Black Number Four (51 page)

I can’t believe her term is over. It seems like just yesterday she was in my place. I watched from the front row as she took her position and I knew our chapter was going to change for the better. And I was right. Erin has upped our average GPA, making us the top score of all the other sororities. We also had the best rush this fall that we’ve ever had in the entire time our chapter has been established at Palm South. She’s renovated portions of our house, upped our standards for officers, and most importantly – she’s earned the trust of everyone in our organization. If I win tonight, I can only hope I’m half the president she was.

We’re still working on our relationship, but along with our chapter, my Big has changed, too. She’s matured, she’s figured out what’s important to her, and she’s stopped using others to make her goals happen. She’s dating a grad student now and I think he really grounds her, though their relationship has been a roller coaster all its own. I know what she did last year was messed up, but then again I know I made mistakes, too. I guess in the end, we all do. But Erin is worth forgiving. She’s worth loving.

Jess and Ashlei are both sitting in the front row, having just conceded their positions to new girls, too. Ashlei is tearing up but trying to hide it and Jess looks ready to party. The three of them all graduate tonight after having stayed an extra semester to finish out their position terms. Knowing they won’t be here next semester guts me, but for now, they’re all staying local. And I thank my lucky stars for that.

“You got this, Big!” Cassie yells out and a few girls giggle. I give her a wink and she smiles, her new short red hair shining in the fluorescent light. She chopped off her long locks over the summer, trading in the “old” her. And damn, did she ever shed her skin. Adam has broken her out of her shell entirely. She goes out now – a lot. But, she’s still on top of her studies. She’s just learned to let loose and have more fun, and I know with her by my side, we’re going to have an amazing spring semester – regardless of what happens tonight.

“I’ve already given my sappy thank you speech,” Big says, wiping at a tear forming in the corner of her left eye. “But I just have to say one more time that I am truly honored for the privilege you all bestowed upon me this time last year. I hope I made you proud, and I want you to know that I will never forget you – any of you – or this amazing sorority.”

Everyone chants out various Kappa Kappa Beta cheers, holding up our hand signs. Erin smiles, quieting us once more.

“Okay okay, enough about me.” She turns to face me and the two other girls running for president. “This decision was incredibly tough for all of us. We had to ask ourselves who would be our best leader, who would fight for us, and most of all – who would represent us and everything we stand for?”

She turns back to the rest of the room. “I have nothing but absolute faith that the person who you all chose to place your faith in will far exceed your expectations. This young woman is exciting, fresh, full of ideas and even more – spunk.” Everyone laughs a little. “She’s everyone’s best friend, confidant, and mentor. She’s been through a lot in her life, more than most of us will ever face, and she isn’t afraid to own every part of her life that’s made her who she is.” A warm smile spreads on her face as she turns back to face us. “I am proud to announce that the new president of Kappa Kappa Beta is…”

Breathe, Skyler, breathe.

“Should I let someone else say it?” Erin asks, facing the room. Everyone laughs and cheers while the three of us at the front of the room try not to punch something. I’m waiting for her to finish her sentence, but she just cheers with the rest of the room, confusing me further. Suddenly, the back doors swing open, and the brothers of Alpha Sigma pour into the room, half of them strung up with acoustic guitars. They’re all wearing various button ups and ties in the shades of Kappa Kappa Beta’s colors, and as they fill the room, they start to softly hum a song.

And then, Kip walks in.

My hands fly to my mouth and I try hard not to cry, but the emotion of seeing him in the same room overwhelms me. He smiles, a heart-melting, sexy-as-hell sideways smile that makes a dozen girls in the room swoon along with me. Kip walks slowly to the front of the room and when he reaches me, it takes everything I have to not jump into his arms. He takes my hand in his, pulls my fingers gently to his lips, and then turns to face the room.

“Ladies of Kappa Kappa Beta, your new president!”

Everyone claps and cheers, jumping from their chairs, and that’s all it takes for me to completely lose it. Tears run down my face as Kip pulls me in for a hug, kissing my forehead as Erin pins the president pin on my dress. I wipe the tears from my cheeks as Kip and his brothers sing a hilarious rendition of
My Girl
. When they finish, Kip tucks his hands into his pocket and faces me.

“Skyler Thorne, you mean everything to me. You are my world. When we met earlier this year, we were both playing a game that neither one of us was prepared to lose. Tricks were played, hearts were broken, but in the end – we somehow made it out alive – and together.” He pulls his hands from his pocket, and dangling in his left hand is a small charm on a chain. “I promised to never gamble with your heart again, and this is me showing that promise to the world. Please, make me the happiest man in the world, Ella Mae. Wear my lavalier?”

He holds out the small silver necklace with Alpha Sigma’s letters on the charm and tears flood my eyes again. It’s tradition for a fraternity brother to lavalier the woman he thinks he will spend the rest of his life with. It’s just one step ahead of an engagement ring, and lavaliers are not given lightly. This is a big deal, and my heart feels it, because it’s swelling so big in my chest I’m afraid I might explode or float away.

I can’t find words, so I simply nod, and the room erupts in cheers again. Kip throws me his amazing smile before clasping the necklace around my neck and pulling me in for a long, almost-inappropriate kiss. Hoots and cheers ring out in the room and my cheeks flush, but I don’t care. Everything is absolutely perfect in this moment.

Everything.

