“A thing?” Cam wonders.
“Yeah, but I’ll come out with you guys. Brooks too. It’ll be great,” Fletcher continues. “Sorry you and Zeke can’t come.”
“Actually, I think your thing is already happening,” Jaxon says, grabbing my bag and throwing it on my shoulder. “You should get going.”
“Going where?” I adjust the strap of my bag.
“Just trust me.” He shoots me a wink and slaps my butt, and pushes me out the door.
“So, Campbell, what kind of beer do you like?” I hear Fletcher ask as the door shuts behind me.
“I need to make new friends.”
I stare at the door as I walk down the hallway, waiting for one of the guys to pop out and tell me it’s a joke. Like they want to see how long it’ll take for me to go back in there. Until I see the reason I was pushed out so fast.
“Ember?”
I have to be dreaming; it’s the only logical explanation. Should I slap myself? Does that work, or does someone else have to do it? I mean, it looks like she’s right there, barely two feet away, but that’s not possible. She’s back home. She’s supposed to be with her parents right now and—
“Are you going to stand there all night?” She crosses her arms, a playfulness lacing her voice. “Because if that’s the case, then I didn’t have to drive all the way here.”
And in that moment, I know I’m not dreaming.
I’m just lucky.
I drop my bag and meet her where she stands, pulling her into my arms. Her legs instinctively wrap around my waist, and she buries her head into the crook of my neck.
“What are you doing here?” I mumble into her hair.
“Your sister wanted us to spend our first New Year together… together.” She pulls back far enough for me to see her beaming face.
“You know, Jere really showed you up tonight. I mean, one goal Sanderson. You could do better than that.”
“Maybe I would’ve if I knew my girlfriend was in the audience.” I grin. “I didn’t realize I had someone to impress.”
“You should always be trying to impress me, whether I’m at the game or not. You wouldn’t want me to leave you for Jeremy, would you?”
“You’re funny.”
I lean in and press a quick kiss against her lips. As I lower her back to the ground, her hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining.
“I take it you’re my plans the guys were talking about.”
“Unless your other girlfriend came to visit you, too.”
“No, she came to the game against Wisconsin last night,” I joke. “That could’ve been awkward.”
“Oh, definitely.”
“So, what are you guys up to tonight?” I ask, looking over at Brinley. “Any special birthday plans?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “The Michigan State guys have to be partying around here somewhere, right?”
“You’re going to party with Michigan State after your team kicked their ass?”
“What else are we supposed to do?” she asks. “We can’t exactly go out with the team.”
“Right,” I say as I see Maia standing behind Tate.
