Good Sensations (25 page)

I shake the Dean’s hand on stage at graduation, stop, pose for the photo and scan the crowd to locate where the cheering is coming from. As I walk across the stage, I spot Evan standing nearby clapping. He looks proud and handsome as ever, which makes me blush and smile.

I go to him instead of my seat. Screw the rules. I’ve already graduated and I’m headed to the University of Hawaii for graduate school anyway. What can they possibly do to me now?

He takes my hand and swings it gently between us. “Congratulations, baby.”

“Thank you…” I say, looking down at our shoes, feeling shy. “…for everything.” When I look back up his head is tilted to the side and he’s smiling.

“I’m proud of you. You’ve accomplished so much—”

“We have so much more to accomplish together.”

“Yes, we do, a lifetime of creating memories to add to the ones we’ve already lived.”

“You’re so poignant, Mr. Ashford.”

“You graduating is bringing out my philosophical side, Miss Wray.”

“Well, philosophize away, my love.” After a short kiss, we return to our seats.

When the ceremony ends, I hurry in the direction of where my family is sitting.

“Mallory?”

I turn toward the sound of my name and see Claire, Hugh, Kate and Murphy rushing to me. “Mallory, were so proud of you,” Claire says, grabbing me into a tight hug. I’m kind of dumbfounded by the outpouring of love and still shocked they came to Boulder just for my graduation.

“Congratulations, Mallory,” Hugh says, smiling.

“Thank you for being here,” I add, not able to contain my smile.

“Let me at that girl,” Murphy cuts in, grabbing a hold of me as soon as Claire lets go. My feet leave the ground as he squeezes and swings me. “Congrats, Mal.”

“Put her down, Liam,” Kate says, swatting him on the back.

“Congratulations, girl,” Kate smiles and hugs me. “We haven’t seen Evan since this morning. I know he sat with your parents. Do you know where he is?”

“I saw him after I got my diploma, but not where they were sitting.”

“Mallory, honey.” I would know my mom’s voice anywhere even in a dense crowd like this.

Turning around, I see her waving her arm in the air to get my attention. I run to her, almost tackling her to the ground, I’m so excited.

She hugs me so tight that I lose my breath. “Our princess is a college graduate now. Congratulations, honey,” she whispers.

I roll my eyes at the princess endearment, but smile because her hug makes me feel loved. Her pride is felt through this embrace and reminds me of my impending move and how these hugs won’t be as close as I want when I need.

“Okay, okay, I played a little part of bringing her into this world too. Maybe I can get a little face time with her, Elise?”

“I’m not ready to give her up yet,” my mom says not relenting one bit.

My dad peers over her shoulder, making me laugh. Just beyond him, I see Evan standing, patiently waiting for them to have their turn, so he can have his. I smile and he smiles back. There’s a sparkle to his eyes that lights up his whole face and then he mouths ‘I love you,’ I close my eyes savoring his words while appreciating my mom’s hug. I’m the luckiest girl in the world.

When I release my mom, my dad takes my hands. “Hey Sweetheart.” Tears form in his eyes when he says, “You’ve done good, babygirl. You’ve made us very proud.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I move forward and wrap my arms around his middle, his arms holding me tight around my shoulders. “Congrats, graduate.” I smile against his chest when he says, “I love you.”

“Ah, daddy, I love you, too.”

His hand strokes my hair and memories of standing on his feet as he danced around the living room rush through my thoughts. He whispers, “You promised me when you were five you would stay my little girl forever, but you went and grew up anyway.”

I giggle, tears now in the corners of my eyes. “I’m sorry about that, but I’ll always be your little girl.”

“Yes, you will be and that reminds me. I guess this guy behind me might like a chance to say something too,” my dad says, using his thumb to gesture to Evan over his shoulder.

Laughing again, a tear streams down my face and my dad walks around, wrapping his arm around my mom’s shoulders this time and kissing her on the head, reminding me of how Evan treats me. Though I know it wasn’t meant for my ears, I hear him tell her, “You did a great job, Elise.” And they hug.

Evan takes my left hand, his thumb sliding back and forth over my ring, and he says, “I’m kind of at a loss for the right words here. I’m proud of you, Congrats, and all that, but seeing you today up on that stage… it was… I’m just so…
I love you, Mallory
.”

