He hugged me back, and I heard him swallow hard.“I’m okay with all of those things.Thank you.”
“Um, you’re welcome?”I teased since he’d been so adorably awkward congratulating me on my relationship with Sixx.
Giving me one more squeeze, he tipped his head back to look at me.“I’m sorry you and Evan aren’t friends anymore.You don’t have to tell me what happened.I’m just going to say that if you need someone to talk to about it, I’m here.”
Relief and love melted my heart.“Thanks, Dad.And also, thank you for not losing it over finding out that I’m dating Sixx.”
“I have eyes, Ali-Cat.And while I might seem dense, I’m not actually an idiot.”He rolled his eyes.
“Of course you’re not an idiot, Daddy.You’re the smartest man I have the pleasure of knowing.”Kissing his cheek, I stepped back.“I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now.It’s a little over a mile walk.”
“Or you could drive,” he suggested.
My birthday had been during the summer tour.Abi and Vaughn had flown down to celebrate with us, bringing Sammy, Elias, and my godparents along with them.It had been a wonderful surprise, and we’d had a party in the hotel we’d been staying in at the time.Once we’d come home, I’d gotten my license, but we hadn’t gone car shopping for me yet.I had a rough idea of what I wanted.We just hadn’t had time to go to the dealerships.Both of my parents had been busy with work obligations, and I’d been at cheer practice six days a week.
“Mom drove her car over to Aunt Lucy’s.And you said you’re going to First Bass,” I reminded him.
“Ali, honey, has your mother ever not been home for your first day of school?”he asked, opening the front door.
Excitement began to bubble up as I followed him outside.There were three cars in the driveway.Expecting to see Mom’s car, instead, I saw Roanna’s silver BMW X3, Sixx’s black Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and the third was the white Audi S7 trimmed in all black—the exact car I’d told my boyfriend I was considering.
Sixx’s school didn’t start back until the following Monday, while mine was starting today, on a freaking Wednesday.I’d been hoping to see him at some point that day, and getting to do that before school gave me a jolt of energy that I needed with how chaotic my schedule was.
This semester, all my classes were AP, including Bio II, which was a requirement for many of the colleges I was considering.I figured it was better to get it over with and out of the way my junior year, rather than stress myself out with it during my senior terms.After school, I had two cheer practices, one for the smaller squad that attended the football games, and the other was the competition squad that still needed to perfect a cheer if we hoped to win regionals in a few weeks.
My happy scream was so loud that our neighbors from three houses down startled as they walked down the street for their daily 5K stroll.Everyone laughed as I ran down the driveway where Mom was standing with Sixx, Roanna, and Sin.She held out the keys, but instead of taking them from her, I hugged her hard, practically knocking the air out of her.“This is the best surprise ever!”
Laughing, she hugged me back.“You like it?I was torn on which color you would want, but Sixx had already tracked down the exact make, model, and color scheme you’d mentioned.Your dad and Sin test drove it yesterday to make sure it checked all their boxes.”
Still squeezing her close, I shook my head, blinking back my tears.“It’s perfect.”
“My turn.”Dad lifted me away from Mom, hugging me with my feet a few inches off the ground.“Happy first day, Ali-Cat.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
When he set me down, Roanna hugged me next, then I got a quick but warm squeeze from Sin.Before I could step back fully from him, Sixx shouldered his way between his dad and me.Dipping down, he kissed my forehead and hugged me.
“Getting to see you guys before class has made this a great day.Thank you for coming.”
“It’s my first day of school too.”Sixx dropped the surprise, and I finally noticed what he was wearing.Black slacks with a polo the same color as mine, with my high school emblem on the left side.
My mouth dropped open.“You switched schools?But why?How?I…” Tears choked me.“When did this happen?”
“It’s something we’ve been considering as a family for a while now,” Roanna answered.“Sixx wasn’t happy at his school, and because of a certain someone who refuses to respect boundaries, we thought a change was needed.Plus, Sin and I found a great little cottage nearby that we love.We haven’t officially moved in yet, but Sixx should start the semester on time.”
“So I get to see more of you now?”I asked, my heart squeezing with hope and a giddy kind of happiness.“You’re really going to attend my school.Live closer.Be closer to me full time.”
“Yes, yes, and yes, daisy girl,” Sixx said, dropping another kiss to my brow.“We should go.Don’t want to be late for the first bell.”
“Pictures!”Mom and Ro yelled at the same time, already pulling out their phones.
“You two, get in front of Ali’s car,” Mom instructed.
Sixx and I posed for several minutes, pretending to complain the entire time, groaning we would be late if they didn’t hurry.Ro sent me all the ones she liked the most, and I used my favorite as my new background and lock screen.It was one where Sixx had his arm around my waist, and I was cuddled into him, smiling for the camera while he looked down at me.
Because Sixx had jiu-jitsu that evening and I had practice, we took our separate cars, but for the first time ever, I got to walk into school holding my boyfriend’s hand.Between classes, we met in the hall for a quick kiss to hold us over until we saw each other again.
More than once, I passed Evan in the hall.He waved each time, and I gave him a simple nod in acknowledgment without pausing on my way to class.At lunch, Sixx and I sat with Moira and a few of my other casual friends.Evan either didn’t have the same lunch period or decided to eat off campus, because I didn’t see him in the cafeteria.
