“Yes. I realize that sounds crazy, and I know she’s not here, but I’m losing my mind trying to figure out where she went and how I can find her.”
“Sounds like a personal problem.” She crosses her arms over her chest as a car backfires in the distance.
I ignore her comment. This is my one chance to find her. “I didn’t have your phone number anymore after I lost access to the student directory, so I couldn’t call you. But since you’re here–”
“You aren’t getting anything out of me. You chose money over Daisy and broke up with her, so I’ve got no use for you.”
“I didn’t choose money over Daisy.”
“Bullshit.” She flings her arms around in front of her as if she’s shooing me away.
“No.” I shake my head and straighten my back. “No, I didn’t choose money over her. My dad gave me an ultimatum, and I turned him down. I resigned, and I’m out on my own.”
Her face wrinkles under the faint yard light. “But you paid off Heather.”
“Of course I did. But not for me. If Heather had gone to Daisy’s father or the Dean, it could have ruined things for her. Her father would have disowned her. She wouldn’t have graduated. The medical school might have banned her from entry. Over us. I didn’t want her to have any negative ramifications for being in a relationship with me when I should have waited. It wasn’t even three months. I put her future at risk over my selfish need for her.”
She taps the toe of her shoe on the ground. “You do realize that’s super-hot, right?”
“That I gave up my father’s company?” A dog two houses down barks until someone yells, and the noise stops.
“No.” A slow smile curves up to her cheeks. “That you couldn’t stay away from her. Every girl wants a guy who can’t resist her. It’s what we all dream about when we’re twelve years old.”
“I need to talk to her so I can….” I trail off. Fuck that. “I’m not waiting. I need to talk to her because we belong together, and I’m miserable without her. I would love to say that I’ll respect her decision to wait until she graduates to get back together, but I’m not waiting.”
She tilts her head sideways. “What if she’s not waiting for you?”
My hands curl into fists as the vision of some faceless asshole touching my girl fills my brain with rage. “Then I’ll kick his ass and drag her back to my place. I’m not waiting, and I’m not giving her up. She’s mine.”
“Lord,” she sighs. “That’s so sexy. I want a guy like you someday. She’s in Houston.”
“Houston?”What in the fuck?“Why is she in Houston? She’s supposed to be here in school.”
“A lot has changed over the last few weeks. She’s flying back tomorrow, and I’ll have her get ahold of you when she lands.”
“When?”
“When what?”
“When will she be back?”
“Her flight lands at 4 o’clock tomorrow afternoon.” She chuckles as she shakes her head. “I suppose you’ll be here in the driveway waiting for her.”
“No. I’ll be at the airport waiting for her flight to land.” I snatch my phone out of my back pocket, searching for a flight that matches that landing time.
Or I can fly there tonight.“What hotel is she staying at?”
“The Four Seasons. Downtown.”
I scan for flights. There’s nothing out of Kansas City tonight. The earliest flight is at 3 o’clock in the morning.
What time was she leaving Houston? 8 o’clock. That means I could still get there before she leaves. Is it too early to wait at the airport for the flight? Eight hours. Yeah, that’s a little too early.
Now, what do I do to keep from ripping my hair out? Scream? Run? Drink?
Chapter Forty-Eight
Daisy