I grab him, pulling him to me. “I love you, too.”

His hands caress my chin, bringing my lips to his. A sweet, soft kiss is placed on my mouth as his nose slides down mine. He holds me to him for a moment, our foreheads pressing against each others. When I open my eyes, I see his are still closed, caught up in the kiss or the moment or both. I slide my hands over his broad, strong shoulders, up his neck and into his hair, messing it without care. Our mouths open and our tongues meet tentatively like the act itself is forbidden. But like all things forbidden, we crave more. This kiss is delicious and needy, ravenous and sensual. It’s perfect just like Evan, just like we are together.

When we part, our eyes slowly open. Our families stare at us— eyes wide and mouths agape. Apparently this kiss is completely inappropriate for the setting and the company surrounding us by looking at their faces. I twirl under his arm into the safety of his side. “Well, that’s embarrassing.”

Evan chuckles as he kisses the top of my head. “It’s all good. Should we celebrate now?” he asks, smiling to everyone else.

“Seems you two already are. That was
so
gross, baby bro,” Kate mocks, turning around and dragging Murphy with her.

My dad gives Evan a disapproving look, Evan shrugs it off and we follow the group, trying to keep our hands and lips to ourselves. But I’ll be honest, it’s a struggle.

Graduation lunch—I sit back, enjoying the two families interacting in such a casual way, all getting along so well. My mom and Claire haven’t stopped talking about the wedding, so we end up seating them at the other end of the table to chat.

“What made you choose Hawaii for graduate school?” Hugh asks me from a few seats away.

Glancing at Evan, I say, “A couple of reasons, but one is that Evan’s college credits will transfer and we miss the island. It’s where we want to start our married life.”

“I miss the ocean,” Evan adds, to a table full of smiles and laughs.

After a toast in my honor, Evan leans forward and slips an envelope in front of me. “Happy Graduation, baby.”

The table stops and everyone looks at me. My cheeks heat from the attention and Evan pushes it closer and says, “Open it.”

Picking up the envelope, I gulp, wondering what it might be. I’m not the best with surprises and I have a feeling, knowing Evan so well, that this is more than just a card. Looking up, Evan’s eyes shine with happiness. “I’m nervous,” I say, ripping the purple envelope open. He waits, watching, with a sly grin on his face.

I pull out a card that says ‘Congrats Grad’ on the cover, but when I open the card a photograph falls onto my lap. My eyes flicker between the picture and Evans several times. I’m speechless. “This… what...
Evan?
Wait,
you didn’t…
Did you?”

“I did. You need a convertible in Hawaii and to ship your car over would cost more than the car is worth. So I bought you a new one.”

“You can’t do that. This is too much.”

He leans over and I tilt my head, my face hidden from the table. He whispers, “Too much for what?”

“Just too much,” I start. “You shouldn’t be buying me expensive gifts like this. You gave me the ring and the wedding.”

Evan takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles. “You’re going to be my wife, Mallory. You need a car in Hawaii and I can afford to give you one.
We
can afford this, so please stop worrying about money.”

I look down at the photo again and smile, running my finger across it as if I can touch the car itself. “It is really pretty.”

Evan smiles and says, “I knew you’d like it.”

“There’s no
liking
about it. I love this car and it’s just a picture. Is it this color?”

“It’s that very car unless you don’t like the color then we can get a different color. It’s called Lunar Blue Metallic,” he says, his voice filled with uncertainty.

“I love the color. It’s gorgeous. Is it a Mercedes Roadster?”

“How’d you know that?”

“Always admired them from afar.” I don’t bother telling him I went to a couple car shows with Will.

“I know you like safe and practical, but it’s Hawaii, so I had to get you the convertible. And then one thing led to the next and led to the SLK55 AMG Roadster. That car is fucking loaded. It’s so badass.” I listen as he goes on, his expression showing his excitement. “It has this really awesome sound-system and 4.5 second acceleration from zero to sixty. It’s not a Maserati, but I’m impressed and thought you’d like it.” He’s so animated it’s fun to watch.

After lunch, we all take a stroll from the restaurant down the block, stuffed from our meal. Evan holds my hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss several times.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt happier than I do right now,” I say, glancing up at him.

