“Yup,” she said.
“So, the Lambdas won?” It was more of a statement than a question.
Her tone was pointed. “Yup.”
He sighed. “What a fucking mess.” His gaze drifted off as he considered something. “All right. I’ll report it to the council and see what they want to do.” He took a sip of his beer and focused in on her. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, none of us knew.”
“I know,” she said. “Colin told me.”
He studied our hands laced together. “Last time I saw you two, it looked like you wanted to kill each other.”
She shrugged. “Things change.”
I laughed because she was absolutely right.
Look how much you’ve changed.
I was out from under my parents’ control. I had a job that could turn into a career if I wanted it to, according to Scott and Nina. And I didn’t just have a girlfriend . . . I’d fucking fallen in love.
As I grinned at Mads, and she smiled back at me, I wondered what came next for us. God, I couldn’t fucking wait to find out.
EPILOGUE
Madison
I’d watched the YouTube video twice and followed the recipe exactly, but the pecan pie in the fridge looked weird and soupy, and I was seriously considering tossing it out and buying a new one before we headed over to Scott and Nina’s house.
I sighed and closed the fridge, leaving the pie inside. I was a decent cook, and I’d baked things before that had turned out fine. Why, today of all days, had I failed? I’d need to check and see which stores were open on Thanksgiving before committing to plan B. I didn’t want us to show up for dinner empty-handed.
I padded on my bare feet from the kitchen, through our bedroom, and into the bathroom where Colin was brushing his teeth at the sink, wearing only a pair of underwear.
His words were garbled by the toothbrush, but I understood him well enough. “What’s the verdict?”
“Pie still looks weird.” I leaned back against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. “Maybe we need to stop and buy something to take instead.”
He nodded, spat out a mouthful of toothpaste, and rinsed his brush.
I hesitated to ask it but couldn’t put it off any longer. “Any word from your folks?”
He wiped his mouth with a towel. “Nope.”
“You okay with that?”
Because this was his first holiday since they’d fallen out. He’d talked to them once since they’d come to an agreement about school. Colin had needed them to write a letter stating they weren’t giving him any financial support so he could apply for a grant and student loan, and they’d done that.
But they’d gone radio silent when they found out Colin and I had moved in together.
It’d been dumb luck we’d found the one-bedroom apartment close to campus and still available. We felt confident no one was going to come knocking on the Woodsons’ door looking for us, but this was for the best.
Riley had been voted out of Sigma Phi Alpha the morning after the party, and when Jack provided the dean with proof that Riley had uploaded porn to the school’s server—he’d been put on academic suspension.
It seemed unlikely he’d retaliate against us. We had the video as a deterrent, plus it had been three months since the Rush Week party, and we hadn’t seen or heard a word from him.
But still—moving to a new place was the safest option.
I’d asked Colin if he was okay with not hearing from his parents, and he shot me a lopsided smile. “It’s fine.”
I was sad for him, but I fully understood. Life was too short to spend it with toxic people.
He strutted to the shower, slid open the glass door, and started the water, then hooked his fingers in his boxer briefs and tugged them down. “You joining me?”
Fuck, it was a tempting offer, but I shook my head. “I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
We had a scene coming up, and although his recovery time was good, I didn’t want to cause any issues with his performance. The first thing we were scheduled to do when we arrived at the house was a big group scene. All six of us, playing and swapping with different partners in the same room.
There was no story line for this one, but it didn’t need it. Shit, it’d be hot enough on its own. And after the scene was over, we’d have Thanksgiving dinner together. They weren’t the family we’d been born into, but the one we’d found, and I was so grateful for them.
After we’d moved out, we continued to work for Petal Productions. Occasionally, we went over there for scenes, and sometimes we met them on location. Most of the time, Colin and I performed as a couple or shot solo scenes at our apartment and turned the footage in to Scott and Nina.