on that team, you know that.”
“That’s what Dana said,” I say without thinking.
“Smart girl.” A loving smile. “Look, if you really want me to, I can play the wife card. Get him to reverse course. I was saving it for a master bathroom remodel next year once you moved out, but I’m willing to use it now for you. Just say the word.”
“No, Mom,” I say, my smile revealed. “You don’t have to do that.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah. Get your bathroom. I’ll… I’ll deal with it.”
“You’ll embrace adversity and take advantage of the opportunity,” she corrects me.
“Yeah, that.”
She chuckles. “Well, in either case, you’ll have a few days to stew here alone soon. We’re going to New York on Thursday, gonna help your sister get settled into her new place.”
“When are you coming back?”
“Saturday at the latest. He needs to be here that night for, well… the football game.”
“Right,” I say with a nod.
She points a stern finger at my nose. “No wild parties,” she warns. “I don’t want to come back here and have to scrub Delta Xi out of my carpet.”
I laugh. “No parties, I promise.”
“The Kirbys are welcome, obviously, but don’t stay up all night. And go to class,” she adds with another stern look.
“Yes, Mother. I will.”
She bends down and kisses my head. “Goodnight, my son.”
“Goodnight.”
She gives my shoulder another tight squeeze before leaving, closing the door behind her as she goes.
I check my phone, eager to read the text from Dana.
When?
I smile, though it’s probably more of a grin.
Patience is a virtue, I reply.
An immediate response. Is that lesson 4?
Yes.
I’ve never felt more like a horny, hormonal teenager than I did tonight with her on my lap. Saying no to her was hard — very hard — but the timing wasn’t right. When I imagine Dana and I together, I don’t picture us crumbled up on the backseat of her car, fighting against the clock of getting caught. I see warmth and comfort and, most importantly, time. I want all the time in the world when I finally take Dana Kirby to bed.
Wait.
Yes!