“Me either. The sky is the limit once we’re married.”

“Forever is ours,” I add, leaning my head on his shoulder.

“Mallory?”

Evan’s tone catches me off-guard and I look up. “Yeah?”

“Speaking of the sky being the limit, we should talk about our money situation. I mean I should’ve told you sooner, but I didn’t really think about it and you never asked.”

“It’s your money, Evan. We don’t have to talk about it right now. We can wait until some other time if you want.”

“No, we should. I think you should know.” We cross the street and enter a small park on the corner, letting our families walk ahead of us. He holds onto my left hand and looks at the ring. “I talked to your dad about it briefly when I asked for his blessing, but I haven’t talked to you. You know my grandparents left me an inheritance, but I need you to know it’s millions. I don’t have the exact figures memorized because a lot of it is invested and there have been big gains. It’s substantial. Substantial enough that neither of us would ever need to work again. I’ll get the lawyers to send over the figures so you know everything.”

“Evan, I want to work.”

“I know you do, but know if at a later date, say when we have a family, you decide you want to stay home, you can.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“I trust you, Mallory, and I want you to know everything about me.”

“Son,” Hugh says, suddenly appearing, the rest of the group up ahead near a fountain. “This might be poor timing with the celebration, but we leave for New York tonight and I’m supposed to give this letter to you. The lawyers drew it up and I verified the information to be accurate on your behalf, but I would suggest both you and Mallory review it before signing.” Hugh hands Evan a white envelope that he pulls from inside his jacket pocket and turns back to rejoin the rest of the group who are now window shopping across the street.

Evan opens the envelope and pulls out the thick, folded papers. I want to ask what they are, but I don’t, worrying that it would be intrusive. When I look at him, he frowns then his jaw tenses as his eyes narrow while reading.

He’s upset, so I put a hand on his arm and ask, “Is everything alright?” Although I’m dying to know what the papers say, they look business like and private.

Evan’s eyes meet mine, and he shakes the papers in the air. “I need you to know that I’m not making you sign these.” He folds them up and stuffs the papers back into the envelope. Taking me by the hand again, he pulls me behind him as he storms back toward the group.

I know what the papers are without him having to tell me. It’s kind of obvious it’s a pre-nuptial agreement. I stop him before he crosses the street. “Evan. Wait.” He looks back at me and I smile, trying to calm him. “I don’t mind. I’ll sign them. Just please let’s not make a scene right now. It’s not a big deal—”

He looks confused as his eyes search mine trying to understand. “Mallory—”

“Listen to me.” I pull him closer so the whole world doesn’t hear our conversation. “Those papers don’t change how I feel about you. I didn’t get together with you because you had money. Honestly, I didn’t even know you had your own money until much later and by then I was already a victim to your charm and sexy ways.” I giggle, hoping my fun lightens his mood.

“That’s why this is bullshit. I know you don’t care about this, but I do. My grandparents would’ve wanted me to marry for love not status. I’m doing that and I don’t want anything coming between us or shaking the foundation we’ve built.”

“It won’t,” I try to reason. “Your parents are only trying to protect you. That’s not a bad thing.”

“I’m in this for life, not for five or ten years. For. Life.” He emphasizes each word. “So it doesn’t matter if you have access to the money. Fuck, I want you to. I want to share everything with you.”

“It’s security and your parents want you to be secure—”

“I couldn’t live with myself if you signed these papers. This isn’t us. We weren’t built on contracts and financial statements.”

I take his hands, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles. “We’re built on love and trust.”

“Which is exactly how I want us to stay. Mallory, everything I have is yours now.”

“Oh, Evan.” I put my hand on his cheek. “Everything I have is yours as well. Just know I love you no matter what. If they demand we sign, I will if it means being with you.”

He leans down and kisses me. When our lips part, he says, “I’m sure the pre-nup is fair by legal standings, but money is just money. You have my heart so you already own me. I’m going to tell my parents to destroy this contract.”

“You do whatever feels right for you, but please talk to your parents about this later. Okay? If my family sees you arguing with your parents, they’ll get worried and I don’t want them to stress about us. They do enough of that already with me moving away.”