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She cups the side of my face with her hand. “No need to thank me. It was all part of my job.”
“You did an amazing job.” I wink and give my mom one more kiss before I release her from my grip.
A few loud voices block out my mother’s next words, drawing my attention to the men behind us. I glance over my shoulder, about to tell them to shut up, when I spot Duke and Austin lifting Kat up off the ground. They hoist her onto their shoulders.
Kat covers her face with her hands when they start to parade her around the lawn, chanting something I can’t even make out over Kat yelling at them. The Baldwins have the strangest traditions. This must be another one of them. Her dad joins in on their victory dance, accompanied by Theo and Tucker.
“We should go save Kat,” I tell my mom.
She smiles up at me. “Go ahead, baby. I’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m not leaving you behind to get trampled on.” I thread my fingers through hers and drag my mom alongside me to catch up with Kat and her family.
Once Nick notices my mom and me, he tells the boys to stop bothering Kat and comes over to us. “Emma,” he says, touching my mother on the shoulder with a smile. “How are you?” She leans in to hug Kat’s dad.
I saw Nick before the ceremony, so I walk away from them, as they exchange pleasantries, to say my goodbye to Kat. My stomach knots as I walk toward her. I have been dreading this moment all week. What will happen once Kat goes home? We both have to work, even though Kat doesn’t need the money.
When we lock eyes, Kat steps away from her brothers and strolls over to me, throwing herself into my arms. “I am going to miss you.” She whispers the words against my neck.
“I doubt as much as I will miss you, Kitten.”
Kat peels her face from my neck and looks up at me with a smile. “I hate goodbyes.”
“Me, too, but this isn’t goodbye.”
She nods. “Right, I will see you in two months.”
“The Draft will be here in no time.”
“And we’ll all be there to cheer you on.” Kat motions to her family, who will be present for the NHL Draft.
Moving her hand up to my face, she leans in, as if she’s about to kiss me on the lips. My entire body stills because of the people watching around us. But she moves to the left of my mouth and kisses me on the cheek. “Take care of yourself, Dean. I’ll see you soon.” Her words come out muffled as if she’s trying to hide her tears.
For the past few years, we have repeated the same goodbye on the front lawn. But this one feels different. This goodbye has a palpable finality to it. Our college lives are over now that we are one step closer to moving on with our careers.
I brush the hair from her face and plant a kiss on her forehead. “Call me when you get home. Okay?”
Her eyes are glassy, but the tears have yet to spill down her face. Maybe it was best that we did this in public because we would both be a mess right now if we were alone. I wouldn’t have the strength to let her go if we did this in one of our bedrooms. Kat has been my world for so long that not having her part of my daily life will be hard.
“I’ll call you as soon as my plane lands,” she says.
“How about tonight instead? I promised my mom I would take her to dinner when we get home. She hasn’t had anything good to eat, other than food from the diner, in a long time.”
“Of course. Have fun with your mom. We can talk before bed.”
The thought of Kat in bed makes me think of how she looked in mine. We will never be able to erase what we did in the past. Some part of me will always think of Kat romantically, especially after sharing that part of myself with her. It wasn’t just sex for me, even though I led Kat to believe that it was for a long time. Maybe
that was my mistake, one I will have to live with forever.
“Text me when you land, and I’ll do the same.”
She forces a smile to hide the pain, mirroring my expression.
“This isn’t goodbye, Kitten, remember that.”
While my words say one thing, her face says another. For Kat, this is goodbye. I have to show her that our story is not over. Everything will change for the better if the NHL drafts me. Having enough money to take care of my mom and move around the country will allow me to see Kat more often. It will also give us a chance to become more than friends.
Chapter 16
