Flipping my laptop closed, I set it down and hold out an arm. She lowers herself into my lap, perching on my thigh, and gives me a quick kiss.
“I sent that letter,” I say.
“Already?” Her brows rise, and then she leans in to give me another kiss. “Did you tell your cousin?”
“Not yet.”
Her finger pokes my abs, apparently as encouragement.
To Shane, I say, “This morning, I declared my intent to enter the NFL draft. I’m not going to finish school.”
“You’re pulling out immediately?” Shane says.
“I want time off.”
Arya glances at my face. “You can tell him the whole truth. Blame it on me.”
“Blame is the wrong word.”
Arya turns her head toward Shane. “I can’t be on this campus anymore. For me, enough is enough. The Casanova threat may be gone, but there are other men here that I hate. As soon as Nationals is over, I’m leaving GU.”
Shane nods. “I don’t blame you.”
Avery appears in the doorway, dressed in navy yoga pants and one of Shane’s t-shirts. He rises the instant he sees her and crosses the room.
“Hey, baby, how are you feeling?”
“I’ve got a headache, but otherwise, I’m okay.” She rubs her fingers over his side and leans closer to him. “Coffee should help.” She pauses. “Am I interrupting?”
“No,” Arya says, waving her toward us. “Come in. Slide over, Viking.”
As Shane steps out to get his girl coffee, I slide an arm under Arya’s legs and lift her as I move to the end of the couch.
Avery sits on the other side, and Arya fills her in on our plans.
“I’m happy for you guys.”
“Declan and Cami stayed up all night during the tunnel search,” I say. “Emily Halverson was found alive.”
Avery tips her head back and exhales heavily. “That issuchgreat news.” As she looks back at us, she smiles. “I’m so relieved.”
Shane reappears with coffee and hands it to her as he sits down next to her. “Relieved about what?”
“Emily being found.”
“Yeah, that’s great. Listen, Arya and Erik are leaving Granthorpe.” Shane’s arm rests on the back of the couch as his hand strokes Avery’s hair. “What do you think about that, baby? Want to take a semester off? Or even transfer?”
“No, I should stay.” She clasps her hands around her knee.
Shane studies her face.
“The dean was friends with Professor Smith-Hall,” she says. “Maybe, like me, he never had any idea what Smith-Hall was capable of. On the other hand, they were in the same fraternity and the same administration. So, maybe the dean knew who Smith-Hall had become. If that’s the case, we shouldn’t leave GU while he’s in charge.” Avery’s fingers squeeze Shane’s leg. “Is that asking too much? Did you want to go?”
“Don’t worry about what anyone else wants. You’re the one who matters. Do you really want to be here, Ave? For your own sake?”
Avery presses her lips together. “Surviving was a victory. Arya and I… we hurt Casanova badly. He had to run from us. People need to know. When they see me on campus, I’ll be a reminder that, in the end, it was a pair of women who stopped him. That’s important to me.”
“All right.”