“All right, bitches,” Jess says, standing and throwing her hands in the air. “Let’s go party! Everyone to Ralph’s!” Kade walks up behind her and squeezes her hips, making her squeal and throw her arms around him before her lips find his. They had one hell of a summer, but somehow they made it through. Jess has changed Kade, and she’s changed for him, too – or maybe like Kip and I, they just didn’t know who they really were until they found each other.

More cheers echo through the room and everyone starts to file out for what will be the last hurrah before the seniors graduate and the undergrads go home for Christmas break. I stay back with Kip, still wrapped in his arms, afraid if I let him go everything that just happened will disappear.

“Congratulations, El Presidente,” he says, kissing my hair.

“How are you here?”

He shrugs. “I couldn’t wait any longer, so I caught a flight out.”

“Oh yeah.” I scoff. “Because I’m sure all this was super spontaneous.”

Kip winks. “I can’t tell you all my secrets.”

“How long are you here?”

“Well,” he says, biting his lower lip a little. “Funny story. I’m here for a while, actually.”

“A while? As in?”

“As in now, all next semester, and all of summer semester, too.”

My mouth drops. “What?! How?!” I throw my arms around his neck and press my lips to his, muting his answer. He smiles against my mouth, his strong arms keeping me firmly in his grip.

“My project got approved. I have until the end of summer to film the pilot season of the show I wrote. At the end, I’ll submit it to compete against the other interns. And if I get selected, there’s a chance my show will air as an online series.”

“Seriously?” My mouth is still wide open. “Look at you, Mr. Big Shot.” I nudge him playfully. He pulls me in for another long kiss, taking his time, letting his hands run through my hair and down my back. “I could get used to kisses like this.”

“You better. You’ll have them for the rest of your life.”

“Even when I’m old and gray?”

He scoffs. “
Especially
then. We’ll take our dentures out and make out in our scooters.”

I laugh and he grabs my hand, pulling me toward the door. “Come on, your friends are waiting.”

As we walk, the overwhelming sense that everything is going to be okay floods over me. This time last year, I was a completely different person. I was lost, hiding behind someone I wasn’t sure I wanted to be because I was too afraid to be myself. But Kip found me, and he says I found him, too. I think maybe we were never really lost to begin with. I think we were just on a path we didn’t realize led somewhere. Or rather, to someone.

“So, what’s your show about?”

Kip swallows, gripping my hand a little tighter. “Well, you see…”

I stop. “Kip. You didn’t.”

He cringes. “We have a really transcendent story, babe! My professor thinks I have a real shot at winning. And I found a hot brunette to play you.” He waggles his brows and I punch him hard in the chest. “Not as hot as you, of course,” he clarifies, laughing but rubbing the spot where my fist made contact.

I try to act mad, but the truth is I’m not – not even a little. He’s right, our story is pretty amazing. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

He smiles, pulling me under his arm as we make our way out to my car – the beautiful new Lexus Convertible IS C that Kip bought me over the summer. I tried refusing it, but he wanted to spoil me with some of his tournament winnings. And who am I to deny Kip something he wants?

“You better make sure she’s a badass like me. And she can’t take any shit from whoever plays you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kip says, still smiling. When we close the car doors, he pulls me across the console, grabbing behind my neck and pressing his lips hard on mine. The aching need that always burns to life when he touches me is searing a blazing color behind my eyelids as our lips and tongues move and dance. Realizing just how long we’ve been apart, I pull back breathless.

“I vote we skip the partying.”

“How about we just make a pit stop along the way?”

“Deal.”

Kip smiles, pulling me in again. Every game we played, whether together or otherwise, led us to this moment right now. Our love isn’t perfect, it isn’t a fairy tale, but it’s real – and it’s ours. Maybe black number four isn’t lucky for us, or maybe we just haven’t played it the right way yet. Either way, I know that win or lose, there’s only one person I want to play this crazy game of life with.

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy with glasses who won one of the biggest poker tournaments in the nation.

And my heart.

First and foremost, I have to thank my parents for this one.

Dad, you taught me how to play poker at a young age. You also made sure I knew my lucky number and I have interlaced it into my life in every way possible – from sports numbers to betting choices. Thanks for giving me something to believe in. I love you.

Mom, although Dad taught me how to play, you taught me how to play
well.
I can thank you for all the times I beat the boys and took their money. I can also thank you for my awesome poker face and for a whole list of other life lessons that would probably take an entirely different book to completely detail. I value our friendship more than I could ever say and for all those things I never thanked you for in life – thank you. I love you.

The characters in this book were named after a close group of friends that I met through the book world and they deserve a special shout out – Erin Spencer, Cassie Graham, Ashlei Davison, and Jess Vogel. I can still remember how excited you all were when I pitched the “girls” of this book and showed you that they would be named after you. Although these characters are so different from y’all, they’re also the same in many ways. Poor Erin, you got the crappy end of the stick with this one. But, you know that in real life, you ARE like a Big to me – my mentor, someone I look up to. I mean that. Cassie, my author little, I am so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished so far. I can’t wait to see you excel even more. Ashlei, you and I have a special bond that I’m not sure I could ever find with anyone else. Thank you for always being there. And J-Love, I love you and your D-Runk calls in the middle of the night. You are hilarious and passionate and amazing. I love you all to death. This one was for you, thank you for helping me make it everything that it is.